ALBUM REVIEW: The Age Of The Machine Entities – Observers
Martin Kennedy isn’t a stranger to creating soundscapes fitting for cinema. Few can boast about releasing their 19th studio album, but this is what Kennedy and company in ALL RADIO INDIA achieved with their 2022 album The Generator Of All Infinity. The music that they have created has been featured in both film and TV, with their third album being nominated for an ARIA Award. All this is to say that there is no shortage of credentials when it comes to the music that Kennedy has created, and this long-history in the music industry is evident when it comes to The Age Of The Machine Entities – the stunning debut album from his new sci-fi inspired instrumental metal band OBSERVERS.
OBSERVERS are a band that wouldn’t be complete without their visual aesthetic, with sci-fi visuals being something that Kennedy has long been passionate about. His passion has taken its own form with his popular X (formerly Twitter) account SciFi Art, which regularly shares art from retro science-fiction media. Before even pressing play, the striking artwork for The Age Of The Machine Entities created by artist Ryan T. Hancock immediately sets its dark interstellar tone. The title (and the record itself) is a homage to the sci-fi classic 2001: A Space Odyssey, and OBSERVERS aim to create a “cosmic doom epic” that reimagines the work of Arthur C. Clark and Stanley Kubrick in a unique form.
To be clear: the term “reimagining” here is used quite literally. From the sweeping guitar work and the blistering black metal drumming by Chris Bohm on the opening of Into The Eye, it becomes immediately apparent that this is first and foremost a melodic metal album. The ties to the thematic source material are not immediately apparent outside of the track titles (Frank Poole’s Dream, Pod Bay Doors and The Star Child, to name but a few), but there’s a lot more than just reverent references and the occasional narrative elements to unpack here.
The Age Of The Machine Entities spans countless subgenres on the heavier side of music and beyond, at times conjuring the crushing heaviness of GOJIRA, the blackened ambience of SUNN O))), and the psychedelic post-rock of PINK FLOYD to create its vivid cinematic tone. There is very much a “kitchen sink” approach present here – the sludgy opening bass lines by Rich Gray (ANNIHILATOR) on Frozen Lattices Of Light feel quite unique on the record, while the ethereal guitar plucking and lofty lead sections on Strange And Beautiful harken to more recent work of DEVIN TOWNSEND.
There is a steady build on the eclectic 11-minute cosmic journey that is Metaphor. Swaying largely towards the electronic with (somewhat surprisingly) panpipes also at play, the VANGELIS of it all fades away towards the end, closing out with a progressive metal section that masterfully bleeds into The Star Child. Much of this album can be described in a similar way – tracks have their own individuality, but it plays out like its theatrical counterpart and forms a collective experience.
With The Age Of The Machine Entities, OBSERVERS don’t expect fandom-level knowledge of their conceptual source material in 2001: A Space Odyssey as a prerequisite for enjoyment – this smart and progressive release is more than capable of speaking for itself. This debut record from OBSERVERS is a sprawling space-metal epic in its own regard, incorporating experience with their genre-spanning disregard for accordance to fashion a bold sound that’s worthy of standing in proximity to the science fiction masterpiece.
Rating: 8/10
The Age Of The Machine Entities is set for release on March 1st via self-release.
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