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Because you need to know.

Name:

Duration:
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Discography:

The God Machine
1990 - 1994
US
Robin Proper-Sheppard (vocals/guitar)
Jimmy Fernandez (bass)
Ronald Austin (drums/piano)
Scenes From The Second Storey (1992)
One Last Laugh In A Place Of Dying (1994)

In 1990 the world makes contact with the primal strenght of The God Machine for the first time. Formed in San Diego, CA they're finally moving to Europe. London and Amsterdam are the places where they stay most frequent where they make money by playing on the street. The music is complex and at the same time very much distinguishable. Ink-black, almost depressive, lyrics backed up by heavy guitar walls and occurring silences. Everyone who listens to their music realizes that The God Machine is a special band who undoubtedly will make it far.
Unfortunately. It turns out differently.
Debut Scenes From The Second Storey released in 1992 makes a huge impact. With reason. An undisputed masterpiece. This debut, in combination with their strong anti-commercial attitude and excellent gigs, makes sure a true cult-following is forming around them.
However in 1994 destiny strikes. After recording the second album in Prague bass player Jimmy Fernandez suddenly becomes unwell. That same day he ends up in a coma and dies. Cause: A brain tumor. The remaining bandmembers (Robin Proper-Sheppard, Ronald Austin) split the band directly.
Second album One Last Laugh In A Place Of Dying has been fully dedicated to Fernandez. People have to do some effort to get hold of that album because of the full white CD-cover without any mention of the bandname. A symbolic gesture; hollowness of death.
In stead of a wide musical breakthrough The God Machine gains semi-legendary fame. Their two albums were enough for the remainings of an unforgettable impression.
A couple of years later singer/writer Proper-Sheppard starts a recordlabel (The Flowershop) and makes a few albums under the name Sophia. Austin, just like Proper-Sheppard living in London, writes, directs and produces movies.

Listen to:
The Tremelo Song

That's heavy... Only two albums, you say?

The God Machine : another biography

Capable of producing work of the most devilish intensity, American bred but UK based band God Machine briefly sparked in the '90s before they were overtaken by tragic events. Melding Black Sabbath styled riffs with more detached, freeform passages, the band engendered a strong critical reaction throughout their brief existence. Comprising Robin Proper-Sheppard (vocals/guitar), Jimmy Fernandez (bass) and Ronald Austin (drums), they formed in January 1990 when all three, who had been friends at high school, elected to move from San Diego, California, to England to form a band. Without money or equipment, they soon found themselves hungry and homeless, until they broke into a disused apartment in Camden, north London, and furnished it with items stolen from an abandoned pub. They then found jobs (illegally) selling fruit at the nearby market, saving the money to buy instruments.
Six months elapsed before they had enough to make the necessary purchases, and a further six months while they learned to play them. They soon amassed a significant following in British indie circles reared on the imported sounds of Sonic Youth and Big Black, though when they elected to return to America their illegal immigrant status meant they had to first stow away on a ferry from England to Ireland. On the back of a series of well-received EPs for Fiction Records the band toured the UK with My Bloody Valentine and announced their first album, SCENES FROM THE SECOND STOREY. A powerful, almost tribalistic assault on the senses, its brutal aesthetic was the key to its impact.
Not content with their travels thus far, the trio journeyed to Prague to record a follow-up set. However, in May 1994, one day after its completion, Fernandez became ill. On 23 May he died from a cancerous brain tumour, aged 28. As Sheppard declared: 'The only thing I was really beginning to identify with was our music, and now our music has essentially cased to exist, or the band identity has ceased to exist.' ONE LAST LAUGH IN A PLACE OF DYING thus became an epitaph to both Fernandez and the God Machine.
Transcribed by ChkingHzrd@aol.com

One of MANY bands that I just never got around to hearing at the time. Yet I bought the first Pearl Jam LP!!! You have to wonder what goes on in your head sometimes.

porkie!!! up em to the group or up anything to the group!!!!!

havent heard gm in al ong time.

Ok i will at one point i will up but give us time as i have a trillion things to do at the moment.That first album is a masterpiece.Really,really beautiful.It should get more mention for sure.

yay. brilliant band, saw them play with the jesus and mary chain and they were spectacular, beautiful non cheesy use of samples and heavy as fuck. foolishly lent my cassette of one last laugh to a friend and never saw it again, as i recall i prefered one last laugh to scenes. when will one last laugh be re-released!!??

We should start a campaign to have both The God Machine and Loop records re-released.A petition or something.The kids need to know.