The Awesome Machine "...It's Ugly Or Nothing"

The Awesome Machine was formed in late 1996 by guitarist Christian Smedström and former bass player Stefan Magnusson, followed by vocalist Lasse Olausson and drummer Peter Thorne. Tobbe Bovik took over the drum stool after Peter in March ‘98. Following the release of their self-titled debut 10-inch vinyl in October 1998, Magnusson left the band and was replaced by Anders Wenander in December 1998. With their background set firmly in the heaviest of legendary rock bands, they knew their direction immediately and recorded their cult demo "Doom, Disco, Dope, Death and Love" on German label People Like You.

Following almost a year of composing and rehearsing combined with local club shows, The Awesome Machine went on to record their first full-length "...It’s Ugly Or Nothing" at Los Angered recordings with Andy La Rocque (King Diamond, Mercyful Fate) as main engineer and co-producer.

The summer of 2000 was spent mostly on the road, including some of the biggest festivals in Sweden. In September 2000, a signature model by Eagle Guitars designed by Christian and called "Awesome" was released. The rest of the year 2000 was spent on the road throughout Europe together with the likes Dozer and Karma To Burn. In 2006, the band went on indefinite hiatus, until Ripple Music decided to rekindle the flame with their "Beneath The Desert Floor" series and the reissue of their all-time classic "...It's Ugly Or Nothing" in the winter of 2024.

About the "Beneath The Desert Floor" series, Ripple Music founder Todd Severin says: "There were so many amazing albums released in the underground heavy stoner/doom/desert/heavy psych during the late 90's, early 2000's that have gotten lost in the passage of time. These albums, from incredible bands, came out in a time before social media was fully formed to help push public awareness before the vinyl resurgence happened so they were never pressed to wax before digital channels existed to spread the music far and wide. My goal is to do our part to change that. To look beneath the desert floor and see what gems and treasures lay there. And spread them with the world."

The Awesome Machine "...It's Ugly Or Nothing" (reissue)

Out January 12th, 2024 via Ripple Music

STREAM // DOWNLOAD