Sweden’s stoner rock veterans THE AWESOME MACHINE reissue their cornerstone album “…It’s Ugly Or Nothing” on limited edition vinyl today, as part of Ripple Music’s exclusive “Beneath The Desert Floor” series.
“An absolute blast of a heavy rock record.” – The Obelisk
“A key album in setting the blueprint for the classic Scandinavian stoner sound.” – The Sleeping Shaman
“A robust, rollicking slice of desert adventure, heavy and satisfying, stately and accomplished, melodic, and, for much of its running time, quite magical.” – Ghost Cult Magazine
In the wake of their new “Beneath The Desert Floor” series — unearthing long-lost treasures from the early days of stoner rock — Californian label Ripple Music has teamed up with Swedish stoner scene veterans THE AWESOME MACHINE for the reissue of their 2000 third album “…It’s Ugly Or Nothing”. An indestructible mass of fuzz-drenched heft, this is eleven tracks of uncompromising stoner rock goodness for the ages in the vein of Kyuss and Slo Burn, a true classic of Swedish-brewed mastery that old and new fans of the genre will welcome with open arms and ears in their record collection!
Recorded in 2000 by King Diamond guitarist Andy La Rocque, the long-overdue reissue of “…It’s Ugly Or Nothing” will be available on gold vinyl, with each copy wrapped in a classic Japanese-style OBI strip with the “Beneath The Desert Floor” special series art. Watch the “El Bajo” and “I Never Said I Never Fail” videos!
THE AWESOME MACHINE “…It’s Ugly Or Nothing” (reissue)
Available now on Ripple Music
The legend says that the stoner rock genre was born under the baking sun of Southern California in the mid-80s, somewhere between Palm Desert and Orange County. A sun-baked, punk-infused and largely psychedelic-driven response to the Pacific NorthWest’s grunge movement, its most iconic torchbearers were named Kyuss, Fatso Jetson, Fu Manchu or Sleep. Way before social media existed, it didn’t take long for the first cassette tapes to cross the pond and spark an inextinguishable fire in what would become the cradle of European stoner rock: Sweden. Among the scene forefathers Dozer or Lowrider stood a myriad of hyperactive bands, among which THE AWESOME MACHINE.
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.
THE AWESOME MACHINE is:
Lasse Olausson – vocals
Anders Wenander – bass
Christian Smedström – guitar
Tobbe Bövik – drums
THE AWESOME MACHINE links
Facebook⎪Spotify
RIPPLE MUSIC links
Website⎪Facebook⎪Bandcamp⎪Instagram
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