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Live Shows and Radio Blitz Announced! |
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Monday, 24 August 2009 17:22 |
Metalheads take note - September will see the first-ever performances from fast rising rockers, Machines of Grace. The shows will include a pair of performances in New York, as well as an additional one in Ohio.
Additionally, the group will appear the same month on several renowned radio shows, including House Of Hair, CNN's Measure To Measure program, The Chop Shop Radio Show, Tour Bus Radio, and SiriusXM Radio with Eddie Trunk.
Comprised of band members Zak Stevens (vocals, whose credits include Circle II Circle, Savatage), Matt Leff (guitars), Chris Rapoza (bass), and Jeff Plate (drums, whose credits include Trans Siberian Orchestra, Savatage, Metal Church), the Boston-based band manages to both pay tribute to their metal forefathers while also keeping a modern hard rock edge throughout their just-issued self-titled debut.
"We're excited to get on stage and play this material live," says Leff. "As Zak pointed out in a recent interview, it'll be a real trip looking across the stage and seeing us playing live together again. We've got a very short window of opportunity for shows because Jeff starts his TSO rehearsals in early October. We'll do these three shows for now and tour more extensively in early 2010."
"I feel like these are going to be some of the most relaxed, yet intense shows I've been involved with in a long time," adds Stevens. "Simply because the material is so familiar and this band represents what our initial rock and roll dreams were. My first shot at being a live vocalist was with these guys. So for me, playing with MoG is like coming full circle."
Machines of Grace has garnered glowing reviews from such esteemed online music sources as BraveWords.com (who describe the group as "A throwback to a simpler time when the almighty riff and strong melody lines ruled a la Badlands, Brother Cane and Tangier; raucous, groove-ridden soul to the max") and All Music Guide (who raved "Machines of Grace do possess an unmistakable '80s flair about them - but with a much more succinct and mainstream rock-based songwriting style"). And now, not only will you be able to truly understand what all the early buzz is about with their debut recording, but lucky fans will get the opportunity to experience it all on a concert stage.
Lastly, Plate adds his thoughts about taking Machines of Grace out on the road. "My thoughts on playing live with this group for the first time? Excited, anxious, confident... Machines Of Grace is that '71 Chevelle SS that you have been working on in your shop for years. Now it's time to take it to the strip and show it off! It has been 10 years since I performed on stage with Zack Stevens and 16 years since performing with Matt Leff, and I know it will feel like yesterday when we blast into our first tune. Chris Rapoza is new to the mix, but there is no doubt that the energy he brought to the studio is going to translate onstage as well. This is the next step in bringing Machines Of Grace to the masses. With our experience, the musicianship and quality songs that we carry, combined with our desire to win over every person at every show, I know we will not disappoint."
UPCOMING MACHINES OF GRACE TOUR DATES:
09/12/2009 12:00 PM
Binghamton Area Metalfest
Endicott, New York, USA
The Country Pines
1660 Union Center Highway
Endicott, New York
Line-Up:
THE RODS (Headliner) - CAGE (Co-Headliner) - MACHINES OF GRACE (Special Guests)
- SINNER ( Judas Priest tribute band) - ELEVATOR DEATH SQUAD - BEYOND FALLEN -
RAVAGE - CURSED FROM BIRTH - JANE EVIL - THIS CITY NEEDS A HERO
09/13/2009 08:00 PM
Club Europa
Brooklyn, New York, USA
Line-Up:
CAGE, MACHINES OF GRACE, RAVAGE, MARTYRD, PHOENIX REIGN.
09/24/2009
House of Blues
Cleveland, OH
Line-Up:
STRYPER, FLIGHT PATTERNS, MACHINES OF GRACE |
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Goldmine Magazine - 4 Star Review |
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Monday, 10 August 2009 21:41 |
Machines Of Grace
Independent Release
Grade: ★★★★
The esteemed metal band Savatage may never
record again, but at least key past and present
personnel — Jon Oliva, Chris Caffery and Zak
Stevens — all continue to make music. Stevens, lead
vocalist for Savatage from 1992 to 2000, actually
fronts two major projects these days: Circle II Circle
(which has released four albums) and the new
Machines Of Grace (which includes Metal Church
and Trans-Siberian Orchestra drummer Jeff Plate,
along with journeymen Matt Leff on guitar and Chris
Rapoza on bass.) Boasting broader appeal than most
other bands on those players’ resumes, the self-titled
debut from Machines Of Grace was produced by Paul
David Hager, whose credits include Sammy Hagar,
the Goo Goo Dolls and even Pink.
In fact, the album’s diversity may startle some
headbangers. In addition to solid anthems that
straddle rock and metal, less heavy songs such as
“The Moment” and “This Time” give Machines of
Grace unexpected depth. The acoustic “Innocence,”
despite its status as a ballad, packs almost as
much power as the thundering “Psychotic” and
mid-paced monsters “Fly Away” and “Between
the Lines” — thanks to Stevens’ muscular
and unwavering delivery. On the other hand,
“Breakdown” rocks like it’s 1988 all over again.
— Michael Popke |
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Machines of Grace on the Radio |
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Thursday, 30 July 2009 21:19 |
On the strength of their self-titled debut, melodic metallists MACHINES OF GRACE are steadily assaulting rock radio.
In less than a month (the group's debut was issued on July 7th), the group landed at #4 on FMQB 'most added' chart, with 34 adds (debut 50 bullet with 41 spins) and was #3 on CMJ's 'most added' chart, with 48 adds. Machines of Grace has also enjoyed a strong showing on radio stations throughout the US, including such heavy hitters as Austin's KROX, Los Angeles' FMJ, Kansas City's KKFI, and Chicago's WKTA, among countless others. With such an incredible early radio buzz, the list of radio adds will surely only grow larger. |
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Read more...
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Tuesday, 28 July 2009 00:00 |
Machines of Grace - Album Review
By Deb Rao
Hardrock Haven rating: 8/10
During the heyday of metal in 1989 Boston, one band that ruled the Lansdowne
area metal clubs such as Axis and Bills Bar was Wicked Witch. The golden vocals
of Zak Stevens and catchy in-your-face guitar-driven melodies earned the band
a loyal following with metal fans in the Hub.
They say what comes around goes around, and 20 years later Wicked Witch has
taken on a second name, Machines of Grace, which features Zak Stevens (vocals,
Circle II Circle, Savatage), Matt Leff (guitars), Chris Rapoza (bass), and
Jeff Plate (drums,Trans Siberian Orchestra, Savatage, Metal Church.
Machines Of Grace has just released its debut self-titled album, which features
renditions of the early Wicked Witch’s catalog plus some new songs, too.
Opening Wicked Witch song, ”Just A Game” sets the tone for this
guitar solo-oriented album, featuring melodic vocals and love-gone-bad lyrics. |
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Friday, 24 July 2009 00:00 |
Machines of Grace - Album Review
By Greg Prato - All Music Guide 2009
Try imagining what a union of two former members of Savatage would sound like,
and you'd think long epics in the grand prog metallist tradition, right? Well,
judging from the self-titled debut release from Machines of Grace, the answer
is not exactly. Featuring former Savatage members Zak Stevens (vocals) and Jeff
Plate (drums), Machines of Grace do possess an unmistakable '80s flair about
them -- but with a much more succinct and mainstream rock-based songwriting style
(and with a decidedly more modern production to boot), cases in point being such
tracks as the King's X-esque "The Moment" (which is directly comparable
to the aforementioned band's early classic "Goldilox"), the acoustic
guitar-driven "Innocence," and the riff-heavy "Fly Away." Possessing
elements of both vintage and modern metal, Machines of Grace just may find themselves
picking up fans of both hard-rockin' styles with their self-titled debut.
3.5 Stars
As originally seen here. |
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