The Sacramento boys are back with another one! War Machine is the second single post-Jackpot Juicer, and it is surprisingly refreshing to see them evolve their sound once again. Revitalised by the relatively new line-up addition of Andrew Wells from Eidola, and with Sergio Medina taking over Tim Feerick's bass duties after his passing, they manage to pull off some new tricks, which is impressive for a band with such a huge catalogue behind then.
War Machine is a pretty colourful track, jumping between many of their different sounds in just under four minutes. The dissonance-heavy chugfest that Jon Mess screams over, the melodically divine chorus by Tilian, as well as that absolutely tasteful second verse. I love what Andrew brings to the table with his more soulful voice, complementing the band by fitting the part where Tilian's high voice might not fit as well. The guitarwork underneath Jon's part is super funky too, I love the effects and how the whole thing sounds, how it matches the rhythm of Jon's cadences.
The breakdown definitely took me by surprise. Not only have they gone ahead and tuned lower than ever before, Jon speaks?? After his classic lyrical mania for the build-up, he just speaks, with no vocal fry or grit, "what? I mean...". It is kind of wild that, for a man who's only ever done harsh vocals for his entire career, has finally done literally any other vocal technique here. I remember doing a double-take when I first heard it, coupled with the absolutely heavy breakdown itself. Fun chug pattern, love the dissonance as well, and the lyrics are just fun at this point.
I love where their new sound is headed, it's a subtle but promising change and I'm excited for a new album that has the potential to outdo Jackpot Juicer. Dance Gavin Dance has always been on that impossible grind, somehow making amazing songs at an unbeatable pace, but this might be a new peak. I guess we'll have to wait and see, but I hope we're not left waiting for much too long.
Rating: 4/5