SFTHU Quick Reviews: The Great Machine - "Working Class Anarchist"
I was well aware that it was coming out, but somehow, I missed The Great Machine's fifth full-length album Working Class Anarchist when it was released on September 12. To say that I'm grateful that it made its way back onto my radar is an understatement, because it ended up being both my favorite album from the band and one of the best things I've heard this year. Let me back up a bit...
The Great Machine has been blasting their loud, sweaty, uninhibited sound for more than a decade. This genre-defying group from Tel-Aviv, led by brothers Aviran and Omer Haviv, have supported the likes of Ozzy Osbourne, Fu Manchu, and Patti Smith, in addition to playing a UK and European tour with All Them Witches (just to name a handful of their notable gigs).
The band is known for their explosive sound that doesn't fit neatly into any one (or five) genres. According to their band bio on Spotify, "Rock & Roll sees them as 'Metalheads' and the Metal scene calls them 'Hippies'". While The Great Machine's tones tend to primarily vacillate among punk, metal, stoner rock, and psychedelic tempers, their sound is always gritty, amplified, and ever-changing - a true and supremely creative chameleon whose hue deftly alters to fit the situation at hand.
The Great Machine's new album Working Class Anarchist (released September 12, 2025 via Noisolution) surprised me in the best way by possessing a certain artful darkness throughout, a bit reminiscent of the post punk movement, an era that makes its mark on the album in several places. The band's typical punk delivery is now more in line with a garage punk stye, which fits in perfectly with the moodiness at hand. Noise and garage rock also take a front seat, with intense distortion, dense fuzz, pulsing drums, and unfettered vocals in full effect. Stoner/desert rock shows up too, primarily in two of my favorite songs from the album, Neu and the aptly-titled Desert Ledge.
The official visualizer for "Neu", a song from "Working Class Anarchist" on which The Great Machine's stoner/desert rock influence, as well as some whispers of post punk inspiration, can be heard.
Don't be fooled, however, Working Class Anarchist isn't The Great Machine going "soft" or being pretentious in any shape or form. In fact, the band is as tumultuous and bold as ever, just in different, sophisticated shades...ever a true chameleon.
More About The Great Machine
The Great Machine Is:
Aviran Haviv - Bass/Vocals
Omer Haviv - Guitars/Vocals
Dan Deutsch - Drums/Percussion
You can follow The Great Machine and listen to their music at the following links:
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