De Staat is the brainchild of the level-headed, talented and hard-working Nijmegen producer and rock star Torre Florim. Only after the rousing Wait For Evolution (2009) did he need band members to translate this successful debut to the stage. In the meantime, De Staat has become a real band that, with the power of a waltz, managed to get the Dutch club circuit and festivals like Lowlands and
… Glastonbury on its feet. The first band record also successfully bets on overwhelming power. Pounding stammering rhythms, savage, bluesy rock-n'-roll, chanted rap and tightly marching electronics and guitars make Machinery a frenzied, ritualistic record. Florim is unmistakably the chief engineer and has also started to sing much better and more original, with here and there a nod to Jon Spencer. But De Staat mainly sounds like itself on this crushing modern rock album. (MR)more
