Greenmachine

Greenmachine
Background information
Origin	Kanezawa, Japan Ishikawa, Japan
Genres	Stoner Metal, Sludge Metal, Grindcore
Years active	1995 - 1999, 2003 - 2006, 2010 2013 - Present
Labels	Man's Ruin Records, DiwPhalanx, Daymare
Associated acts	Second To None
Website	Greenmachine Facebook

Greenmachine are a stoner/sludge band originating from various parts of Japan, namely the Kanezawa and Ishikawa prefectures. Billing their music as "Hardcore Rock", Greenmachine perform a style of heavy music that blends elements of sludge, stoner metal, grindcore and hardcore. The band released two albums in their initial run (Which notably gained a worldwide audience with US reissues via Man's Ruin Records.) before disbanding in 1999.

Greenmachine reformed in 2003 with a reissue campaign and a new album the next year but broke up again in 2006. Recently the band has reformed in 2013 and has remained active longer than the previous two runs, ultimately releasing a fourth album in 2019. By this point the band did short tours through Japan

Greenmachine derive their name from the classic Kyuss song released on the 1992 album Blues for the Red Sun.

History

D.A.M.N. and The Earth Beater (1995 - 1999)

Greenmachine formed in 1995 with the founding lineup of Datsu, Monzawa and Daisaku. With their mix of hardcore, sludge and stoner the band managed to share the stage with several underground contemporaries in the Japanese heavy scene such as Boris, Corrupted, Choukoku no Niwa, Hellchild, Mad3 and many more in hardcore and sludge bands. Eventually the band's first album (billed as a "mini-album" and "hardcore meets heavy rock sound") D.A.M.N. saw release on 25 December 1996. Notably the album would also begin an ongoing series of songs entitled Red Eye, the first part being on this debut. A split with hardcore punkers Thug saw release in August 1997, also featuring Red Eye Pt. 2. The band would tour Japan in 1997 supporting the likes of Copass Grinderz in a toured billed as Heavier Than Melvins.

By 1998 the band worked up enough material for a new album, eventually releasing The Earth Beater in the Summer of 1998. Notably some months prior, Man's Ruin Records would distribute the first two albums in the United States, exposing the band to a more worldwide following. However following a short tour in 1999 with internal conflicts mounting, Greenmachine would break up.

The Archive of Rotten Blues (2003 - 2006, 2010)

Greenmachine would reform with the lineup of Datsu, Monzawa and bassist Takumi Hasegawa in 2003, with the first announced reunion shows on 4 January (Club Quattro, Nagoya), 5 January (Chop, Fukui) and 9 February (Vanvan 4, Kanezawa) On 6 June 2004, DiwPhalanx would reissue remastered versions of D.A.M.N. and The Earth Beater with bonus tracks, along with the release of a new album in The Archives of Rotten Blues, notably featuring the third part in the Red Eye series entitled "Into the Bigsleep (Red Eye pt. 3)"/

Greenmachine would tour with Boris in support of the new record and reissues and share the stage with many heavy rockers in the Japanese heavy scene such as Eternal Elysium, Earth Blow, Spiral Collective, Melt-Banana among past bands they shared the stage with such as Corrupted and Barebones. Greenmachine would perform through 2005 and 2006, also being a part of the Wizard's Convention split DVD. Greenmachine's final show of their second run on 8 October 2006 at the Shimokitazawa Shelter (With Boris, Barebones and Stupid Babies Go Mad), as part of the fifth volume of Wizard's Convention. DiwPhalanx would release a DVD of this final performance as This is The End 061008 on 23 March 2007.

Greenmachine would reunite for a one-time performance in 2010 but further details on this, such as the venue, date and lineup, are unknown.

Third Run and Mountains of Madness (2013 - Present)

Greenmachine would reunite once again (With the lineup of Monsawa, Datsu, Yoshikawa and later a second guitarist named Max) in 2013, the first show of this return being a tribute to Genjiro Yonezawa on 19 May 2013. Greenmachine would play regular shows in various parts of Japan, alongside the likes of Barebones, Eternal Elysium and Coffins among their longtime friends Boris and Corrupted. Now signing to Daymare Recordings, Greenmachine would release their first new songs in over a decade with For The Night and Blood on 9 March 2016. A release party for this EP would be held on 23 April at Earthdom.

The next year saw the band releasing a split CD with Hangman's Chair, featuring an eleven-minute medley of all the Red Eye tracks to that point, including a new part five. The next year would see the band performing outside of Japan for the first time, notably a German show with Dopelord and a special appearance at Roadburn Festival.

Following some time away from the stage, Greenmachine would release their first album in fifteen years via Daymare Recordings. Mountains of Madness saw it's release on 19 March 2019. A release party for Mountains of Madness would be hosted on 15 June 2019 at FEVER (With Barebones, Gruesome, Sledgehammer and Nepenthes.). A fifth studio album in the eponymous Greenmachine would follow on 9 December 2020.

Discography

Studio Albums

• D.A.M.N. (1996, Man's Ruin Records)
• The Earth Beater (1999, Man's Ruin Records)
• The Archives of Rotten Blues (2004, DiwPhalanx)
• Mountains of Madness (2019, Daymare Recordings)
• Greenmachine (2020, Daymare Recordings)

Other Releases

• Thug / Greenmachine (Split with Thug) (1997, Bovine Records)
• The Earth Beater Ver 0.5 (EP) (1999, Man's Ruin Records)
• Wizard's Convention (Split DVD with Boris, Eternal Elysium, Church of Misery) (2005, DiwPhalanx)
• This Is the End 061008 (DVD) (2007, DiwPhalanx)
• For The Night And Blood EP (EP) (2016, Daymare Recordings)
• Hangman's Chair / Greenmachine (Split with Hangman's Chair) (2017, musicfearsatan; Daymare Recordings)

Members

Current Members

• Masanori Yoshikawa - Bass, Vocals (1997, 2010, 2013 - Present)
• Monzawa - Guitar, Vocals (1995 - 1999, 2003 - 2006, 2010, 2013 - Present)
• Datsu - Drums (1995 - 1999, 2003 - 2006, 2010, 2013 - Present)
• Max - Guitar (2013 - Present)

Former Members

• Daisaku - Bass (1995 - 1997, 1997 - 1999)
• Takumi Hasegawa - Bass (2003 - 2006)

List of Known Tours

• Louder Than Melvins! '97 Tour (With Co/SS/griNDErZ) (1997)
• Mountain High Tour (With Rocky & The Sweden, SDS) (1999)
• A Soul is Poured Out Again: Reun!on (2003)
• Black Summer Tour (With Boris) (2003)
• 2016 Spring Shows/Mini-Tour (2016)
• 2018 European Mini-Tour (2018)

External Links

• Green Machine MySpace
• The Obelisk announcement on the split LP
• Greenmachine Last.fm