How the Ukrainian label rereleased Greenmachine's sludge classic

24 years after the release of the famous album "D.A.M.N." Japanese sludge band Greenmachine is released on vinyl for the first time. And this is because of the efforts of the Ukrainian label! We'll show in detail who and how joined this process.

"D.A.M.N." — debut release of the famous Japanese band Greenmachine, first released in 1996 on the local label TASTE Recs., and later reissued on the iconic American label Man's Ruin Records. The album received good reviews from world-renowned music publications. Yes, Metal Injection described it as "a masterpiece that is ahead of its time and will never lose its relevance," and Metal-Archives claims that this is how a real sludge sounds. At one time, back in the 2000s, the creativity of the band and users of the Neformat forum were highly appreciated. Who would have thought then that in 2020 the Ukrainian label will release the Japanese band on vinyl! And it really happened.

Longplay "D.A.M.N." became the next release in the Robust Relics Series (the first was also Japanese band Eternal Elysium) of the Ukrainian label Robustfellow. Phil Dobrov brought together several organizations from around the world around this idea, namely the American label Riff Merchant, the Japanese Long Legs Long Arms, and the Taiwanese Bad Moon Rising. Thanks to this collaboration, the record was first released on vinyl and was also reissued on CDs

"Tokyo label 3LA is famous for its support of both local and global underground and reasonable quality of its releases. We met with Akihito online a long time ago and made a few trades. New-York-based RMR is quite young but ambitious label with a great taste in music and records design. As soon as it came to the re-release of "D.A.M.N." we have quickly found a common language and there was a spark from the first notes", — says Phil Dobrov about this international cooperation.

It is worth noting that several well-known American labels have previously expressed a desire to release "D.A.M.N." on vinyl, but something didn't grow together. Finally, the stars came together and it was the Robustfellow team that initiated and curated this art project..

"We met the Greenmachine band for the first time in 2016, when we made a review of a robust mini album For The Night And Blood, and later included an explosive track "Rapidfire" to the compilation Robustfellow Sampler 2018. We also have been considering a possibility to invite this Japanese band to play Robust Gig in Kyiv. In a short time, we started negotiations about potential re-releases. It took a few years to find master tapes, exclusive bonus tracks and agree on rights", — recalls Phil Dobrov.

The Greenmachine members themselves confirm that they have previously received offers to reissue the debut from various labels, but did not have a strong desire to deal with past releases.

"Proposals for re-releases have been on various labels, but we weren't too obsessed with past releases. However, it was the opportunity to make a decision that we got a huge reaction when we played this album in response to the request on European tour 2018, and Robustfellow patiently suggested us with sincerity.

We didn't expect our music to go far outside Japan! Robustfellow does a professional job. Sound, artwork, business, all great. They work with passion. We want to work with them forever. The distance is far, but the heart is very close. We really respect Robustfellow", — say musicians.

The peculiarities of the reprint were not limited to the fact that the process was initiated by a Ukrainian label. Of course, Phil also involved Ukrainian specialists to work on it. Yes, the design was done in 2018 by Yaroslav Grob, who has collaborated with many Ukrainian bands, including Dan Stark, Oh, Deer !, The Symbioz, Обрій (Horizon), Selma, Good Bye Earth, Карта Мира (Worlds Map), Displease, Skruta, etc..

Yaroslav did not face the easiest task, because in 1997 on Man’s Ruin the album was released with a cover by the artist and label owner Frank Kozyk, which, they say, still shocks.

"Surely, I’ve got familiar with Franc Kozyk’s artwork, but I needed my own impression/experience from this music. The music itself was a bridge/link between our covers, rather between their visualization or vision. Actually, the plot is the same, just different methods and mediums are used. Just a different way of telling a story", — says Yaroslav.

The Ukrainian artist, by the way, is known for not undertaking every work.

"It’s not about being blown away. Everything is based on the first impression of the material. I was unfamiliar with this release, and quite limited in my knowledge of this music genre. Its vibe and emotionality attracted me. My first image was an asphalt roller rushing down the hill, crushing and smashing everything and everyone on its way. Then I’ve started to see/hear misanthropic mood, which correlates with the photo of the first cover version. It’s quite an interesting album and great experience!", — Yaroslav adds.

Yaroslav characterizes his work as an illustration of his impressions of music, as an addition to the album, rather than an illustration, and calls it a one-way interaction without hidden symbols or images.

Another Ukrainian specialist who worked on the reprint was Yaroslav Necromandus Prokopchuk, a member of Robustcrew, who performed the mastering of the release in Ukraine in the period 2018-2019.

It was not the first time that Yaroslav had to work with Japanese music, as he was the one who did the final mastering of the reissue of the album "Searching Low & High" by Eternal Elysium as part of the Robust Relics Series.

"The Japanese heavy scene is unique in terms of sounding. Many albums of various bands have one common feature — they sound enormously powerful, on the verge of the so-called loudness war. Especially the albums from the late 90’es era, when the the-louder-the-better-approach to a record was self-evident. Keeping in mind that the priority was the vinyl release, the main aim was to lighten the sound, make it more comfortable for listening using a turntable.

The main challenge were the bonus tracks recorded live. They were completely different from the main studio part of the album. Working with these tracks was rather a restoration. I prepared a draft, the band said nothing but “sounds great!”, and it became clear that we are on the right way", — says Yaroslav.

He adds that the band did not voice any whims, so everything was done under the responsibility and vision of the label of this release.

The Robustfellow team is currently working on a sequel to the Robust Relics Series, and it will be Japanese again!

"The next release will also come from the land where the sun rises. A dynamic cover from one of Robust Artists is already being prepared, but this is the theme of a separate tea ceremony.

Japan is a special universe, ranging from exotic single malt whiskey, unique cinema, traditions of illustration, literature, continuing with a non-standard approach to creating musical compositions and grinding cartridges for Nintendo. We can and have a lot to learn from each other.", — notes Phil Dobrov.

The RobustFellow label began its history back to 2013. In addition to the label's activities, the guys organize large-scale concerts and festivals. With their participation, Weedeater, Mars Red Sky, Greenleaf, Elder, Loinen, Methadone Skies and others came to Ukraine. The label released collections Electric Funeral Cafe and albums by Ukrainian bands such as Bomg, Celophys, Ethereal Riffian, Somali Yacht Club and Soom.

Greenmachine was named after Kyuss song "Green Machine", the second track from the album "Blues for the Red Sun". In 1996, the band released their debut album "D.A.M.N." on the local label TASTE Recs., which was later reissued on Man's Ruin Records.
Two years later, the next album "The Earth Beater" was released (on the same label).
In 1999, the band disbanded, and in 2003 reunited. With the new bassist in the lineup, the musicians released the album "The Archives of Rotten Blues" (2004) on the label Diwphalanx Records.
In 2005, the band took part in a series of concerts at The Wizard's Convention, and their performance was recorded and released on DVD, which also features their music colleagues from Japan: Boris, Church of Misery, and Eternal Elysium. In 2007, the band disbanded again. In the same year, a DVD called "This is the End" was released with a recording of the band's last performance.
Since then, there have been several performances by the band in the reunion. The first took place in 2010, the second — in 2013. After that, the band reunited, in 2014 accepted a new member, and in 2016 released "FOR THE NIGHT AND BLOOD EP" (Daymare Recordings). In 2019, the full-length "Mountains of Madness" was released on Long Legs Long Arms and Daymare Records..

Greenmachine in the social networks:

https://www.facebook.com/GREENMACHiNE.Hardcorerock/
https://www.instagram.com/_grmc_/
https://twitter.com/grmc_info

Robustfellow in the social networks:

https://www.facebook.com/RobustfellowProds
https://www.instagram.com/robustfellow_prods
http://www.robustfellow.bandcamp.com

Photos provided by the label