By: David Schultz

A funny thing happened to The Secret Machines in the aftermath of their in-the-round tour in support of their critically praised sophomore effort, Ten Silver Drops: they appeared to be on the verge of splitting up. This past March, the band quietly announced that guitarist Ben Curtis would be leaving the band he founded with his brother Brandon and drummer Josh Garza to pursue other endeavors. While Ben’s departure threw a wrench into the works, the Machines have not become derailed. Just two months after the announcement, David Bowie tapped The Secret Machines, one his favorite bands, to close out last May’s High Line Festival at the HighLine Ballroom. With a pair of guitarists replacing Ben, the Machines performed a few works in progress that showed hints that the band might be heading in a heavier direction.

After remaining out of the public eye for the summer, The Secret Machines have emerged from their modest hibernation for a month long Wednesday night residency at New York City’s The Annex. With substantial recording on their first album without Ben completed, Garza and Brandon Curtis are giving the material a live workout at the intimate Lower East Side club. At last Wednesday’s installment, the second of four scheduled gigs, the Machines were a leaner outfit than their Highline incarnation. Phil Karnats replaced Ben on guitar and Brandon solely played bass, not even bothering to set up his keyboards.

The Secret Machines 2.0 kept the heavier sound they debuted at the HighLine, only now the weightier songs bristle with a life instead of being mired down in their ponderous density. The new songs have a decidedly industrial flavor: Garza’s explosive drumming contributes to a vibe similar to Trent Reznor’s more accessible material and Curtis and Karnats’ interaction has a slight Velvet Underground feel. It was hard to get a full grasp on the new material as the hour long set was beleaguered by horrible sound. For the entire evening, Curtis’ vocals could hardly be heard, unintentionally turning many of the songs into industrial style jams. Even if it wasn’t designed that way, the effect was fantastic as the powerful chords and melodies washed over the club in an overwhelming wave of sound.

Garza, who is emerging as one of the strongest drummers on any scene, carries many of the songs on his back. A controlled tempest, Garza wails away with a fury, powering the songs along. The chemistry he has with Curtis results in the identifiable Secret Machines crunge, with one of the new songs having the same heavy draw as “First Wave Intact.” If the songs at The Annex are any indication, Garza and Curtis seem to be moving away from the guitar based grooves of “The Road Leads Where It’s Lead” and “Nowhere Again.” To close the evening, Karnats led a run into “Lightning Blue Eyes,” the one nod to their prior material. As Karnats found his way into the intro, Garza looked on, squinting in dissatisfaction until the guitarist found the exact tempo; at that point, Garza burst into a beaming smile and launched into the song.

Any stories that The Secret Machines have become outdated or obsolete are premature. They are regrouping, changing and evolving, but they are very much in fine working order.