Sister Machine Gun
| Company type | Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1990 |
| Founder | Chris Randall, Guilherme Machado |
| Defunct | 2007 |
| Fate | Disbanded; reformed in 2015 |
| Headquarters | Chicago, Illinois , United States |
Key people | Chris Randall |
| Products | Music albums |
| Website | www |
Sister Machine Gun is an industrial rock group from the United States, initially established in Chicago, Illinois.
The band originated in New York City, founded by Chris Randall and Guilherme Machado. Following a brief pause, they secured a contract with Wax Trax! Records and unveiled their first album, Sins of the Flesh, in 1992. Throughout their career, Sister Machine Gun experienced multiple lineup changes and progressively developed their musical style. After parting ways with Wax Trax! Records, they transitioned to Randall’s own label, Positron! Records. The group dissolved in 2007 as Randall embarked on a solo path but resurfaced in 2015 with the release of The Future Unformed under WTII Records.
Formation and early period
Chris Randall and Guilherme Machado established Sister Machine Gun in New York City, performing at venues such as Pipeline in New Jersey and Limelight in New York. The band’s name is inspired by a lyric from Skinny Puppy. When Randall took on a role as stage technician for KMFDM’s tour, the band temporarily halted activities. Randall then moved to Chicago, found employment in the mailroom of Wax Trax! Records, and collaborated with Jim Marcus and Van Christie of Die Warzau to produce a demo. Sascha Konietzko of KMFDM mixed this demo, which ultimately led to a recording contract with Wax Trax!.
Period with Wax Trax! Records
Sister Machine Gun released their debut album Sins of the Flesh through Wax Trax! in 1992. For touring purposes, Chris Randall brought together musicians including Tom Gaul, Steve Stoll, and Chris Kelly. After Stoll left following the tour, the band began work on their subsequent album.
Their 1994 release, The Torture Technique, was created during which Tom Gaul departed midway through recording; guitarist Greg Lucas and drummer Scott Churilla joined for the supporting tour. Sister Machine Gun toured as part of Angstfest alongside KMFDM and Chemlab. Following this tour, Chris Kelly exited the group.
Prior to recording Burn, the lineup featured Randall along with bassist Bob Jones, drummer Tom DeSalvo (formerly of Chemlab), and guitarist Chris Smits. Studio contributions came from Geno Lenardo of Filter. Released in 1995, Burn reached number nine on the CMJ Radio Top 200 chart; its title track gained additional exposure by appearing on the soundtrack for the film Mortal Kombat.
Touring for Burn included Randall supported by bassist Richard Deacon and drummer Kevin Temple (previously with Die Warzau). This core lineup continued through tours for Metropolis, with guitarists Pat Sprawl and Brian Sarche joining occasionally.
The final album released under Wax Trax!, Metropolis, came out in 1997. It remained on the CMJ Radio Top 200 chart for over fourteen weeks, peaking at number seven. Guitarist Reeves Gabrels contributed to this record.
Era with Positron! Records
Following the 1997 release of Metropolis, Sister Machine Gun parted ways with Wax Trax! Records. Subsequent albums were issued via Positron! Records, a label founded and managed by Randall together with his wife Lisa. The band’s musical direction underwent a significant transformation after this shift.
In 2007, Sister Machine Gun officially ceased activities as a band, while Randall pursued his solo endeavors.
New releases (2015)
On November 5, 2014, Sister Machine Gun revealed their return through a Facebook announcement accompanied by a teaser image, indicating upcoming new work slated for early 2015 under WTII Records. Randall confirmed the revival with the statement, "Remember that thing I said I'd never do again? Yeah. I'm doing it. Spring '15 on WTII Records."
On March 13, 2015, the group officially launched The Future Unformed.
Key member timeline
Guilherme Machado collaborated with Randall in Chicago during the production of the first album, Sins of the Flesh, providing guitar contributions before his departure. Chris Kelly joined after recording but exited in 1995, leaving Randall as the sole leader of the band. Miguel Turanzas became part of the lineup in 1999 and stayed until the band's dissolution in 2007.
Albums
- Sins of the Flesh (1992; WaxTrax! Records)
- The Torture Technique (1994; WaxTrax!/TVT Records)
- Burn (1995; WaxTrax!/TVT Records)
- Metropolis (1997; WaxTrax!/TVT Records)
- [R]evolution (1999; Positron! Records)
- 6.0 (2000; Positron! Records)
- Influence (2003; Positron! Records)
- The Future Unformed (2015; WTII Records)