MACHINE HEAD

Reviewed:
- Burn My Eyes (1994)
- The More Things Change (1997)
- The Burning Red (1999)
- Supercharger (2001)
- Hellalive (2003, live album)
- Through the Ashes of Empires (2003)
- The Blackening (2007)
- Unto the Locust (2011)
- Locust (2011, single)
- Bloodstone & Diamonds (2014)


BURN MY EYES          1994          (Roadrunner)

- Standouts: 'Davidan', 'Old', 'A Thousand Lies', 'Death Church', 'Blood for Blood' 

Released during the mid-90's when so-called 'true' metal was at an all-time low, you either had to be grunge or sound like Pantera to be popular. To be fair, I think Machine Head are often unfairly compared to Pantera with their earliest records, i.e. this and it's follow-up. They have way more thrash influence their sound (at least on this album anyway) than Pantera ever did, but you couldn't really label it 'thrash' - Nuclear Assault this is not. Some call it 'post-thrash', which I think is a load of bollocks. I'd say it's groove with a thrash influence and just leave it at that. You could hand a copy of Burn My Eyes to a metal elitist and he/she would probably vomit and hand it back, because this one of those records they like to blame for the downfall of metal in the 90's and uproar of nu metal in the following years. I really don't care for that, because even if what said elitists claim is actually true, this a solid metal album regardless. The riffs are massive and crushing and the production is outstanding, making the majority of the album an untamed beast. Nu metal hadn't come along yet, so there's nothing to worry about in that regard nor were they trying to get all progressive on your ass yet - the entire thing is just flat-out heavy, It probably helps that vocalist/guitarist Robb Flynn used to be a member of the classic Bay Area thrashers, Vio-Lence before he formed Machine Head, and his previous thrash experience shows on 'bangers like 'Old', 'Davidan', 'A Thousand Lies' (probably my favourite track here), 'Death Church' and 'Blood for Blood'. Any flaws? It does kind of drag a little - I don't think it needed to clock at almost an hour long considering the direction of the music (which is pretty much all the same), but that's it really. There aren't any duff songs to be found, though some are way more memorable than others. At the end of the day you've got one of the best groove metal albums ever. Dunno if that's really saying much given the reputation of the genre, but it's still a great metal album in general.
Adam's rating: 8.2/10

THE MORE THINGS CHANGE...          1997          (Roadrunner)

- Standouts: 'Bay of Pigs', 'Spine', 'Struck a Nerve', 'Take My Scars'

Heavier and more aggressive than Burn My Eyes, but the riffs aren't nearly as memorable or creative as they were previously. Feels more like they were deliberately sticking to less frets this time 'round. Most of 'em aren't as fast either - I mean, Burn My Eyes did have it's share of mid-tempo numbers, but most of this follow-up is mid-tempo, or the tempo just changes mid-song (e.g. 'Bay of Pigs'). The story is kind of similar to what Pantera did with Cowboys From Hell andVulgar Display of Power when I think about it (only this album isn't as good as either of those, naturally). Despite these complaints, I still think this is a mostly solid record, and I still prefer it to the majority of the band's other releases.  
Adam's rating: 7.2/10

THE BURNING RED          1999          (Roadrunner)

- Standouts: 'The Blood, the Sweat and the Tears' 

Given that this album is constantly being labelled 'nu metal', I was expecting it to be a total piece of shit. Well, I don't HATE nu metal, but there aren't many albums in that sub-genre I would regard as classics. Rob Flynn looked like a total douche at this point with his bleached-blonde spiked hair, a total product of late 90's/early 00's fashion. All he needed was one of those horrid flame shirts and he'd be all set. The Burning Red is by no means a decent album - it's mediocre at best - but it wasn't the total catastrophe I was told by many a Metal-Archives user either. It's more like a blend of groove and nu metal - kind of like The More Things Change... meets ---insert nu metal band here---. I found it to be listenable for the most part, but the only track that really stood out was 'The Blood, the Sweat and the Tears', mainly because it sounded closer to anything off the first two records. I also assumed that their rendition of The Police's classic 'Message in a Bottle' would be one of the worst things to ever happen in metal, but it wasn't half as dire as expected. I don't actually mind it as a nu metal album - the majority of stuff I've listened to from that scene I found to be pretty awful if I'm honest, but at least this was listenable overall. I don't really like it as a Machine Head album though, if that makes any sense.
Adam's rating: 5.5/10

SUPERCHARGER          2001          (Roadrunner)

- Standouts: NONE! 

The Burning Red wasn't exactly a great Machine Head record, but it was at least an okay nu/groove metal album. Supercharger on the other hand, is just poor on all levels. 2001 and Slipknot's Iowa was probably the biggest thing in metal, and Machine Head had ditched any of their groove/thrashing sounds of the first two albums and made an entirely nu metal album. Every song sucks, and they're full of quasi-rapping and that fucking annoying scratching guitar sound that was popular in the scene at the time. 'Bulldozer' kind of started things off okay until Robb starts singing, and it's all downhill from there.  'American High' also contains some of their shittest lyrics ever, examples: 'Asteroids beat out homework, Slayer beat out Zeppelin, not the sharpest noggin', that's why I'm in this band', 'I fuckin' hated school except for hangin' out with my friends, the outcast that was startin' up a band' etc. 'Crashing Around You', which I'm pretty sure was a single, is as nu metal as it gets, it's no wonder you don't find any new bands that sound like this anymore. Yeah, this album sucks. 
Adam's rating: 2/10

HELLALIVE          2003          (Roadrunner)

Most of the setlist of this live album consists of songs from the questionable The Burning Red and the abominable Supercharger, but happily, in live perspective, they sound a lot better. Not that it made me want to return to Superchager at any point, but thanks to the raw, energetic stage presence, much of the nu metal vibes have been lost somehow. Of course, a live performance of the entire Burn My Eyes album would've been better on all accounts, but at least I did enjoy hearing Hellalive, somewhat. I mean, I don't think I ever listened to it more than twice, but I sat through the whole thing and didn't skip any of it both times.
Adam's rating: 7.1/10

THROUGH THE ASHES OF EMPIRES           2003          (Roadrunner)

- Standouts: 'Imperium', 'VIM', 'In the Presence of Enemies', 'Descend the Shades of Night'

Thankfully that nu metal scene was pretty much over by the time this disc was released, and it's definitely a step in the right direction. But is it a return to form? Meh, I dunno. It sure beats the hell out of the last two, but I don't think Machine Head had any 'masterpieces' to begin with. Burn My Eyes was a great album, but I don't consider it to be a masterwork. Either way, Through the Ashes of Empires starts off with the superb 'Imperium', the foundation for which many of their songs are now built around. Big, crushing riffs that still retain some melody and a sense of progression. They also had a go at writing a ballad(ish) epic number, 'Descend the Shades of Night', which is a decent song for sure, but I've always thought Robb Flynn's voice just isn't quite right for these kind of tunes. He handles all the aggressive stuff just fine, but I was never a big fan of his clean voice, which this song features plenty of. If I hadn't ever listened to the travesty that is Supercharger, I'd probably enjoy his vocals more in general, but there you go. 'Seasons Wither', at first glance, kind of had me interested 'cos I misread it as 'Seasons OF Wither', one of my favourite Aerosmith tunes! It's not a cover of course, it's just another decent Burn My Eyes-esque chugging number. 'In the Presence of Enemies' and 'VIM' are really cool too. The lyrics are a bit hit-and-miss however. 'Left Unfinished' has a lot of unnecessary, almost nu metal cursing on it. I don't give a shit about how much profanity is on a record so long as it actually works, but on a song like this, it's just there for the sake of being there and comes across as immature and dumb. Musically though, the album is consistent. I didn't hear any riffs or lead work that I didn't like, and the whole thing was pretty enjoyable overall, so it's a fair effort all 'round.  
Adam's rating: 7.6/10

THE BLACKENING          2007         (Roadrunner)

- Standouts: 'Wolves', 'Halo', 'A Farewell to Arms', 'Beautiful Morning' 

As much as I enjoy certain records in Machine Head's discography, their reputation and fanbase kinda pisses me off, and The Blackening is the reason for it. Back in '07, this album got so much hype that publications everywhere were hailing it as one of the best metal albums of the 21st century, maybe even to Master of Puppets level of quality. It's not of course, nor are Machine Head one of the best bands in metal (in my own worthless opinion anyway). In my experience, their fanbase annoys me along with the critics because they seem to claim the band to be one of the most intelligent, creative and talented bands in the genre. I remember chatting to some fat guy in the campsite at Sonisphere Festival 2014 who said he cried at one of their 2011 shows because it so 'epic'. 'Course, he could've been trolling me (plus he had been drinking...I had been drinking...in fact everybody drinks at a festival), but this was a hardcore Machine Head fan I was talking to!

Anyway, The Blackening. I don't think this is a 'bad' album by any means, but no way is it a five-star record. It's probably not even a four-star record either thanks to the mallcore bullshit of 'Now I Lay Thee Down'. In fact, here's some metal albums from 2007 that I enjoyed more than The Blackening: Saxon: The Inner Sanctum, Evile: Enter the Grave, 3 Inches of Blood: Fire Up the Blades, Megadeth: United Abominations, Vital Remains: Icons of Evil, Mayhem: Ordo Ad Chao, Municipal Waste: The Art of Partying, Iced Earth: Framing Armageddon - Something Wicked Pt. 1, Nile: Ithyphallic, Down: Down III - Over the Under, Darkthrone: F.O.A.D., Exodus: The Atrocity Exhibition...Exhibit A...it's a pretty long list as you can see.

The clean intro to 'Clenching the Fists of Dissent', track one, is obviously a nod to Metallica's 'Fight Fire With Fire' or 'Battery', only it's pathetic. Happily, the rest of the song is solid once it gets going. You see, at least half of this album consists of nine minute-plus so-called 'epics', and other than 'Clenching the Fists of Dissent', ALL of them are thrown in for the second half of the record, one after the other. Granted, 'Wolves', 'A Farewell to Arms' and 'Halo' are all good songs in their own right, but putting all of these lengthy numbers one after the other is just dumb and means the album flows horribly. Of the normal-length songs, 'Beautiful Morning' is probably my favourite, an (almost) full-on thrasher. For the most part however, the album just feels overblown and unnatural; I mean, these are good songs, but they're not 'masterpieces' like that 14 year old who's just discovered metal will tell you. And I really don't think Robb Flynn has the voice to do a lot of the more melodic and clean bits justice; he's fine for the heavier, shoutier type of stuff, but I'd rather have a clean singer in general on any 'epic'-length song (unless it's like, death or black metal obviously). Other than the dire 'Now I Lay Thee Down', there aren't any 'bad' songs here, but the order of them that makes no sense. And no way is The Blackening 'one of the best metal albums of the 21st century' - maybe if you've never listened to metal before, this this thing will blow you away, but for anyone serious about the genre, this is nothing special. Sorry, but it's not. 
Adam's rating: 7.1/10

UNTO THE LOCUST          2011          (Roadrunner)

- Standouts: 'I Am Hell', 'Locust', 'Darkness Within', 'Pearls Before the Swine', 'Who We Are' 

I was expecting more of the same with this album, after their apparent massive success with The Blackening, and while that is kind of true, Unto the Locust is thankfully a much better crafted slab of modern metal. The guitars have improved, with better and more memorable riffage that blends the classic Burn My Eyes thrashy grooves with Maiden-esque melodies and superb lead work. Plus, the album flows way, way better than the predecessor. It consists of only seven songs instead of ten, and while most of them are around seven minutes long, the whole album is at least 12 minutes shorter than The Blackening. It's quality over quantity, basically, so it's not overblown like the former. It's as if they actually sat down and ironed out the creases; it's a much more thought-out record overall. I still don't think it surpasses the debut, but it is probably their second best! It's just a great album all in all. Apparently some versions of the CD feature three bonus tracks, including a cover of Judas Priest's 'The Sentinel'. If I'd actually researched and known this before-hand, I would've tracked down which ever version this is, but there you go.
Adam's rating: 8/10

LOCUST (SINGLE)          2011          (Roadrunner)

A 10" vinyl single to promote the Unto the Locust album - it was a free gift with Metal Hammer magazine, something I was actually subscribed to for a couple of years when I was still a teen. Best free gift ever! 'Course, I still haven't listened to it because the needle on my turntable has been fucked since I was at Sixth Form. That and it's still in storage at my parents house (I moved out in 2012), so yeah... Obviously I've heard the song 'Locust', as it was on the actual full-length record, but included on side B are two live cuts of 'Beautiful Mourning' and 'Bite the Bullet'. Not sure how much exactly these things are worth.


BLOODSTONE & DIAMONDS          2014         (Nuclear Blast)
- Standouts: 'Now We Die', 'Night of Long Knives', 'Eyes of the Dead'
What is about this band? One minute I really enjoy hearing 'em and especially admire the riff-work from Robb Flynn and Phil Demmel, the next minute I'm just sick of 'em. Don't get me wrong, I thought Unto the Locust was pretty damn good because it kept the tracklisting to 7 songs and wasn't as overblown and tedious as The Blackening. Through the Ashes of Empires was decent too, yet I feel like at this point, the formula that started with said album has just gone on too long. Bloodstone & Diamonds follows said trend, but it's fucking 70 minutes long! Who the hell do they think are?! It's long enough to be a double album! Instead, what you get is The Blackening part II; 12 songs in total, and more than half of them clock between 6-9 minutes long. Look, if these guys were a progressive rock band like Yes or Rush, it wouldn't bother me. But they ain't. They're not even that smart, even though they think they are. The guitar work and riffs may be more than competent throughout, but because the whole record is pointlessly long, I can't even give you any examples. By the time I got to track 10 ('Game Over'), I couldn't be arsed with it any longer. I had to come back and listen to the remaining songs another time. It's a shame because the songs individually are good, this band just have no idea what they're doing when it comes to compiling them. They should have just made the whole thing a double album instead. 

By the way, these songs may be good overall, but to me they aren't especially great, save for maybe 'Night of Long Knives' and 'Now We Die'. The problem I have with what this band does nowadays is the inconsistencies of Robb's vocals. You the get crushing riffs and aggressive vocals, then the next second you get some mellow, mid-tempo harmonies that work well in small doses BUT NOT WHEN EVERY SONG HAS THEM AND THE RECORD LASTS 70 FUCKING MINUTES!!! I must be listening to Machine Head for the wrong reasons, then. But I came into this one more enthusiastically because I thought the last album was great overall. In conclusion, Machine Head take themselves too seriously. Sorry, but it's true.
Adam's rating: 6.5/10