Send "Machine Head " Ringtones to your Cell 
| Pitchfork. |
 More than a decade after releasing 1994's Burn My Eyes, the groove metal group Machine Head, led by ex-Forbidden/Vio-lence guitarist Robb Flynn, won me back with their sixth album, the Grammy-nominated The Blackening. The 2007 effort made it onto my Show No Mercy year-end list and didn't leave my stereo for long stretches. It followed 2003's Through the Ashes of Empires, a solid enough return to form that came on the heels of a couple of misdirected nu/rap-metal duds-- 1999's The Burning Red and 2001's Supercharger. Which is why The Blackening caught a lot of other folks off guard. Once someone flirts with Limp Bizkit territory (and then feuds with Fred Durst and friends), it's usually safe to stop paying attention. In that sense, The Blackening was a revelation. I was drawn to its ambitious sprawl and its dark, angry scowls; its impressive scope, melodies, vastness, and unexpected changes. There was no attempt to make it easy: The opener was close to 11 minutes long, the closer not much shorter, and a couple of the tracks went over nine. The sound, too, was huge-- enough so that, at the time, I said the Oakland group was more mainstream than my usual taste. I meant "stadium-sized."Album seven, Unto the Locust, is just as big as The Blackening, but it feels tighter, more easily digested, and yet somehow pleasingly rougher around the edges. As a whole, I ultimately prefer its predecessor, but Unto the Locust's highs go places only hinted at on the earlier collection. See, for instance, opener, "I Am Hell (Sonata in C#)", an eight-minute, three-movement anthem that starts, somberly, with a mass of a cappella voices, Flynn singing elegantly in Latin about a female arsonist. A few moments later, the band cruises into a violent explosion, Flynn's voice shifting into rawer thrash mode. This is the sort of transition that would be easy to fuck up, but Machine Head pull it off. From there, the seven-song, 50-minute collection slows down for a number of these sort of curve ball intros before breaking open into magisterial head-bangers....full text |
| Metalunderground |
| Well, it certainly took long enough for a new Machine Head album to come out. Beginning “Unto the Locust” with Robb Flynn screaming out a distorted “I am death” just happens to raise expectations even more. Yet, album opener “I Am Hell” happens to really ram home exactly why I love this band, as it's truly an epic opener that contains some great riffs, an anthemic chorus and a solo that relies more on atmosphere than technical skill. All of these elements combine into one giant hodgepodge of awesome. The great part about this is that is that “I Am Hell” isn’t just a great song on its own; it sets the pace for the rest of the album. Those who didn't like the version of “Locust” released earlier this year should be happy to know that after mixing and mastering, it sounds completely different. Those who did are in for a surprise, as “Locust” is improved in every way. The song fits with the high quality of the rest of the album, which more than meets the high standards that Machine Head set for themselves with “The Blackening.” “Unto the Locust” is a fantastic example of progressive groove/thrash metal, where every single idea just feels right despite the length of each of the songs. The great part about “Unto the Locust” is that while it sounds like Machine Head, it is only vaguely reminiscent of “The Blackening.” As far as changes go, the only big one is that “Unto the Locust” is much more melodic than the two preceding albums, which focused more on big chunky riffs. It's not going to alienate any fans, but it stands beside “The Blackening,” instead of trying to surpass it, by making subtle, but noticeable, changes to the band's formula. One track that Machine Head is certain to make into a live staple is “Darkness Within.” With a catchy chorus, melodic guitar work and an acoustic intro that all characterize the song, but with enough inspired moments of pure genius popping up throughout the track, it's safe to say that “Darkness Within” may very well be the best song that Machine Head has ever written, despite it coming out 16 years after the band's debut. Everything about this song is perfect and it's certainly good enough to make me want to see Machine Head live again....full text |
| Craveonline |
| Machine Head are a riff fest, a constant flowing heavy metal river of guitar parts that would throw the most mellow headbanger into fits of uncontrolled bobbing. Hailing from San Francisco, it’s obvious that the band has inherited, and fly with great pride, the Bay Area Thrash Flag made famous by bands like Exodus and Metallica. Along with their thrash, Machine Head have no trouble incorporating a touch of industrial and even some pop sensibilities in their song structures. Unto The Locust, the follow up to 2007’s Grammy Nominated The Blackening, is Machine Head’s latest heavy metal opus. A riff orgy aligned on each side by brutal drums and the ripping vocals of Robb Flynn. What I dig about Unto The Locust is how in the vein of traditional thrash it is without falling into parody. Take the opening track “I Am Hell”, which begins with a chorus more akin to something the Beatles would do, then oozes into a slow moving and chunky riff that pummels your bones into dust. Then we get the classic tap-tap of the hi-hat and suddenly we’re in full on thrash mode. So many bands that try to pull this off lose any hope of their own sound but Machine Head, who’ve been kicking it for years, are always on point with who they are and what they do. To be honest I would’ve preferred “I Am Hell” to stay that rhythmic, pounding, slow tempo but the way the band handles the switch is so classic I can’t be mad at it. Unto The Locustoperates in the middle ground between standard thrash and more extreme levels of metal. Machine Head never choose a side, they really just write what comes bleeding out of their skulls. “Be Still And Know” opens with a soloing riff that comes across like Tubular Bells being played by Kirk Hammett circa 1985. The main crux of the song is heavier than standard thrash, but never varies over too far away to lose the riff. When it opens up it becomes an ode to the old hardcore/metal blend that was the staple of bands like Nuclear Assault or Whiplash. Machine Head often sound how I imagine Metallica would if Cliff Burton hadn’t died and they got a real drummer. Don’t get me wrong, they aren’t ripping Metallica off, but Machine Head have the same propensity for bringing good song writing into metal that Metallica did. “This Is The End” is probably the purest example of a thrash metal song I’ve heard in many years. I love any tune that builds tension with a nice acoustic intro, then adds the harmonic guitars behind it before bursting into the main song. When it does come together, “This Is The End” continues pummeling like a busted jackhammer made of diamonds. With such speed it’s hard to keep the groove going but Machine Head never lose it, especially when the chorus kicks in, that’s when fists go up and you say “oh shit that’s the jam”. Even when Unto The Locust doesn’t work, you have to be impressed with Machine Head’s desire to push what they do farther and farther. “Darkness Within” is a real stumbling point on the album. It sounds like Foo Fighters had a baby with Manowar, then slides into the sticky mess of metalcore. It’s completely outside of Machine Head’s comfort zone, which is admirable, but it never comes together. Flynn’s melodramatic vocals, the overly epic guitar lines and solos, it’s all a bit much and feels really forced....full text |
| Craveonline |
| Machine Head are a riff fest, a constant flowing heavy metal river of guitar parts that would throw the most mellow headbanger into fits of uncontrolled bobbing. Hailing from San Francisco, it’s obvious that the band has inherited, and fly with great pride, the Bay Area Thrash Flag made famous by bands like Exodus and Metallica. Along with their thrash, Machine Head have no trouble incorporating a touch of industrial and even some pop sensibilities in their song structures. Unto The Locust, the follow up to 2007’s Grammy Nominated The Blackening, is Machine Head’s latest heavy metal opus. A riff orgy aligned on each side by brutal drums and the ripping vocals of Robb Flynn. What I dig about Unto The Locust is how in the vein of traditional thrash it is without falling into parody. Take the opening track “I Am Hell”, which begins with a chorus more akin to something the Beatles would do, then oozes into a slow moving and chunky riff that pummels your bones into dust. Then we get the classic tap-tap of the hi-hat and suddenly we’re in full on thrash mode. So many bands that try to pull this off lose any hope of their own sound but Machine Head, who’ve been kicking it for years, are always on point with who they are and what they do. To be honest I would’ve preferred “I Am Hell” to stay that rhythmic, pounding, slow tempo but the way the band handles the switch is so classic I can’t be mad at it. Unto The Locustoperates in the middle ground between standard thrash and more extreme levels of metal. Machine Head never choose a side, they really just write what comes bleeding out of their skulls. “Be Still And Know” opens with a soloing riff that comes across like Tubular Bells being played by Kirk Hammett circa 1985. The main crux of the song is heavier than standard thrash, but never varies over too far away to lose the riff. When it opens up it becomes an ode to the old hardcore/metal blend that was the staple of bands like Nuclear Assault or Whiplash. Machine Head often sound how I imagine Metallica would if Cliff Burton hadn’t died and they got a real drummer. Don’t get me wrong, they aren’t ripping Metallica off, but Machine Head have the same propensity for bringing good song writing into metal that Metallica did. “This Is The End” is probably the purest example of a thrash metal song I’ve heard in many years. I love any tune that builds tension with a nice acoustic intro, then adds the harmonic guitars behind it before bursting into the main song. When it does come together, “This Is The End” continues pummeling like a busted jackhammer made of diamonds. With such speed it’s hard to keep the groove going but Machine Head never lose it, especially when the chorus kicks in, that’s when fists go up and you say “oh shit that’s the jam”. Even when Unto The Locust doesn’t work, you have to be impressed with Machine Head’s desire to push what they do farther and farther. “Darkness Within” is a real stumbling point on the album. It sounds like Foo Fighters had a baby with Manowar, then slides into the sticky mess of metalcore. It’s completely outside of Machine Head’s comfort zone, which is admirable, but it never comes together. Flynn’s melodramatic vocals, the overly epic guitar lines and solos, it’s all a bit much and feels really forced....full text |
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