A mindblowing effort
D. Wicker | Atlanta , GA United States | 11/14/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Man, did Roadrunner USA mess up by letting these guys go. This album might be the best metal release of the year. For those claiming that Machine Head isn't real metal, get over it and take a listen - if this isn't metal, I don't know what is. Bone-crushing riffs, intense drums, and some pretty technical time changes (new for MH) make this album a must-have for any metalhead. Robb Flynn's voice has become, over the years, much more polished melodically, while losing NONE of the spine-tingling roar that he's been known for. The guitar tone is back up to overdrive, something they were known for on their debut album, Burn My Eyes. Phil Demmel, former co-axeman with Robb in the 80's thrash metal outfit Vio-Lence, has joined the band full-time and isn't afraid to unleash some flat out jaw-dropping riffs. Phil and Robb trade solos in songs such as "Vim" and "Descend the Shades of Night". Dave McClain on drums pounds out the rhythms with more ferocity than ever before, exhibiting some almost Fear Factory-esque double kicks on the album's infernal opener, "Imperium". Adam Duce is singing backup vocals again, adding his rasp to the bludgeoning ending of "In the Presence of My Enemies". A track-by-track review:1. Imperium (10/10) - Quite possibly the best opener MH has ever done - this song bounces along at a frenetic pace with Gothenburg guitars during the bridge! A stunning opening track that will leave you short of breath and begging for more.2. Bite the Bullet (9/10) - Robb is spitting venom into the microphone in this one. Starts off with mellow verses, but has a bone-smashing pre-chorus and chorus.3. Left Unfinished (7/10) - Maybe the weakest song on the album, but still damn good! Moves along at a fast pace, but has a repetitive chorus that slows it down too much. Great lyrics though - very moving.4. Elegy (9/10) - Very creepy sounding chorus in this short midpaced number.5. In the Presence of My Enemies (10/10) - Quite possibly the most revolutionary song Machine Head has ever done. Robb's lyrics are psychotic, and the main riff is about as heavy as it gets. Phil's solo is slightly twisted. The ending of the song is a throwback to Burn My Eyes, almost fooling you into thinking the song is over, but then kicking it back into overdrive for a brutal closing. An amazing track.6. Days Turn Blue to Grey (10/10) - A great song with an unorthodox approach. Starts out with a rocklike tempo. The bridge is an eye-opener with its tremendous melody, transitioning seamlessly into another crushing ending.7. Vim (9/10) - A strange song. The way the words are layered on the rhythms almost doesn't click in my head. This is an unusual approach for MH, but it works very well. Great solos in the end and tremendous drumwork by Dave McClain throughout.8. All Falls Down (9/10) - With Robb's mellow singing, the beginning of this one almost sounds like a b-side from Supercharger.. and then it kicks into a thick, crunchy riff with the trademark Machine Head harmonics. The bridge here is stunning as well - Adam and Robb make it unforgettable with their mega-melodic back-and-forth tradeoffs.9. Wipe the Tears (9/10) - A very cool song with great lyrics, one of the better choruses on the album, and an awesome bridge with twin-guitar melody.10. Descend the Shades of Night (10/10) - Awesome song! This one showcases the tremendous melody these guys are capable of. The solos in this one are terrific - Flynn and Demmel layer their melodies perfectly for a bittersweet ending to an amazing album.Winners: Imperium, In the Presence of My EnemiesAll in all, a great effort from the Machine Head boys. Someone please sign these guys so they can get the US recognition they deserve! And if you haven't seen their live show, prepared for some pure brutality."
This is the best album they've made in 6 years
cykill | New York | 10/26/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"It's definitely hands down the best in 6 years. Their guitarist that replaced Logan Mader is thankfully gone, good bye, and good riddance. In to replace him is Rob Flynns old bandmate from Violence, and these two definitely make an awesome guitar tag team. The fast riffs that are heard on Burn my eyes and The more things change are back, especially on the songs, 'Left Unfinished', 'Bite the bullet', 'Vim', and 'Imperium' which has a very similar riff that was featured on the first song off the first album, the song called 'Davidian'. Back and as good as always are, very thankfully, the guitar solos, which were taken out pretty much completely on Burning Red and Supercharger. The solos are something I found enjoyable on their first two albums. Although they aren't as frequent on this album as they were on Burn my eyes, they sound pretty damn good. I must say I am very impressed by Dave Mcclains drum work on this album. He does his fastest and best double bass drumming since The more things change. It seemed that they didn't focus as much on the drumming on the previous two albums like they did on Burn my eyes and The more things change, but they cranked up the volume on it on this album and you can clearly hear why Dave Mcclain is one of the truly gifted drummers in the music industry. Adam Duce's bass sounds as good as always and he does his part to add to the powerful heaviness that I and every other early Machine Head fan have been waitng to hear for a long while."
Track Listings (10) - Disc #1