Machine Head
Roadrunner
2011
Machine Head have got to be one of the biggest bands (that are still relevant) to emerge from the 90's. ‘Burn My Eyes’ (1994) is considered one of the best albums of the decade. However, not all of Machine Heads albums have been so well received. ‘The Burning Red’ (1999) and ‘Supercharger’ (2001) both unfortunately featured rapping vocals which will always cause a divide in the metal community, especially at that time when nu-metal was popular. The band were accused of selling out. However, the less than expected sales of ‘Supercharger’ saw the band being dropped and without a label. After struggling to get a new record deal with a demo which would be the bases of ‘Through the Ashes of Empires’ (2003) the band got resigned and came back with vengeance! The release of 'The Blackening' (2007) has seen them grow to become one of the heavyweights in the metal scene. 'The Blackening' was rated as THE number 1 album of 2007 by many metal heads. And that's in a year with releases from seasoned metal bands such as Megadeth with 'United Abombinations' (a return to form for the band) Arch Enemy with 'Rise of the Tyrant' and Iced Earth with 'Framing Armegeddon: Something Wicked pt1'. 'The Blackening' exceeded all expectations and set the bar incredibly high for Machine Head. How can a band beat that? Well Machine Head have answered the call with 'Unto the Locust'.
I Am Hell (Sonata in C#):
Split into three parts, this song takes on a few directions. From the opening chants of ‘Sangre Sani’ into the heavy and unrelenting ‘I Am Hell’ which could easily have fit in on ‘The Blackening’ but feels even more complex. The song is closed with the instrumental ‘Ashes to the Sky’. An excellent open to the album.
Be Still and Know:
The guitar parts are really catchy particularly in the chorus, the lyrics for which make it feel epic. The solo is a belter and brings the song into a fast paced harmonised guitar line that will have the listener head banging along.
Locust:
The lead single from the album, the ominous start to this song and the drum roll in gives this song an incredible start. The guitar line in the verse portrays perfectly the doom and darkness in the song. The lead section is beautiful one second then brutal the next. The chemistry between Flynn and Demmel is obvious and awe-inspiring. A dark song, executed with precision.
This is the End:
The band lure the listener into a false sense of security before Dave McClain’s drum beat brings the listener back into the fray. This fast paced song will leave the listener breathless by the end. The lead section is one of my favourites on the album particularly the oh so short line at 4.57.
Darkness Within:
My personal favourite on the album. This is a toned down song but everything about this song works. There is still the brutal breakdown section but the best bits are the passion in the vocals and the guitar solo in particular. The acoustic version on the special edition gives this song a different twist but ultimately the album version is near perfect anyway.
Pearls Before the Swine:
An all-out thrash song. The band is in perfect harmony as Phil Demmel takes the lead section. The rumbling bass line is particularly strong and really adds to the song.
Who We Are:
With the opening children’s choir part, into the marching drum beat and then the listener is thrown into a dark trash riff. This song hits the ground running and builds up to the chorus. “This is who we are, This is what I am, We have nowhere else to go, divided we will stand”. This will be the anthem that fans will be singing along to. A fantastic end to the album.
‘Unto the Locust’ is a completely different beast to 'The Blackening'. 'The Blackening' felt like a full on onslaught and gave the listener no rest bite. In contrast, 'Unto the Locust' is toned down in places. This would be bad for many bands but in this case this has allowed the passion and emotion to come through even clearer than in 'The Blackening'. Fans will be pleased that the songs are in places even more complex and diverse. The number of riffs, guitar lines, melodies and time changes is incredible. Machine Head are not ones to kick back and stamp their name on any old rubbish (perhaps with the exception of Supercharger). You can feel the amount of time and effort in the construction of each song. ‘Unto the Locust’ is a lesson in song crafting at its absolute finest by musicians at the top of their game.
Unto the Locust: 10/10
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