Being a metal head, I turn to the internet at least three or four times a day to check out what's new in the heavy metal world. For the past two months, all I have heard from the Oakland, Calif.-based band Machine Head is relentless bragging from band members about how their new album is undeniably great, their heaviest record yet, yada, yada, yada. Nearly every time I hear a band claim this, I listen to its album, and it sucks (see Trivium's The Crusade).
Thankfully, Machine Head has defied my expectations. Their new album, The Blackening, is, in fact, that damn good. This album is their masterpiece. Some even compare them to fellow Bay Area band Metallica, saying The Blackening is Machine Head's Master of Puppets. For the many non-metal heads reading this, getting compared to Metallica is sort of like being Sean Singletary on the night U.Va. beat Duke. It's pretty ballin'.
Machine Head formed in 1992 in Oakland. They released their first album, Burn My Eyes, in 1994 to the acclaim of metal critics worldwide. During the late '90s to early 2000s, they were lumped in to the nu-metal wave and album sales began to decline. The band seemed on the brink of destruction until 2003, when it released Through the Ages of Empires. Empires saw the band return to a sound more akin to Burn My Eyes, which delighted old fans. With The Blackening, Machine Head will not only keep the die-hards happy, but will undoubtedly win over some new fans as well.
One would think that, unless you are Pink Floyd, you shouldn't start an album with a track that's 10:35 long. Machine Head, however, pulls this off extremely well with "Clenching the Fists of Dissent." The song starts out with lead singer/screamer/guitarist Rob Flynn belting Middle Eastern-like wails, followed by an acoustic intro that oozes influence from Metallica's "Battery." The heavy metal guitar hits like whiplash and there's no turning back. The song is an epic journey through breakneck riffs, pummeling breakdowns and even some clean parts to show off Flynn's singing voice. Keep in mind we are still on track one.
This album is epic. Guitar fans like me will be pleased at the plethora of excellent riffs, solos and harmonized interludes on this record.
Flynn also has many singing parts on this album, including excellent choruses in "Beautiful Mourning" and "Now I Lay Thee Down."
Another song to take note of is "Aesthetics of Hate." This song was a response to an article written by William Grim, which showed the writer's happiness concerning the death of heavy metal guitar legend Dimebag Darrell. My favorite line in this song is in the breakdown, when Flynn whispers "May the hand of God strike them down," obviously hinting at Grim. Can I get a "hell yeah?"
Other highlights include "Halo," "Wolves" and "Farewell to Arms." All of these clock in at more than nine minutes long. This may seem excessive, but if you like heavy music, you will not be disappointed.
Needless to say, the album and its hype have grabbed the attention of metal heads everywhere. The band is confirmed to be playing at the larger-than-life Download Festival in Donington, England in June. Though unconfirmed, they are also rumored to be one of the top-tier bands on this summer's Sounds of the Underground tour.
I know it's April, but I'm going to say that so far, Machine Head's The Blackening is the best metal album of the year.
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