Back in 1994, an album emerged that took the Metal world by storm. It seemed to come out of nowhere and was hailed as an instant classic. That album was Machine Head's "Burn My Eyes." Released during the so called Grunge years, when anything considered Metal was taboo, it gave the fans who refused to give up their genre a breath of dirty air and lost hope... that being a good thing of course. It was a nonstop Thrash assault led by former Violence member Rob Flynn. With tracks such as "Davidian," and "Old," some new heroes were welcomed. Their live shows were a sight to behold as well. Complete and total unbridled energy shook the foundations and gave their peers a run for their money.
After this initial boom, however, things seemed to steadily deteriorate for the band. Surprisingly, they jumped onto the latest Nu Metal fad and it did not work. Whether they were forced to adopt that style, or whether they did it voluntarily is open to question. My guess is the former. Regardless, the fans were none too pleased and began to vanish.
Machine Head continued to carry on however, and realized that they needed to get back to basics and prove to themselves that they are still a viable force. Well, they've done exactly that with this year's "The Blackening." Once again, they're taking everyone by surprise and regaining their old fanbase and many newcomers. I never thought it possible to outdo their debut. But they have indeed done so. This album is so full of brutal riffs, changes, and rapid fire drums to keep any Metal junkie happy. And the shining moment has to be "Aesthetics Of Hate," written in response to a conservative blogger who defamed Dimebag Darrell and his fans.
So tonight opening for Megadeth and Heaven And Hell (that's Dio era Black Sabbath for those living under a rock), Machine Head gave it all their half hour set would allow. In fact, with most of the new songs clocking in at the 8 minute mark, only four songs were performed… those being "Imperium," "Now I lay Thee Down," "Aesthetics," and "Davidian." Even though most in attendance were here for the headliners, Mr. Flynn and the rest of the band carried on as if this was their night. The amount of dedication delivered in their short set was breathtaking. Machine Head are indeed back. Climb on board and join us the new beginning!
