Trying to break into the mainstream is a difficult task when you’re an extremely heavy band, as was the case with Machine Head in the past. With The Burning Red, their first album in over two years, the band has gone in a more diverse musical direction, one that seems to lean toward a commercial breakthrough, but without the edge the band once had. The Burning Red is a different album for Machine Head, the first without longtime lead guitar man Logan Mader who left the band to pursue other musical projects. In came Ahrue Luster, whose track record fits right in with Machine Head’s plans. The music is still solid, even lethal at times, but the rapcore is often broken into. Too often to not be taken seriously. It seems that Robb Flynn is very in tune with what is happening out there on MTV and corporate radio, and he likes what he sees. In fact, he likes it so much that he’s changed his vocal style and even covered the Police’s “Message in a Bottle”, which may be a single some day in the already flooded covers market.
The musicianship on the album is still superior to many heavy bands today, but vocally it takes an easier approach, one that everyone has been trying as of late. Unfortunately for serious Machine Head fans, this album may be a little too soft, especially after five years of riffs that gave tonnage a new meaning. For a new fan, this album is great; it has all of the characteristics of crossover metal and still sounds brutal from time to time. However, for those of us who remember the Machine Head that toured with Napalm Death and Slayer, this new beginning may just be a sorry ending. It has been happening a lot in the last few years: bands who once possessed a power unmatched in most situations have turned the ferocity down a notch in favor of a shot at the big time. This is still a good cd, but the melodic parts outnumber the heavy parts, and that was never what Machine Head was about. “Desire to Fire” and “Exhale the Vile” are the truly heavy tracks, while “From this Day” and “Silver” deserve reevaluation as Machine Head tracks.
Hopefully Robb and the rest of the boys haven’t lost the fire in their live shows, as they are still one of the best bands to see live. I can’t see them losing that power; live settings tend to bring out the best in a band. Let’s assume that Machine Head can still do what they once did on a regular basis, which was to drop ten-ton hammers every time they played. Or maybe they’ve just taken their own message from the Burn My Eyes album and said “Fuck It All”, which will give me even more of a reason to smile the next time I see them in concert.
+ rick hinkson
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