A mindblowing effort

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 Enemies

All 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.

Long Awaited

I'm a long time metalhead and Machine Head fan. I have every CD they have ever released as far as I know. Anyway, the new one exceeded my expectations by so far its insane. It captures the original MH edge, and adds melody, and complexity. BME was amazing in its day, but TTAOE is better overall. By far the best CD I've bought in a long time, out of hundreds. Standouts on this CD are Imperium, Bite the Bullet, and In the Presense of my enemies. The double bass is back, heavy solos are back....do yourself a favor and FIND a copy of this one NOW!

One of their best albums!

If you like hardcore, in your face metal, that isn't played on MTV or KROQ, than this is an album for you.

Wow - solos...

Like all others before me on this page, I concur - this album is amazing.

The whole nu-metal thing had to happen. Things had to get a whole lot worse before this could happen. It took metal to new lows - like hair metal did in the 80s. But unlike hair metal the nu-stuff has no redeeming features.

MH on this album effectively revive and give a constitutional overhaul to the whole metal scene. Much like the did on BME. This album has relentless riffs - they take no prisoners, don't be mistaken - this is some serious balls up metal. Their wall of sound crushes the pretenders and their melodies work harder than anyone else out there. The songs have intros and outros!!! There are riff changes and time changes!!! There are thrashy Metallica (you know, before they took all the sugar, caffeine and pretty much all flavour out) style riffs!!! Like, ten riffs in a song dude!!!

You know, I reckon there's a lot of "mall-core" (I love this term and borrow it from another review on amazon) wannabes scratching their heads about now, wondering "What's that strange high pitch melodic noise set against that bizarre slab of rhythm? What are we gonna do now? Hate ourselves for being so stupid? Blame our parents for the absolute vile un-music we've released over the last nine years? Maybe we can get on anti-depressants or get a microphone stand custom made so no-one notices we are garbage?"

Welcome back metal, it's been a tough half decade