Flawed but forgivable...

This was for sure a dark time in my life. My beloved Machine Head took a step in the rapmetal direction. I could not believe it. If you are into that sort of thing, dig in. If you are a true metal fan, stay away. If you are a die-hard Machine Head fan, you will find this cloud's silver lining. This album took years to grow on me. Not well mixed and very frustrating. I still love em though.

Look a bit closer....

Firstly I'd like to express my dismay at the bad wraps that this album has recieved - generally by close-minded metalheads who are still stuck in the eighties and are afraid of evolution....on to the review.

I believe this album to be one of the most under-rated metal albums of the last 5 years and was (possibly still is) well ahead of it's time. Machine Head went for a really bold and exciting risk by doing this album and have produced something well ahead of it's time. (and yes I have been a fan since Burn My Eyes).

There are less solos on this album than on their previous works but the emphasis with the two guitarists has been placed on complimenting each others works with nuances and swirling background pieces intricate guitar work, but in saying that the heavy crunching guitars are still there making it unmistakibly machine head. Dave McClain does a great job on drums, showing great maturity in his playing with the emphasis less on blast-beats and super-fast drumming but more on off-beats, rolling rhythms and amazing cymbal work - in one word "classy".

Robb's Vocals sound great. He covers a large range of styles and has added some great melodic singing to songs to add some flavor and still retains his best growl which sounds as fat as ever. But all in all a great effort I believe Robb, and the whole band for that matter, have pushed themselves to become better, more versatile musicians.

Ross Robinson did an AMAZING job producing this album. Recorded at Indigo Ranch and using almost totally analog equipment this album sounds like the band is right in the room with you. There are so many layers of sound on each track - The more you listen to it, the more stuff you pick up. I suggest that anybody who owns this album gets a good pair of headphones and listens to this album cracnked through the headphones with the lights out and I guarentee you will gain newfound respect for the way this album has been made. I'd place it in my top 3 produced albums of all time.

Standout songs would have to be "Exhale the Vile", "Five", "The Burning Red", "The Blood, The Sweat...." and "Silver". Though all songs have their place on the album.

Why all the hate??

This was my introduction to machinehead. I recieved this cd for christmas in 2001 and i only listened to one song (from this day) because i had heard it on the radio and i wasnt too into the whole thrash metal thing. I was looking through my old cd's and came upon this one and thought "why not listen to the whole thing??"



I was completely amazed at the musical ability of this band on the album. The harmonies never seem out of place and every song follows an angry metal syle i have never heard before. Silver is one hell of a song, The Blood, The Sweat, The Tears absolutely shreds all the way through. And i was always one who loved depressed rock ballads, so the title track, the burning red, is what got me hooked on the band. It may have been more mainstream than hardcore metal fans would like, but true MachineHead fans can appreciate this cd, and its as good as any to start the fascination.