Take a Dip Into New Metal with Machine Head Albums
If you love metal music, don’t miss out on Machine Head albums. These are perhaps among the best examples of the new wave of heavy metal that emerged first in the 90s. To be more exact through, the band’s music is more a reflection of what heavy metal should really be, aggressive and brutal. The group became well accepted in other parts of the world but was not entirely so in the US.
The group’s founder is Robb Flynn. The musician was first affiliated with the group Vio-lence but left after he was denied the opportunity to start his own projects. Flynn felt the need to move on because he was not fulfilled with his first band. Flynn touched base with Adam Duce who became another member. Tony Constanza and Logan Mader came in to complete the line up in 1992.
The band inked a deal first with Roadrunner Records. Constanza however decided to leave even before they could complete recording of the first album. Chris Kontos was recruited and Burn My Eyes was completed in 1994. Roadrunner sold thousands of copies and the album is considered to be one of the music company’s best sellers. It was not however, so warmly received in the US.
It took some time for the follow up on the first Machine Head album to come out. It was only in 1997 that The More Things Change… came out. After this, the band participated in the Ozzfest. It was while the group was still touring that Mader took off. Ahrue Luster came in quickly to complete the tour commitment.
Taking a new member onboard coincided with a seeming direction change for the group. This became apparent in their third release, The Burning Red. The work featured elements of rap which came as a surprise to metal and goth clothing traditionalists. The change was not met positively mainly because critics thought the group was trying to improve their popularity by sounding more like other popular mainstream bands. The official word though is that the changes were more a result of a natural evolution that signified fewer style restrictions.
The fourth album, Supercharged, which was released in 2001, carried similar rap vocals as its predecessor. The work did not sell as well as their previous releases. This was perhaps because the band went through issues with its label. The rift stemmed mainly from the Crashing Around You single from the album. Its video featured burning and crashing buildings. The release was badly timed because it was shown only a couple of days after the September 11 attacks. In the following year, Luster left and was eventually replaced by Phil Demmel.
The bad video release timing is probably the worst that has happened to the group. Considering what has happened to other bands, this was not too devastating. The band was able to get back on its feet with the 2003 release of Through the Ashes of Empires and the 2007 release of The Blackening. This last one was so well received that it came in at the 53rd spot of the Billboard 200.
Indeed, The Blackening is perhaps the most excellent Machine Head album. After all, it is what gave the group its first Grammy nod as a nominee which served to promote even more Machine Head merch.
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