MACHINE HEAD |
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Their hotly anticipated third release "The Burning Red" marks something of a new twist for Robb Flynn and company. With their first two bombastic releases "Burn My Eyes" and "The More Things Change" this band has established themselves as one of the premier heavy artists of the nineties. On "The Burning Red" they've taken their music to the next level, one that I'm not convinced is the best way to go for them. Yes, the music still remains rooted in heavy rock but early on, it's clear that they're getting further away from that which they once established, the significant riffing power and vocal mayhem to cater to a wider audience, where acts such as Korn and Limp Bizkit reign supreme. For anyone who's yet to realize a difference, there is one that exists between Aggro-rock and Metal. Though "The Burning Red" will acquire that accessibility that comes with the former, it'll be hard for earlier fans to relate to such anthemic highlights that accompanied shouts of glory as "Let Freedom Ring with a Shotgun Blast" and the like. To say Machine Head is not content with following trends seems a bit hypocritical after we get halfway through here as it took about three songs before I found something even remotely close to what I expected Machine Head to sound like. The production's a little too thin-this is particularly the case in the drumming, too muffled, not as pronounced as in the past. Stylistic crossovers notwithstanding, there's still plenty to dig on the new album mainly in the form of "The Blood, The Sweat, The Tears, "Exhale the Vile" and "Devil with the King's Card." They've grown quite a bit on "The Burning Red" and I think the melodic approach works for them in certain instances-much more emotionally driven and focused, lending a mature accessibility that I'll admit never occurred to me before. They even do a risky cover of The Police classic "Message in a Bottle" that like most of the album, might leave fans perplexed at first but will grow on you before long. Released by Roadrunner Records Website : http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/ Review by Vinnie Apicella. |