What makes it so surprising is that the album, The Blackening, is from the Oakland, California-based band Machine Head. Not since the band's debut album, 1994's Burn My Eyes, has anyone even used the term thrash metal to describe Machine Head. The band has embraced and discarded numerous "labels" like nu-metal, groove metal and alt-metal in the 13 years since its inception.
But apparently, Robb Flynn and company have embraced their past, re-discovered what made their debut album so incredibly powerful, and built upon it. That's right thrashers, I said built upon it. After multiple listens to The Blackening, I have convinced myself that this album is even better than Burn My Eyes. Knowing full well that the latter has been considered by critics and journalists in the metal realm to be one of the underrated gems of the 90s, I still say that this album is better.
The album starts out in epic thrash style with "Clenching the Fists of Dissent", a 10:36 opus that the band uses as a call to arms for the metal youth of America. The song screams for those who will listen to stand up to the government and help make America a better place. "They say that freedom isn't free. It's paid with the lives of sons and families. 'Cause blood is their new currency and oil pumps the heart of money," Flynn screams on top of a heavy thrash beat. "Our generation can be the f*^king one that overcomes the greed of corrupt nations. Have no shame. You're not alone in thinking this is f*^king insane."
Four of the eight tracks on The Blackening are at least 9 minutes in length and all are solid thrash beginning to end. Of the remaining four tracks, only one comes in at under 5 minutes, and that one - "Beautiful Mourning" just barely misses the mark.
My personal favorite track on the album is "Aesthetics of Hate", partly because it is filled with unbridled rage, and partly because about 2:15 into the song, lead guitarist Phil Demmel and Flynn go into one of the most epic guitar solo duels I have heard in a long time. Not too showy but technically almost perfect, the two play off each other as well as many dual guitar setups of the best prog rock bands.
Plus, on the track, drummer Dave McClain gets to lay down some of the heaviest drum beats on the album while keeping time with bassist Adam Duce, who plays his tuned-down instrument with such fury that the dual guitar solos have a perfect rhythm to follow.
For pure rage and vitriol, it doesn't get any better than "Slanderous", a track where Flynn tried to knock the process of labeling someone and classifying that person based on a negative stereotype.
The album ends with "Farewell to Arms", another 10-minute epic song that shows Flynn's vocal range - at times reminding the listener of some of the better Fates Warning songs and at times reminding the listener of …And Justice for All -era Metallica.
It's been more than a decade since Machine Head burst onto the scene. After tantalizing its fans with one of the best debut albums in metal in the past 40 years, the band survived a few lineup changes and stylistic changes to match those lineup changes. But when they needed it most, Machine Head came full circle and re-discovered its roots. That discovery led to The Blackening, the best album the band has ever released, and a new life for the band. If Machine Head never releases another album, its place in the annals of thrash music will be secure. My guess is, however, that the members of the band will feel revitalized by this and will continue to churn out quality music for quite some time.
Definitely Download:
1. "Aesthetics of Hate"
2. "A Farewell to Arms"
3. "Slanderous"
4. "Beautiful Mourning"
5. "Clenching the Fists of Dissent"