They named themselves after a classic Deep Purple album. With their debut Burn My Eyes in 1994 they also made an undisputed trash metal classic, a debut that the Californian group Machine Head has to compete with with every successor. Machine Head is mainly the band of singer, guitarist and producer Robb Flynn. He can roar just as easily as he can sing more modestly and that comes in handy on The
… Blackening, which is full of complex dynamics in songs that sometimes clock in at around ten minutes. The trash metal of yesteryear is enriched with influences from hard rock and prog metal. For example, the guitars of Flynn and guitarist Phil Demmel will duel, which brings back memories of Thin Lizzy's double lead guitar work. The fierce The Blackening is packed full of dizzying tempo changes, furious drumming and heartfelt 'fuck you's' from Flynn. Thirteen years after Burn My Eyes, the group has not yet touched the group, poor in ideas. (MR)more
