Well lets see September has been a really great month for metal I mean with guys like Dream Theater, Anthrax, Opeth, Machine Head, and Mastodon just to name a few the month is adding up to be one of the biggest months in metal ever for me anyways. I really love Opeth's new one, and Mastodon's new one is also really growing on me. But hold the press I'm here today to do a review of an album that has had some of the biggest anticipation out of any metal album ever in this decade, being their previous working was a masterpiece of an album. Yes people I'm talking about the one, the only Machine Head's Unto the Locust. So here we go.
So for the people that don't know Machine Head have been kicking it since their inception in 1992, and with their first studio release Burn My Eyes in 94 have really paved the way for a lot of modern metal these days. Their influence on metal in general has been next to the big ones like Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Metallica for this decades pretty thunderous take on modern metal. Through out the years they've shifted sounds, played with equipment, and tried working in different studios to keep their music fresh and interesting. They've come up with some great great releases such as their debut, The More Things Change.., Supercharger, Through the Ashes of Empires, and the dynamic, face melting, gut wrenching, passionate ride that is The Blackening. Some efforts have been better than others in their experiments example The Burning Red in 1999. I did not care for that one much at all. There were some pretty generic tunes and a horrible cover of Message In A Bottle on there that I really was not digging at all. But for the most part the intensity, the drive, and focus was still there on The Burning Red so there are things that I do like about it. So it's not all bad.
These guys ale from Oakland, California. Home of the Raiders. As my wife would say go Raiders haha. I say boooo. And The band consists of Robb Flynn on guitars, and vocals, Adam Duce on Bass, and backing vocals, Phil Demmel on lead guitar, and lastly Dave McClain on drums. These four guys have really gotten their craft down to a perfect science. Even though there were some things that I didn't like about some of their past workings I could see growth, and progression with their sound and overall skill on the records was getting better and better with each release. From Rob's guitar structures, to Dave's great drumming skills. It was always moving forward. There are a lot of rich back stories to each of these guys. One thing that really gets me moving in Machine Head's direction is their devotion to music. Rob Flynn states in interviews that he wasn't brought up with religion of any kind, and that music has been his faith since he was a kid. It's gotten him through the darkest times in his life, and fallowed him through the brightest stages as well. It's been there for him for everything. It's funny because I was brought up with religion but felt it was wrong for me the entire time in my young teenager years and would escape to my music to cope with being forced to go to church all the time. Among other reasons, but that being one big reason why I immersed myself in music so much in high school. Now as an adult and with a family of my own I will choose to go down the path that I feel is right for my child and my family. If my son wants to seek out God or religion I won't stop him, and see him through his up's and downs as a father should.
Sorry I'm getting off topic a little here. So ever since basically Supercharger I have been a growing fan of Machine Head. Their fist pumping, kick ass metal has moved me through a lot in my life. In 2007 I thought that progression and growth had reaching its pinnacle moment with the release of The Blackening. The flow of that record is like no other. The first track really gets you prepared for one of the greatest records in metal of this decade. In fact it was named just that with the award for the Album of the Decade award by Metalhammer magazine. It is a wondrous ride through aggression, passion, hate, anger, and love. There is no other album out there like it, and I highly highly recommend it to any metal fan out there.
So of course with such a masterpiece like The Blackening naturally I would have really high expectations of pretty much everything they will do after. As well as everyone else in the metal community. Let me get this out of the way right now. This record is in no way The Blackening, and is in now way their worst works either. I remember listening to the title track off the record back in like July and thinking it was going to be a lot different than the Blackening. While a little let down, I was still very anxious to hear the rest because the track wasn't bad by any means. It was very catchy straight forward, and still pretty driving. Naturally I wanted to hear more more more. So now here we are September 27th. Well it's the 28th but you know what I mean, and here it is. Unto the Locust.
Unto the Locust has really come close to living up to my expectations of Machine Head. I wasn't wanting it to sound like The Blackening I was just wanting it to be as impacting as it was. Let me tell you mission accomplished. This record has some of the heaviest music I've ever heard them write before. Example the opener I Am Hell (Sonata in C#). This track starts off with a cool vocal harmony and jumps into the heaviest vocal track I've ever heard from Flynn, and moves on to just a great song with everything a perfect metal song should have. Great progression, drumming, singing, and solos. It's a tremendous start to another masterpiece in its own light. So these guys have really kicked up the production, and mastering values on this record like crazy. Everything sounded great on The Blackening, but everything on this record really is flawless in it's sound. The guitars sound great. The crunchy moments are very crunchy, but done in a since that is clear and together. The solos are very bright, and perfectly placed throughout the record. The bass is thunderous and kicks your chest in at moments, and the drums are very tight and together, and rhythmically perfect. Nothing really seems to be out of place at all on this record. Rob Flynn really has come through with his vocals on this one. There are some unbelievably heavy parts, and some pretty melodic patterns in his singing as well. The lyrics are very insightful, inspiring, and motivating as they've pretty much always been in the past. So no down fall at all on his vocals. The guitars are still very Machine Head type sound and progressions. You can tell this is Machine Head trying to kick it the best they can. The drumming is top notch as always. There are some really fast moments, and some just slow, chuggy, fist pumping moments on the skins. The solos are perfectly placed, and sound really great. Nothing really out shines another on this record. Which is what I love. I don't want to have a record that really just showcases the drummers talents and leaves the rest of the band in the dust. Or vice versa. I really love the use of acoustics on this record, which isn't something they have put down in any of their previous records. To this extent anyways if there were acoustics used. They've kept it pretty hard focused throughout their career. There is an awsome track where they got their kids to sing, and make it a really touching moment for the band. I love that. It makes me feel good to see the bands I love include their family unit in their efforts. It's common to see them walk away from family in this industry, and it's a shame because your family should be number one, and I think these guys put them right up there with their music which is good to see.
Ok so so far I've had absolutely nothing bad to say about it right. Well the only thing I am going to say is it's a god damn short album. It's seven tracks that average about seven minutes a track or so, and clocks in at a little over 48 minutes. For me it just ends way to soon. These guys aren't guys that frequently put out new material. They really sit and let it cook until it's just right. Which there's nothing wrong with that by any means, but now I'm going to have to wait like another three to four years for some more Machine Head, so I'd like what I've got to last me tell then. I know by year 2 I'm really gonna be itching for more Machine Head, and maybe that's why they cut it short, I'm not sure. All I know is it's freakin short, and that's really my only complaint.
So I know that there is going to be a lot to be said about his record, with its expectations from everyone,and all the critics out there. Some would say it's not living up, and some would say it's passed their's. I'd say it's passed mine. I love it. It's a great record all it's own, and needs not to be compared to anything they've accomplished because it's unlike anything they've done in the past. While still keepin it Machine Head. So what do I give this record you ask? I give it a strong 9. I highly recommend checking it out. It will be in my top twenty for sure at the end of the year. I know that at least. Along with the Opeth, Obscura, The Black Dahlia Murder, Mastodon, Belphagor, Revocation, and Sylosis. Just to name a few. So until next time stay hard, stay heavy.
Watch this video. His beginning statement is pretty powerful.
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