Machine Head Onto The Locust

well where to begin It certainly took a long time for machine head to present us with new material considering there classic album the blackening was released to much acclaim during the earlier releases of 2007. But any doubts of this release not living up to its predecessors' are quickly blown away as the opening song "I am hell (Sonata In C#) kicks in cementing the listeners ears with curiosity to endure the rest of the album.

The first song itself does a good job of showing the listener how versatile and experimental the album is from word go showcasing fast thrash picked riffs, Gregorian style chant and even atmospheric finger picked interludes.

The second song on the album is a nice follow up it storming in with a legato based guitar riff which instantly stands out as a classic sticking into the listeners mind and is sure to become a live staple being one of the most stripped back songs on the albums. The chorus is catchy and memorable but still remains powerful and well executed.

This song fluently moves into the first single to be released from the album Locust which starts with a unique clean drone riff this then kicks in with a strong but powerful beat held down by the drummer dave mcClain. Before the song erupts into the main riff. The song itself despite being very commercially friendly in terms of  modern metal also manages to stand out amongst alot of modern day rock and metal singles it flows smoothly but also adopts alot of progressive elements such as vast riff changes which compliment the song keeping the listener excited for more during its seven minute span.

The great part about this album is despite the fact it is synonymously machine head they have still managed to create a fresh sounding new album which for me has surpassed the blackening elevating them to a new level excellence due to the experimentation on show.

 One track which i am sure will become a main part of machine head's live staples is the darkness within. This track features a more mellow approach giving the album a nice dynamic to bring you down slightly for the following tracks.

Pearls for the swine kicks in with a slower paced riff which allows Phil Demmel and Robb Flynns synchronism to shine. The guitar riffs themselves are much more staggered and muted than the other songs on the album really demonstrating how tight and developed the band really are together.

The ending Track "This is who we are" starts of with children chanting along to a emotive orchestral backing its these types of additional instrumentation which shows how machine head have matured as a band giving them that advantage over alot of bands which emerged from the nu metal scene but have failed to adopt new sensibilities in order to keep there sound fresh.

All on all this has now become my favourite Machine Head album. The perfect flow and use of progressive and experimental instrumentation added to there palette has set them to the top of there game but begs the question how can they top this?. It even bares enough brilliance to satisfy the simplest of rock and metal fans whilst injecting something new into the metal scene

4.5/5