UMUR "Through the Ashes of Empires" is the 5th full-length studio album by US thrash/alternative metal act Machine Head. The album was released in December 2003 through Roadrunner Records. Many older fans of the band consider "Through the Ashes of Empires" as a return, or at least a slight return, to form after the band´s much loathed alternative period. Guitarist Ahrue Luster, who played on both "The Burning Red (1999)" and "Supercharger (2001)", has been replaced by frontman Robb Flynn´s old Vio-lence bandmate Phil Demmel, who takes on the lead guitarist role on this album.

...and it´s audible from the start that Phil Demmel´s inclusion in the band signals a change in sound. It´s not that Machine Head have shed all their alternative ideas and tracks like "Fade From Blue Gray" and "All Fall Down" will probably still have older fans wrinkle their noses (as well as sections in most other tracks), but there is generally a much stronger presence of memorable and powerful thrashy groove metal riffs on this album than heard in a long time from the band. Some of these tracks kick some serious ass and they are pretty well composed and intriguing too. Take a listen to tracks like "Imperium" or "In the Presence of My Enemies" for proof of that. High level musicianship and a powerful sound production are also assets that should be mentioned.

"Through the Ashes of Empires" is definitely a step in the right direction for Machine Head and the album is most of the time a very enjoyable listen. A 3.5 - 4 star rating is warranted.

UMUR "Supercharger" is the 4th full-length studio album by US groove/alternative metal act Machine Head. The album was released in October 2001 through Roadrunner Records.

Featuring the same lineup that recorded "The Burning Red (1999)", "Supercharger" also features a similar sound and style, to the sound and style on "The Burning Red". We´re talking groove/alternative metal pretty far removed from the more groove thrashy preceeding albums. "Supercharger" is a very long album with it´s 74:16 minutes of playing time (oh well deduct some minutes if you got the regular version without bonus tracks) and it´s also too long IMO. Robert Flynn´s vocals are just as varied as they were on the predecessor, and probably every bit an aquired taste too. Semi-rapping, angsty clean vocals and raw shouting vocals. The production is slightly more raw than on the predecessor but again it´s the vocals that steal the focus while the rest of the music is more backing than riff based. Yes there are heavy groove based riffs in spades and rather intricate drumming too, but they are ultimately not that memorable.

It´s interesting to note that the general opinion about "Supercharger" is that it is a even worse album than "The Burning Red", but personally I think both albums are pretty equal in quality. Maybe people were just double disappointed when they heard "Supercharger" because they hoped that "The Burning Red" would be a lonely "black sheep" kind of album in Machine Head´s discography. Well... it wasn´t!

If you enjoy groove based alternative metal I don´t see "Supercharger" being a much worse album than many other albums in that genre and quality wise I wouldn´t rate it lower than 3 stars, but if I said it was an album I listen to often or even on occasion, it would be a lie.

UMUR "The Burning Red" is the 3rd full-length studio album by US groove/alternative metal act Machine Head. The album was released in August 1999 through Roadrunner Records. There´s been a lineup change before the recording of this album as original guitarist Logan Mader has been replaced by Ahrue Luster.

The music on "The Burning Red" is a mix of groove metal riffing and alternative metal ideas. The groove thrashy riffing from the two predecessors are completely gone from the band´s sound. It´s a bit surprising to find lead vocalist/guitarist Robb Flynn singing rap style vocals a couple of times during the album´s playing time and the fact that the first "regular" track on the album ("Enter the Phoenix" is an intro) "Desire to Fire" is the track which features most rap parts, clearly shows that this is something the band are proud of and want to emphasise. Wether or not you enjoy rap in metal is your choice, but if you don´t, consider yourself warned. The vocals are mostly either raw or clean sung though, so the rap parts are not that dominant. The clean singing and the melodies sung in those sections remind me of Stone Temple Pilots or maybe Alice in Chains-lite. The raw vocals are shouting and angry as usual.

Most tracks are of a decent quality and they are performed with conviction. Very few stand out from the pack though and those that do doesn´t necessarily do so in a positive way. Check out the bland and uninspired cover of "Message in a Bottle" by The Police for the worst proof of that. In the positive department the sound production is professional and it suits the music well. While the riffs are groove based and at times quite heavy and punchy, Machine Head have completely abandoned their thrash metal roots on "The Burning Red". There are more mellow clean sung parts on this album than on the two predecessors and overall "The Burning Red" isn´t as effectful and punchy as those two predecessors either. In comparison it´s much more dynamic and slightly more varied though, so it´s not all bad.

The chances of you enjoying "The Burning Red" probably depends a lot on your musical background and how open minded you are towards alternative metal. Personally I find it quite disappointing that Machine Head abandoned all their thrash metal roots on the album, and I can´t say I find the rap parts very enjoyable either, so there are definitely a couple of things on "The Burning Red" that drags it down to me. It´s still a professional sounding album and I´m sure the band won as many fans as they lost with "The Burning Red". I think a 3 star rating is warranted.

UMUR "Unto the Locust" is the 7th full-length studio album by US thrash metal/alternative metal act Machine Head. The album was released in September 2011 by Roadrunner Records.

Machine Head have been on quite the rollercoaster ride since the release of their debut full-length studio album "Burn My Eyes (1994)", which received almost universal praise for it´s mix of thrash, groove metal and hardcore attitude. They put themselves firmly on the metal map with that release. The next couple of albums took the band´s music in a more alternative metal direction and were met with mixed reactions by fanbase and critics alike. Machine Head never lost momentum though and have remained commercially successful throughout the years. "Through the Ashes of Empires (2003)" took the music back to a more thrash/groove metal based sound which was further emphasised by the inclusion of lead vocalist/guitarist Robert "Robb" Flynn´s former Vio-lence bandmate Phil Demmel (lead guitars). Machine Head´s more thrashy direction was on full display on "The Blackening (2007)", where the band also challenged themselves with longer progressive song structures.

..."Unto the Locust" is yet another shift in sound even though the music sounds unmistakably like Machine Head. The basis in the music is groove based and heavy thrashy riffing, faster thrashy riffing, quite a few guitar harmonies and even some semi-neoclassical themes. The vocals by Robert "Robb" Flynn are raw and aggressive but with a melodic sensibility. His performance on this album is actually among his most varied and strongest IMO. Even his clean singing which hasn´t always been too successful to my ears, have improved greatly and is actually quite enjoyable when it appears on this album. The epic and actually quite beautiful "The Darkness Within" is the perfect example of that. Some fo the clean sung choruses remind me in style of the sound of artists like Trivium and Killswitch Engage, so while there are certainly a healthy dose of thrashy riffs to keep the more "old school" listener entertained, Machine Head are not content with sounding like a retro eighties thrash metal act. The style is efficiently eclectic.

While the tracks feature easily recognisable vers/chorus strucutures, all tracks feature multible sections and semi-progressive ideas. This is anything but formulaic. All 7 tracks on the 55:04 minutes long album exceed the 6 minute mark and Machine Head understand how to entertain their listeners with powerful memorable riffs and little details such as a children choir in "Who We Are" or Robert "Robb" Flynn singing a capella in the opening minutes of "I Am Hell".

The production is warm, fat and powerful. With a sound like this you can´t go wrong.

"Unto the Locust" is to my ears one of the top album releases of 2011. You´ll have to look hard for a more well composed, well performed and well produced album. "Unto the Locust" simply reeks class and a 4 - 4.5 star rating is fully deserved.

Kingcrimsonprog Machine Head’s highly anticipated Unto The Locust has the unenviable task of having to follow up 2007’s excellent zeitgeist grabbing The Blackening album which received stellar reviews at the time, was one of the best records in their career and has already since become regarded as something of a classic album, something that will only continue to grow as time passes.

If Unto The Locust receives a lot of negative criticism, it is only because it failed to live up to the unexpected mythic status set by The Blackening, much in the same way that The More Things Change was in Burn My Eye’s shadow.

Judged on musical merit, Unto The Locust is a very strong album indeed somehow managing to be both instantly loveable and yet also a grower. Everything on the record is tight and perfectly formed, not a second of the album is wasted… impressive considering how long, dense and complex the record is.

The album officially clocks in at seven tracks, only one of which dips below the six minute mark and the album ends up lasting almost 49 minutes overall.

If you want more long songs, more high speeds and more guitar solos and dual guitar harmonies then Unto The Locust ably provides, tracks like ‘Be Still And Know,’ and ‘I Am Hell,’ are absolutely full of impressive guitar moments from Rob Flynn and Phil Demmel (and of course not forgetting the usual incredible drum fills from Dave McClaine)

It seems pointless listing highlights on an album that only has seven tracks, all of which are great but special mentions should be made for ‘This Is The End,’ is a brilliant mix of crushing heaviness, big grooves a little melody now and again, has a lot of ideas in its time span as well as featuring one of the best (brief but perfectly formed) guitar solos in the band’s career.

On top of the superb songwriting and performances, the production is absolutely fantastic on the record and really captures the Machine Head sound perfectly. A version of near-title-track ‘Locust,’ was available for a while before the album’s release with a different production style, but the actual version on here is much deeper, more energetic sounding and with a different feel on a few of the leads; now the track actually feels a bit more like the band’s first two records than it ever did one the advanced mix version.

In summary; Unto The Locust is a very good album indeed, and gets better with repeat listens. Machine Head are absolutely on form in terms of songwriting and musicianship and do their best to mix adding new ideas and retaining what made their last two albums so good, the only thing that might stand in the way of this record meeting universal praise is simply the fact that The Blackening already did that.

Kingcrimsonprog Elegies was the first live DVD from Machine Head; recorded, just like their Hellalive album at the Brixton Academy in London, three years later in 2004 and released in 2005.

Like with Hellalive, the band play a mixture of material from all of their studio albums up until that point to an excited british crowd, but this time the band were riding high on the critical success of Through The Ashes Of Empires. Their performance is very strong indeed, with new guitarist Phil Demmel giving the band an additional edge. The dual guitar sections from Through The Ashes Of Empires sound amazing on this DVD, they really take on a life of their own in the live environment.

The tracklisting is excellent, presenting the very best of Machine Head, new songs like ‘Imperium,’ and ‘Seasons Wither,’ sound fantastic alongside the all time classics like ‘Ten Ton Hammer,’ and ‘Davidian.’

The band aren’t afraid to drop some of the more emotional, sophisticated music like ‘Descend The Shades Of Night,’ and the title track from ‘The Burning Red,’ confidently bringing the evening to a chilling standstill, before returning to the blistering metal that made them famous.

Visually and in terms of audio, the DVD is pretty great. I personally would’ve preferred if the film grain filters hadn’t been used so often and that the concert was shown in a straight beginning to end session, without the non-live footage in between songs, but ignoring that, the look and sound is great and when you add that to the incendiary performance you have a really great concert recording overall.

The extras feature a short but interesting history on the making of Through The Ashes Of Empires in addition to some music videos.

To summarize, the Elegies DVD is a must have release that no Machine Head fan should be without.