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 Guitarist Ahrue Luster, who played on both "The Burning Red (1999)" and "Supercharger (2001)", has been replaced by frontman Robb Flynn´s old Vio-lence bandmate Phil Demmel, who takes on the lead guitarist role on this album.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.

Kingcrimsonprog Machine Head’s fifth studio album Through The Ashes Of Empires was released in 2003 to a mixture of praise from some fans and suspicion from others.

The album was a lot heavier and harder than the two albums which had preceded it, but all the same was not a wholesale return to the style found on the band’s first two albums. Some fans of heavier metal may have still been unsure about all the softer moments and mid tempo sections and decided not to give the album a fair chance.

Through The Ashes Of Empires maintained the clean vocals and melodic tendencies which were present on the more recent albums at the time, mixed them with some of the heaviness and groove from the early days of their career and came up with something modern, interesting and enjoyable.

The album has three songs which exceed seven minutes in length and only two which run under the four minute margin. Rapping is altogether absent from the vocal style and there is no industrial or electronic influence to the music or production whatsoever.

The band would later develop and perfect this style on their next album, The Blackening, which mixed in huge deals of dual guitar work and thrash influenced riffs to create one of their most popular and respected works to date.

Early fans who were won back by The Blackening should take time to give Through The Ashes Of Empires a fair listen, and may find a great album they have missed out on.

Standout tracks include the opener ‘Imperium,’ in addition to heavier numbers like ‘Vim,’ and ‘Wipe The Tears.’ Furthermore, additional praise is deserved for the intense and brooding album closer ‘Descend The Shades Of Night,’ which starts in a soft melodic fashion and rises to a dynamic climax.

Overall, Through The Ashes Of Empires is one of Machine Head’s better albums and fans who overlooked it at the time should reinvestigate it. For newcomers to the band, it would provide an excellent starting point as it bridges the gap between all of the band’s directions.