Burn My Eyes

Machine Head | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 9, 1994)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Roadrunner Records
• ASIN: B000000H6G
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (105 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #13,477 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Limited edition 180 gram vinyl pressing of the 1994 debut album from this West Coast Heavy Metal band. 11 tracks including 'Davidian', 'The Rage To Overcome' and 'Blood For Blood'. Roadrunner. --This text refers to the Vinyl edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "You Tell A Thousand Lies, Been Told A Thousand Times...", April 19, 2002

By 

Nicholas Alla Koholick "anonymousnick2001" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Burn My Eyes (Audio CD)

Lyrics. One major thing I look for in good metal are lyrics. One of the things that drew me here, but I'll address that later... Many have called this album a masterpiece. I don't QUITE agree. I don't personally think it's a masterpiece. However, Machine Head's Burn My Eyes IS extremely great. It's a hair or two shy of being a mastepiece in my eyes. That is no small thing. Why do I say so? Let's take a track from the CD and analyze it, shall we? Let's take "Davidian". The song begins with an explosive drum intro, then fills in with a nice, heavy riff. No, the riffs are not the heaviest EVER, like some say. But... when I first that beginning, I was hooked! The song continues on for some time, then speeds up and Rob Flynn starts singing. Yes, singing! I call that singing. Using his voice. And, he does have one set of pipes on him. Only when the music paused and the famous line delivered, did I feel the lyrical power at work here.

"LET FREEDOM RING WITH A SHOTGUN BLAST!!!"

That line is great! Simple and well delivered, it made me listen to the whole album through just in hopes of finding more good tidbits of soul-touching words. I found many such excerpts. Not only that, but the music is still pretty heavy nonetheless, and thrashes and crunches in the proper spots. The double bass drums thunder along, and the solos are nice and sludgy-sounding. Burn My Eyes might not be a masterpiece to me, but I clearly understood why many people thought so. Every song deserves a listen. Find your own favorites. Enjoy the CD. I'm surprised at how recent this is. 1994? Wow...Good lyrics, nice solos, evenly heavy guitar and bass. Fast speed. Burn My Eyes is great. An ALMOST masterpiece. Get it!

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A tyrannical titan of an album, June 22, 2002

By 

Wheelchair Assassin (The Great Concavity) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Burn My Eyes (Audio CD)

With "Burn My Eyes," Machine Head ratcheted up the intensity of early thrash metal to create a monstrous masterpiece of epic proportions. Call this oversimplification if you will, but this album is heavy, heavy, heavy. However, there is far more to it than just heaviness. "Burn My Eyes" is also distinctive, diverse, and intelligent. And did I mention it's heavy?
Right from the beginning, Machine Head make it clear what you, the listener, are in for. Opener "Davidian" is a chugging monster with massive riffs, lots of bass, and precise drumming, and as far as memorable choruses go it's hard to beat Robb Flynn shouting "Let freedom ring with a shotgun blast!" The next two songs follow the same pattern, so it's somewhat of a surprise when the band starts out slow on "None But My Own." But it works, just like everything else of the album. Just listen to track seven, "A Nation on Fire." The verses are pretty slow, but the song builds in intensity through the pre-chorus and and another insanely anthemic chorus (perhaps no album has more memorable refrains than this one). And then, four and a half minutes in, when the song would have every right to end, it takes off on a blindingly fast thrash fest. But whatever speed the band is at, be it fast, slow, or midtempo, it's always suitably caustic and grinding for a thrash album.
Everything I've mentioned above would be at least enough for a four-star rating, but what really sets "Burn My Eyes" apart are the lyrics. Although Machine Head talk about societal problems, in the grand tradition of such thrash pioneers as Metallica and Megadeth, the lyrical content of "Burn My Eyes" is often anything but negative. My personal fave, "A Nation on Fire," is a perfect example of the band's lyrical bent. Despite the fact that it details the decay of American society, the song's real message is that even in the face of social decay, people must find strength within themselves. Lines like "I won't break, it gives me strength," and "I won't go down, stand my ground" give the song an uplifting, redemptive message that is lacking in so much of today's radio-ready complaint rock. Machine Head preach persevering through problems rather than simply whining about them, a fact that gives "Burn My Eyes" its true power.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wow, April 22, 2006

By 

W. Samson "Enjoys the Simple things in life!" (North Dakota) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Burn My Eyes (Audio CD)

This is why I listen to heavy music! Intensity, for lack of a better word, this is what the entire album is made up of! Favorite songs, Davidian, old, A Nation on Fire.