Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Look a bit closer...., June 12, 2004
Firstly I'd like to express my dismay at the bad wraps that this album has recieved - generally by close-minded metalheads who are still stuck in the eighties and are afraid of evolution....on to the review.I believe this album to be one of the most under-rated metal albums of the last 5 years and was (possibly still is) well ahead of it's time. Machine Head went for a really bold and exciting risk by doing this album and have produced something well ahead of it's time. (and yes I have been a fan since Burn My Eyes). There are less solos on this album than on their previous works but the emphasis with the two guitarists has been placed on complimenting each others works with nuances and swirling background pieces intricate guitar work, but in saying that the heavy crunching guitars are still there making it unmistakibly machine head. Dave McClain does a great job on drums, showing great maturity in his playing with the emphasis less on blast-beats and super-fast drumming but more on off-beats, rolling rhythms and amazing cymbal work - in one word "classy". Robb's Vocals sound great. He covers a large range of styles and has added some great melodic singing to songs to add some flavor and still retains his best growl which sounds as fat as ever. But all in all a great effort I believe Robb, and the whole band for that matter, have pushed themselves to become better, more versatile musicians. Ross Robinson did an AMAZING job producing this album. Recorded at Indigo Ranch and using almost totally analog equipment this album sounds like the band is right in the room with you. There are so many layers of sound on each track - The more you listen to it, the more stuff you pick up. I suggest that anybody who owns this album gets a good pair of headphones and listens to this album cracnked through the headphones with the lights out and I guarentee you will gain newfound respect for the way this album has been made. I'd place it in my top 3 produced albums of all time. Standout songs would have to be "Exhale the Vile", "Five", "The Burning Red", "The Blood, The Sweat...." and "Silver". Though all songs have their place on the album.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The More Things Change... This Time They Do Change, June 8, 2000
When I heard that Machine Head had lost the long time guitarist Logan Mader I knew that they where going to release a cd with a new guitarist, but I wasn't hoping one this good, not one track is bad, the low end on the drums isn't as good as in The More Things Change... but I liked the drums, simply because Dave McClain does some excellent drum arrangements, and the melodic parts on some songs shows that metal isn't just screams, from the intro (Enter the Phoenix) the cd is filled with very good metal, the rap-metal track Desire To Fire is good but I think Machine Head should experiment with other things, still the song is good, Ross Robinson (producer for KoRn, Limp Bizkit, Slipknot, etc) made some good producing without having MH sounding like any of those bands, The Blood, The Sweat, The Tears is a very good song too, with a very good riff, the cover of message in a bottle is very well done, and the last track, the burning red is very soft and melancholic, a very good album, well worth the money.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Why all the hate??, August 29, 2004
This was my introduction to machinehead. I recieved this cd for christmas in 2001 and i only listened to one song (from this day) because i had heard it on the radio and i wasnt too into the whole thrash metal thing. I was looking through my old cd's and came upon this one and thought "why not listen to the whole thing??"
I was completely amazed at the musical ability of this band on the album. The harmonies never seem out of place and every song follows an angry metal syle i have never heard before. Silver is one hell of a song, The Blood, The Sweat, The Tears absolutely shreds all the way through. And i was always one who loved depressed rock ballads, so the title track, the burning red, is what got me hooked on the band. It may have been more mainstream than hardcore metal fans would like, but true MachineHead fans can appreciate this cd, and its as good as any to start the fascination.
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