Customer Reviews

Machine Head - Elegies

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Along with LOG 'Killadelphia',Primus 'Hallucino-Genetics' and Slayers 'Reign In Blood', 'Elegies' uncovers Machine Heads passion, to rock out live! And what a show this is. The sound is amazing and their performance is epic. They couldn't have pick a better set list, many favorites old and new. The interviews are priceless. What a turbulent time MH went through in the past 3 years...wow. Three videos along with the 'making of'. But I have to say the one thing that really impressed me was Robert Flynn's persona and the way he feels about the fans. And ofcourse when he is on stage. I really never realized how great of a front man he is..........spectacular. 5 Big Stars!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Like Lamb Of God and Soulfly, MH have managed to put together the dvd of 2005 that does not disappoint. A full scale performance from the Brixton Academy in London that you can watch by it's self or with the documentary footage included, plus The Making Of Through The Ashes Of Empires. Now, although it would have been nice to get all of their music videos including the ones from Burn My Eyes and The More Things Change..., but the three included on this dvd will do. Not only that, but there's even behind the scenes extras for each video. Not bad at all.

I have never known MH to disappoint, and Robert Flynn knows how to do things right. You'll be impressed. Check it out.

My friends, this is Machine Head's first ever live DVD, entitled Elegies. It was filmed live on December 8, 2004 at Brixton Academy in London, England. At first I was a little pissed off because it was reported that their 10th Anniversity Burn My Eyes show where they played that seminal album in its entirety live would also be part of this DVD release, but this will not be the case. Now I can understand that they would not want to be seen as ripping off Slayer's idea. This setlist is as follows,
01. Intro
02. Imperium
03. Seasons Wither
04. Bulldozer
05. Old
06. Days Turn Blue to Gray
07. The Blood, The Sweat, The Tears
08. Ten Ton Hammer
09. The Burning Red
10. In the Presence of My Enemies
11. Take My Scars
12. Descend the Shades of Night
13. Davidian
14. Covers Medley
15. Block
I know that this DVD will kick major ass especially with the medley covers of Pantera, Sepultura, and Metallica songs near the end. I have space next Slayer's Still Reigning and Lamb of God's Killadelphia DVDs on my shelf for this baby.

Most Machine Head fans have been longing for a live DVD release for sometime now. With the exeption of the expected quarreling over the set list that will likely arouse from certain fans...as far as quality, content, and performance goes there should be no complaints. Heres a rundown of what you get for your buck:

Full live show recorded at London's Brixton Academy in December 2004 in front of a sold-out 5000+ capacity crowd.

Set List-

From Burn My Eyes -

Davidian
Old
Block

From The More Things Change -

Ten Ton Hammer
Take My Scars

From The Burning Red -

The Burning Red
The Blood, The Sweat, The Tears

From Supercharger -

Bulldozer

From Through the Ashes of Empires -

Imperium
Seasons Wither
Days Turn Blue to Grey
In the Presence of my Enemies
Descend the Shades of Night

You also get two mini-documentaries within the live show that focus on "Life on the Road" and "The Fans".

Theres also a Full length documentary of "The Making of Through the Ashes of Empires" which details Machine Head's struggle from the release of "Supercharger" to parting ways with Roadrunner Records, to trying to get on with another label, to being forced to come up with a "radio freindly" demo, to going to Europe to start over, to self financing and producing their new album and their triumphant return to form.

You also get three music videos from "Hellalive" and "Through the Ashes..":

Imperium
The Blood, The Sweat, the Tears (live)
Days Turn Blue to Gray

All 3 videos come with a "Making Of.." Documentary. Now if that isn't enough to satisfy you I don't know what to tell ya.

The live performance is for lack of a better term...Inspiring. Just watch the 2 opening tracks "Imperium" and "Seasons Wither" and you will be hard pressed to find a better live act in this day and age (the mighty Pantera in their prime would have a run for their money). And the show is shot and edited flawlessly...Roadrunner actually put some money into this thing (it aint no bootleg).

The mini documentaries are fun and entertaining, the making of the video documentaries are interesting and well filmed, and the making of the album documentary is serious and eye opening (you'll have to see it for yourself). This is by far one of the most well put together DVD packages I've ever seen.

Whether youre an old school fan, a casual listener, or a new comer to the band...this DVD is worth every hard earned penny. The only way someone could watch this in its entirety and not be blown away...is if they weren't a fan at all.

Enjoy.

I never liked Machine Head before I bought this DVD. It was a gift for my husband who loves them. Since watching this, I now understand why. They are the most amazing live metal/rock band in the world. If you listen to the CD and then watch the DVD, you can't tell any difference between the two other than the thousands of screaming fans. I have so much respect for all of them as musicians and performance artists. Aside from the live footage, the extra material is also awesome. You'll see the band tell their story in their own words. There are also a couple music videos included. Overall it is definantly worth every penny!

Pros: The best live metal performance/recording I've ever seen. Slipknot is nothing compared to these guys.
Cons: Wish there was more 'Behind the Scenes'.
What do you name yourself when you are the best Live Metal Band...Machine Head! This live performance captures one of our truly top metal acts....CLEAR, LIVE, and INSPIRATIONAL. Oh yea, "LIVE" meant something moderately interesting and diverse before this...It is now redefined by this great band. Clearly THE BEST display of what a heavy, live performance should be.
If you have not seen them, then this is the next best thing.

A MUST for ANY fan of heavy music...Period

Yes, they have rap-metal in their history, but everyone makes mistakes. I mean, watch "Imperium"... that's all it takes to become a believer again. Machine Head have once again regained their position among the best pure metal bands. And while this DVD seems a tad over-produced (studio enhancements?), who cares? If the alternative is metalcore, then bands like Machine Head are the saviors of metal.

Well, what can I Say? WOW!!!!!!
I was at this show, and was also lucky enough to meet the boys afterwards, and what a night!
I have been looking forward to this DVD ever since, and I have not been disappointed in the slightest. If you are a Machine Head Fan, or if you are into Metal in the slightest, you NEED to buy this DVD. Great set list, great sound, great look and an absolute bargain at any price!!

Buy it NOW.

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.

It grasps a not-in-a-rock viewer with energy and professionalism of performance if even, unlike Iggy Pop, musicians rather lowered marks by
approaching full-monty on a podium.