Metal Hammer Presents Machine Head – ‘Unto The Locust’ (Future Publishing)
Written by Darrel Sutton
Thursday, 29 September 2011 05:00
The human ego is a fascinating thing,particularly when it comes to handling praise. It can, in its best incarnation, manifest itself in a humble manner with those concerned simply continuing onwards with a rather good feeling inside. However apply that same praise to a musician’s ego and it can have a fairly monumental effect, to the extent that it leads them to believe they are indestructible, that no matter what they do, it will be, (by the very fact it is their output) awesome. Sometimes that is the case, but all too often that arrogance precedes a fall. So where is this leading exactly? Well to say that Machine Head had every plaudit thrown at their previous album ‘The Blackening’ is the understatement of the century. Was it justified? Sure some parts of the album absolutely slayed all in sight and ‘Halo’ was a bit special but if you asked me I’d have taken the earth-shattering ‘Through The Ashes Of Empires’ or ‘Burn My Eyes’ any day. I found the long song structures quite a testing listen and somewhat self-indulgent at times,and that’s what leads me to introduce the band’s new album ‘Unto The Locust’ in the manner I have. It might also be why I’m purchasing this album along with my weekly big shop…
Anyway back to the music and when opener ‘I Am Hell (Sonata in C#)’ kicked in the above rant really couldn’t have been further from my mind. Following the lilting introduction it was full pelt into the riffing and lead work that introduced Messrs Flynn and Demmel to us in blistering style back in the heyday of Vio-lence. I really did think we were heading for a trip back to ‘Phobophobia’ heaven. But as that song utterly thrilled me through it’s first half, as the song clock passes the six minute mark you start to get a bit of a deja-vu feeling. There’s nothing wrong with the song but it does give a very early indication as to where the album is heading. All over the place. Well not entirely, but the range of styles and tempos within songs quite quickly leaves me bewildered and the point is very quickly (well as quickly as thirteen minutes allows) reinforced by the next two songs ‘Be Still And Know’ and ‘Locust’. Both songs have some stunning sections, in particular the bridge and solo in ‘Locust’, but they also have more tempo changes than you could shake a stick at. Combined with some, at times, extremely elaborate guitar histrionics, they seem happy to eschew being memorable songs in favour of technical brilliance and an obligation to show how clever they can be.
‘This Is The End’ is much the same and at times you just want them to just thrash a three minute motherfucker of a song out. They do in places but it’s hidden amongst another three minutes of bewildering fret wizardry. I don’t doubt Machine Head’s credibility and who am I to tell them what they can and can’t do, but by midway through the album my interest seriously has started to wane as the 1,258th time change kicks in. The fact they even manage to sound like P.O.D. for a worrying minute or so during ‘Who We Are’ only adds to the concern. That said, the same song is probably the album’s highlight with a very Kai Hansen-like bit of soloing and some cracking riffing. It’s just that getting to the last but one song proper (this version has a live rendition of ‘Locust’ tagged to the end of its tracklisting) you have to get through the musical equivalent of Catch 22 that is the duo of ‘Darkness Within’ and ‘Pearls Before The Swine’. Both follow the same multi-tempoed overlong formula of their preceding songs and again have equal parts of brilliance and mindless self-indulgence.
Add to this a very stripped down production throughout the album and whilst it may suit some bands, Machine Head to me have always been about power of delivery and the rawness of the production certainly doesn’t have an improving effect, particularly in some of the more disjointed passages.
Anyway with the main business of the music out of the way there’s the special edition Metal Hammer magazine that comes with this pack to get through, and at 132 pages in thickness it contains some truly excellent behind the scenes articles plus just about everything a Machine Head fan could ever want to get from publication based solely on their favourite band. Also included within the card wallet everyone will be trying to pry open to see what exactly is inside is a cloth patch, a bottle opener keyring plus a huge poster. So pretty much something for everybody with a hankering for some Machine Head.
However what you should be mindful of is when ‘Unto The Locust’ does get its full release via Roadrunner on 24th of October it actually comes with a slightly different tracklisting with a couple of covers and an alternate, acoustic version of ‘Darkness Within’ also tagged on the end of the album (replacing that second version of ‘Locust’ tagged on this version). I’ve had a sneaky preview of the band’s version of Judas Priest’s “The Sentinel”. Not the first (or twenty first) song off the tongue of many but a damn good underrated song and a very good version or so I’m told, as I’ve only heard a snippet. Then comes what many may consider a strange choice of cover (until you realise that Robb Flynn is a massive Rush fan) in the form of ‘Witch Hunt’, however compared to some of the lengthy songs on ‘Unto The Locust’ it will probably come across as quite a snappy little number. Only kidding…or am it? The closing acoustic track is a pretty dramatic acoustic reworking of Darkness Within’ which apparently comes across as one of the album’s highlights, and is quite frankly a bizarre statement to make at the end of a Machine Head album review but it’s simplicity is no doubt going to be a refreshing change for any listener after the preceding hour or so.
Maybe my words will be scorned at and ridiculed in years to come but when I think that ‘Burn My Eyes’ made me go and buy a guitar for the first time in ten years back in ’94 I really do hope they get back to the crushing band they once were rather than what their ego’s have allowed the press to manipulate them into.
Meanwhile ‘Unto The Locust’ can take pride of place in having made me go out and buy my first album in a supermarket.
http://www.myfavouritemagazines.co.uk/metal-hammer-presents-machine-head/