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The Blackening
Participated by Machine Head
Studio : Roadrunner Records
by Roadrunner Records
Release Date : 2007-03-22
Publisher : Roadrunner Records
Availability : Usually ships in 1-2 business days
EAN : 0016861801625
UPC : 016861801625
Avg. Customer Rating: (based on 74 reviews)
List Price : $17.98
Our Price : $6.98
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Album Description |
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Bay Area metal masters Machine Head are back with The Blackening, a glorious follow up to the critically acclaimed Through The Ashes of Empires. An evolutionary album, The Blackening features Machine Head staying true to their roots with some of the heaviest riffs ever recorded while incorporating many beautiful, melodic choruses. Produced by Robert Flynn (Machine Head vocalist/guitarist) and mixed by Colin Richardson (Fear Factory, Cradle of Filth, Bullet for My Valentine), The Blackening marks Machine Head's strong return to the forefront of the metal world. A heavy, technical album that, while rooted in 90s metal, pushes the boundaries of hard music well into the future with songs like "Aesthetics of Hate," "Halo," "Now I Lay Thee Down," "Beautiful Mourning" and more. Machine Head are Robert Flynn (vocals/guitar), Phil Demmel (lead guitar), Adam Duce (bass/harmony vocals), Dave McClain (drums) |
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A "definite" metal classic? |
Yes, we've heard all the hype before. But once in a while, an album comes along and just grabs you by the throat and will not let go until you finally pick up a copy. Then that copy becaome part of the rotation in your music libary, never being put away.
This CD happens to be one of them.
Now before I get into the review, I am a Machine Head fan, and I do have all of their albums, from the well done "Burn My Eyes" to the awful "Supercharger". I am pretty biased about their music, so no matter how bad (Or how good) an album they make, I'm gonna listen to it and make my own judgement.
But this CD brought me back to why I love their music in the first place.
Right from the opening track "Clenching The Fists Of Dissent", This CD sucked me in a roller coaster of brutal, loud, yet well written and melodic sound, drawing out an emotion from me that hard to describe. The closest I can describe is like going to your favorite band's concert for the first time.
I got sucked in by tracks like "Beautiful Morning", "Aesthetics Of Hate", "Slanderous", even "Now I lay Thee Down" and I'm not too big on songs similar to that track. I found myself moshing at my job while listening to the entire album.
The mixing is perfectly done, Rob Flynn really shines in this CD, but it's just not him. Phil Demmel, Adam Duce, and Dave McClain also throw their weight into the songs, blending together as a whole, but yet standing out individually. You don't hear that very often. The last time I heard that was on Slayer's "Reign In Blood", Pantera's "Vulgar Display Of Power", and the late Chuck Schuldiner's band "Control Denied".
Granted, the album is rather long, but so was Metallica's "And Justice For All". A couple of the tracks are over 10 minutes long, and the Album itself is about or a little over 65 minutes long, making it seem like an "Epic" type of album.
You get an idea of what each track is about by listening yourself, especially "A Farewell To Arms", and the forementioned tracks, "Aestheics Of Hate", "Slanderous", and of course a personal favorite, "Wolves".
Very few Metal Albums deserve the praise it gets, this deserves more. You know this is something good when it beats out a few Post-Hardcore bands for "Album of the year" on Metal Hammer magazine.
Recently, Machine re-released The blackening with two bonus tracks "Battery" and "Hallowed Be Thy Name", a couple of covers from Metallica and Iron Maiden. Nice choices if you ask me. Those two covers alone make this CD much more enjoyable.
But this CD itself is worth buying. I highly recommend it.
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Instant Metal Classic |
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The Blackening is the album the metal community has been begging for. Always been a big MH fan, but this is by and far their masterpiece. I do recommend the special edition with the two cover tracks and DVD. Well worth the extra coin. Any metal fan should not be without this CD in their collection. MH fan or not, this could be the most important metal album of this generation. Yeah..........it's that good. I raise my glass and "clinched fist of dissent" to Machine Head!!!!! |
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Great metal destined to be a classic |
Machine Head have had a bit of an up-and-down career, with a few missteps along the way, but when they're firing on all cylinders, you better get out of their way. Leader and vocalist Robb Flynn, possibility the angriest metaller out there right now, is a superb songwriter, which is too often overlooked in metal circles, with many outfits getting attention with unimaginative repetitive riffs and singers who sound like they're suffering from a bad case of irritable bowel syndrome.
Flynn does his share of growling, but also provides clear vocals and harmonies, which add the one element modern metal needs the most, dynamics. Not that "The Blackening" is a wimped out affair. This slab is heavy - like the Titanic sinking in your living room heavy. The guitar work though, is innovative, uses lots of cool bends ala Tony Iommi and some of the best lead work out there.
Every track is great, but a few really stick out, which is no small feat in a CD of such strong material. "Halo", "Slanderous" and "Wolves" are personal favorites. If Machine Head keep this level of metal up, they will be almost untouchable. Give me Robb Flynn over the over blown and bloated Metallica any day. |
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A THROWBACK MASTERPIECE TO THE TIME WHEN METAL WAS KING |
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This album can only be fully described in two words "EPIC MASTERPIECE" and if you love metal this is a must buy trust me I thought nothing would ever get close to my all time favorite album megadeth's "rust in peace" but that changed after i heard the blackenings first track its 10 minutes of raw heavy metal power.This album is full of energy and amazing technicality "the blackening" is probably the only album I would consider "equal" to rust in peace wich is saying A LOT!!Seriously if you like heavy metal(and thinks mainstream music like hip hop and my chemical romance is a talentless BS affair)any kind like death black metal or even rapcore and nu metal I really recommend this album since I am a huge children of bodom,chimaira,megadeth and even rage against the machine fan."The blackening" is a throwback to the times when metal thrived and with raw energy power and relentless solos were praised by the mainstream unlike now when "50 cent" has "talent" and creating a crappy song in your dirty brocken keyboard like "sowja boy" can throw you to the top unlike actually having something called "TALENT" and creating something "EPIC" and "CLASSIC" like "The blackening" Machinehead you have all my respect. |
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Epic masterpiece |
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"The Blackening" is an epic masterpiece of metal music. It pounds throughout the entire hour, very heavy. By the time the CD is done, I'm always tired because my adrenaline is going strong the whole time I'm listening to it. Awesome, awesome album. This is their best work, and one of the top 3 albums I've ever listened to. Go buy it as soon as you can. |
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