Today isn’t Friday, so it’s a good job this is just a top 5 and not a top 10, isn’t it? Oo-ooh-ooh, hoo yeah, yeah. It’s Thursday, Thursday. Gotta get down on Thursday. It’s top 5 time bitchez with some Machine fucking Head.
So why not top 10? Well besides the fact I’m incredibly lazy and only have a short amount of time I can masturbate in, Machine Head don’t even have 10 albums.
So without a further ado, I present to you the top 5 Machine Head albums. Make the machine fucking jump.
#5 Through the Ashes of Empires (2003)
TtAoE is seen by many as a return to form for the band following two albums that were dubiously close in style to nu-metal. In reality, however, although a strong effort, the album is still a bit of a mixed bag. Despite this, the band may be demolishing arenas around the world now, but when ten years ago the band were struggling and were dropped in the US, this album showed Machine Head meant business. When opening track ‘Imperium’ begins, buildings are reduced to rubble and ears are smashed. In contrast, album finale ‘Descend the Shades of Night’ is an astonishing acoustic led power ballad and one of Machine Head‘s finest tracks to date.
#4 The More Things Change (1997)
In between the debut Burn My Eyes and recent classic The Blackening, a lot of people seem to forget brutal sophomore record, The More Things Change. It may have been more or less Burn My Eyes 2, but with thumping tracks like ‘Ten Ton Hammer’, ‘Take My Scars’, ‘Down to None’ and ‘Blood of the Zodiac’ present, you can’t really go wrong with this monster of an album.
#3 Burn My Eyes (1994)
A classic way to piss off some Machine Head fans is to rank the band’s masterpiece debut below The Blackening, or even recent album Unto the Locust. funnily enough, that’s exactly what I’ve just done. Regardless, Burn My Eyes is the work of metal masterminds. Pummelling, relentless, and my God, the groove! Somehow bridging the gap between the groove styling of Pantera and the Thrash of bands like Slayer, Burn My Eyes is a classic and one of the greatest metal albums of the 90’s (and ever).
#2 Unto the Locust (2011)
Released only this year, Unto the Locust is already proving itself to be a bit of a masterpiece. The album opener, ‘I Am Hell’ is perhaps Machine Head‘s greatest songs of all time. For a band who have been on the go for over 17 years and have 7 albums, that’s no easy feat. With this release, Machine Head could have taken the easy route and created an album that mirrored the style of The Blackening note-for-note, but fortunately the band didn’t stop exploring other territories. Outstanding tracks also include ‘Be Still And Know’ and ‘Who We Are’.
#1 The Blackening (2007)
Christ almighty, the riffs! The riffs! Quite honestly, even with Machine Head being one of my favorite bands, I don’t think anyone expected this. The Blackening was the return to form (and more) nearly everyone had been waiting for. From the blistering opening track, to the gritty anthem ‘Aesthetics of Hate’ to the catchy ‘Halo’, each track is a masterpiece. Ambitious, but sincere and never overblown, The Blackening was a brave attempt for the band, but it sure as hell paid off. If you don’t own this album yet, what’s wrong with you? Pick it up now!
