| Machine Head Supercharger |
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 | Tracklist:
01. Declaration
02. Bulldozer
03. White-Knuckle Blackout!
04. Crashing Around You
05. Kick You When You're Down
06. Only The Names
07. All In Your Head
08. American High
09. Brown Acid
10. Nausea
11. Blank Generation
12. Trephination
13. Deafening Silence
14. Supercharger
| Ranking: #175 for 2001 | |
| | other reviews | Greg Wood (2)
Rapping? Turntables? This IS the same band that made Burn My Eyes right?... |
On 3 Lists
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| Summary: Not devoid of filler material and under the questionable “nu metal” label, Supercharger may not measure up to Machine Head’s previous releases, especially Burn My Eyes and The More things Change, but it still is a good effort. |
1 of 1 thought this review was well written
With The Burning Red, Machine Head had made an effort to identify with the new metal bands whose sound had already taken over the U.S., making an album that alienated their hardcore fans but didn’t lack quality, always compared to most nu- metal bands. Even if it wasn’t their most acclaimed album, it still sold more than The More Things Change, so it obviously seemed to Robb Flynn and co. that The Burning Red was a step in the right direction.
That is why there are no major differences between The Burning Red and 2001’s Supercharger. In fact Supercharger is only a little heavier than the band’s previous effort, but it’s unquestionably an album that still belongs to the nu – metal genre and is miles away from Machine Head’s initial sound as heard on Burn my Eyes or The More Things Change.
Lyrically, this is Machine Head’s least sophisticated effort. It’s not as if lyrics were ever MH’s strong point, but Rob Flynn had indulged himself in some pretty serious subjects in the past; he had gone political on tracks such as A Thousand Lies or Davidian, he had covered the horrific story of the infamous serial killer in Blood of the Zodiac and even in the Burning Red he seemed to treat (in what is allegedly a concept album) the course of a man’s life and the troubles that may come along during this course. On the contrary, Supercharger oversimplifies things; track number 8 called American High narrates Flynn’s own experience with high school and how no one would believe he would ever become a rock star, so now he can rub their faces in his success. Or in Kick you when you’re Down you get slogans like “you have to trust in yourself” or “you have to follow your heart” instead of actual lyrics. Sounds to me like Flynn is trying to appeal to teenagers, just like most nu – metal bands did.
Musically, Supercharger belongs mostly to the nu metal genre, and it is much closer to the Burning Red than to any of the band’s previous releases. Rob Flynn sings as much as he screams and he usually sings over choruses, in an effort to give an anthemic (or commercial) vibe to his songs. His riffs are groovy rather than thrashy, and catchy, accessible melodies are added all over the place. Songs follow minimalistic structures with only 2 of them lasting more than six minutes. And like Korn and Bizkit, the production is just the best possible.
Nevertheless, I believe that by no means is Supercharger a complete and utter failure, it just should be judged for what it is, i.e. a nu metal release. Even if it doesn’t measure up to the band’s old standards it still matches most contemporary nu metal albums. As usual, it starts off with an impressive opener, entitled Bulldozer, which includes a crushing riff reminiscent of MH’s thrash days. Crushing Around You and All in your Head have catchy choruses that actually deliver (I know that singing along is not what MH is about, but give them a break, these are catchy!). American High, in spite of the silly lyrics is memorable with its jungle- like intro and straightforward riff. Blank Generation ends with a Rage Against the Machine- like part, where Flynn whispers over semi-distorted guitars, builds up anger and then explodes. And Deafening Silence, the album’s most melodic track, is just great, bringing to mind the title track from MH’s previous record.
Not devoid of filler material and under the questionable “nu metal” label, Supercharger may not measure up to Machine Head’s previous releases, especially Burn My Eyes and The More things Change, but it still is a good effort. It is disappointing only because, MH would spare their talent for writing punishing riffs and heavy, aggressive songs trying to identify with bands they clearly didn’t even belong to the same league with. Luckily for those disappointed with Machine Head’s turn towards nu metal, the band would drop out of this style and proudly return to form with 2004’s Through the Ashes of Empires (and even more with The Blackening).
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Album Rating: 2
it still sold more than The More Things Change, so it obviously seemed to Robb Flynn and co. that The Burning Red was a step in the right direction.
I believe I read somewhere that this album bombed hard. The More Things Change went gold. Might want to double check that fact.
American High, in spite of the silly lyrics is memorable with its jungle- like intro and straightforward riff.
AHHHHHHHHHHHAHHHHAHHHHHHHHHEEEEEAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH Hahahahahah hilarious intro!
Some strange formating scattered throughout the review (ie. song titles should stick out a bit more by using "____"). Good review otherwise, especially your last paragraph. I thought about doing a review for this but I could care less about this album tbqh. Has a few memorable moments but it's pretty much mostly filler to these ears.
Digging: Nadja - Radiance of Shadows | | |
I just bought the Blackening last week. It's my first album of theirs and I like it a lot, so I'll definitely be getting their older albums, including this sometime. The review is pretty good, but I think you say "nu-metal" too often. It seems like you've told me it's a nu-metal album like 10 times. Other than that though the review is good.
Digging: Converge - Axe To Fall
| | | Album Rating: 3
MACHINE HEAD – The Burning Red: 134,458
MACHINE HEAD – The More Things…: 115,104
http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=3145
This is my source. It goes back in 2002 though,so if sth 's changed feel free to point it out
| | | Album Rating: 2
Fair enough, just needed to see that for myself. Thanks dude. Vote!
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Not a bad review, but I agree with AliW1993 that you use the word "nu metal" too often.
If you're going to use a hyphen don't use a space between them; i.e. this "nu-metal" not this "nu - metal". Also, at least stay consistent to your own format. I found "nu metal" three different ways in your review: "nu- metal", "nu – metal", and "nu metal". In one spot you do use the hyphen correctly, just not that word: "semi-distorted".
Other than that a few really bad sentences (first sentence of first paragraph and first sentence of third paragraph in particular), and maybe some strange wording. Not trying to be a dick, just help you improve.
This Message Edited On 04.07.09
Digging: The Shizit - The Shizit
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This is the album Kerry King bashed I assume, sparking a now extinct mid range verbal spat between bands? I don't think I will listen to this.
Digging: Deep-Pression/Exethersis - Train Exeter To D.P. State
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