Review Summary: With a great album in 'Through The Ashes of Empires', and what some may call a modern classic in 'The Blackening', the pressure was on Machine Head to deliver with 'Unto The Locust'. Not only have they equaled The Blackening, they may just have smashed it
Rewind to about 4 and a half years ago, and Machine Head released what turned out to be their finest hour (plus one minute and four seconds) with 'The Blackening'. Although hated my some and the words 'over-hyped' and 'overrated' being the chosen adjectives of others, The Blackening was a monumental success in the genre of metal, even being voted as Metal Album of the Decade by Metal Hammer. All in all, it was a massive success. Most people (myself included) had no idea how they'd top it.
Fast forward to present day (01/10/2011 at the time of writing), and the groove/thrash metal quartet have showed us that, once again, they can stretch their musical boundaries even further. 'Unto the Locust' is a truly magnificent album, possibly Machine Head's best display of musicianship.
The album starts off with a 3-part song, titled 'I Am Hell (Sonata In C#). The first section (Sangre Sani, which according to frontman Robb Flynn means 'blood saint' in Latin) lasts for about a minute, and features several layers of a capella of Robb repeating the words 'Sangre Sani'. This section has a neoclassical feel to it.
The next part (I Am Hell) is possibly the most brutal and heavy section of any Machine Head song ever. Robb's opening screams of "I Am Death, Arms Held Outstretched, I Am Hell, Born This Mortal Shell..." simply blew me away the first time I heard them. It's clear to see that he's developed his voice (some good production also plays a massive part in this). He ends the section with "God Sent Me To Kill You..." which gave me chills down my spine when I first heard it. So far, so good.
What comes after (Ashes To The Sky) is truly jaw-dropping. Starting with a lightning fast guitar riff (one guitar on it's own), the other guitar and the rest of the intruments then come in, the other guitar playing the same riff. It is somewhat reminiscent of 'Clenching The Fists of Dissent' off Machine Head's previous album, The Blackening. The rest of the song consists of Robb Flynn spewing out pure hatred, lightning fast guitars (and some very fast drumming too, props to Dave McClain for stepping up his game since the last album), an acoustic part towards the end, and then the electrics come back in, gradually fading out untill the song ends. All in all, the perfect way to start the album. 5/5
Song number two is 'Be Still And Know'. It starts off with a guitar piece which I will compare to Annihilator's 'The Trend'. If this comparison puts you off, then I'm sorry. After about 40 seconds, the second guitar joins in, creating a harmony with the first guitar. Finally the song kicks into a heavy riff, with Robb screaming out the words "In this struggle, Are we dead or alive?".
The chorus takes an opposite approach to the verse. It sounds very optimistic, which is strange for a song so heavy. The lyrics are a perfect example, "And the sun will rise, Dawn will break through blackest night, Distant in its glow, This shall pass, Be still and know."
After another verse and the chorus again, the song kicks into an awesome solo, which I think sounds quite a lot like the solo in 'Aesthetics of Hate', only shorter and faster. Clocking in at 5 minutes and 44 seconds, this song is the shortest song on the album, and the only one under 6 minutes. 4.5/5
The next song was the first single of the album, and I'm sure you've heard it by now. Locust contrasts largely to the first two tracks, with slower, more groovy riffs and slower drumming. The riff in the verses of the song almost makes me want to somehow dance along to it. The pre-chorus features the guitars ascending up the neck, untill coming back down for the chorus.
I'm not going to talk a lot about this song because as I said, I'm sure you've already heard it. One thing I did notice about this album version is that it has subtle differences with the single released prior to the album; the drums sound slightly different, there is a bit more variation with the guitars, and there is backing vocals. 4/5
Following Locust is 'This Is The End'. This starts off with a nice acoustic part, building up and building up till around the minute mark, where some nice drum fills come in, and a blistering guitar part, until Robb Flynn let's out a long "YEAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHOOOOWWWW!!!"
The verses of this song are fast, with the frontman spewing out his lyrics, the guitars blazing along, the drums pounding and pounding away, the bass keeping everything nicely in time.
The chorus is actually very infectious, with the lyrics "This is the end..." really getting stuck in my head. After the second chorus, the song slows down to a bridge-type section, with Robb screaming out "Bastards! You bastards!" After this, the song speeds up again to a magnificent solo, starting on one of the low notes on the low string and ending with a high note on the high string. The solo is truly brilliant.
After the solo, the chorus comes back in, and then the song ends rather abruptly. All in all, brutal, fast, and ***ing heavy. 4.5/5
Now, 'Darkness Within' had its praises sung long before the album's release, particularly by Robb Flynn. While it is a great song, I feel that it was over-hyped by the man, and the band in general. It starts off with Robb singing in a croaky-kind of voice, singing "Here in the darkness that I lay, Depression heavy in it's weigh, And how my body hates to leave, To sing it's final eulogy..." The song repeats the same structure again with different lyrics, and a quiet chorus.
After the chorus, the song has another verse, this time more tense, and building up to the chorus, which erupts delightfully.
Next comes the solo, which lead guitarist Phil Demmel had described as his favourite solo he has done for Machine Head. Again, it's a bit of a let down to be honest. It's a good solo, don't get me wrong, but how he can put it above the solos in 'Halo', 'A Farewell To Arms' and 'Descend The Shades of Night' is beyond me.
The song picks up after the solo, with Robb screaming the lyrics "Music, my saviour! (Save Me)), before the chorus kicks in again, and then a fading outro. To summarize, a good song, but very over-hyped, and a lot less emotionally charged than I expected. 4/5
It says a lot when the album's low point is still a good song. 'Pearls Before the Swine' is this song, and it's very weird, in terms of song structure, to say the least. It starts off with a similar scream to the opening scream on 'This Is The End'. The guitaring in the verses is very similar to 'Slanderous' of the previous album.
After the second chorus, the song breaks out into a clean guitar part, and the bass is very audible, possibly for the first time in the album. This becomes a sung bridge - part, quite reminiscent of 'A Farewell To Arms' (sorry for all the comparisons). The song then erupts into a solo, and then, well, this is where it's weird, I don't exactly know what in terms of song structure. It's not a solo, it's not a verse, it's not a chorus. It's very strange. Still a good song, but will take a lot of getting used to. 3.5/5
The last track, 'Who We Are' starts off with some kids singing "This is who we are, this is what I am, We have no where else to go, Divided we will stand". This repeats, but instead of the kids, it's Robb Flynn. These lyrics are perhaps a little cheesy, but quite inspirational to say the least.
The song then erupts into some good guitaring, Robb Flynn shouting phrases beginning with 'We Are the....".
The chorus is the same as the intro, with Phil Demmel on backing vocals, before returning to a verse and another chorus. Following this, a pre-solo section, containing more cheesy lryics. The solo which follows is great. It resembles a light at the end of the tunnel, it resembles hope.
Returning to the verse once more, and then the children singing, with Robb Flynn singing with them this time, as well as back up vocals. This gives a truly inspirational kind of feel. It feels almost uplifting. Like when I mentioned in the solo, a light at the end of the tunnel.
The song then fades off with some drumming and violins (I'm not sure if it's violin, stringed instruments is generally not my feel of expertise) playing, to round off the song, and the album for that matter. 4.5/5.
To summarise, this album is truly brilliant, and has possibly topped The Blackening. At first, I wouldn't have said so, but this takes a few listens to get the feel of it. Once you do, you are left with a feeling of joy, near-euphoria - almost enlightenment. Album of the year contender, if not winner, for sure.
Pros:
* Lightning fast guitaring
* Drumming is a real step up from the last album
* Massive improvement in Robb's vocals, screaming and clean
* Not a single average song
Cons:
* Darkness Within was a bit of a dissapointment and was over-hyped
* Only 7 tracks
Recommended Tracks:
* I Am Hell
* Be Still And Know
* This Is The End
* Who We Are
