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If I were Rob Flynn and had to pick someone from the music business to join my band, I would go for Lars Ulrich. Not James Hetfield, but Lars Ulrich. Not someone to write exciting riffs for me, to help me improve my musical skills, to write good songs with me (Flynn doesn’t really lack any of these things) but Lars; the one who is best at managing a band from the inside. Because Flynn is talented as a songwriter, gifted as a guitar player and -let’s be honest-, he has released records that are today rightfully regarded as classics. However one can’t help noticing that he tends to lose one record at a time trying to handle any success and choose the right direction for his band after each big album he makes. And if following The Burning Red, Through the Ashes of Empires, or maybe even more Burn my Eyes, proved to be difficult, with The Blackening, arguably the band’s magnum opus and one of the best albums of the 00’s, it was objectively impossible.
As it was expected then, Unto the Locust obliges us to accept the fact that Flynn is a very skilled musician. His primal ideas are rarely ineffective or dull, the execution is flawless and at times he reaches the creative potential he has often demonstrated. The blistering riffs, the big choruses, the quiet/loud dynamics, the technical prowess, the devastating power, everything that made the Blackening the monster that it is, they are all there again. Only this time he loses that balance that kept The Blackening this side of awesomeness; as massive as the riffs in I am Hell might be, one can’t argue that the idea behind the choir in the intro, or the sudden entrance of an acoustic section that repeats the main theme of the track are over worn and uninspired. The breakdown in This is the End is forced, even if it doesn’t ruin the thrash holocaust this song brings (overall, probably the best track in here). And Who I Am has an easy chorus, the whole song flows nicely, in a way that it naturally brings even bands like Trivium to mind. And yes, that children’s choir is really cheesy. Then again all three songs are entertaining and if we add the hugely sounding title track and Be still and Know with the excellent guitar work, the incredible bridge and the memorable chorus, then we have a more than satisfying but far from classic record.
So Unto the Locust is rather enjoyable, but rests three steps behind their last accomplishment. It’s sad but it’s true; Machine Head may release all the Blackenings and the Burn my Eyes in the world and still never be as big a band as, let’s say, Metallica (whose influence in this record is immense) are. Unto the Locust is the proof that Machine Head are unfortunately only as good as their last record.
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Album Rating: 4.0
Good review.
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| | | Album Rating: 3.5
I considered this easily one of the strongest albums of the year.
| | | Album Rating: 3.5
i had great expectations about that one, but it's well behind my top 3, which is Mastodon, Opeth adn Anthrax
| | | Album Rating: 3.5
i actually couldn't stand opeth's new album, one of the few albums I heard in 2011 and even after 4 listens, not a single moment/song stood out (Devil's orchard came fucking close but that's it)
| | | Album Rating: 3.0
i0hg9h34thogwerg
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It amuses me that you can rate an album as "Great", yet you do not have one positive thing to say about it.
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"i actually couldn't stand opeth's new album, one of the few albums I heard in 2011 and even after 4 listens, not a single moment/song stood out (Devil's orchard came fucking close but that's it)"
Therein lies your problem...you need to listen to it at least 10 times, like any Opeth record.
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Opeth's new album is not bad but is inferior to their master jewels ( Still life and Blackwater Park ) and is more focused on progressive rock than the previous works . Otherwise I actually enjoy Heritage and Unto The Locust , this album is good and very accessible ( locust and This is the end are very catchy ) ; heritage is not very easy to shallow ( like almost every opeth LP except for some songs present on watershed ) but when you get it ,is an enjoyable experiencie .
| | | Album Rating: 3.5
"It amuses me that you can rate an album as "Great", yet you do not have one positive thing to say about it."
I've said many positive things. I've only stressed out that this album has certain flaws that prevent it from being the perfect album everyone believes it is. Basically the whole review implies 3 things: 1/ the record is very good but three steps behind the Blackening (and I explain why) 2/ MH's discography is inconsistent, given that every other record they make fails to cope with any big record they have made, and they need to work on that (hence the L. Ulrich reference) 3/ This inconsistency explains why,the way I see it, they will never be as big asthe "best contemporary heavy metal band in the world" they are often seen as.
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Well written review, pos.
One correction tho
only as good as their last record is
only as good as their last record
I haven't listened to this to have a credible opinion, but the arguments with reference to the succession of records like Burn My Eyes with records like The Burning Red or Supercharger are 100% legit.
| | | Album Rating: 2.5
Good review
This>>>The Blackening
| | | Album Rating: 4.5
While I agree with you on some of your points, your review requires far too much contextual knowledge for someone to understand what 'Unto The Locust' sounds like. You probably spend too much time talking about Rob Flynn and how fucking awesome 'The Blackening' was, and not enough time talking about this album.
btw, THIS ALBUM RULES... Except for 'This is who we are', i can't stand that choir intro.
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Blackening is untochable
| | | Album Rating: 3.5
"While I agree with you on some of your points, your review requires far too much contextual knowledge for someone to understand what 'Unto The Locust' sounds like. You probably spend too much time talking about Rob Flynn and how fucking awesome 'The Blackening' was, and not enough time talking about this album."
You've got a point there, however this happens on purpose. I figured this is already overreviewed, and overdescribed. I just felt the need to add a different opinion about a well known record.
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"Throne you gotta quit writing cryptic comments on everything. That one guy did it on that list we google translated it was funny not lame but you're lame'ing it now"
uh i did it once
| | | Album Rating: 4.5
@lostforwords
Your opinions are quite well thought out and justified in the face of The Blackening, but provide clear paralleled examples to buttress your arguments (instead of talking about random moments in songs). Either way, i did like your review and pos'd.
| | | Album Rating: 4.5
btw, sorry if i sound patronising... i'm an English teacher. Enough said.
| | | Album Rating: 3.5
^^Not at all, any contstructive critisism is welcome anyway!
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Really good review, I completely agree with your points raised in the first and third paragraph.
I Have listened to this record only once and to this day I still haven't got around to listen to "The
Blackening". Therefore, any comparissons between these albums are impossible for me to make. But since
I have listened to their first 5 records, all I can say is this: first two MH albums > all the rest.
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