Machine Head
The Blackening

Release Date: 2007 | Tracklist

Hype. Quite a double edged sword when it comes to new releases, rising bands, or upcoming tours. If done correctly, it can get those who would not normally be associated with certain acts to become fans, or at least follow the band more closely then they would otherwise. If not, well, the results could be somewhat disastrous, leading to over-expectation and disappointment. Every year certain bands jump onto the hype machine with varying results. With 2007's The Blackening, Machine Head took this gamble, and for quite awhile now, we've had to hear about how heavy, progressive, and kick ass it is. Or something to that effect. And with early reviews of The Blackening popping up across the net, it seems critics were taking a liking to the album's direction. The hype machine is still plugging away, I see. However, I am not what you would call the biggest Machine Head fan, and despite all the praise flying around, I was still feeling pretty sceptical about what they could produce. After all, this is Machine Head. Unsurprisingly, I was quite right about The Blackening. It isn't really that special…at all.

Two things, bands and their albums rather, come to mind when I listen to The Blackening. The first is a more appropriate comparison when it comes to actual sound. In 1991, Dark Angel followed released the disappointing Time Does Not Heal, an album which proudly stated "9 songs, 67 minutes, 246 riffs!" There may have been 246 riffs, there may not have been, but what I do know for sure was that Time Does Not Heal was a colossal waste of time. For a more modern example, there's DragonForce. And who doesn't know DragonForce's musical formula, one that seems like it focuses more and being faster than the speed of sound than, well, sounding good. Their breakthrough record, Inhuman Rampage, not unlike Time Does Not Heal, was pretty bland and uninspired. Only instead of 246 riffs in 67 minutes it had a million riffs in 56 minutes. Or something. So why did I write 149 words on two mediocre albums and mention The Blackening only once? Because The Blackening feels exactly like these two albums. It has riffs galore; for the most part, these are terribly boring groove riffs, but there are some thrashy guitar lines, solos and harmonies as well. But mostly bland, soulless groove riffs which got old almost as quickly as any other metal trend.

However, the comparison to both of those albums does not end there. In effort to create ultra heavy, br00tal, tr00 metal and incorporate what frontman and guitarist Rob Flynn claims to be 20-30 different riffs – molten riffs at that – half of The Blackening is home to songs exceeding at least six minutes in length. Four of these five tracks pass the nine minute mark. Yes that's right, 9 minutes. Some bands can and are rather good at writing superb nine minute epics. See Iron Maiden and Opeth. Machine Head is not one of these bands. I may have mentioned something similar to this in a different review about as different band (I've definitely thought about doing it in the past), but I'm not quite sure you could find a more appropriate place to apply such a description. Machine Head's two longest pieces, Clenching the Fists of Dissent and A Farewell to Arms are 10:35 and 10:12 respectively. Unsurprisingly, both are completely unlistenable. Clenching the Fists of Dissent starts out decently enough with a mix of clean guitars and light distortion for about one minute forty seconds, before reverting to mediocre thrash guitar and horrid Phil Anselmo impressions from Flynn. Chugging, shouting, chugging, shouting, and more chugging follows and you've pretty much listened to the whole album before the opening song is half over. Honestly, Clenching the Fists of Dissent was a horrible way to start the album, as it does nothing, save for maybe causing one to pull his or her hair out. And give the listener a bad (yet accurate) impression of what is too come.

Admittedly, The Blackening does improve with the three middle tracks, Beautiful, Slanderous, and Now I Lay Thee Down, but even these tracks are far from enjoyable. Slanderous and Now I Lay Thee Down are the two strongest tracks, and start out fairly decently with interesting guitar riffs. Luckily, we also get a break from Rob's ear splitting shout with some clean vocals, and while these clean vocals are not exceptionally crafted, they're far stronger than the alternative. Ultimately, the three middle tracks are just average groove tracks (meaning that they're fairly terrible), but I would definitely take nine Slanderous-es what Machine Head has offered here. They're much easier to digest and for all their shortcomings, are far more enjoyable than the likes of Wolves or Halo.

As much as I would like to say otherwise, there were a few redeemable parts of The Blackening. Not many, mind you, but on occasion they managed to put together some fairly solid passages. For the most part, this revolves around the guitar tandem, Phil Demmel and Rob Flynn. Something I will not deny the pair is their skill on the axe. No, they aren't mind blowingly great and you wouldn't mix them up with Rusty Cooley or John Petrucci, but every now and then they pull of some thrashy riff, solo, or harmony which could make one smile, I suppose. The solos fit the music fairly well, and are almost always blazing fast or as Flynn would probably put it "metallic and molten." Unfortunately, Machine Head does not make use of these techniques enough for them to make a difference, and they are really overshadowed by the listless riffing.

Overall, Machine Head's 2007 offering and sixth album, The Blackening, is probably one of the weakest, most overrated albums of the year. While I can se many enjoying it, due to its horrid song writing, equally unpleasant vocals, and aside from a few moments in every song, mediocre instrumental performances, I will not be one of these people. I'm not sure if Machine Head can do better than this, as I have not really listened to any Machine Head in the past, but one would assume they can as The Blackening never really does anything to warrant more than two listens. It gets progressively worse with each listen, and unless you're into wasting 61 minutes of your life I do not recommend checking this out. If The Blackening did not include any of the 9-10 minute jam sessions, it would probably be a more interesting listen, though only a 2, maybe 2.5 at most. Just as with Dark Angel's Time Does Not Heal or DragonForce's Inhuman Rampage, I don't bother checking this out. Seriously.

Recommended Tracks:
Slanderous
Now I Lay Thee Down

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4 excellent

Rank: #125 for 2007