765. Machine Head / Burn My Eyes. 1994. 3.5/5

The roots of the band Machine Head came from the early thrash metal scene of the US, and in particular through the evolution of vocalist and guitarist Robb Flynn. Flynn had been in the band Forbidden Evil back in the early 1980’s, and had then joined Vio-lence as their lead and rhythm guitarist as they began their bursting onto the thrash scene, driving alongside the greats of that uprising through the late 1980’s. Two albums, 1988’s “Eternal Nightmare” and 1990’s “Oppressing the Masses” caught the attention of fans and critics alike, but by 1991 Flynn had become unhappy with the direction the band was going with its music, and had decided that he would perhaps instead form his own band to go forward. Part of this was driven by some songs that he had written for Vio-lence, "Death Church" and "Blood for Blood", but had been rejected by the rest of the band. He began the band, which he eventually named Machine Head, as a side project along with his friend, bass guitarist Adam Duce, but following a physical altercation between the members of Vio-lence and a local gang, Flynn left the band and made Machine Head his number one priority. It was often felt in the metal community that Flynn came up with the name of band after the seminal Deep Purple album of the same name, but in recent times Flynn has poured cold water on that, claiming he settled on the name simply because it sounded cool. Draw your own conclusions on that.
Flynn recruited guitarist Logan Mader and drummer Tony Costanza to flesh out the band.
Based on listening to a demo recorded by the band in a friend’s bedroom, Roadrunner Records signed the band to a record deal. Once the band had entered the studio to record the album, Costanza left the band, and was replaced by Chris Kontos. Flynn had decided to take on the lead vocal role himself, while retaining playing rhythm guitar, and fueled with the anger and frustration that had built up over the recent past, he funneled that into the songwriting for what was to become Roadrunner Records bestselling debut album, “Burn My Eyes”.

Machine Head came along at a time when grunge was still a leading influence in the music world, and there were some defining changes in the metal genre that came to pass almost directly due to this. And in retrospect there is a lot about this album that helped to redefine exactly what metal was going to do, especially on the American continents, over the next few years. Fear Factory’s “Soul of a New Machine” had already been released and was heading down that new industrial path. Sepultura’s influence was becoming a major indicator as well, along with Pantera’s new and evolving sound over their releases during the early 1990’s. Lots of other bands and ingredients were in the mix, and all of this contributed to what was to come. One thing you can say for certain about Machine Head, and how they would direct their debut album, it is not a thrash metal album. The other thing you can say for certain is that this is a polarising album. Because as many people as you can find out there that love this album, you can find the same number that absolutely hate it, and there seems to be very little middle ground.
Opinions vary on every subject – Flynn's voice is really bland and annoying, or is the perfect mixture of rage and spiritual. The songs are a mixture of mid-paced progression with groove parts and too clean parts, or have perfectly encapsulated the rise of the groove riff of Pantera and incorporated it into this next level performance. There is a recurring stop-and-go technique on the guitars that sounds unflowing and horrible, or is a great combination of the heavier riff and thrash overtones that blend with the grunge characteristics still being felt in the world. The songs are too long and boring with vocals that are not angry at all but just weak, or the songs draw on the world as Rob Flynn sees it and are a battement of the truth into the lyrics. This pretty much sums up the arguments for and against this album in particular over the years when it has come up in conversation with various groups of people that I have met through music relationships. Whatever you may wish to try and define this album as - groove metal, grunge metal, thrash metal... or perhaps just metal? - this is the grade variant that comes across when listening to the album.
“Davidian” kicks the album off with raging guitars and forceful riffs accompanied by Flynn's enraged vocals referencing the Waco siege and just general destruction throughout. “Old” is structured to build as it flows and it succeeds, a great opening riff moving towards the end with its rising chorus that builds up into the thunderous ending. These first two songs get the album off to a solid start.
The next four songs vary in style and quality, a difference that affects the album depending on your preferences. “A Thousand Lies” starts with a sinister mood which builds into the heart of the song, it has a heavy, driving groove that progresses to a pleasing finish. “None But My Own” is mostly just chugging riff and shouting once the song gets going, and perhaps it overstays its welcome a tad too long. “The Rage to Overcome” does tend to retain the same rhythm double kick throughout and perhaps isn’t the most imaginative of tracks the band has produced, settling into its tempo and sticking to that for the entirety of the track. "Death Church” divides opinion, a song that was rejected back in the Vio-Lence days, but is transformed here into a Pantera-like sounding track, back in that slow mid-tempo and shouting vocals. It still retains that energy, if not much excitement. “A Nation on Fire” sticks to similar pace but without the Pantera comparison (maybe apart from the very Dimebag solo) and is a much better song as a result. The last minute of the song is the money shot and a must to wait around for. The whole song should have been like this.
“Blood for Blood” builds on this great finish and continues in the same direction, speeding things back up, and the music improves into something far more entertaining. A blistering track that ups the ante and sounds like they're just spoiling for a fight. “I'm Your God Now” builds off of a grim intro and shows some semblance of emotion aside from anger. It combines melancholy and anger, launching into slamming riffs while giving a swirling chorus and a structure with a break towards the end that builds into the shredding ending. The bass tones bookend the track and com across wonderfully well. “Real Eyes, Realize, Real Lies” ups the social commentary of the lyrics. Flynn has weaved the commentary of the LA riots from 1992 into the track such that it becomes a part of the song. a transitional track with a great atmosphere. This then segues into “Block” which closes the album with a similar build up of anger that we came into the start of the album with, and it closes with increasing pace, awesome riffing and hard hitting drums, allowing the album to close on a satisfying note.

Back in 1996, at a time when music had changed from what I had grown to love, and I wasn’t really sure just what direction I was going to head in myself, I was working at the Shell Select in Ryde across the road from Ryde TAFE, where all the ‘young’ people (I was 26 years of age at this time) would often cross the road on their breaks and come and fill up on Frozen Coke and chips. A number of them called me Dante, due to my similar appearance and employment at that time to the lead character from Kevin Smith’s breakout movie “Clerks”. One day, one of those regulars, a clean cut and respectable looking young man who I knew to converse with, handed me a cassette and said, “You know what – you might like this. But, I’d play it at home first before playing it here”. He wrote nothing on the cassette, and left without telling me what I would be listening to. In the car on the way home from work that afternoon, I played the cassette, and got accosted by a wall of noise that I wasn’t sure I liked, but was sure I didn’t hate. Within a few days, I was pretty much hooked. I still had no idea who it was until a week later when my provider returned, and once I had fawned over the album, he informed me it was the debut album by a band called Machine Head. And that was my introduction to “Burn My Eyes”.
Personally I really like the way the music is written and played on this album. Many think it improves in later releases, and that is a fair comment because the band does improve and mature over following albums, but the raw aggression here appeals to my taste. And look, I won’t argue that at times the vocals come across as a little amateurish, and that someone with a bit more polish would have created a far better atmosphere with some of these songs. Then again, it has never seemed to matter when I’ve seen the band live, and Flynn’s vocals did improve over time. “The Blackening” is a pretty fair example of that. But did that matter that much all the way back in 1996? I don’t recall it doing so.
In August 2001, I saw Machine Heads open for Slayer at the Hordern Pavilion in Sydney, and they blew Slayer off the stage, and Slayer were still magnificent. I had not heard any other Machine Head albums apart from this one at that stage, but that night reignited the fire in me, and I was back on the wagon after that. And back in 2020, I was booked to see them play again, but this time in three sets – the first and last with the current line up of the band playing all of their great songs, and the middle set with this original line up, playing this album in full. It really was a dream come true, a dream that was shattered by the covid pandemic which then cancelled the tour, never to be seen again. One of the biggest tragedies of all time.
While Machine Head has better crafted albums, and better produced albums down the line, this is still the one that remains firmly in my memory. It doesn't suit everyone's tastes, and I can understand why there is that divide in the lovers and the haters of this album, but for me there is still that magic in the way this album came about and how it set the course for the band into its future, and that is still a terrific thing.