Machine Head's third album finds them sounding a bit looser and less constricted musically than they have in the past, but their aggro-metal with funk overtones is still plenty dense and emotionally claustrophobic.
Aided by modern metal producer extraordinaire Ross Robinson (who has also helped Korn and Limp Bizkit get in touch with their inner Lemmy), Machine Head continues to explore themes of alienation, loss, and abuse, but singer/guitarist Robert Flynn is singing a bit more this time out; on "Silver" he almost croons.
Unfortunately, while his up-tempo bellow is pleasantly generic, his singing voice and delivery both sound like they were lifted directly from middle-period Eddie Vedder.
Flynn and the rest of the band are actually at their best in funky, hip-hop mode, as on "Enter the Phoenix" and the early section of "From This Day." Amazingly, they also deliver a respectful cover of the Police's "Message in a Bottle," one which, disappointingly, adds little more than crunchy guitars to the mix.
Overall, though, this is a pretty satisfying aggro-rock affair.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Enter the PhoenixRobert Flynn, Machine Head | Machine Head | Play | 00:53 | 2 MB | 3 MB |
| 2 | Desire to FireRobert Flynn, Machine Head | Machine Head | Play | 04:48 | 11 MB | 35 MB |
| 3 | Nothing LeftRobert Flynn, Machine Head | Machine Head | Play | 04:04 | 9 MB | 28 MB |
| 4 | The Blood, the Sweat, the TearsRobert Flynn, Machine Head | Machine Head | Play | 04:11 | 9 MB | 31 MB |
| 5 | SilverRobert Flynn, Machine Head | Machine Head | Play | 03:51 | 8 MB | 28 MB |
| 6 | From This DayRobert Flynn, Machine Head | Machine Head | Play | 03:56 | 9 MB | 28 MB |
| 7 | Exhale the VileRobert Flynn, Machine Head | Machine Head | Play | 04:56 | 11 MB | 32 MB |
| 8 | Message in a BottleSting | Machine Head, Robert Flynn | Play | 03:32 | 8 MB | 23 MB |
| 9 | Devil With the King's CardRobert Flynn, Machine Head | Machine Head | Play | 04:06 | 9 MB | 28 MB |
| 10 | I DefyRobert Flynn, Machine Head | Machine Head | Play | 03:41 | 8 MB | 27 MB |
| 11 | FiveRobert Flynn, Machine Head | Machine Head | Play | 05:17 | 12 MB | 35 MB |
| 12 | The Burning RedRobert Flynn, Machine Head | Machine Head | Play | 06:43 | 15 MB | 38 MB |
| 50 mins | 114 MB | |||||
| 50 mins | 342 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rob Agnello | Engineer |
| 2 | Terry Date | Mixing |
| 3 | Robert Flynn | Composer, Performer, Primary Artist |
| 4 | Ted Jensen | Mastering |
| 5 | Chuck Johnson | Engineer |
| 6 | Machine Head | Composer, Primary Artist |
| 7 | Ted Reiger | Assistant Engineer |
| 8 | Ross Robinson | Producer |
| 9 | Sting | Composer |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |