3) “The Sentinel”
[youtube]https://youtu.be/emlDKTim6K0[/youtube]
One of the additional tracks from Unto The Locust, Machine Head’s 2011 full-length (and final LP for their up-’til-then lifelong label, Roadrunner Records), is this killer cover of Judas Priest’s “The Sentinel.” I was one of, like, five people on Earth who was a little tepid about Locust. In theory and on paper, these songs are KILLER. Don’t get me wrong… it’s a great record. But its naked actuality, the sound of it coming out of your speakers, is just missing something, especially in the wake of a record like The Blackening. My favorite song from this batch is, without a doubt, “Who We Are”; a close second is “The Sentinel.” Priest’s influence is written all over pretty much any traditional metal band with two guitarists, and the heat MH put on their take on “The Sentinel” (a song I was only marginally familiar with before hearing this version) makes it one of my favorite of their covers. They could definitely throw this in the live set on one of those “An Evening With Machine Head” tours. The crowd would fuckin’ lose it.
4) “Slanderous”
[youtube]https://youtu.be/HapV1a5Gd5s[/youtube]
The Blackening is a masterpiece. Not everybody was convinced of Machine Head’s return to form/total transformation on Through The Ashes of Empires, but after The Blackening dropped, there was no question: if Machine Head ever had anything to say at all, they were still more than capable of flexing enough muscle to keep screaming. From the beginning of “Clenching The Fists of Dissent” to the droning outro of “A Farewell To Arms,” this album is a stunning show of force, and with that much killer shit crammed onto one disc, some gems are bound to get snubbed. For me, the most overlooked track from this album is “Slanderous.” It’s got one of the catchiest main riffs of any song in the batch, Phil Demmel’s solo work is fucking acrobatic, and at 5:17 (second shortest track on The Blackening), it manages to cram just as much breadth and fury into the sequence as songs that routinely run past the nine-minute mark. Also, on a record that’s rife with social observation and geopolitical critique, frontman Robb Flynn’s return to personal affirmation territory is a breath of fresh air. Take “Aesthetics of Hate” off repeat for a minute and give “Slanderous” more of your time.
5) “All Falls Down”
[youtube]https://youtu.be/u8eqiFOJReI[/youtube]
I don’t have enough space to chronicle the turbulence surrounding Machine Head before and during the making of Through The Ashes of Empires, but if you’re curious about it, and you don’t already know, the band’s Elegies DVD gives a good look at just how close the guys came to throwing in the towel, and just how desperate they got in order to keep the train rolling. Long story short: with this album, they needed to prove they were still a band that could deliver killer songs and continue to draw a crowd. And they did. By now, everybody’s familiar with “Imperium” and “Days Turn Blue To Gray,” but for my money, the unsung hero of this record is “All Falls Down.” Machine Head has been able to craft a hook since day one, and even in their less-revered moments, there’s no doubt they could write catchy shit. But on songs like “All Falls Down,” they don’t only write good hooks, they craft structures with enough up’s and down’s that when the line’s jerked and the hook’s set, you’ve got that motherfucker in your cheek and there’s just no getting away. In the chorus’s final repetition with Flynn and former bassist/vocalist Adam Duce trading off “Walk (walk), run (run), I’m the fear you’ve become,” Machine Head capture (and further develop) the same vibe that made “Take My Scars” and “Old” so infectious.
