Machine Head has come full circle over the course of only a few years. Back in 2002, the Oakland natives parted ways with Roadrunner Records and were subsequently told by a bevy of other labels that record deals were around the corner. When it quickly became apparent that the labels’ promises were a bit hollow, the band had to refocus their attention on the most important aspect, the music. After putting forth a solid promotional effort to once again get the band’s name out there, the international division of Roadrunner signed the band and the critically acclaimed Through The Ashes Of Empires soon followed. The album’s success was undeniable, and the American division of Roadrunner once again brought a deal to the table.
Machine Head are once again at the forefront of metal music, offering is The Blackening—an album which vocalist Robb Flynn calls one of the most challenging endeavors in his 15 years with the band. Flynn recently talked with FasterLouder to discuss the making of the album that has already been given perfect ratings by the likes of Kerrang as well as the Australian Tour.
Its far from surprising that when Machine Head needed some extra throats to help supply backup vocals for the track “Clenching the Fists of Dissent,” instead of calling up some of his heavy-metal comrades, the logical solution for frontman Robert Flynn was to buy some booze instead.
“We had a bunch of our fans come down a while we were recording, and we just had a big party and invited them down to the studio to sing on the record,” he explained of the track, which appears the bands latest album The Blackening. “It was a really cool night. We just busted out a ton of vodka and a ton of beer and got everybody all hammered. The fans are the reason we’re still here. They went out there and made a huge statement when our last record [2003’s Through the Ashes of Empires came out, and proved to the world that we’re here for good.”
And because Flynn appreciates his disciples’ support so much, he sticks up for them when they’re attacked. Take the tune “Aesthetics of Hate,” inspired by an article called “Aesthetics of Hate: R.I.P. Dimebag Abbott, & Good Riddance,” for instance. The article, written by William Grim for the conservative Web site the Iconoclast, basically kicked fans of the slain Pantera guitarist while they were down, just days after he was killed onstage. The song is a “f—- you” to Grim, from Flynn.
“It basically said that Dime was untalented and that he reaped what he sowed,” the singer said about the article. (Grim called Abbott “an ignorant, barbaric, untalented possessor of a guitar” who looks “more simian than human” and “part of a generation that has confused sputum with art and involuntary reflex actions with emotion”). “It’s one thing to have an opinion about an artist, but the thing that was the most offensive to me was how it then went on to cast this huge generalization over the metal community, calling us pathetic for mourning his death. He called us all ugly and fat. I wanted to punch the f—-ing computer screen when I read that article.”
While Machine Head have retained the attitudes from 15 years ago, the band has continued to evolve as the musical climate alters around them. Not to say that the band taking precautions in order to ensure pleasing sales.
“We really didn’t want to play it safe on this record,” he explained. “We kind of came back from the dead with Through the Ashes, and the safest thing we could’ve done would’ve been to just stay in [that] vein and try to keep that formula because it worked last time. Not that there was a formula really. We just started writing and the music that we were writing just started going in this far more complex, intricate and layered direction. It’s not like we sat there and intentionally did it. It just kind of [happened].
“I think just the long songs. We have two 10-and-a-half minute songs and two 9-minute songs, and we were actually wondering if our fan base or other bands could wrap their heads around what we were doing. Will our fans be able to get their heads around what we’re doing here? I think that in the end they do believe in us and they can get it around it. It’s not like pop music, where you’ve got to have just 1 riff for 3 minutes. We can kind of do a lot.”
“I think our fans have learned to always expect something a little different on each record. I think in many ways they kind of demanded it of us as well. We’ve never tried to make the same record twice. In the end, it was a great feeling, having that kind of confidence. For many, many parts, we were just kind of writing and seeing where things were going. When we finally sat down, we were as surprised as anybody to find out that we had two 10-minute songs!”
With half of the tracks on The Blackening running well beyond the nine-minute mark (The album overall features eight tracks, and runs for just over an hour), it’s safe to say that the album is very much against the grain to what a lot of bands are doing (in both sound & structure) at the moment, therefore running the risk of having many just not getting it!
“I think our fans will get this. If we gain new fans, that’s great too, but the existing fans will get this.” Flynn reassures. “The one thing that they did is that they’d have these long songs that constantly had a continuing theme throughout them,” he said. “The songs always reverted back to this one melody or this one hook — and that kept it in the context of a song so that ultimately, it wasn’t just riff soup for 10 minutes. It kind of had some things that took you on a journey and then brought you back to something familiar. And that’s something that we really started to try and bring into the mix. We’d have these long songs, but then we’d go back to these choruses or these hooks, but in a different context. The more we did it, the more we got excited about it. For whatever reason, it’s worked.”
Machine Head will make a long awaited return to Australia as co-headliner on The Black Crusade Tour, along side other metal heavyweights including Trivium and Arch Enemy. “Man, this is going to be a tour to remember, we have to make up for lost time.” Flynn promises to “cover every fucking base this band has covered and more”.
MACHINE HEAD, TRIVIUM, ARCH ENEMY and SHADOWS FALL will join forces for the Australian leg of “The Black Crusade Tour” beginning in late October. Confirmed dates are as follows:
Oct. 28 – The Metro – Perth, Australia
Oct. 30 – Thebarton – Adelaide, Australia
Oct. 31 – Festival Hall – Melbourne, Australia
Nov. 01 – Luna Park – Sydney, Australia
Nov. 02 – Luna Park – Sydney, Australia
Nov. 03 – Riverstage – Brisbane, Australia
