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The Blackening

Machine Head - The Blackening Audio CD

A fair review of the Machine Head "The Blackening" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Machine Head reviews here, or go back to the Machine Head tabs.

Band: Machine Head
Title: The Blackening
Rating:

Release Date: 2008-11-04
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Clenching the Fists of Dissent 2: Beautiful Mourning 3: Aesthetics of Hate 4: Now I Lay Thee Down 5: Slanderous 6: Halo 7: Wolves 8: Farewell to Arms 9: Hallowed Be Thy Name [*] 10: Battery [*] 11: Clenching the Fists of Dissent [DVD][Live][*] 12: Now I Lay Thee Down [DVD][Live][*] 13: Halo [DVD][Live][*] 14: Aesthetics of Hate [DVD][Live][*] 15: Davidian [DVD][Live][*] 16: Imperium [DVD][Live][*] 17: Old [DVD][Live][*] 18: Thousand Lies [DVD][Live][*] 19: Rage to Overcome [DVD][Live][*] 20: Death Church [DVD][Live][*] 21: Blood for Blood [DVD][Live][*] 22: Halo [DVD][*] 23: Now I Lay Thee Down [DVD][*] 24: Aesthetics of Hate [DVD][*] 25: Bonus Material [DVD][*]

Amazing Masterpiece!
I can not get enough of this cd. This is epic metal. I play it at the gym, I play it at home, and in the car. Truly one of the best albums I've ever heard. I'll go as far to say it is better than Burn My Eyes. Good to see the dvd was not a cheap lame cash grab as so many bonus dvd's are. **It should be noted there is a 3 disk version that also includes a disc of b-sides/covers and demos but that is near impossible to find. **
Bottom line buy this!!.

Worth the extra $$
The addition of the DVD makes it even better. Great CD by itself. If you bought the original, as I did, when it was first released, don't be discouraged from plunking down the added $ on this. The DVD by itself would be a good deal. The extra songs on the CD make it a no-brainer. This was one of the best metal discs released in 2007. If you don't already own it, what are you waiting for?.

For the collector
It's good, but if you don't love Iron Maiden it's not really worth getting just for this. I got this because i love Iron Maiden and wanted to get their version of "Hallowed Be Thy Name" (one of the greatest of all Iron Maiden songs). You do also get a cover of mettallica's "Battery" which is solid also. The DVD has a number of videos, some live footage, and some footage of the filming of the videos and the album.
Get this if you really want the extras, otherwise, stick with the regular album which is absolutely fantastic. I'm really rating the bonus features here, the album is 5 stars.

An Angered, Heartfelt Masterpiece....For The Second Time Around!
A step in a different direction is what Robb & the boys have accomplished with 'The Blackening'. 'The Blackening'(MH's 6th studio album) hits you right in the face and doesn't stop. An unrelenting thrash attack with hooks, killer riffs and great arrangements. Machine Head has really stepped it up on this one. . . . far more then what they had accomplished with 'Through The Ashes Of Empires' which also stands as a metal masterpiece. The main difference between the two is the distinctive sound of. . . . . . Thrash. Incorporating their roots (which are 80's Bay Area thrash) Robb Flynn and Phil Demmel have come full circle. Once before bandmates in the thrash group Violence, Robb and Phil are back with a true old school dual guitar attack that doesn't sound dated in the least bit. Agressive and exciting are there soloing efforts. . . . . back and forth between the two. . . . . . . . . really awesome stuff. Many influences are heard throughout the album which include Metallica,Exodus, Slayer, Black Sabbath,Pantera and Iron Maiden. And the lyrics are well written with many words of our dismal future. Top notch metal is what you are going to get with MH's 'The Blackening'. An album that exceeds 60 minutes in length on only 8 tracks. . . . . . . wow.
DIE FOR AMERICA
Now for the special edition. . . . . many complain(as I do) when the rec. execs. reissue albums that were released only a short time ago. Clearly to capitalize on a success. Some are not worth re-buying ie. Life Of Agony's 'A River Runs Red' (top shelf edition). But some are as in the case of 'The Blackening'.
On the first disc you get bonus tracks from the Kerrang tributes, Iron Maiden's 'Hallowed Be Thy Name' and Metallica's 'Battery'. Both very well performed being down-tuned ofcourse. So this adds a different flavor.
But the DVD is where you get your bang for your buck. Clocking in at over 2 hours worth of live performances, videos (Halo,Now I Lay Thee Down,Asthetics Of Hate) along with the making of each video. And ending with a 25 min. doc on the making if the album itself.
Well worth picking up.
.

An Incredible 2nd release
The cd has all the songs from the original release and as every Machine Head fan knows they are awesome. Although this is a double dip it is one of an album that will go down in history as one of the best in metal. Although this time it comes with 2 extra tracks on it. Hallowed Be Thy Name by Iron Maiden and Battery by Metallica from the Metal Hammer tributes and they are great additions to this already perfect cd. They cover the songs perfectly while giving them a little Machine Head flavor. Great first disc.

But the main reason to get this is the bonus DVD. They don't give you a half hearted effort as most bands do when they re release an album. This DVD is stacked with great performances. All pro shot and incredible sound quality. Although they are all great the 2 that stand out are 2 that not many have seen. First is them playing Clenching The Fists Of Dissent, Now I Lay Thee Down, and Halo From their headlining performance at the Full Force Festival. The quality and intensity of the band are here in full force :) . They are perfect and this is the best sounding of the performances. Next are 4 songs from the Burn My Eyes 10th anniversary show which is incredible as well. They play A thousand lie, The Rage To Overcome, Death Church, and Blood for Blood perfectly and only make you hope the whole show will be released in the future. This is by far the holy grail of the DVD but there is so much more. They show them playing Imperium and Old from last years Donnington Download Festival which was amazing. Most publications considered them the best performance over the 3 day event and one even included it as the 7th best performance in the history of metal and that's no lie. The last of the live footage is them at the Rock in Rio Festival. They play Aesthetics of Hate and Davidian to perfection in front of and enormous crowd. I'm in awe of how incredible the live footage is here. This alone would make it worth it but there's more. A great little documentary on the making of The Blackening which is great as it shows them arranging the songs and explaining the concept behind the killer artwork of the album and the inspiration behind the songs. Another nice bonus. They finish off with 3 videos from the album which are Aesthetics of Hate(which I was at the Norva the night they filmed the live part of it), Now I Lay Thee Down, and Halo and teh making of each of the videos. An awesome bonus to the already classic cd. Metal fans, Machine Head fans. This is a no brainer. While I'm not big on re releasing albums Machine head, who have always been a fans band make this re issue more than worth it. The only thing I can hope for is in the future to release a stacked DVD with the complete sets from these festivals and the BME show. Go now, support this incredible band. You won't be disappointed as the cd is perfect and the DVD is over the top incredible. It's worth every penny. So I highly recommend any metal fan pick this up. You most definitely won't regret it. An awesome, inspiring, release!.

You can see a complete list of all Machine Head discography, or go back to the Machine Head tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.