Machine Head - "Bloodstone & Diamonds" (Album Review)
Around the release of "The Blackening", although originally set off by the seminal "Through the Ashes of Empires", it was clear that Machine Head was very much on a mission to prove their metal again. Having strayed from the path to the point of being almost completely abandoned by both industry and fans alike with"The Burning Red" and "Supercharger", the band still had everything to gain while writing "The Blackening"and with headline tours all over the globe, playing direct support to Metallica, critical acclaim, awards, and being elevated to a level previously un-reached, Machine Head managed to achieve everything a modern metal band could hope to. In 2014, seven years after the band was "reborn", Machine Head seem more comfortable in their skin, allowing the side of the band most likely to paint a target on their collective backs shine through. While still remaining very much a Machine Head album, the whole of "Bloodstone & Diamonds" is so diverse that it feels like both a celebration of all the ground the band have covered over their career while still showing more than enough musical progression to deem them relevant twenty years after their inception.
Album opener "Now We Die" showcases the band still pushing the epic in length, anthem like songwriting found on the bands two previous albums while "Beneath the Silt" is a very welcome breathe of fresh air into the band with Flynn choosing to sing in a higher range than usual, coupled with the guitar being dropped down to F resulting in a sound somewhere between"Diamond Eyes" era Deftones meets stonerSabbath worship. Songs like "Night of the Long Knives" harks back to the less "sophisticated" days of the band with the blunt opening bark from Flynn, very chant-able lyrics and primitive drum beat almost coming off like a re-energized version of something that could have been on "The More Things Change". Although arguably at one of the highest points of their career, "Bloodstone & Diamonds" has somewhat of an "end of the road" vibe to it with songs like "Sail Into The Black" and "Damage Inside" both sounding like they were lifted from Charon's "work" playlist. This stripped back, almost Gothic vibe is somewhat new to the band with Flynn's none metal influences such as The Cure shining through here, allowing a whole other dimension of heavy to be brought to the album.
The changes recently gone through by the band don't seem to have left any permanent mark on the band with everything any Machine Head fan could want, from the "post-thrash" lead work they've become known for to the stadium sized choruses (See "Game Over") that will no doubt be sang back at them over their up coming tour dates being pulled off to extremely satisfying levels. In 2014 a band as well rounded as Machine Head that can sing, shred, write solid hooks, while always managing to cover something new is a rare thing and although they will always attract more than their fair share of detractors, Machine Head are a dying breed in need of preservation as judging by the state of current music band's like this will one day cease to exist.










