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Machine Head: The More Things Change Groove Metal, Post-Thrash Metal Roadrunner Records March 25th, 1997
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Review
Machine Head returns with their second full length album The More Things Change..., which is a suiting title considering the change of pace within the music. While their debut album, Burn My Eyes was a faster, heavier release, on this one we find the band using slower, catchier tempos to try to drive the heavy factor in their music home. While in some cases it works well, this release does have some tracks that simply aren't as great as the world makes them out to be. Now, the band did change up the style of the music on this one to a somewhat slower pace, yes, but that doesn't necessarily mean all the fast paced tracks are gone. "Take My Scars", for instance, is a decently paced track that is heavy as hell and reminiscent of their debut material. This is great since the album kind of starts of rocky with "Ten Ton Hammer" which really just lacks the real impact that the band is capable of having in their music. While there are some really intense tracks on here, there are some that just sound heavy, but really aren't anything to go absolutely nuts over for one reason or another, and in most cases winds up being the vocals not having enough emphasis in them to really just drive the songs home. "Bay Of Pigs" is a perfect example, as the song is heavy enough to be a killer track, with the except of the extremely unneccesary breakdown at the end, but the vocalist just doesn't seem to sound too into it, harmonizing at a mid-range instead of trying to go along with the intense nature of the song. If the vocals had the same passion they had on "Down To None" or "Violate", or at least had some distortion like they do on the start of "Blistering" (which would have helped the song out during the chorus as the same problem lies there as it does with "Bay Of Pigs"). So, yes, the band has evolved somewhat, but the aside a few lackluster sounding tracks, the real issue to the enemy is the vocalist who just lacks the same intensity as the music through much of the album. There are some great tracks on here, like "Take My Scars", "Down To None" and the much of "Blistering", but sadly there are plenty of songs that just either sound bland or vocally can't match the intensity of the music. This album is worth a listen, but nothing to go out of your way to find.
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