Machine Head are probably the latest of what I consider the "classic" thrash bands. They've been around a while, and their style has wobbled around a lot, not least with their late '90s nu-metal phase. But they can always be relied upon, when not pursuing ill-advised directions, to produce the goods. And this debut album is a stonker.
I'm forty-three and beginning to get a bit curmudgeonly with new music. Thrash bands from more recent years often sound quite good, but the thrash sound hasn't progressed much over the last thirty years and any new thrash band just sounds like constant variations of an old formula.
Machine Head, in 1994, were juuuust early enough for this not to be an issue, despite the guitars on this album sounding suspiciously like Dimebag Darrell at times. And I can wax all nostalgic about the well-judged production. My preferred production style (Steve Albini, basically) doesn't really work with thrash, which needs a cleaner, more Andy Wallace sound- but not too clean. This album isn't too clean, but it's one of the last real classics of that era of production, not that we knew at the time...
Machine Head's first. And best. A nostalgic listen.
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