HEAVY MUSIC HISTORY: Through The Ashes Of Empires – Machine Head

MACHINE HEAD were in trouble. The new millennium had not been kind to the Oakland metallers; 2001’s fourth album Supercharger had continued their foray into nu-metal and was critically derided for the same reasons as previous record The Burning Red, namely the departure from their previously acclaimed groove/thrash metal sound and the rapping style vocals incorporated by frontman Robb Flynn. Then, lead single Crashing Around You was released several weeks after the terrorist attacks on September 11th and its video, depicting falling buildings, was subsequently banned by MTV to avoid a fallout.

Roadrunner Records, who had expected to make a good profit from the album’s promotion, dropped all funding from the band in the aftermath, leading to them leaving the label before guitarist Ahrue Luster departed shortly after owing to musical differences. Although a stand-in was found for a few festival appearances in VIO-LENCE axeman Phil Demmel, he couldn’t commit to the band, and thus the trio of Flynn, bassist Adam Duce and drummer Dave McClain decamped towards the end of 2002 to write a new album burdened with pressure – this wasn’t just about a return to form, the career of the band was legitimately on the line.

This challenge only increased when, in an attempt to get a record deal prior to the album’s release, MACHINE HEAD compiled an Electronic Press Kit containing four new demos – including a track entitled Pins And Needles – to send out in the hopes that it, along with the strength of their previous efforts, would entice labels to take a chance on them; they were unanimously rejected. Pins And Needles itself was panned by the band too, described as “one of the worst songs [Flynn has] ever written when it comes to [his] vocals and vocal ideas”; despite this, it would be rewritten for the 2005 Roadrunner United album under the name Army of the Sun.

And yet, as things looked increasingly bleak, March 2003 saw Demmel join the band on a full-time basis, able to contribute to the musical side of the writing. By the summer, they entered a studio with Flynn producing and, on October 31st, fifth album Through The Ashes Of Empires saw the light of day, although not in the States – although Roadrunner had parted ways with the band the previous year, in a twist of irony they were still affiliated with the label’s international branch, thus able to distribute the album to the UK, Europe and Australia with no problems at all.

As it transpired, the US’ loss was the rest of the world’s gain, who listened in delight as MACHINE HEAD rose, almost phoenix-like, out of the ruins they had one wallowed in. There were still elements of The Burning Red and Supercharger at play, mostly within the melodicism, but the groove and aggression that had made the band such a force in the mid-90’s was back and with a vengeance. It took less than 90 seconds to prove, Flynn’s rousing cry of “HEAR ME NOW!” as opening track Imperium exploded into life, setting the scene for an hour of revitalised and re-energised metal. There were highlights aplenty that made Through The Ashes… so special – the haunting tinkling of the child’s music box at the beginning of Left Unfinished, the sludge-like riff underpinning Elegy that seemed to swing like a giant pendulum, the mosh pit inciting final quarter of In The Presence Of My Enemies and the influence of Demmel on the frenetic Days Turn Blue To Gray.

That said, it was the tracks that bookended the record which stuck in the memory most – the aforementioned Imperium was a statement of intent that MACHINE HEAD hadn’t managed on an opening song since Davidian on their debut record some nine years prior, a track that bludgeoned the senses and would go on to become a staple of their live shows long after the album’s touring cycle had concluded, inciting circle pits on every performance. The closing Descend The Shades Of Night was, at the time, the longest track in the band’s history – a near eight-minute behemoth that was largely driven by acoustic guitars and the military-esque snare drum of McClain, showing off a more progressive side to the band and one that, even twenty-five years later, remains impossible to listen to without throwing a fist in the air and headbanging ferociously.

Not only did the album resonate with fans and critics, but it was also a commercial success, making several overseas charts and even breaking into the top 30 in Germany. It was enough for Roadrunner to come crawling back, tails between their legs, asking if MACHINE HEAD would consider re-signing with them. The band accepted once their proviso that they owned 100% of their music and Through the Ashes… was finally released in the US on April 20th, 2004. To compensate for the near six-month wait, the band added Seasons Wither to the track listing as a bonus song, one that Demmel would say gave an indication of the direction the band would take on their next album.

Of course, the next album would be even more impressive – if you said The Blackening was the greatest metal album of the 21st century, few would argue. But it wouldn’t have got nearly as much acclaim without Through The Ashes Of Empires, a scintillating release that sent MACHINE HEAD back into the spotlight, teeth bared and all guns blazing once again.

Through The Ashes Of Empire was originally released on October 31st via Roadrunner Records.

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