The power and mayhem that is Machine Head live has been captured here from a concert at London's Brixton Academy, showing the band in all their head banging glory. While their studio albums certainly are heavy, nothing compares to the raw energy and fury that the band puts forth on stage, as evidenced by this 14-song performance in front of a rabid audience.
Many songs from the bands history are covered here, including the speed-metal stomp of "The Blood, The Sweat, The Tears", an inspiration for nu-metal on "Ten Ton Hammer", or the Savatage meets Pantera attack of "Old." Although he is no longer with the band, guitarist Ahrue Luster lays down some mean riffs, as on the moody "I'm Your God Now", and throws in some funky wah-wah licks on the sledgehammer "From This Day." Of course, none of this would matter if Machine Head were without the services of frontman Robert Flynn, whose throaty vocals and banter with the audience provides most of the entertainment here. No, he's not the world's best singer, but he fits this mixture of thrash, speed, and nu-metal just fine. Flynn does a great job of alternating between melodic passages to the more extreme vocal stylizations that have kept this band at the forefront of the metal scene.
Even though Machine Head has made a living off of their heavier material, I happen to like the more melodic, softer moments, songs like "The Burning Red", "Crashing Around You", or the doomy "None But My Own", where the band really mixes up the brutal riffs with moody, atmospheric moments. This CD though is a great place to start for those new to the band, and one of the better live metal recordings released in quite some time.
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