Machine Head's third album finds them sounding a bit looser and less constricted musically than they have in the past, but their aggro-
metal with
funk overtones is still plenty dense and emotionally claustrophobic. Aided by modern
metal producer extraordinaire
Ross Robinson (who has also helped
Korn and
Limp Bizkit get in touch with their inner
Lemmy),
Machine Head continues to explore themes of alienation, loss, and abuse, but singer/guitarist
Robert Flynn is singing a bit more this time out; on
"Silver" he almost croons. Unfortunately, while his up-tempo bellow is pleasantly generic, his singing voice and delivery both sound like they were lifted directly from middle-period
Eddie Vedder.
Flynn and the rest of the band are actually at their best in funky,
hip-hop mode, as on
"Enter the Phoenix" and the early section of
"From This Day." Amazingly, they also deliver a respectful cover of
the Police's
"Message in a Bottle," one which, disappointingly, adds little more than crunchy guitars to the mix. Overall, though, this is a pretty satisfying aggro-
rock affair. ~ Rick Anderson
