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Band:Machine Head DVD:Elegies Released by:Roadrunner Records Writer: Eric Johnson Media: Davidian Click Album Cover To Buy Now

At the conclusion of the Supercharger tour in early 2002, Machine Head and their record label, Roadrunner Records, parted ways. That, however, was just the beginning of the band's many obstacles during the next year and a half. After parting with Roadrunner, guitarist Ahrue Luster, who played on The Burning Red and Supercharger, left the band. Then, seemingly every record label under the sun, whether major or independent, some of which who had told Machine Head that they would sign them after they left Roadrunner in fact, passed the band up. Thankfully though, Machine Head endured this hard time, put out Through the Ashes of Empires in 2003, got re-signed by Roadrunner, and went on a highly successfull 20 month tour.

Regarding that tour, Elegies serves as a demonstration of what a typical night was like as it went on. While Machine Head has had an "iffy" career in terms of studio albums as far as some are concerned, they have been widely recognized as one of metal's great live bands for over a decade. Regarding the set-list, it contains five songs from new album Through the Ashes, one from Supercharger, two from The Burning Red, two from The More Things Change, and three from Burn My Eyes. Regarding the selections from Supercharger and Burning Red, the two albums which are widely considered the band's worst, "Bulldozer" lives up to its title, while "The Blood, the Sweat, the Tears" keeps up with other bruisers such as "Seasons Wither," (Through the Ashes) and "The Burning Red" lends a break from the madness. When it comes to representatives from The More Things Change, Earth shattering brutality is provided thanks to "Ten Ton Hammer" and "Take My Scars." Then there are tracks from Machine Head's debut album, Burn My Eyes, such as "Davidian" and "Old," which destroy anything in their path like they always have. Last but not least, cuts from Through the Ashes do nothing but show that the band is once again cranking out material which comes natural to them as opposed to catering to "the mallcore crowd." Even though every song from Through the Ashes is performed flawlessly, opener "Imperium" gets the nod as not only its most solid representative, but the disc's top highlight.

All in all, Machine Head have delivered a disc which showcases what they do best: play live. Fans of no bullshit metal such as Pantera should dig it.

Band:Machine Head DVD:Elegies Released by:Roadrunner Records Writer: Eric Johnson Media: Davidian Click Album Cover To Buy Now

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