Machine Head - The Burning Red (1999)

Machine Head The Burning Red Roadrunner Records (1999) 1. Enter The Phoenix 0:00 2. Desire to Fire 0:52 3. Nothing Left 5:42 4. The Blood, The Sweat, The Tears 9:46 5. Silver 13:57 6. From This Day 17:50 7. Exhale the Vile 21:46 8. Message in a Bottle (The Police) 26:42 9. Devil With the King's Card 30:16 10. I Defy 34:18 11. Five 38:02 12. The Burning Red 43:18 The Burning Red is the most divisive record in Machine Head's catalogue and I'm posting it for a reason. In the comments of The More Things Change post, many listeners declared their undying love for this album. I think it's the weakest Machine Head record. Here's why. I bought this CD on the day it came out at Waterloo Records here in beautiful, crime-free Austin and was instantly disappointed from the first listen. I trash talked this album for years but then, way later, I heard Chris Garza of Suicide Silence say something profound on his podcast. His opinion is that the songs are good, but the band got caught up in the major label rollercoaster during its release and that irked the older fans. I think that's exactly what happened to me. The major label rollercoaster in question is Indigo Ranch studios in Malibu, CA; where this album was recorded. Hot off his success with Korn and Limp Bizkit, super-producer Ross Robinson was contracted by Roadrunner to produce three of the label's bands at the same time. One band was Machine Head with the Burning Red. The second was the debut album by long-forgotten nu-metal band Amen. The third was the self-titled Slipknot record. Machine Head and Coal Chamber toured the back half of 1999 with Slipknot as the opener and got stomped by them. I saw that tour in Killeen. They did. That wasn't what bugged me about The Burning Red. What bugged me is how different it sounds from the first two Machine Head records; which I still love. Years go by, I take a tip from Garza, and I listen to it again. I have to say that I don't hate it like I did. Now, I would call it half of a good album. "The Blood, The Sweat, The Tears" is a banger. "Desire to Fire" is great but it's an old song. Machine Head opened with it at the 1995 Dynamo Festival. "From This Day" is the best track on the album. That song is still in Machine Head's live set. I still don't dig the Police cover. Yuck. To settle this issue once and for all, I'm putting up the first poll in Blastbeat Industries history. Let your voice be heard. How do you feel about The Burning Red? Answer the poll. Leave a comment. Let's figure this out.