After releasing the fantastic Unto The Locust to critical acclaim, Machine Head hit the road once more for the first time since the release of that album, to showcase some its finest moments, alongside the classics that the fans all know and love. It is a real celebration of how far they have come (on a trek that will see them headline Wembley Arena, having done things all on their own terms, with a sound that can hardly be described as “mainstream friendly”) with a glittering array of support bands to whet the fans appetite early on.
The ludicrously early start time (which was different to that on the ticket) meant that I missed Darkest Hour again, which I was pretty gutted about. I swear that one day I will finally get to see these boys in action, but tonight was not that night.
DevilDriver were up next, and let’s face it, are an inspired choice of support band for a night such as this. Inciting mayhem in the pit from the moment they tread the boards, their set is one full of precision metal which hits hard and bludgeons all before it into submission. From the moment End Of The Line explodes, you know it is going to be a masterclass.
Dez Fafara is a beast of a front man, and takes little time in goading the fans to circle pit as if their lives depended on it. Their set is one of brutality, violence, and of how to do the death metal/thrash metal hybrid just right. A solid performance from a band who don’t operate on anything less. Reliable as ever.
Next up, Sheffield’s Bring Me The Horizon get one of the roughest receptions ever seen for a support act, in spite of being crushingly heavier than anyone ever gives them credit for. They throwdown heavy and hard, but apart from a small minority of the crowd into it, the majority of Machine Head’s audience go to town on them. They boo louder than imaginable, throw things, and pretty much show the must disgusting display of disrespect ever witnessed by these eyes at a rock show. The fact that they are as incredible as ever, gives them no respite whatsoever.
Front man Oli Sykes, to his utmost credit, handles it like the star he is. He gives as good as he receives, and although his retorts and goading of the crowd earn him no brownie points with those who hate his band, he handles it all on broad shoulders.
As for the crowd, it was a stain on the metal community, which is best forgotten about, and left for the idiots to dwell over. No band deserves this level of contempt for earning a living, especially one who have done so well critically and commercially in the past year or so. The metal community should be proud of their achievements.
If the Machine “fucking” Head chants were going strong during Bring me The Horizon’s set, they go supernova just before they hit the stage. The crowd are clearly up for it, and welcome them as the returning heroes that they are.
That they were even able to make an album anywhere near as good as The Blackening should be applauded; the fact that they were able to make one to challenge it’s critical dominance is an extraordinary feat.
Opening with the progressive undertones of I Am Hell (Sonata in C#), when that riff kicks in, the venue goes into overdrive, with the blistering opening salvo followed quickly by Be Still and Know. As those unforgettable opening moments of Imperium kick in, you are left in no doubt whatsoever that Machine Head are at the top of their game, and headed straight into the big leagues of metal’s elite.
The anthemic The Blood, The Sweat, The Tears is still one of the finest moments they have committed to record, and the crowd respond in kind every step of the way. The lead single from their latest record Locust goes down a storm too, really capturing the imagination of their new direction with aplomb, allowing them to push the envelope further than ever before in places.
This Is The End comes next, which is one of the most technically dazzling moments in metal all year, with some of the most intricate and definitive guitar work to date from Robb Flynn and his counterpart Phil Demmel.
Aesthetics of Hate is still a blistering tribute to a fallen comrade (Dimebag Darrell), whereas Old incites memories of that essential debut Burn My Eyes, with a hook that re-familiarises itself with you as soon as it kicks back in. Darkness Within sees them push the boundaries of their sound further, and it is the sound of a band reaching for the stratosphere, and hitting the mark. A skyscraper singalong is Flynn’s reward for one of the most personal and emotive recorded performances of his career. I leave just as the excellent Who We Are is closing, conscious of an early train back to work the following morning.
That means I miss a phenomenal one-two outro of Halo and Davidian, which isn’t ideal, but I will no doubt see them play those again come festival time next year. I will be very surprised if they don’t crop up on at least one festival next summer. I have heard both before, and they are two of the finest tracks in the bands catalogue. No doubt they would have sent the crowd off into the night on a high note, closing a phenomenal evening with a band destined for even greater things over the course of the next year.
Setlist - I Am Hell (Sonata in C#) / Be Still and Know / Imperium / Beautiful Mourning / The Blood, the Sweat, the Tears / Locust / This Is The End / Aesthetics of Hate / Old / Darkness Within / Declaration / Bulldozer / Ten Ton Hammer / Who We Are / Halo / Davidian
Setlist – Bring Me The Horizon - Diamonds Aren't Forever / Alligator Blood / Fuck / Sleep With One Eye Open / Blessed With A Curse / It Never Ends / Football Season Is Over /Chelsea Smile
Setlist – DevilDriver - End of the Line / Head on to Heartache (Let Them Rot) / Dead to Rights / You Make Me Sick / Not All Who Wander Are Lost / Before the Hangman's Noose / I Could Care Less / Clouds Over California
Setlist – Darkest Hour - Terra Nocturnus / The World Engulfed in Flames / No God / Violent by Nature / Savor the Kill / Your Everyday Disaster / Love as a Weapon / Doomsayer (The Beginning of the End)
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