Catharsis

I have been listening to MH since the beginning. I remember when their first song came out on MTV, Belgium: Davidian. Holly Molly! What a song! And what an album. One of their top albums. Do I like all their follow-up albums equally well? Nopes! They are people like all of us that want to try new things and evolve. There have been times certain songs I did not like too much. Catharsis reminded me of the good old stuff; I love this album! When I am in need of an MH infusion, I play all their albums chronologically to get a full feeling of their evolution through time. And folks, do you think I love it? Damn, I certainly do. Together with Sepultura, Soulfly, Cavalera Conspiracy, Gojira, Nailbomb, Slayer, Pantera, this band is top-notch! Even if you don't like some of their work as an MH fan, go see them live. I have seen them at about 10 times. Mostly in Belgium, but recently in Houston, Texas. As indicated by my fellow reviewer below, it was just them, MH, 3 hours or more, getting a full-blown infusion of MH. Honestly, the best show I have ever seen in my entire life. With other concerts, I have to see 3 or 4 other bands, before the one I came to see. It is good to discover new gems in the supporting bands, but I am telling you, there is nothing wrong with listening 3 hours to the music of the band you came to see; it is a total blast!!! And it is clear MH feels the same way; they all interact with their audience tremendously. The show is that good, I am debating seeing them again in November, in Austin, Texas. I will be an eternal MH fan!

This is my second piece of vinyl that I bought for my new turntable. It sounds great just like I remember. Machine Head is one of my favorite bands. This does not disappoint. And if you are new to this style of music this is a great album to start with. I heard others have had issues with album deliveries but this came in a special mailer and was delivered with no damage so I will buy more vinyl from Amazon

After hearing all the reviews on the album I was disappointed and uncertain about getting it but I said duck it. At least it comes with a live DVD and MH live is always amazing. so I ordered it anyway. The albums isn’t actually that bad. I dig the songs triple beam, volatile, behind the mask (is amazing on the mellow side) heavy lies the crown, beyond the pale, bastards I actually thought it was a cover because it doesn’t sound like machine Head material, catharsis it’s a nice tune as well. There are a couple of songs that I just don't care for or I guess I haven't really taken the time to listen to. Overall I like most of the album. Rob Flynn has pretty awesome clean vocals and on this CD he uses his clean vocals on a lot of songs. Also the songs are less heavy and have more instrumental stuff which I think its pretty cool and the live DVD just like I expected is awesome. I think probably there are so much haters out there because of his political views. I just don’t understand people that claim freedom of speech is for everyone and say “I don’t agree with your views but I will defend your right to speak freely” when nazis march in the street while at the same time they will bash and belittle someone with the SJW label for calling out a racism or trying to bring attention to something that is clearly wrong. What happened with defending someone’s right to speak freely? Anyways enough of that. This is an alright album but if you are new to machine Head and want to listen to something really good check out the blackening or onto the locust. Those are way better.

The latest album took several listens for me to get into it if I'm honest. But I think the material is excellent and after seeing them live recently, I have a greater appreciation for Machine Head as artists in general. They played for over 3 hours, no opening act, and were absolutely astounding. They honestly appeared to be enjoying themselves...even to me what felt like a slog of 3 hours of metal! That's unheard of in this genre and to see them smiling and responding to the crowd was really something. So back to the album...my 5-star review is for the CD+DVD. If you watch the live DVD first you will be blown away by these guys. Even being a year or two ago they bring it and it's an worth the price of admission alone for just the DVD. At the time of this review it's $9.99 for the CD+DVD and I bought a few for friends because it was such a steal! Catharsis itself takes a few listens like I said, but it's solid and feels more natural/improved than previous albums. Catharsis, Kaleidoscope, and Bastards are the stand-outs...and they alone are worth your purchase. If you don't know the history behind Bastards then check youtube for "racism in metal" to hear some amazing honesty. Kudos to these guys. For $10 to get the album and incredible live DVD is bonkers. No brainer even if you've only heard a couple of Machine Head's songs. This duo is the best deal in metal I can think of!

First off, I love Machine Head and have since the beginning. This is an incredibly well written album that is centered around the theme of Catharsis. Each song ties into the overall theme of catharsis which helps make this a great cohesive collection of songs, and not a collection of singles like most bands do today. There are many personal reflections based on world and societal events. These themes aren't always that palatable to most metal fans but I respect Flynn for having the guts to come right out and address the things on his mind. You need to listen to all 1 hour, 15 minutes of this bad boy and really give it a chance and listen to it with an open mind. It is an incredibly heavy album with great melodic elements and a definite in your face attitude. Horns up!

This album is not as good as the Last 2 Machine Head albums, but it's not terrible. The album has a tendency to get a little too artistic and weird in spots, but gas a couple fist pumping, head banging thrashers as well. It is a very average album from a usually above average band.

This isn't the a bad album it's just not a great album. I'm giving it 5 starts because it comes with an awesome live dvd which is worth the price of admission alone. I currently have a spotify account but still bought this to support the band and get my dvd. Machine head was open about this being a different album and to be prepared. Atleast they were honest in that regard. The album "supercharger" is widely considered to be the bands weakest. But the thing with "supercharger" is lots of the songs sound better live then on the record, songs like: "American High", "crashing around you" and the title track "supercharger" I never liked but love them live. I was thinking many of these new songs will sound even better live? I saw Machine Head live in Toronto last night and I can say some of the new songs sound great live especially the song "Catharsis". I'm a big machine head fan, seen them live 5 times including last night's show. I find that this new album "Catharsis" is lacking that machine head sound we're all used to for the most part. But I do find that at first I wasn't impressed but after listening to it more and more I'm appreciating it. A good example is the "bloodstone and diamonds" album. The first two released songs were: "now we die" and "killers and kings", neither I thought much of at first but after numerous plays began to enjoy them and "now we die" is one of my favourite songs by them. Another example is when the "Locust" single was released. I didn't really care for it at first and it is now my favourite machine head song by far. So don't judge this record right off the bat. Machine head seems to take a few listens to fully enjoy. And if this is your first machine head record don't be put off by it if you don't think it's spectacular they have many great albums and if you get the live dvd you can hear many of those great tracks while also getting this new album for a great price. The song I've enjoyed most off this album is: "Behind a mask". It's a soft song but machine head is good at those types of songs with past greats such as: "darkness within," "burning red" and "descend the shades of night". Other songs I've enjoyed aside from Behind A Mask are: keldidoscope, Catharsis, Volatile, California Bleeding and heavy lies the crown. But they all seem to be good barring a few. If you want to start with a first machine head album I'd recommend: "Unto the Locust" personally but you really can't go wrong with that or "The Blackening" I wouldn't start with "Catharsis" as a first since it's vastly different from their previous releases.

Buen disco y viene con el dvd un concierto grandioso, donde dejan el poder sobre el escenario

El disco es diferente a anteriores álbumes, hay que escucharlo ya que tiene buenos temas pero no el nivel del resto de su discografía. El DVD es un directo espectacular.

近年のメタル臭くなった、マシンヘッドの総まとめみたいなアルバムだと感じました。 サウンドプロダクションも良く、楽器隊の演奏やフレーズも良く練られていて、ロブのヴォーカルも進化しています。 2018年の後半、重要なメンバー二人が脱退してしまったようですが、この先大丈夫でしょうか。 過去にもたくさんの苦難を乗り越えてきたので、今後も期待したいところです。 付属のDVDも楽しめます。 今ではスマホでYouTube、などが主流だと思いますが、やはりテレビの画面で観られるのは迫力が違います。

Ignore the reviews, which seem to come from a non musical planet. I'm a MfnH lifer and this album is easily their best after The Blackening. Songs like Catharsis (a musical sequel to Now We Die, my favourite MH track), Beyond The Pale and Hope Begets Hope are absolute 10/10 MH tracks. But Heavy Lies The Crown is something new: a progressive, storytelling masterpiece with riffage from 6:00 that will make your bones shake. And then there's the controversial 'Bastards'. It's the centrepiece of the album and possibly one of the most important songs to come out of the metal scene in years. Stand your ground.