Machine Head – Unto The Locust

For a band who’ve been given their fair share of flak for changing with the times, you have to at least hand it to Machine Head for continuing their unapologetic evolutions. While their latest sees them falling in with NWOAHM luminaries like Lamb of God, there are plenty of nods here to the glory days of Iron Maiden and AC/DC, a noble attempt at keeping both the old and new school fans happy.

The one constant in a scattered career, Robb Flynn’s distinctive twenty-a-day growl, is at its harshest throughout, his roar on Locust’s chorus apocalyptic yet none the worse for his ‘sensitive’ vocal turn elsewhere in the song, while the twin guitar harmonies and glorious solos on Who We Are will bring a fond tear to the eyes of those who grew up before the dark days of Korn and Avenged Sevenfold. It’s not their strongest moment so far, but enough to keep the torch of modern metal burning bright. [David Bowes]