The tenth album from Machine Head now, the album was born in a time of uncertainty, following the poorly-received Catharsis (apart from a few duds, was it really all that awful though?), the departures of longtime members Phil Demmel and Dave McClain, and Covid-19. Robb Flynn and co. haven’t let that derail them, though, announcing a new line-up, commemorating the incendiary debut Burn My Eyes, and drip-feeding a series of singles from late 2019 onwards. The release of ‘My Hands Are Empty’ in 2020 ushered in the Of Kingdom and Crown era, and following more singles and releases, the majority of the album was already out by the time that the release officially dropped. Though this may rouse a few complaints, it could be a shrewd business move, as constantly putting music into the world has become the new industry model. Additionally, Machine Head fans had been well-acquainted with the idea of a new-look band even by the time the album was announced. The album could have marked the start of a new era, but we had been made familiar with a Machine Head without Demmel and McClain for some time. Rather than a new chapter starting, it feels like the high point of a story that has already begun. Indeed, Wacław Kiełtyka (aka Vogg) has slotted in fantastically on guitar, and long(er)-term bassist Jared MacEachern features prominently as a backing vocalist on OKAC material.

Machine Head’s first concept album narrates the entwining of two characters, Ares and Eros. Inspired by the Attack on Titan anime, which Flynn’s sons had introduced to the household over the Covid-19 pandemic, as Ares loses Amethyst, the love of his life, he goes on a murderous rampage (as soundtracked by the thrilling ‘Slaughter the Martyr’) against those that killed her. Eros, in turn, falls into depression and madness after his mother’s fatal drug overdose (as ‘My Hands Are Empty’ and ‘Unhallowed’ detail), becoming radicalised and going on his own killing spree, taking Amethyst’s life in the process. As the album goes on, these two lives cross with thrilling effect…

I bumped into Jared MacEachern briefly at Bloodstock 2022, around a week before the album was released. I let him know how much I was enjoying the more aggressive, heavier, more technical direction of the pre-release singles, but before I could finish my sentence, he stopped me with visible excitement and a gleam in his eye, telling how I hadn’t even heard the first song on the new album yet. It’s true – I was not prepared for the immensely powerful onslaught of ‘Slaughter the Martyr’ upon my first listen. A long, soft, drawn-out intro with soulful vocals builds the suspense before a furious, Blackening-style guitar riff rips out over a crushing, mid-paced, Bloodstone-style groove. As Flynn roars out the name of the song, you can picture the intensity of the walls of death in your mind’s eye. The guitar solo is spectacular, and the anthemic chorus is massive – and super effective when they drop its key later in the song to re-contextualise it. Machine Head have had some stunning album openers in their time, and it’s too early to rank it against the likes of ‘Davidian’, ‘Imperium’ or ‘I Am Hell’, but it starts the album unbelievably strongly. Does the rest follow suit?

Machine Head ramp up the all-out aggression with the furious ‘Choke on the Ashes of Your Hate’ and ‘Become the Firestorm’. Among their most technical material to date, they nod openly to the glory days of The Blackening – a stylistic return that had been hinted at since ‘Do or Die’, though more compellingly this time around – in a way that will excite the generation that discovered Machine Head between 2003 and 2014. And though the likes of ‘Volatile’ or ‘Heavy Lies the Crown’ offered Catharsis a partial redemption, Machine Head sound more convincing and sure of themselves in that style at this early point in the album – perhaps due to the musical backgrounds of their new members? You couldn’t deny that Of Kingdom and Crown is the sound of a band with a point to prove, with plenty of sting left in their tail, ready and primed to up their game and bring things to a new level. They achieve this well over the first chapter of the disc with catchy vocal hooks and dazzling fretwork.

Even the more, mid-paced, melodic ‘My Hands Are Empty’ keeps this streak going – featuring a writing credit from OG Machine shredder Logan Mader. Though it brings the tone down a little (from all-out rage to one of depression), its clever placement allows the album some breathing room. The guitar work is, again, fantastic, particularly the gentle, wailing leads that crop up over the mellower sections. The melodies and vocal intro showcase Robb Flynn’s knack of producing earworms at its finest, and from my perspective, the song is much stronger and re-listenable (to the point of being a standout) within the context of the album. Even ‘Unhallowed’, which I found a little all-over-the-place upon first listens as an individual single, becomes stronger within its placement of the whole piece. Its hooks and mood-setting seem to check out a little better when the album is listened from start to finish, following the change in mood ushered in by ‘My Hands Are Empty’, the thrashy rage of ‘Choke on the Ashes of Your Hate’ and the huge choruses of ‘Slaughter the Martyr’. With this in mind, it effectively ties all the preceding musical elements into one whole and will surely become a fan favourite in due time.

A brief interlude brings in ‘Kill Your Enemies’, which sees Machine Head go off-course a little. An industrial groove and a guitar chug allow for a fun track that gets the heads nodding away, but it’s not quite as inventive or memorable as the first half of the record. Still, the guitar solos are melodic and full of character, preventing Machine Head from losing too much momentum. ‘No Gods, No Masters’ sees the band return to fifth gear, with the established trifecta of thrashy sections, big choruses and moody melodies working in full force (not dissimilarly to ‘Unhallowed’). ‘Bloodshot’ rages away with a hardcore energy and the awesomely gritty ‘Rotten’ chugs and squeals away in turn. Closing song ‘Arrows In Words From The Sky’ rounds off proceedings in epic fashion, brimming with rich melodies and emotion. It’s almost reminiscent of ‘A Farewell To Arms’, if more direct in its structure. Still, its face-contorting breakdown adds a real element of ugliness, one of Machine Head’s heaviest ever moments.

The album sees Machine Head find their feet again, after some uncertainty. The sound of OKAC is logical, given their musical direction since The Blackening/Unto the Locust. They have brought back plenty of those much-beloved elements, but in a way that remains true to their more direct approach to songwriting seen in subsequent efforts, combined with those choruses that just seem to get bigger and bigger with each passing year. The addition of Vogg has injected fresh technicality and dissonance into the band, and though Dave McClain is one of the most inventive drummers of his generation, the addition of new blood behind the drum stool (performed in session by Navene Koperweis) have kept the Head sounding modern.

The nu-metal-isms of Catharsis may be missed by some, but for many, including myself, this represents a real return to form for Machine Head. The first half of the record is among Machine Head’s best ever material (and this is coming from a former teenage Machine Head superfan when Unto the Locust dropped), and if the whole thing is not quite perfect, it’s still damn impressive.

It’s heavy, it’s technical, it’s aggressive, it’s melodic, it’s catchy, it’s epic – what’s not to love?

ØF KINGDØM AND CRØWN is out now via Nuclear Blast – buy it here

Machine Head: Facebook | Instagram

Standout tracks: My Hands Are Empty, Slaughter the Martyr