Machine Head - The More Things Change... [2LP]

Machine Head doubled down on brutality with The More Things Change..., the 1997 follow-up to their landmark debut, presented here as a 2LP set on 140-gram vinyl.

After Burn My Eyes made the Oakland band one of the heaviest new names of the 90s, expectations were enormous. Robb Flynn and company returned to producer Colin Richardson and welcomed drummer Dave McClain, whose punishing, groove-heavy playing gave the songs a fresh backbone.

Opener "Ten Ton Hammer" lives up to its name with a riff like a demolition crew, while "Take My Scars" turns a stomping groove into a crowd chant. "Struck a Nerve" keeps the pressure high, all thick, down-tuned guitars and Flynn's barked, wounded vocals.

Lyrically, it's a record full of anger and pain, rooted in street-level frustration and personal struggle, delivered with the band's thrash roots and a bouncier groove metal swing. It captures the moment when heavy music was splintering into new shapes, and Machine Head sat right at that crossroads, trading a little speed for even more weight.

Closer "Blood of the Zodiac" ends the album on an epic, menacing note that rewards anyone who makes it through the onslaught. Pressed across two discs, it's a crushing slab of 90s metal history, built to be played at volume and felt in the chest.