Through the Ashes of Empires

Through the Ashes of Empires is a work on which MACHINE HEAD, using low-surging riffs, urgent singing and tenacious rhythm, regained the band’s inherent weight. The songs are aggressive yet leave room for melody and development, not ending in mere brute force. Welcoming new guitarist Phil Demmel, it is an important work on which the band achieved a powerful revival. On “Imperium,” “Bite the Bullet” and “Descend the Shades of Night,” a sense of anger and comeback strongly binds the playing, and the album has clear forward drive. Songs like “In the Presence of My Enemies” and “Days Turn Blue to Gray” breathe the band’s full playing too. They re-ignite the core of groove metal and thrash. Escaping a slump and regaining their true form, it is a record that became a turning point in their career.