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The Burning Red

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The Burning Red
Studio album by
Machine Head
ReleasedAugust 9, 1999[1]
Recorded1999
StudioIndigo Ranch Studios (Malibu, California)
Genre
Length50:00
LabelRoadrunner
ProducerRoss Robinson
Machine Head chronology
The More Things Change...
(1997) 		The Burning Red
(1999) 		Supercharger
(2001)
Singles from The Burning Red
  1. "From This Day"
    Released: October 31, 1999
  2. "Silver"
    Released: January 22, 2000
  3. "The Blood, the Sweat, the Tears"
    Released: June 26, 2000

The Burning Red is the third studio album by American heavy metal band Machine Head. It is the band's second best selling album in the US, selling as many copies in three years as their debut album, Burn My Eyes, sold in almost eight years (1994–2002).[2] The album has sold over 134,000 copies in the US[3] and it was certified silver in 2011 by the BPI for sales of 60,000 in the UK.[4] The Burning Red was Machine Head's first album with guitarist Ahrue Luster, as well as their first venture into nu metal.

Music and lyrics

[edit]

The album is mainly considered nu metal.[5][6][7] This departure from the band's groove metal style led to backlash from fans. Fans also complained about rapping heard in songs like "From This Day" or "Desire to Fire". Machine Head's drummer Dave McClain said, "Pissing people off isn't a bad thing, you know? For people to be narrow-minded is bad ... [i]t doesn't bother us at all, we know we're going to piss people off with this record, but some people hopefully will actually sit down and listen to the whole record".[8] Robb Flynn, Machine Head's vocalist, said

"There's a minute and a half of rapping on that album. The other 53 minutes of the record are like a giant scar being ripped open while I projectile-vomit through it. If all that people got out of [The Burning Red] was rap-metal, then they didn't fucking listen to it".[8]

Machine Head guitarist Logan Mader quit the band in 1998 following the recording of their album The More Things Change... (according to the official Machine Head Facebook Page, he wrote the main riff for "I Defy" before his departure); he was replaced by Ahrue Luster. With the recording of The Burning Red, the band added new elements to its music, including a small amount of rapping vocals, a move which some believe to have been influenced by Luster himself.[9] The album shows the band experimenting musically, using a disco drum line in "The Blood, the Sweat, the Tears", putting some rapping vocals in "Desire to Fire", and a layer of crooning vocals on "Silver". Citing the need for a few B-side tracks, producer Ross Robinson encouraged the band to record a smooth-sounding cover of the Police song "Message in a Bottle" after hearing Robb Flynn experiment with it during rehearsal. However, Flynn strongly fought against it being included on the album, and still does not think highly of the cover.[10] The song ended up on the album, not used as a B-side. Joel McIver, however, refused to label The Burning Red nu metal, and he wrote that anyone dismissing the album as nu metal has not listened to it, or is not a fan of the "atmospheric, impassioned groove-metal that Machine Head were focusing on at this stage."[8]

Rick Anderson of AllMusic called the album "aggro-metal".[11] Responding to critics, McClain stated the band was not trying to emulate popular trends; they simply "wanted to sound different".[9] Flynn said that the band had been pigeonholed by those who complained that the two prior albums were too similar to each other, so the band had determined to reach for different influences on this project.[8]

Amy Sciaretto of CMJ said that, despite the presence of Robinson who had produced Limp Bizkit and Korn, The Burning Red shows the progression of Machine Head's own "visceral, gut-grinding" sound rather than an imitation of Korn.[12][13]

The song "Five" is about a sexual abuse incident Flynn suffered as a five-year-old child. Flynn said that recording the song was difficult enough for him; he would never perform it on stage.[8]

Reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[14]
Chronicles of Chaos9/10[15]
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal4/10[16]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[17]
Metal.de9/10[18]
Metal Hammer9/10[19]
Metal Rules1/5[20]
NME3/10[21]
Rock Hard9/10[22]

The Burning Red was added to US radio playlists on July 12, 1999, and was released for retail sale on August 9.[1] The album was well received by critics and sold well, but the band's change in image and musical direction was highly criticized, with critics and fans alike accusing the band of "selling out".[9] However, Rick Anderson of AllMusic was among those who praised the album, stating Machine Head was "sounding a bit looser and less constricted musically than they have in the past."[11] David Jarman wrote for CMJ that the album was "pretty much aggro business-as-usual" for fans who were already familiar with the "aggression and alienation" of late-1990s metal musical trends, but that listeners could expect to revel in the album's "thunderous visceral crunch."[23] The Burning Red became Machine Head's top selling album for a number of years, and debuted at number 88 on the Billboard 200.[24][25]

Shortly after the release of the album, Ross Robinson alleged there was significant tension between him and frontman Robb Flynn during the recording sessions, which he described in an interview as "very headstrong".[26] In that same interview, he denied having had any influence on the album's writing process. In response, a full page disparaging Robinson appeared on the band's website, calling him "ass of the month" and accusing him of trying to cover himself because of the album's mixed reception.[27] This page also quoted another interview where Robinson described his production approach to the band and how it was an influence on them. In an interview for Nu Metal: A Definitive Guide (2021), Robinson admitted to "his ego [getting] in the way" after the album's release; "I did some interviews because people did not like that Machine Head did rap, and I was afraid of not looking cool or something and some of the things I said hurt Robb [Flynn's] feelings. I broke a trust with him and I learned a huge lesson."[28]

In 2019, Loudwire included Machine Head's "Message in a Bottle" cover on their list of the "Top 55 Best Metal Covers of Classic Rock." They considered it to be part of a greater trend of nu metal pop covers, but still said, "Robb Flynn and friends made a surprising choice in The Police's “Message in a Bottle,” which they proceed to deconstruct into a mewling, self-loathing hate-fest — the good kind."[29]

Track listing

[edit]

All lyrics are written by Robb Flynn; all music is composed by Machine Head, except where noted

No.TitleLength
1."Enter the Phoenix"0:53
2."Desire to Fire"4:49
3."Nothing Left" (music: Flynn/McClain*)4:05
4."The Blood, the Sweat, the Tears" (music: Luster/Flynn*)4:11
5."Silver" (music: Luster/Flynn*)3:52
6."From This Day" (music: Flynn/McClain/Luster*)3:56
7."Exhale the Vile"4:57
8."Message in a Bottle" (The Police cover; written by Sting)3:32
9."Devil with the King's Card"4:05
10."I Defy"3:42
11."Five" (music: Luster/Flynn*)5:18
12."The Burning Red"6:44
Total length:50:00
  • *Writing credits according to Hellalive liner notes
Japanese bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
13."House of Suffering" (Bad Brains cover)2:10
14."Alcoholocaust"3:46

Personnel

[edit]

Production

  • Ross Robinson – production
  • Chuck Johnson – engineering
  • Kevin Bosley – engineering
  • Rob Agnello – engineering
  • Ted Regier – assistant engineering
  • Terry Date – mixing
  • Ted Jensen – mastering
  • Monte Conner – A&R
  • Lynda Kusnetz – creative direction
  • Deanna Alcorn – design
  • t42design – artwork

Chart positions

[edit]
Chart (1999) Peak
position
Australian Albums Chart[30] 30
Austrian Albums Chart[31] 22
Belgian Albums Chart (Flanders)[32] 35
Dutch Albums Chart[33] 35
Finnish Albums Chart[34] 12
French Albums Chart[35] 55
German Albums Chart[36] 15
New Zealand Albums Chart[37] 47
Norwegian Albums Chart[38] 35
Scottish Albums Chart[39] 23
Swedish Albums Chart[40] 17
UK Album Chart[41] 13
Billboard 200[42] 88

Certifications

[edit]
Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[43] Silver 60,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "#EP8 Machine Head "The Burning Red" with Robb Flynn".
  2. ^ "Blabbermouth.net Report". Roadrunnerrecords.com. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved June 17, 2012.
  3. ^ "Metal/Hard Rock Album Sales In The US As Reported By SoundScan". Blabbermouth.net. April 30, 2002. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
  4. ^ "Certified Awards". Bpi.co.uk. Archived from the original on May 11, 2011. Retrieved June 17, 2012.
  5. ^ Bryant, Tom (July 4, 2007). "Archived Kerrang! interview - July 4, 2007". Retrieved May 9, 2015.
  6. ^ "The 21 Greatest Nu-Metal Albums Of All Time – Ranked". Kerrang!. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
  7. ^ "The 50 best nu metal albums of all time". April 2022.
  8. ^ a b c d e McIver, Joel (2012). Machine Head: Inside the Machine. Music Sales Group. ISBN 9780857127983.
  9. ^ a b c Wiederorn, Jon (May 2007). "Machine Head: Through the Ashes". Revolver Magazine.
  10. ^ Life was Peachy podcast, 2021.
  11. ^ a b Anderson, Rick. "The Burning Red overview". AllMusic. Retrieved February 23, 2008.
  12. ^ Sciaretto, Amy (August 2, 1999). "Machine Head: The Bay Area's Weightiest Export Burns Red Hot". CMJ New Music Report. 59 (629): 56–7. ISSN 0890-0795.
  13. ^ "Machine Head: The Burning Red (Roadrunner)". CMJ New Music Report. 59 (626): 30. July 12, 1999. ISSN 0890-0795.
  14. ^ "The Burning Red - Machine Head". AllMusic.
  15. ^ Webb, Jody (December 8, 1999). "CoC: Machine Head - The Burning Red: Review". Chronicles of Chaos. Retrieved February 12, 2016.
  16. ^ Popoff, Martin (2007). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 3: The Nineties. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. p. 258. ISBN 978-1-894959-62-9.
  17. ^ Larkin, Colin, ed. (2006). "Machine Head". Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 5 (4th ed.). MUZE. p. 408. ISBN 978-0-19-531373-4.
  18. ^ Oliver. "Machine Head - The Burning Red Review • metal.de". metal.de (in German). Retrieved June 3, 2024.
  19. ^ Kulkarni, Neil (August 1999). "Under the Hammer". Metal Hammer. No. 65. UK: Future plc. p. 72.
  20. ^ Lee, David (August 1999). "Machine Head - The Burning Red". Metal Rules. Archived from the original on February 26, 2021. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
  21. ^ "NME Reviews - The Burning Red". NME. September 12, 2005. Retrieved February 12, 2016.
  22. ^ Kupfer, Thomas (July 28, 1999). "The Burning Red". Rock Hard (Vol. 147) (in German). Retrieved June 3, 2024.
  23. ^ Jarman, David (September 1999). "Machine Head: The Burning Red". CMJ New Music Monthly (73): 58. ISSN 1074-6978.
  24. ^ "Artist chart history". Billboard charts. Archived from the original on June 28, 2015. Retrieved February 23, 2008.
  25. ^ "Metal/Hard Rock Album Sales In The US As Reported By SoundScan". Blabbermouth.net. April 30, 2002. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved February 23, 2008.
  26. ^ "Machine Head trashes producer".
  27. ^ "Machine Head One Dot Com - Ass of the Month". www.machinehead1.com. Archived from the original on October 16, 2000. Retrieved September 24, 2022.
  28. ^ Karpe, Matt (2021). "Ross Robinson Speaks". Nu Metal: A Definitive Guide. UK: Sonicbond Publishing. p. 188. ISBN 9781789520637.
  29. ^ "The 55 Best Metal Covers of Classic Rock Hits". Loudwire.
  30. ^ "Machine Head - The Burning Red". australian-charts.com.
  31. ^ "Machine Head - The Burning Red". austriancharts.at.
  32. ^ "Machine Head - The Burning Red". ultratop.be.
  33. ^ "Machine Head - The Burning Red". dutchcharts.nl.
  34. ^ "Machine Head - The Burning Red". finnishcharts.com.
  35. ^ "Machine Head - The Burning Red". lescharts.com.
  36. ^ "Offizielle Deutsche Charts" (in German). offiziellecharts.de. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
  37. ^ "Machine Head - The Burning Red". charts.nz.
  38. ^ "Machine Head - The Burning Red". norwegiancharts.com.
  39. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
  40. ^ "Machine Head - The Burning Red". swedishcharts.com.
  41. ^ "Machine Head UK Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 30, 2013.
  42. ^ "The Burning Red - Machine Head". Billboard.
  43. ^ "British album certifications – Machine Head – The Burning Red". British Phonographic Industry.
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