Robb Flynn - vocals/guitar
Ahrue Luster - guitar
Adam Duce - bass
Dave McClain - drums
After releasing what was the top-selling debut
album in the history of Roadrunner Records in the
shape of 1994's Burn My Eyes, Oakland's Machine
Head were faced with the unenviable task of
coming up with a follow-up that would not only
match its predecessor in terms of intensity and
unadulterated aggression, but actually surpass it in
the way of dynamics and songwriting maturity. A
year in the making, The More Things Change... is
every bit the monstrous sophomore effort that the
group's fans were waiting for, a crushingly brutal
statement that should firmly establish Machine
Head as the undisputed leaders of the ‘90s metal
movement as well as one of the heaviest albums
ever to see the light of day.
In order to ensure that The More Things Change...
would retain the ferociousness of the group's debut
while incorporating a host of new elements into the
band's ever-evolving sound, Machine Head spent
the first half of 1996 writing and honing the ten
compositions that make up the new album,
oftentimes changing and rearranging songs several
times until the group's own standards were met and
satisfied. "Once a song was done, we didn't just
settle on that," explained guitarist/vocalist Robb
Flynn. "There are a couple of songs on this record
that were taken apart and put back together two,
three, four times—songs where we were completely
changing riffs, completely throwing out riffs, and
just restructuring it until it was killer, until we were
happy."
While possessing the trademark down tuned riffing
style that characterized the group's debut offering,
The More Things Change... is a more musically
diverse effort that once again showcases Machine
Head's knack for creating dynamics in their music
without taking anything away from the sheer
brutality of the group's sound, a fact plainly evident
in tracks such as the seven-minute moody
masterpiece "Violate" and the album's first
single/video "Ten Ton Hammer." In contrast, the
hardcore-tinged "Struck A Nerve" easily stands as
one of the band's most savagely intense moments,
its relentless pace and anger-laden vocals proving
in no uncertain terms that Machine Head have lost
none of the angst and drive that were so
instrumental in making their debut a commercial
success.
"Some of the stuff on this album is weirder than
anything we've ever done before," said Flynn, "but
it's still along the same lines as far as the eerie,
dark feeling that it brings with it. As with Burn My
Eyes, it's a mixture of everything we collectively
listen to, which ranges from hardcore to straight
rock to metal to hip-hop, and this is ultimately what
sets us apart from everyone else and gives our
music a more personal stamp."
Produced, once again, by famed English
knob-twiddler Colin Richardson, The More Things
Change... was recorded at California's The Plant and
Hyde Street Studios and mixed at Los Angeles'
Larrabee facility, a process that saw the band
fine-tuning every aspect of the sound while
accurately capturing the abrasive, over-the-top
brutality of their live shows. In the end, Machine
Head have managed to create an album that is even
more vicious than its predecessor without
sacrificing any of Burn My Eyes' definition and
clarity.
"Because we have all improved as musicians since
the last record, we were able to do more stuff on the
new album than we could in the past," Flynn
explained. "My singing voice is better than it's ever
been before, and my hard voice is harder than it's
ever been, which in turn has given us the
confidence to try more different stuff on this
record."
Although most of the basic musical ideas on The
More Things Change... were initially conceived by
Flynn and second guitarist Logan Mader, the end
result was attained through a band collaboration,
with bassist Adam Duce and drummer Dave
McClain offering invaluable assistance in
structuring the material in a way that maximizes the
songs' dynamics. Aided by a crystal-clear
production, the new album showcases McClain's
dazzling high-energy drumming style, which
combines with Duce's aggressive bass playing style
to create the backbone of Machine Head's powerful
approach.
Having toured for over fifteen months in support of
Burn My Eyes (including a European and an
American trek with Slayer and an appearance at
1995's Castle Donington Festival alongside
Metallica and White Zombie), Machine Head are
anxious to perform their brand new material in a live
environment, especially as the group played only
three shows during 1996. According to Flynn, the
extensive touring was instrumental in helping the
band see the different reactions of the crowd to
certain types of songs in their set and influenced
the songwriting process for The More Things
Change...
"We were surprised to see that one or two songs off
the last album that seemed to be people's favorites
on the record didn't seem to work as well live,"
stated Robb. "We definitely took that into account
when putting together the songs for the new
record, since we're gonna play most of the new
material live for the next two years, and we wanted
to make sure that all the songs would translate well
in a live situation. At the same time, we realize that
a song like ‘Violate' probably won't be a big rager
live, but it's a killer song, and it's definitely one of
the most different tracks we've ever done, which is
why it's on the album."
In the two and a half years since the release of Burn
My Eyes, Machine Head have performed to
thousands of people all over the world and sold
over 400,000 copies of their ground breaking debut.
As a result of this unique experience, the bond
between the band members has gotten stronger and
the chemistry within the group has never been
better, a factor that is immediately apparent when
listening to The More Things Change...
"We work like a unit now a lot more than we did
before we recorded Burn My Eyes and during the
touring for that album," Duce stated. "Everything is
just a lot more together now and more
focused—everybody pulling in the same direction."
"It feels more like a band than ever before," Flynn
concurred. "Part of that can definitely be attributed
to the fact that Logan and Adam have known each
other for something like 18 years now, while I've
known Logan and Adam for eight. The more time we
spend around each other, the more comfortable it
feels, and the more confident we get as a band, and
I think it shows in our writing."
