Machine Head – Catharsis

Label: Nuclear Blast  Playing Time: 75 Minutes  Release 26th January 2018

Since the last Machine Head output “Bloodstones & Diamonds” four years have already gone by. Now the band presents “Catharsis”, which is surprising in many ways. When you take a closer look at the tracklist, you find 15 songs. Most of them last between four and five minutes, what is quite short for Machine Head.

Some of the songs deal with the typical Machine Head trademarks: ‘Volatile’, ‘Triple Beam’ and ‘Psychotic’ are hard, groovy and catchy in some way – typical for Machine Head in their early period. But there is also the other variation: ‘Catharsis’ and the good ‘Heavy Lies The Crown’ are more complex – typical for the newer Machine Head songs.

Moreover, you will find some more freaky songs. They vary from almost acoustic, pretty much singer / songwriter  (‘Bastards’) to psychedelic (‘Screaming At The Sun’) and spacy (‘Eulogy’) style. This makes “Catharsis” a very versatile record, but it’s not that good all the way through. To be quite honest, some of the 15 songs are more or less on an average level. It would have been better if the band had reduced their content to the essential, in order to achieve a better overall result. Sometimes less is more! www.machinehead1.com