If there is one thing you gotta love about recent Machine Head shows is the fact that they are “An Evening With”, meaning that you’re gonna get a full evening of MH, and nothing else. No opener, no DJ’s, no bullshit, just fist-pumping songs from one of the best bands in metal. It’s something they started on the Bloodstone & Diamonds Tour that last made its way through DFW 3 years ago. This idea became so popular with fans, and the band, that they took this direction on their Catharsis Tour. It keeps it fresh, brings a wide range of songs to the set and the opportunity to play several new tracks, not just 1 or 2, like most other bands that have extensive catalogs.
Speaking of new songs the band released their 9th studio album, Catharsis, on January 26th. Social media has been buzzing about the new record, but not all of that has been positive. Many people, merely looking at certain words or lyrics, don’t try to understand how they may have been intended. Some reviews were not positive and I was actually reading one of them when I first listened to the album. I felt it was giving me a bad preconception as I was listening, so I stopped reading and started the album back over. Well, I tell you, I fucking love this album! It sounds like Machine Head without remaining stagnant. There are new elements and many familiar ones, too. But if you give it a chance and listen you can agree that it’s a Machine Head record.