Machine Head might have produced some all-time classic metal albums in Burn My Eyes, Through The Ashes Of Empires and The Blackening, but they're no strangers to being accused of dropping the occasional clanger.
But in this month's issue of Metal Hammer, frontman Robb Flynn shoots back at detractors of the band's oft-maligned 1999 album. "The Burning Red didn't sell half a million copies because people hated it!" He said to Hammer. "There were a lot of motherfuckers lying about not getting that record."
While Robb's claim that the album shifted "half a million records" is somewhat unsubstantiated, there is some truth to his statement. In a 2002 report by Blabbermouth, The Burning Red was recorded as having shifted almost as many copies in the US as the band's debut (and to date, best selling album) Burn My Eyes.
Released at the height of nu metal, The Burning Red was seen by some as Machine Head jumping on the bandwagon by incorporating more overt hip-hop influences into their sound. But Robb is quick to dismiss those claims, too.
"I was throwing Method Man raps into A Thousand Lies on the Burn My Eyes tour," he says. "We were covering Colors by Ice-T, but suddenly people were saying we 'got into hip-hop' on The Burning Red. The Davidian video is a rap video, we're walking down the streets with putbulls, for Christ's sake!"
"I never understood that criticism," he continues. "I think those The Burning Red songs stood the test of time. Our mistake was making that video - it was corny as fuck!"
With songs like The Blood, The Sweat, The Tears and From This Day making regular appearances in setlists as recently as 2022, maybe its about time to reappraise Machine Head's nu metal adjacent era...
Read the full interview with Robb Flynn in the new issue of Metal Hammer, on sale now. Order your copy online and get it delivered right to your door.
