Catharsis (Limited Double

Ignore the reviews, which seem to come from a non musical planet. I'm a MfnH lifer and this album is easily their best after The Blackening. Songs like Catharsis (a musical sequel to Now We Die, my favourite MH track), Beyond The Pale and Hope Begets Hope are absolute 10/10 MH tracks. But Heavy Lies The Crown is something new: a progressive, storytelling masterpiece with riffage from 6:00 that will make your bones shake. And then there's the controversial 'Bastards'. It's the centrepiece of the album and possibly one of the most important songs to come out of the metal scene in years. Stand your ground.

A good album with concert DVD with a selection of new and old songs from over the years on there 2nd concert DVD i have of there's. A good selection of new songs on the CD .

A decent entry in the Machine Head canon. Don't believe the one star reviews. They're largely knee-jerk and reactionary in my opinion. There's plenty of Machine Head’s signature trademarks here and it takes the listener to a lot of places. Some of those places could be seen as a step backwards stylistically though; namely California Bleeding, Triple Beam, Bastards and Razorblade Smile. They're more reminiscent of the band's nu-metal phase and lyrically some of these songs are Flynn’s weakest since Supercharger. If nothing else the album mixes it up for a band almost 25 years into their career. You could argue it would make for a better, more cohesive album without the tracks mentioned but creative freedom seems to be what Machine Head need to move forward. The divisive songs aside, there’s still a whole other hour of music with plenty to enjoy. I can see a good amount of these songs making it into their setlist rotation too. One thing fans can agree on, Machine Head kills it live. I'd probably rate this 3 & 1/2 stars if that was an option but I'm fine allowing an extra half star based on good will alone for this band and their body of work.

I am one of those that will not listen to any teaser clips or songs released prior to album release. I love it. There are so many good parts to the album, it is an album that combines their first album to their last and everything in between. It is an album that has evolved the bands catalogue and sound. Early candidate for album of the year!

I have been a Machine Head fan since 2001. I love this album. If you with have not heard it or your on the fence go give it a listen or another listen. Electric happy hour.

Disappointing 😏

Great album from Machine Head. I really like all the songs on this and the pressing of the vinyl is superb. As always crunchy guitars and inspired lyrics, world class metal at its finest!

Fair to say that Catharsis was not universally well received in the metal media. There are a couple of tracks that are not typical Machine Head but when was diversity ever a bad thing? The live DVD is mega. Great set.

Excelente album

This isn't the a bad album it's just not a great album. I'm giving it 5 starts because it comes with an awesome live dvd which is worth the price of admission alone. I currently have a spotify account but still bought this to support the band and get my dvd. Machine head was open about this being a different album and to be prepared. Atleast they were honest in that regard. The album "supercharger" is widely considered to be the bands weakest. But the thing with "supercharger" is lots of the songs sound better live then on the record, songs like: "American High", "crashing around you" and the title track "supercharger" I never liked but love them live. I was thinking many of these new songs will sound even better live? I saw Machine Head live in Toronto last night and I can say some of the new songs sound great live especially the song "Catharsis". I'm a big machine head fan, seen them live 5 times including last night's show. I find that this new album "Catharsis" is lacking that machine head sound we're all used to for the most part. But I do find that at first I wasn't impressed but after listening to it more and more I'm appreciating it. A good example is the "bloodstone and diamonds" album. The first two released songs were: "now we die" and "killers and kings", neither I thought much of at first but after numerous plays began to enjoy them and "now we die" is one of my favourite songs by them. Another example is when the "Locust" single was released. I didn't really care for it at first and it is now my favourite machine head song by far. So don't judge this record right off the bat. Machine head seems to take a few listens to fully enjoy. And if this is your first machine head record don't be put off by it if you don't think it's spectacular they have many great albums and if you get the live dvd you can hear many of those great tracks while also getting this new album for a great price. The song I've enjoyed most off this album is: "Behind a mask". It's a soft song but machine head is good at those types of songs with past greats such as: "darkness within," "burning red" and "descend the shades of night". Other songs I've enjoyed aside from Behind A Mask are: keldidoscope, Catharsis, Volatile, California Bleeding and heavy lies the crown. But they all seem to be good barring a few. If you want to start with a first machine head album I'd recommend: "Unto the Locust" personally but you really can't go wrong with that or "The Blackening" I wouldn't start with "Catharsis" as a first since it's vastly different from their previous releases.

I have been listening to MH since the beginning. I remember when their first song came out on MTV, Belgium: Davidian. Holly Molly! What a song! And what an album. One of their top albums. Do I like all their follow-up albums equally well? Nopes! They are people like all of us that want to try new things and evolve. There have been times certain songs I did not like too much. Catharsis reminded me of the good old stuff; I love this album! When I am in need of an MH infusion, I play all their albums chronologically to get a full feeling of their evolution through time. And folks, do you think I love it? Damn, I certainly do. Together with Sepultura, Soulfly, Cavalera Conspiracy, Gojira, Nailbomb, Slayer, Pantera, this band is top-notch! Even if you don't like some of their work as an MH fan, go see them live. I have seen them at about 10 times. Mostly in Belgium, but recently in Houston, Texas. As indicated by my fellow reviewer below, it was just them, MH, 3 hours or more, getting a full-blown infusion of MH. Honestly, the best show I have ever seen in my entire life. With other concerts, I have to see 3 or 4 other bands, before the one I came to see. It is good to discover new gems in the supporting bands, but I am telling you, there is nothing wrong with listening 3 hours to the music of the band you came to see; it is a total blast!!! And it is clear MH feels the same way; they all interact with their audience tremendously. The show is that good, I am debating seeing them again in November, in Austin, Texas. I will be an eternal MH fan!

El disco es diferente a anteriores álbumes, hay que escucharlo ya que tiene buenos temas pero no el nivel del resto de su discografía. El DVD es un directo espectacular.

近年のメタル臭くなった、マシンヘッドの総まとめみたいなアルバムだと感じました。 サウンドプロダクションも良く、楽器隊の演奏やフレーズも良く練られていて、ロブのヴォーカルも進化しています。 2018年の後半、重要なメンバー二人が脱退してしまったようですが、この先大丈夫でしょうか。 過去にもたくさんの苦難を乗り越えてきたので、今後も期待したいところです。 付属のDVDも楽しめます。 今ではスマホでYouTube、などが主流だと思いますが、やはりテレビの画面で観られるのは迫力が違います。