Burn My Eyes

Burn My Eyes
Studio album by Machine Head
Released August 9, 1994
Recorded Fantasy Studios in Berkeley, California
Genre
Length 55:32
Label Roadrunner
Producer Colin Richardson
Machine Head chronology
Demo 1993
(1993)		 Burn My Eyes
(1994)		 The More Things Change...
(1997)
Singles from Burn My Eyes
  1. "Davidian"
    Released: 1994
  2. "Old"
    Released: March 1995

Burn My Eyes is the debut studio album by American groove metal band Machine Head, released on August 9, 1994 by Roadrunner Records. The album's themes generally tie into the social disorder and corresponding inner tension that the band was exposed to in their native Oakland, California, reflected in Robb Flynn's lyrics, such as the Los Angeles Riots of 1992 and the Waco Siege of 1993.[1] The album shipped over 400,000 copies worldwide, becoming Roadrunner Records's best selling debut album until the release of Slipknot's debut album.[2]

Album information

The songs make references to some certain well-publicized controversies such as the 1992 Los Angeles Riots (heard in dialogue on "Real Eyes, Realize, Real Lies") and the Waco Siege of 1993 ("Davidian"). Elsewhere, there are tales of physical and mental abuse ("None But My Own," "The Rage to Overcome"), the condemning of profits from religious soliciting ("Death Church"), succumbing to substance abuse ("I'm Your God Now") and aforementioned themes of urban decay, social unrest, rebellion, belligerence, and socio-political commentary.

Stylistically, the album is credited as having bridged the gap between Pantera-style groove and the thrash metal style of Slayer's 1980s output. Compared to their later releases it is rawer and more aggressive; after changing their sound on their three subsequent albums, the style was resurrected in modified form—the influences of Gothenburg were evident—on their post-Supercharger output.

The release of this album was followed shortly by numerous tours, which eventually led to drummer Chris Kontos leaving the band and being replaced, after careful consideration, by Dave McClain.

The album has since became a lasting success. In 1994, it quickly became a Roadrunner Records best seller and was the label's best-selling debut album for a number of years, until the release of Slipknot's 1999 self-titled debut.

Re-release

On October 31, 2006, Roadrunner Records announced that as part of their 25th Anniversary, they would be re-releasing Burn My Eyes with a bonus CD, which includes previously unreleased tracks and rarities. It was said to be due out on January 8, 2007 but was then pushed back to September 2007 so it would not interfere with the release of The Blackening. However, the re-release was in fact cancelled. Robb Flynn explained this on his blog, which is posted on Machinehead1.com:

"To the best of our knowledge, the BME re-release that was supposed to have coincided with the 25th anniversary of Roadrunner Records back in 2005 and was then re-scheduled to be released in Oct 2006, has been back-burnered. And as far as we're concerned, that's a good thing. This is the year of The Blackening, and the time frame to re-release it has passed, not to mention that the idea of re-releasing a 13-year old album that we already celebrated with 2 anniversary shows (3 years ago) makes zero sense to us. We were never excited about re-issuing it to begin with, as it was just gonna have a bunch of b-sides, and wouldn't have been nearly as cool some of the other re-issues that had DVDs and all sorts of cool shit... so, as much as some of you may be bummed, know that it's better this way."

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[3]
Kerrang!
  • Q magazine (11/94, p. 115) - 4 Stars - Excellent - "...a violent, grinding experience, spiked with social comment and spruced up with some brain- tingling guitar..."
  • Kerrang! (p. 21) - "Burn My Eyes took the heaviness and speed of thrash and combined it with the sledgehammer grooves of more left-field acts."
  • Kerrang! (p. 53) - "[O]ne of the most ferocious and groove-laden behemoths the metal world has, and likely will ever see."

Track listing

All lyrics written by Robb Flynn; all music composed by Machine Head.

No.TitleLength
1."Davidian"4:55
2."Old"4:05
3."A Thousand Lies"6:13
4."None But My Own"6:14
5."The Rage to Overcome"4:46
6."Death Church"6:32
7."A Nation on Fire"5:33
8."Blood for Blood"3:40
9."I'm Your God Now"5:50
10."Real Eyes, Realize, Real Lies"2:45
11."Block"4:59
Total length:55:32

Australian tour edition

The following songs constitute the entirety of the Burn My Eyes Demo.

No.TitleLength
1."Death Church"6:18
2."Old"4:23
3."The Rage to Overcome"5:04
4."A Nation on Fire"4:46
5."Real Eyes, Realize, Real Lies / Fuck It All"6:54

Personnel

Machine Head

Chart performance

Chart (1994) Peak
position
Austrian Albums Chart[4] 29
Dutch Albums Chart[5] 45
German Albums Chart[6] 35
Swedish Albums Chart[7] 38
UK Album Chart[8] 25

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/Sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[9] Silver 60,000^

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone

References

  1. ↑ "MACHINE HEAD's 'Burn My Eyes' Celebrates 20th Birthday!". July 26, 2014. Retrieved April 7, 2015.
  2. ↑ Wiederorn, Jon (May 2007). "Machine Head: Through the Ashes". Revolver Magazine.
  3. ↑ "Burn My Eyes - Machine Head". Allmusic.
  4. ↑ "Machine Head - Burn My Eyes". austriancharts.at.
  5. ↑ "Machine Head - Burn My Eyes". dutchcharts.nl.
  6. ↑ "Chartverfolgung / Machine Head / Longplay" (in German). Musicline.de.
  7. ↑ "Machine Head - Burn My Eyes". swedishcharts.com.
  8. ↑ "Machine Head UK Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 30 July 2013.
  9. ↑ "British album certifications – Machine Head – Burn My Eyes". British Phonographic Industry. Select albums in the Format field. Select Silver in the Certification field. Enter Burn My Eyes in the search field and then press Enter.
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