By: Tordah

Posted: Apr 9, 2007

It's been two years since we last heard from the heavy metal maniacs Machine Men but now they're back with their third full-length, called "Circus Of Fools". The music follows pretty much in the same vein as the previous albums with no drastic changes in sound or delivery. Though after a few spins the album starts to open up - revealing some of the strongest Machine Men tracks ever written.

The first thing I noticed about this album is that it seems to be a little bit edgier compared to "Elegies". Most of the tracks are quite fast-paced with several hard-hitting riffs and neat leads. For instance, the opening title track hits you right away with crunchy riffs and intense drumming that will have your head banging in no time. While these fast tracks are good it's the "slow" ones that I found really intriguing and interesting. 'The Shadow Gallery' is possibly Machine Men's best song ever written. This track has all the essential ingredients to become a heavy metal classic but the thing that stands out most to me is Tony Parviainen's outstanding and memorable vocal-lines. He could give Bruce Dickinson a run for his money any day. The track also has a cool breakdown in the middle of the song with a strong horror-movie vibe to it before breaking into a killer solo-section. The lyrics are also worthy of mention - not only on this track but throughout the whole album. Another excellent track that stands out is 'Ghost Of The Seasons' which sounds surprisingly epic for this type of music. The powerful vocals combined with the massive driving force and killer melodies of the guitars together create an absolutely stunning chorus. Without a doubt the best chorus on the whole album. Machine Men also ends the album ends on a strong note with the 7 minute 'The Cardinal Point' which also happens to be the lengthiest track here.

The biggest improvement on this album is easily Tony Parviainen's singing. I don't mean that he was a weak singer on their previous offerings, quite the opposite. I just find his singing more interesting and captivating than before. The song-writing is also of high standard and filler-songs are nowhere to be seen. The production is pretty similar to "Elegies" but perhaps a bit rawer. If this is due to the more aggressive nature of some of the songs or not I'm not sure. It's possible. The guitars have a wall-of-sound feel to them which unfortunately drowns out most of the bass. Luckily the vocals are given a dominating position in the mix which really suits the music. The drums sound alright too but this is not the kind of music I pay much attention to the drumming unless they stand out clearly in the mix.

In conclusion, this is yet another solid Machine Men album which will definitely satisfy their fans for the time being. Obviously the band has become quite comfortable and experienced in their playing which really shows on this album. The songs are perhaps a bit more aggressive than before but overall the music hasn't changed that much. This is also the biggest downside of the album. The music is good and all but honestly it's not that different from what they did back in 2003 on "Scars And Wounds". When a band releases their third album I would expect them to sound a bit different from the debut but Machine Men stand firmly with their feet on the ground. If this is a good or bad thing is up to you to decide. Nonetheless, "Circus Of Fools" is a good album for all heavy metal freaks.

Rating: 7,5/10

Machine Men website

Review of "Elegies"

Distributed in Denmark and kindly supplied by EMI

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