The Blackening
| The Blackening | ||||
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| Studio album by Machine Head | ||||
| Released | March 27, 2007 | |||
| Recorded | Aug – Nov 2006 | |||
| Studio | Sharkbite Studios, Oakland, CA | |||
| Genre | Thrash metal, groove metal | |||
| Length | 61:04 | |||
| Label | Roadrunner | |||
| Producer | Robb Flynn | |||
| Machine Head chronology | ||||
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| Singles from The Blackening | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| About.com |   |
| Allmusic | |
| Blabbermouth.net | 9.5/10 |
| Blender |  |
| IGN | 8.4/10 |
| Kerrang! | |
| MusicOMH | |
| PopMatters | 8/10 |
The Blackening is the sixth album by American groove metal band Machine Head. Released on March 27, 2007 in the U.S., The Blackening sold 16,000 units in its first week, and became Machine Head's second highest charting release at number 54 on the Billboard 200, and charted in the Top 20 throughout many countries in the rest of the world. The Blackening has been certified silver by the BPI for sales in the UK in excess of 60,000 copies.
The album's first single "Aesthetics of Hate", is a retaliation to an article written by William Grim for the website Iconoclast. Titled "Aesthetics Of Hate: R.I.P. Dimebag Abbott, & Good Riddance", the article praised the murder of guitarist Dimebag Darrell. Machine Head frontman Robb Flynn said the song was written as a "fuck you" to Grim and tribute to Dimebag. The song received a Grammy Award nomination for "Best Metal Performance" at the 50th Grammy Awards. The text in the mirror of the album's cover reads "the mirror which flatters not." The song "Beautiful Mourning" has been featured as a playable song in the video game Guitar Hero: Metallica.
The inaugural song written for Machine Head's follow up to their 2003 release Through the Ashes of Empires was entitled "Godfather 4". This was in reference to a guitar riff in the song which vocalist Robert Flynn felt had "a Godfather type vibe". The song was shelved, although the riff resurfaced in a b-side. "Slanderous" was the first song finished that was in the final track listing. By February 2005, Machine Head had penned rough versions of "Beautiful Mourning" and "Aesthetics of Hate".
A November 2005 demo contained thirteen songs, which included rough versions of "Aesthetics of Hate" and "Halo". "Aesthetics of Hate" contained what Flynn described as a "totally fucking lame "Angel of Death" rip off. I hated it every time we played it so I was glad to see that part go!" In mid August 2006, Machine Head announced that the title of their sixth studio effort would be The Blackening. Flynn and drummer Dave McClain spent August 18 and 19 jamming together, fine tuning songs chosen for the album and performing pre-production.Phil Demmel resumed lead guitar duties and Adam Duce returned as bassist.
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