I don't tend to delve into Machine Head too much, but after picking up a copy of The Blackening the other week I pulled this one out of the collection.
Great album with a lot of punch that doesnt outstay its welcome - definitely sounds like a 90s release but that isn't detrimental in any way.
From the Kerrang retrospective
As has been said (many times), it was, and is, a remarkable work. Opening with the now legendary Davidian, which took its inspiration from the Waco Siege of '93 that left 71 people dead after the FBI stormed the compound of the Branch Davidians religious sect, it took the heaviest elements of thrash, groove metal, punk rock, and even industrial metal, and added a very short fuse, with truly explosive results. Tackling everything from religious corruption – Death Church – to the LA riots of 1992 – Real Eyes, Realize, Real Lies – and personal demons – The Rage To Overcome, it had an air of barely suppressed violence throughout that made off-the-leash songs like Blood For Blood and Block seem all the more ferocious.
They are a meh at best band...