10 Greatest Forgotten Songs Of The 1990s
3. Davidian - Machine Head
Vocalist and guitarist Robb Flynn founded Machine head in 1991. The California native enlisted guitarist Logan Mader, bassist Adam Duce and drummer Tony Costanza to become Machine Head.
With a budget of $800, Machine Head recorded a demo in a friend’s bedroom. The demo made its way to an executive at Roadrunner records. Based on that demo, the band was signed to their first label.
In August of 1994, Machine Head released their debut record, Burn My Eyes. The themes of the album’s tracks were tied to newsworthy items of the time, including the L.A. Riots and the mass suicides in Waco, Texas.
Davidian, the lead track and single, was a blast of double-bass drums and guitar distortion. Robb Flynn’s lyrics, which focused on the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, were growled and screamed through the verses. Stylistically, Davidian was a quintessential example of the “New Wave of American Heavy Metal” in the mid 1990s. The tune seamlessly blended elements of thrash, groove metal, punk rock, and industrial metal.
The satisfying payoff came during the chorus when all instruments fell away for a moment, and all that could be heard was Flynn screaming “Let freedom ring with a shotgun blast!” Surpassed only by Slipknot’s debut release, Burn My Eyes is the second biggest-selling debut album produced by Roadrunner records.