Throughout the past few years, metal band Machine Head has had to face some ugly demons.
It all started in fall of 2001. The band's long-awaited single "Crashing Around You" was released to radio on Sept. 10. It was among the Top 5 most-added tracks at that time.
But on the morning of Sept. 11, the song was pulled from every rock playlist in the country, due to the attacks on the World Trade Center towers.
Not only was the single yanked from the airwaves, but the video never even saw the light of day. This absence of radio and televised promotions, compounded by the slump in the economy after the attacks, resulted in dismal sales for the band's album "Supercharger."
Consequently, Machine Head found itself without the support of a record label. Then guitarist Ahrue Luster turned in his resignation. "It was a dark time for the band," drummer Dave McClain said by cell phone while visiting the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio. "It was the worst time to be Machine Head."
But the band members — McClain, vocalist/guitarist Robb Flynn and bassist Adam Duce — realized that the only way out of this mess was to go through it. "We toured, and we found where we needed to be," McClain said. "And we had guitarist Phil Demmel join us on the road."
Demmel had played with Flynn in another band called Vio-Lence in the Bay Area and has since become a full-time member of Machine Head. "We found a focus and decided we were still a band," said McClain. "We decided to sit down and write songs for a new album, not knowing if we were going to be able to make one."
The result of those writing sessions became the core of the band's new release, "Through the Ashes of Empires." "It's one of the most focused albums we have done," said McClain, who cited original Kiss drummer Peter Criss and Rush's Neil Peart as his main musical influences. "We focused on the music and let the music lead where we wanted to be. In our past albums, like 'Supercharger,' we wrote songs with the idea of trying to get them to the radio. And, as you know, that would have worked, but things happened.
"So when we looked at what we were doing and where we were going, it came down to just who we were," he said. "We started writing 'Through Ashes of Empires' as a trio. Then Phil joined and added a whole new dimension to what we were doing. We looked at the state of radio and realized it's not what it used to be."
Going into the studio, Machine Head found itself facing yet another setback. Producer Colin Richardson, who guided the band through its first two albums, "Burn My Eyes" and "The More Things Change," had other commitments. So Flynn took on the producer duties.
"That actually worked well,"said McClain. "It became a natural process because Robb has a foresight about what his songs should sound like. And his confidence bled into the rest of us. And it's Robb who does our mixing anyway, so he just became the natural producer of the new album."
McClain said the band is happy with the new album. And it should be. It has hit the Top 100 charts in Europe and landed the No. 7 spot in England, as well as the No. 24 spot in Germany. Heavy metal publication Metal Hammer called it "Album of the Year" and another metal magazine, Kerrang!! said it was the "best thing the band has ever recorded."
"You hear a more mature Machine Head on 'Through Ashes of Empires,' " he said. "Life will throw loads of humbling experiences your way. I know there are a lot of bands that wouldn't have survived if they were hit with stuff we went through. But we're stubborn.
"And we're now back on our feet."
If you go. . .
What: Machine Head, Arch Enemy, God Forbid, 36 Crazy Fists
Where: In the Venue
When: Monday, 7 p.m.
How much: $15.50
Phone: 467-8499 or 1-800-888-8499
E-mail: scott@desnews.com