Machine Head and Fear Factory tag-teamed it big-time last night at Auckland’s premiere theatre music venue, the Powerstation, for a sold-out show of matched energy, with plenty of full-throttle moments, and at epic proportions.
Oakland Metal bad boys Machine Head (no reference to The Deep Purple record), strode in for the final show of their Slaughter the Martyr tour down under, the group’s founder and long-term driving force Rob Flynn helming them to the hilt.
To make it count, they brought with them Fear Factory, the industrial metal specialists from LA. With the Powerstation jam-packed to all bases with a bloke heavy legion of fans, tonight was setup to burn.
Fear Factory
Tearing into the brace of Shock and Edgecrusher from Obsolete (1998), Fear Factory announced their arrival on stage with intent to deliver.
Newest recruits, Italian vocalist Milo Silvestro and drummer Pete Webber (Havok) proving early that they more than fill their specialised roles in the group.
Dielectric went full industrial. We might as well be in a metal factory welding, but on a fun let your hair down lunch break.
But wait, it got quicker and nastier still with Powershifter, its tagline always question authority triggering fierce movement up front in the mosh pit.
Webber gave his double-kicks the full gym workout and was to carry on doing it all set. If you took a steps app count on kick notes, it would be massive. His metronomic preciseness was impressive to the maximum.
Fuel Injected Suicide Machine felt like Fear Factory were summoning the soul demons to keep their energy up, portraying triathlon type fitness performance levels.
Gun bassist Antonio Campos (Ministry, Static-X), shone on Linchpin, looking at times like he was driving a Harley instead of his bass axe.
What Will Become asked those philosophical questions, while Slave Labour went ballistic, the audience by now shaking and moving to keep up with the bpm’s.
Fear Factory had the lowdown on transhumanism before the term was in the public domain. On Archetype, Silvestro chanted the refrain open your eyes, showcasing OG member/guitarist Dino Cazares, to huge cheers.
Demanufacture raged, Silvestro jumping down into the pit. It got extreme, looking down from the safety of the balcony.
Zero Signal gave the band and audience a full workout respectively, with Webber playing frenetic hi-hats.
Band intros were dished out by Cazares, who lovingly received hola’s when his name came back at him.
Replica repeated the chorus I don’t want to live that way with all voices in. The night was filled with a relentless energy from the right type of crowd, and Fear Factory used it to their advantage.
Finale number Resurrection positioned the band in a more melodic mode, with Silvestro taking to the arms of FF’s trusted fans and stage dove, flying the friendly skies.
With the reception given to Fear Factory’s balls to the wall set, the stage was lit and set for Machine Head to rip it up.
Machine Head
With all steady and ready, vocalist/guitarist Rob Flynn appeared looking as though he’d come from a gang gathering, and the music fitted the scene too with the aggressive Imperium signalling Machine Head were gonna pull all the stops.
And Ten Ton Hammer got straight to the point. Auckland make some fucking noise! It’s a Thursday night in Auckland motherfucking New Zealand, lemme hear you scream!
Choke On the Ashes of Your Hate did what all good metal does and preached the sickness within our society.
Flynn and Machine Head were now on a roll, and executed Now We Die as if it were war music for a call to arms. They mastered the art of shifting from a storm to a whisper on this one, and back again (also occurring on Locust).
Lead gatman Reece Scruggs shared guitar lines with Flynn on the frenetic Aesthetics of Hate. With mountain men, the odd kilt, and a hell of a lot of ragers going for it, the bouncers bore bewildered looks on their faces glancing around the venue thinking, who the F are these crazy mofos?
Rhythm soldiers, the popular shirtless Jared MacEachern (bass) and drummer Matt Alston put in tradesmen-like performances. What was super-felt tonight was the literal attraction of energy, the driving momentum of it, and the epitome of sustaining it. This ran strong.
By now the capacity crowd was warming up the room with natural body-heating, especially up in the rafters.
Locust rode rampant, with a backdrop of swarming imagery. Flynn urged everyone to chant along to beer, beer, beer, beer on The Blood, The Sweat, The Tears. The vibe was feeling like a child’s playground of heavy world outlets, with everyone having tonnes of fun and nobody getting hurt.
Creating a housing project for the disenchanted, Flynn & crew tore through No Gods, No Masters.
With a succession of heavier gigs over the last few weeks in Auckland (Mr Bungle, Disturbed, Halestorm) this was the perfect chaser. It might be a case of the music machine rolling on, and if so, Machine Head are a significant cog in the wheel.
Tour tagline Slaughter the Martyr commenced in a more subdued state, but soon kickstarted into dark territory. Flynn played to the crowd as the ideal showman/host, noting the adoration and proclaiming to fans Auckland do you feel free tonight?
Bulldozer had that no time to go to the loo urgency about it, critiquing obedience to the state.
Then it was back to the Nu Metal days with From This Day, before closing the set with the full-throttled Davidian.
Flynn proved infectious and got the house to a human in behind him. He and Machine Head did not let up and seemed to hold endless aces up their sleeves.
You are some bad motherfuckers Auckland! Flynn screamed as he and the lads returned to the stage to encore Sepultura’s Roots Bloody Roots.
Flynn quipped we haven’t played this in a while, so we might fuck it up. But no way. Anthem Halo (off 2007’s The Blackening) sealed off the night, and with it being the final show of their tour down under.
A wild evening, and Machine Head along with Fear Factory made it count. Dealt in full.
Mike Beck
Photography by Rachel Matthews
Machine Head
Fear Factory
Setlists
Fear Factory
- Shock
- Edgecrusher
- Dielectric
- Powershifter
- Fuel Injected Suicide Machine
- Linchpin
- What Will Become
- Slave Labour
- Archetype
- Demanufacture
- Zero Signal
- Replica
- Resurrection
Machine Head
- Imperium
- Ten Ton Hammer
- Choke On the Ashes Of Your Hate
- Now We Die
- Aesthetics Of Hate
- Old
- Locust
- The Blood, The Sweat, The Tears
- No Gods, No Masters
- Slaughter The Martyr
- Bulldozer
- From This Day
- Davidian
- (Encore)
- Roots Bloody Roots
- Halo
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