Through the Ashes of Empires [Enhanced] [Explicit Lyrics] [Limited Edition] [Import]

Through the Ashes of Empires [Enhanced] [Explicit Lyrics] [Limited Edition] [Import]

Track Listings
Disc: 1

1. Imperium

2. Bite the Bullet

3. Left Unfinished

4. Elegy

5. In the Presence of My Enemies

6. Days Turn Blue to Gray

7. Vim

8. All Falls Down

9. Wipe the Tears

10. Decend the Shades of Night

Disc: 2

1. Bite the Bullet [Demo Version]

2. Left Unfinished [Demo Version]

3. Elegy [Demo Version]

4. All Falls Down [Demo Version]

5. Decend the Shades of Night [Demo Version]

Editorial Reviews
Product Description
Full title - Through The Ashes Of Empires. Limited edition of the nu-metal/thrash metal legend's 2003 album includes a bonus disc featuring 5 audio demo tracks 'Bite The Bullet', 'Left Unfinished', 'Elegy', 'All Falls Down' & 'Descend The Shades Of night' plus the enhanced video for 'The Blood, The Sweat, The Tears' (live). Slipcase. Roadrunner.

Through the Ashes of Empires,Machine Head,Roadrunner Int'l,Alternative Metal,Heavy Metal,Pop,Rock

Average customer rating:

Through the Ashes of Empires

Old school thrash metal meets Nu-Metal's power riff sound

Amazing album, one of the best of '04

Through the Ashes of Empires

A Return to Not Returning to Their Roots

Through the Ashes of Empires
Machine Head
Manufacturer: Roadrunner Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

Burn My Eyes

The More Things Change

The Blackening

Burning Red

Supercharger

ASIN: B0000D96NW
Release Date: 2003-12-30

Tracks:

Imperium
Bite the Bullet
Left Unfinished
Elegy
In the Presence of My Enemies
Days Turn Blue to Gray
Vim
Seasons Wither
All Falls Down
Wipe the Tears
Descend the Shades of Night

Album Description

Not only is Through The Ashes Of Empires huge sonically, but the music possesses a fierceness and power that rivals those seminal early albums. By all measures, the results are ferocious. And once again, leave it to the pen of Robert Flynn to scrawl some of the most emotionally intense lyrics in all of metal. While songs like "In The Presence Of My Enemies" and "Imperium" relay all the anger we've come to expect from Machine Head, "Left Unfinished" finds Flynn at his most personal and exposed, as he comes to terms with his deepest unresolved issues about his adoption as a child, and the feelings of abandonment that emerged from that. For this band, a new empire is rising.

Album Details

Include the Video to "The Blood, the Sweat, the Tears" and Footage that was Filmed During the Recording of the Album as an Enhancement.

Customer Reviews:

Through the Ashes of Empires.......2007-01-04

I think this is the best Machine Head album in a long long time. Maybe The More Things Change is their most known album but this one is almost that great. It has their -good- new sound. Powerfull without the Nu Metal Supercharge style.

Old school thrash metal meets Nu-Metal's power riff sound.......2006-04-29

More than a review(cause u dont need a review of this one, just hear it)I will like to say to the young ones that this was what the old school metal used to lack of, the FAT guitars, the round body, and this album has it, thats what makes it so incredible for me, sth I was wanting a long time ago, fat sound with speed and double bass thrashy riffs, and why does this album sounds so old school missed thrash metal? easy!, the prescence of Rob Flynn's VIO-LENCE guitar mate, Phil Demmel, I love Vio-lence and having both in the same band reminds me of what it was back in the day... unbeatable!

Amazing album, one of the best of '04.......2006-02-20

I liked this album on the first listen, the first 3 tracks blew me away, but it took me a while to get into the rest, but I find that always happens with really good CDs.

The musicianship, songwriting and lyrics on this album are simply top notch. This is what professional musicians should be making, real music!

From the epic opener 'Imperium' all the way through to 'Descend the Shades of Night' Machinehead show you how to make crushing, melodic, inspirational metal!

These guys absolutely rocked me live (my ears were ringing for 3 days!)

Get this CD, you will not regret it!

Note: If you can get the special edition with the bonus track 'Seasons Wither' on it, then do so - that track alone is worth the price of a CD!

Through the Ashes of Empires .......2005-12-17

More than anything, the main reason I enjoy this album is because of the powerful messages in each of the songs: "don't give in, don't give up", "I will fight for those I love, I will fight for those I care" are just a few of the awesome lines you will discover. I just cannot get enough of it. I listen to this c.d. every time I have a bad day for strength, or on normal days just for inspiration. No other metal album I own can do that for me.

Besides the powerful song writing, this album is heavy, really heavy. Simply put, the kind of heaviness that makes you clench your fist, grit your teeth, and nod your head slowly, kind of heaviness. The sonic guitar solo's on songs like "Vim" and "Seasons Whither" are incredible. The drumming in every song is so precise and distinctive, you can hear spaces between drum beats, which adds to the heavy sound I mentioned earlier.

Although I do not own any other Machine Head albums, I can assure you that negative comparisons with their previous albums ultimately cannot take away from the excellence of Through the Ashes of Empires, one of the mightiest metal albums ever created by a group of artists, music and lyrics.

A Return to Not Returning to Their Roots.......2005-12-02

Let's be clear: unless you're a moron, you won't believe that this is a return to Machine Head's roots. If it was, it'd be another 'Burn My Eyes,' and this album isn't even close to that.

In reality, this album is merely another direction shift for Machine Head. One can think of it as adding a progressive touch to their two previous albums (mostly due to increased average song length.) Yes, the guitars are less nu-metal sounding and there is more double bass drumming also, but the majority of the album is still hardcore nu-metal.

Unfortunately, it's debatable whether or not this direction shift is really better than Machine Head's original nu-metal position. For all the flak the band has taken for 'The Burning Red,' it nonetheless produced interesting, memorable songs even if they lacked the depth that the older ones had. Now, Machine Head doesn't even have memorability left in their songs; any trace of interest is lost somewhere in the myriad of notes played in their now longer songs.

Part of what also makes these songs more boring (and why it's not at all like 'Burn my Eyes') is because it lacks the subtle change from passive to aggressive. 'I'm Your God Now' and 'None But My Own,' for instance, were songs that started out quietly melodic and then would gradually build up to an effective aggression that would climax towards the end. None of that subtlety exists on any of the songs here, however.

As for vocalist Robb Flynn, he's long since lost his vocal flair. Since 'The Burning Red,' his voice has turned increasingly hoarser and he has to rely more on screaming, and it is only a further reminder that the more talented vocals of the old days are long gone.

The good things I will say of this album are: the song 'All Falls Down,' which is by far the best. Additionally, most of the other songs, while not great, are at least ok ('Descent the Shades' is one exception.)

In sum, longer songs detract from their memorability, the subtlety that 'Burn my Eyes' had from melodic to agressive is absent, the vocals have noticeably worsened over time, and the music still has too many nu metal traces in it. While there are redeeming elements in this album, it is far from their best work and certainly far from what made Machine Head debut as a premier 80s-styled thrash band.

Average customer rating:

A mindblowing effort
Long Awaited
Can you say HUGE!???!
Heavier than Rosie O' Donnell's left leg
This is the best album they've made in 6 years

Through the Ashes of Empires
Machine Head
Manufacturer: Jvc Japan
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0000C4GQV
Release Date: 2003-10-20

Tracks:

Imperium
Bite the Bullet
Left Unfinished
Elegy
In the Presence of My Enemies
Days Turn Blue to Gray
Vim
All Falls Down
Wipe the Tears
Descend the Shades of Night

Album Details

Japanese Version featuring a Bonus Track, and a Bonus CD of Rare Tracks. "The Best Album from Machine Head Since 'burn My Eyes'? Definitely! the Best Album of their Career? Possibly! this is Inspirational Metal."--metal Hammer...."a Rich and Complex Album. We Advise You Don't Stop Listening to it Before the End, the Track "Descend the Shades of Night" is Certainly One of the Most Beautiful Machine Head have Ever Written. It Could Even Make You Cry!---hard N Heavy Magazine, France....."This Album is Simply Superb."--total Guitar Magazine, UK.

Customer Reviews:

A mindblowing effort.......2003-11-14

Man, did Roadrunner USA mess up by letting these guys go. This album might be the best metal release of the year. For those claiming that Machine Head isn't real metal, get over it and take a listen - if this isn't metal, I don't know what is. Bone-crushing riffs, intense drums, and some pretty technical time changes (new for MH) make this album a must-have for any metalhead. Robb Flynn's voice has become, over the years, much more polished melodically, while losing NONE of the spine-tingling roar that he's been known for. The guitar tone is back up to overdrive, something they were known for on their debut album, Burn My Eyes. Phil Demmel, former co-axeman with Robb in the 80's thrash metal outfit Vio-Lence, has joined the band full-time and isn't afraid to unleash some flat out jaw-dropping riffs. Phil and Robb trade solos in songs such as "Vim" and "Descend the Shades of Night". Dave McClain on drums pounds out the rhythms with more ferocity than ever before, exhibiting some almost Fear Factory-esque double kicks on the album's infernal opener, "Imperium". Adam Duce is singing backup vocals again, adding his rasp to the bludgeoning ending of "In the Presence of My Enemies". A track-by-track review:

1. Imperium (10/10) - Quite possibly the best opener MH has ever done - this song bounces along at a frenetic pace with Gothenburg guitars during the bridge! A stunning opening track that will leave you short of breath and begging for more.

2. Bite the Bullet (9/10) - Robb is spitting venom into the microphone in this one. Starts off with mellow verses, but has a bone-smashing pre-chorus and chorus.

3. Left Unfinished (7/10) - Maybe the weakest song on the album, but still damn good! Moves along at a fast pace, but has a repetitive chorus that slows it down too much. Great lyrics though - very moving.

4. Elegy (9/10) - Very creepy sounding chorus in this short midpaced number.

5. In the Presence of My Enemies (10/10) - Quite possibly the most revolutionary song Machine Head has ever done. Robb's lyrics are psychotic, and the main riff is about as heavy as it gets. Phil's solo is slightly twisted. The ending of the song is a throwback to Burn My Eyes, almost fooling you into thinking the song is over, but then kicking it back into overdrive for a brutal closing. An amazing track.

6. Days Turn Blue to Grey (10/10) - A great song with an unorthodox approach. Starts out with a rocklike tempo. The bridge is an eye-opener with its tremendous melody, transitioning seamlessly into another crushing ending.

7. Vim (9/10) - A strange song. The way the words are layered on the rhythms almost doesn't click in my head. This is an unusual approach for MH, but it works very well. Great solos in the end and tremendous drumwork by Dave McClain throughout.

8. All Falls Down (9/10) - With Robb's mellow singing, the beginning of this one almost sounds like a b-side from Supercharger.. and then it kicks into a thick, crunchy riff with the trademark Machine Head harmonics. The bridge here is stunning as well - Adam and Robb make it unforgettable with their mega-melodic back-and-forth tradeoffs.

9. Wipe the Tears (9/10) - A very cool song with great lyrics, one of the better choruses on the album, and an awesome bridge with twin-guitar melody.

10. Descend the Shades of Night (10/10) - Awesome song! This one showcases the tremendous melody these guys are capable of. The solos in this one are terrific - Flynn and Demmel layer their melodies perfectly for a bittersweet ending to an amazing album.

Winners: Imperium, In the Presence of My Enemies

All in all, a great effort from the Machine Head boys. Someone please sign these guys so they can get the US recognition they deserve! And if you haven't seen their live show, prepared for some pure brutality.

Long Awaited.......2003-11-09

I'm a long time metalhead and Machine Head fan. I have every CD they have ever released as far as I know. Anyway, the new one exceeded my expectations by so far its insane. It captures the original MH edge, and adds melody, and complexity. BME was amazing in its day, but TTAOE is better overall. By far the best CD I've bought in a long time, out of hundreds. Standouts on this CD are Imperium, Bite the Bullet, and In the Presense of my enemies. The double bass is back, heavy solos are back....do yourself a favor and FIND a copy of this one NOW!

Can you say HUGE!???!.......2003-11-09

It was a nailbiting few weeks before the realease of this album. I was really scared that Machine Head didnt learn their lesson with Supercharger and that i would be disgusted all over again. I was still hoping that my love for this band and knowing that they have the ability to be absolutely superb, would pull it through......and they SO did!! I must say, Phil Demmel was probably the best decision MH made in the past few years and his involvement delivered probably the best album of the band's career. TTAOE has the heaviness of Burn My Eyes and The More Things Change and the more diverse and melodic touch of The Burningred and for the first time Machine Head was able to combine all these factors into one album and let me tell you it's HUGE! The guitars will take your breath away, that combined with amazing vocals by Flynn and equally good harmonising and kick ass melodies, as heared in songs like "Days turn Blue to Gray", brings the familiar Machine Head feel back - something that has been missing for a while and something a lot of fans were worried were lost forever! Imperium is a classic opener and i suppose it was MH's way of giving a "F#%$ YOU VERY MUCH!!!" to all their critics over the past few years and giving all the listeners an introduction that makes Davidian sound like a Christmas Carol! There are numerous songs on this album that bring back MH to their roots, with the fast, bone crunching guitars to what has to be Dave McClain's best performance on drums in his entire career (the doulbe bass on VIM is amazing).

The thing im most pleased about is that the guys really thought long and hard on the mistakes they made in the past few years and to have such an amazing come back deserves a pat on the back!! Weldone Robb, im sure you didnt only recruit a TON of new fans but you made those who doubted you and who got lost along the way come back to the Machine Head of old....pity theres only 10 songs on the album.

Heavier than Rosie O' Donnell's left leg.......2003-11-02

I have no idea when this album is supposed to hit stores in the US, but I already have it..so there. Guitarist Ahrue Luster left the band last year after recording 1999`s `The Burning Red`, and 2001`s `Supercharger` while in the fold. Both albums showed a band in an extremely experimantal state. The results were both compelling and repelling. I own both albums and frankly enjoy them, but after hearing TTAOE I find myself wondering just what they were doing. Through The Ashes Of Empires shows flashes of the previous two albums, but relies heavily on the brutality of 1995`s `Burn My Eyes` and 1997`s `The More Things Change`...and who said that was a bad thing? New axe man Phil Demmel (who was with vocal/guitar man Robb Flynn in Vio-lence) seems to have lit a fire under the band, because this album is about as subtle as a heart attack. David McClain`s drum work is absolutely off the charts, the mix by Colin Richardson is the classic MH sound that he helped engineer: god of thunder drums, and a wall of guitars. Robb Flynn`s voice sounds the best that it ever has, and his songwriting has taken yet another giant leap forward. Also bassist Adam Duce has returned to adding backing vocals, his contribution in that field has grown to adding trade off rants at key points, the results are effective to say the least. Kicking off with "Imperium", as good of an album opener as they`ve ever played, which at one point features an Iron Maiden-like 2 guitar harmony. Flynn admitted that he finally will allow himself do such a thing. Through the 53 minutes of this disc, there are many surprises. "Days Turn Blue To Gray" features a breakdown in the middle that I can best describe as Coldplay with Dave Lombardo in the background. Let`s not forget "Left Unfinished" a song that displays Flynn`s love for his adopted parents, and a blistering resentment for his biological parents. There are too many great moments in this album for me to accurately describe. My advice to you is to get a hold of this album any way you can. This is by no means some Limp Bizkit-like attempt to be cool with `da kids`. This is serious, grown-ups metal.This band is not by any means back, they never left...you people just never noticed...shame on you

This is the best album they've made in 6 years.......2003-10-26

It's definitely hands down the best in 6 years. Their guitarist that replaced Logan Mader is thankfully gone, good bye, and good riddance. In to replace him is Rob Flynns old bandmate from Violence, and these two definitely make an awesome guitar tag team. The fast riffs that are heard on Burn my eyes and The more things change are back, especially on the songs, 'Left Unfinished', 'Bite the bullet', 'Vim', and 'Imperium' which has a very similar riff that was featured on the first song off the first album, the song called 'Davidian'. Back and as good as always are, very thankfully, the guitar solos, which were taken out pretty much completely on Burning Red and Supercharger. The solos are something I found enjoyable on their first two albums. Although they aren't as frequent on this album as they were on Burn my eyes, they sound pretty damn good. I must say I am very impressed by Dave Mcclains drum work on this album. He does his fastest and best double bass drumming since The more things change. It seemed that they didn't focus as much on the drumming on the previous two albums like they did on Burn my eyes and The more things change, but they cranked up the volume on it on this album and you can clearly hear why Dave Mcclain is one of the truly gifted drummers in the music industry. Adam Duce's bass sounds as good as always and he does his part to add to the powerful heaviness that I and every other early Machine Head fan have been waitng to hear for a long while.

Average customer rating:

WOW!!! AWESOME CD!!
hella good
MACHINE HEAD back to BRUTALITY.
The Edge Is Back!
Machine Head are back to take names and kick ass

Through the Ashes of Empires
Machine Head
Manufacturer: Roadrunner Int'l
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0000D96NX
Release Date: 2003-12-23

Tracks:

Imperium
Bite the Bullet
Left Unfinished
Elegy
In the Presence of My Enemies
Days Turn Blue to Gray
Vim
All Falls Down
Wipe the Tears
Descend the Shades of Night

Tracks:

Bite the Bullet [Demo Version]
Left Unfinished [Demo Version]
Elegy [Demo Version]
All Falls Down [Demo Version]
Descend the Shades of Night [Demo Version]

Album Description

Full title - Through The Ashes Of Empires. Limited edition of the nu-metal/thrash metal legend's 2003 album includes a bonus disc featuring 5 audio demo tracks 'Bite The Bullet', 'Left Unfinished', 'Elegy', 'All Falls Down' & 'Descend The Shades Of night' plus the enhanced video for 'The Blood, The Sweat, The Tears' (live). Slipcase. Roadrunner.

Album Details

Special Limited Edition of their 2003 Studio Album Includes a Bonus Disc of Demo Recordings plus the Enhanced Video of "The Blood, the Sweat, the Tears" and Bonus Enhanced Footage of Filming Videos for the Album. "The Best Album from Machine Head Since 'burn My Eyes'? Definitely! the Best Album of their Career? Possibly! this is Inspirational Metal."--metal Hammer...."a Rich and Complex Album. We Advise You Don't Stop Listening to it Before the End, the Track "Descend the Shades of Night" is Certainly One of the Most Beautiful Machine Head have Ever Written. It Could Even Make You Cry!---hard N Heavy Magazine, France....."This Album is Simply Superb."--total Guitar Magazine, UK.

Customer Reviews:

WOW!!! AWESOME CD!!.......2004-02-11

There are no words to describe this cd. This is defintaly the best cd that I have ever bought. Well worth the money and the wait. Just buy it, you know you want it!!!!!

hella good.......2004-01-15

man what can i say this is the best album ever instant classic hella heavy,hella mellow,holy sh*t its good.no matter what anybody said about the burnning red and supercharger i always like them two records but this seems more true machine head. you get classic m.h. sounds some kinda, shadows fall kinda sounds,hatebreed kinda sounds, even pink floyd kinda sounds AND ROBB WAS THE PRODUCER SO IT HAD TO BE GOOD THANK YOU!

MACHINE HEAD back to BRUTALITY........2003-12-23

Burn My Eyes again, unbelievable album, thank-god they are back and better than ever. Although i am a fan of Superchanger and burning red, i am aware of the blades they took. It's great to see a band that has been around so long and has kept Thrash/Heavy Metal well and truly brutal. I believe the opening and the last song are the 2 best on the album. None the less they have compiled a sweet ass selection of songs. Tearing riffs, angry screams, melodies... Hell Yeah. If you only buy one album this year, consider this to be well worth your dollars.

The Edge Is Back!.......2003-12-11

Even though i bought MH's last 2 albums.. 1999's 'The Burning Red' and 2001's 'Supercharger', and liked them... I felt that something was missing from those albums that the first 2 albums had. And that was that mischievious edge to MH's sound. Somehow it comes back on this album (prob due to a new guitarist? :P)

At first listen i didn't know if i liked this album too much, but after a few more listens.. more of the songs were sounding better and better. I've gotten to the point now where i love 5 of the songs and the others are still growing on me. And that is absolutely what i love about music, that it sneaks up on you and takes more than a couple listens for you to get into it. Music like that is the music that will leave an imprint in your mind and that's the kind of music that has integrity through and through and will sound good years and years down the road.

Each time i put 'Through the Ashes of Empires' on i hear something new that i hadnt heard before.. and i smile about it.
On this cd they have some explosive tracks and some mellow ones, like the way MH has been writing in the past few years b/c it is where they're minds are at and you can't blame a band for that. All good bands' styles change eventually and all people in general's taste changes in life. Most tend to mellow out and look at life perspectively and MH seems to be doing that.. all while keeping that harshness intact.. making the whole thing a beauty to behold. Plenty of angst still slices its way thru the 10 tracks and at the right moments the subtle sounds come in.

If you're a first timer of MH you might not 'get' this cd, but then again i don't want to pre-judge anyone's taste in music. So take a risk, you might be pleasantly surprised. And for all real MH fans, you don't wanna pass this one up.

LOVE the cover art btw! >:)

Machine Head are back to take names and kick ass.......2003-12-06

This cd is amazing.I like everything that they have done but I'm glad to see them go back to there roots.Through the Ashes of Empires is a must buy to any Machine Head fan.

Average customer rating:

Through the Ashes of Empires

ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

Hard Rock & Metal | Imports | Stores | Music
ASIN: B000O76PNA
Release Date: 2007-05-08

Average customer rating:

One of their best albums!

Through the Ashes of Empires
Machine Head
Manufacturer: Roadrunner
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Alternative Metal | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

General | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

Hard Rock & Metal | Imports | Stores | Music
ASIN: B0000BHI26
Release Date: 2003-10-13

Tracks:

Imperium
Bite the Bullet
Left Unfinished
Elegy
In the Presence of My Enemies
Days Turn Blue to Gray
Vim
All Falls Down
Wipe the Tears
Descend the Shades of Night

Album Details

Japanese Edition with a Bonus Track. "The Best Album from Machine Head Since 'burn My Eyes'? Definitely! the Best Album of their Career? Possibly! this is Inspirational Metal."--metal Hammer...."a Rich and Complex Album. We Advise You Don't Stop Listening to it Before the End, the Track "Descend the Shades of Night" is Certainly One of the Most Beautiful Machine Head have Ever Written. It Could Even Make You Cry!---hard N Heavy Magazine, France....."This Album is Simply Superb."--total Guitar Magazine, UK.

Customer Reviews:

One of their best albums!.......2003-11-01

If you like hardcore, in your face metal, that isn't played on MTV or KROQ, than this is an album for you.

Music Info: