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Unfortunately (and heartbreakingly for this reviewer to admit), Hellalive barely captures half of that. Performed mostly in front of what sounds like a small lackluster crowd at the Brixton Academy in England, Machine Head's set is good, but not great.

They play a showcase of songs from across their discography, from "Old" to

"The Burning Red". After starting their set with the blistering "Bulldozer", Machine Head powers along through "Ten Ton Hammer" and "Take My Scars".
     Their choice of encore is a bit puzzling, going with "Davidian" and "Supercharger", but being as the crowd did not get together to call the band back out, they are lucky to have gotten the songs at all. After the encore, Flynn announces that 'Surprise! We recorded this for our live album!' Perhaps if that had been known to the Brits ahead of time, they would have come out a bit louder and been more involved.
     Robert constantly addresses the crowd as "London", something that limits the accessibility of the common fan. Him saying "cheers" to them does very little for the 'Head fan in Topeka, Kansas. But it does show how he attempts to bring the band to the fans, something that is very endearing when you are actually there. Although one has to wonder how the Brits responded to "American High".
     For some reason Machine Head decided to insert two tracks from another show on this album. Flynn decided to add "None But My Own" and "The Burning Red" from a performance the band had in Germany eight months later. While the former fits in nicely, the latter almost grinds the momentum to a halt. The tracks also have slightly different sound as they have Phil Demmel (Vio-lence) on guitar, instead of the departed Ahrue Luster. Hellalive solidfiies the band's split with him as it is the first Machine Head recording without the guitarist. In the liner notes it details that Luster provides "additional guitars" and several of the songs were written by him and by Machine Head.
     Hellalive is the close of yet another chapter in the history of San Francisco's Machine Head. While it does not truly reflect the band's awesome power live, it is a must for any fan.

	MACHINE HEAD HELLALIVE ROADRUNNER	LINKS: machinehead1.com roadrunnerrecords.com
	Say what you want about Machine Head changing their sound. Like it or loathe it, they put on one of the most intense live shows in metal today. For those who have had the pleasure of seeing the Bay Area group live, Hellalive barely captures half of that. What makes Machine Head's shows so greatis the pure amount of energy given off by the band and returned, if not amplified, by the fans
Unfortunately (and heartbreakingly for this reviewer to admit), Hellalive barely captures half of that. Performed mostly in front of what sounds like a small lackluster crowd at the Brixton Academy in England, Machine Head's set is good, but not great. They play a showcase of songs from across their discography, from "Old" to "The Burning Red". After starting their set with the blistering "Bulldozer", Machine Head powers along through "Ten Ton Hammer" and "Take My Scars". Their choice of encore is a bit puzzling, going with "Davidian" and "Supercharger", but being as the crowd did not get together to call the band back out, they are lucky to have gotten the songs at all. After the encore, Flynn announces that 'Surprise! We recorded this for our live album!' Perhaps if that had been known to the Brits ahead of time, they would have come out a bit louder and been more involved. Robert constantly addresses the crowd as "London", something that limits the accessibility of the common fan. Him saying "cheers" to them does very little for the 'Head fan in Topeka, Kansas. But it does show how he attempts to bring the band to the fans, something that is very endearing when you are actually there. Although one has to wonder how the Brits responded to "American High". For some reason Machine Head decided to insert two tracks from another show on this album. Flynn decided to add "None But My Own" and "The Burning Red" from a performance the band had in Germany eight months later. While the former fits in nicely, the latter almost grinds the momentum to a halt. The tracks also have slightly different sound as they have Phil Demmel (Vio-lence) on guitar, instead of the departed Ahrue Luster. Hellalive solidfiies the band's split with him as it is the first Machine Head recording without the guitarist. In the liner notes it details that Luster provides "additional guitars" and several of the songs were written by him and by Machine Head. Hellalive is the close of yet another chapter in the history of San Francisco's Machine Head. While it does not truly reflect the band's awesome power live, it is a must for any fan.
----Scott Olivenbaum