Machine Head, Fear Factory @ Forum, Melbourne 14/3/2024

‘We will let you decide what we play next!’ An imperious Robb Flynn, Machine Head frontman, declares from the stage of the sold out Forum in Melbourne. Three choices are given, Motorbreath by Metallica, Iron Maiden’s Hallowed By Thy Name and All The Small Things by blink-182. They play blink-182.

With the dual arsenal of Fear Factory supporting throughout the Australian tour, multiple nights are lined up across the east coast and Machine Head will play different sets each night. The tour sold out in an instant, including the extra nights. This is how enormous this is.

It would’ve been huge in 1999 and twenty five years later it still lands like a ten ton hammer.

Fear Factory open with the double threat of Shock and Edgecrusher from the bands landmark album Obsolete. New vocalist Milo Silvestro enters the chat and endears himself immediately with his presence on all sides of the stage as the group,, always tighter than a resistance band, pound in.

As a regular FF watcher, it’s refreshing to see a vocalist command his vocals throughout with strength while furiously whirl around the stage. Dino Cazares and Tony Campos match step by step as Pete Webber’s beats during Powershifer are combustible.

As Fuel Injected Suicide Machine morphs in Linchpin the pit is carnage, bodies slide across the floor, the circle pits on an extreme metal spin cycle while every word is sung back with gusto.

A pointed choice of Archetype, a song none on stage actually recorded, sounds epic as everyone chants ‘open your eyes’ before the final sonic overload of Zero Signal, Replica and Resurrection finishes the assault on your ears, your limbs and your emotions. Fear Factory have never sounded this good.

Machine Head are metal. Not a subgenre, they are metal. Soaring epics, incisive lyrics, dualling solos, songs you can chant back. Everything you want, it’s all right here.

Opening with Imperium, smoke bellows, the strobe lighting on overtime, and the pit a whirlpool. The drums hit you in the chest like a defibrillator zapping you and for the next ninety minutes you’re left stunned.

The impressive looking Forum resembles a snow globe someone is shaking furiously during Aesthetics Of Hate, the surfers and moshers gloriously engaged in chaos.

The band reach out into different parts of their back catalogue for all, ‘Old’ is ridiculous and the crowd chant back, Locust it’s clapping back’, Bulldozer the floor resembles a fun house moving floor illusion and From This Day sounds like Godzilla had crashed through the roof and is joining in.

Flynn is the master conductor, screams of ‘headbang motherfucker’ are as constant as ‘get your fists in the air’ and everyone obliges.

Davidian sounds as dangerous as when it first came out and the other worldly Halo, which more shift changes than a Vin Diesel movie, is… breathless. A religious experience words cannot do justice too.

Machine Head and Fear Factory delivered near three hours of metal they way it should be. Voices will be croaky this morning, necks muscles tightened and quite a few sore hungover heads. The show was monumental.

Oh, and Machine Head redeemed themselves after a fifteen second blink-182 scare. It was always going to Hallowed Be They Name and it was always going to crush.

Live Review By Iain McCallum