''Burn My Eyes'' is the debut studio album by American heavy metal band

Machine Head A machine head (also referred to as a tuning machine, tuner, or gear head) is a geared apparatus for tuning stringed musical instruments by adjusting string tension. Machine heads are used on mandolins, guitars, double basses and others, and ar ...

, released on August 9, 1994, by

Roadrunner Records Roadrunner Records is an American record label focused on heavy metal and hard rock bands. Founded in the Netherlands in 1980, it is now a division of Warner Music Group and is based in New York City. History The label was launched in 1980 in t ...

. The album's themes generally tie into the social disorder and corresponding inner tension that the band was exposed to in their native

Oakland, California Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast of the United States, West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third ...

, reflected in

Robb Flynn Robert Conrad Flynn (born Lawrence Matthew Cardine; July 19, 1967) is an American musician who is the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist for heavy metal band Machine Head. Flynn formed the band along with Adam Duce, Logan Mader and Tony Cos ...

's lyrics, such as the Los Angeles Riots of 1992 and the

Waco Siege The Waco siege, also known as the Waco massacre, was the law enforcement siege of the compound that belonged to the religious sect Branch Davidians. It was carried out by the U.S. federal government, Texas state law enforcement, and the U.S. mi ...

of 1993. The album's title alludes to the third part of the phrase, "Burn my eyes and try to blind me" during the breakdown of "

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". The album shipped over 400,000 copies worldwide, becoming Roadrunner Records's best selling debut album until the release of Slipknot's self-titled debut album. This is Machine Head's only studio album to feature drummer

Chris Kontos Christopher T. Kontos (born December 10, 1963) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. Kontos is best known for his nine goals in 11 playoff games while he was a member of the Los Angeles Kings and his franchise opening night four-go ...

Album information

The songs make references to some certain well-publicized controversies such as the

1992 Los Angeles Riots The 1992 Los Angeles riots, sometimes called the 1992 Los Angeles uprising and the Los Angeles Race Riots, were a series of riots and civil disturbances that occurred in Los Angeles County, California, in April and May 1992. Unrest began in S ...

(heard in dialogue on "Real Eyes, Realize, Real Lies") and the

of 1993 ("Davidian"). Elsewhere, there are tales of physical and mental abuse ("None But My Own", "The Rage to Overcome"), the condemning of profits from religious soliciting ("Death Church"), succumbing to substance abuse ("I'm Your God Now"), and aforementioned themes of

urban decay Urban decay (also known as urban rot, urban death or urban blight) is the sociological process by which a previously functioning city, or part of a city, falls into disrepair and decrepitude. There is no single process that leads to urban deca ...

social unrest Civil disorder, also known as civil disturbance, civil unrest, or social unrest is a situation arising from a mass act of civil disobedience (such as a demonstration, riot, strike, or unlawful assembly) in which law enforcement has difficulty ...

rebellion Rebellion, uprising, or insurrection is a refusal of obedience or order. It refers to the open resistance against the orders of an established authority. A rebellion originates from a sentiment of indignation and disapproval of a situation and ...

belligerence A belligerent is an individual, group, country, or other entity that acts in a hostile manner, such as engaging in combat. The term comes from the Latin ''bellum gerere'' ("to wage war"). Unlike the use of ''belligerent'' as an adjective meaning ...

, or

socio-political Political sociology is an interdisciplinary field of study concerned with exploring how governance and society interact and influence one another at the micro to macro levels of analysis. Interested in the social causes and consequences of how ...

commentary. Stylistically, the album is credited as having bridged the gap between "second-generation Bay Area thrash ( Testament,

Death Angel Death Angel is an American thrash metal band from Daly City, California, initially active from 1982 to 1991 and again since 2001. Death Angel has released nine studio albums, two demo tapes, one box set and three live albums. The band has gone ...

, etc.) and the modern-day

Pantera Pantera () is an American heavy metal music, heavy metal band from Arlington, Texas formed in 1981, and currently comprised of vocalist Phil Anselmo, bassist Rex Brown, and touring musicians Zakk Wylde and Charlie Benante. The group's best-kn ...

school of hard knocks." Compared to their later releases, it's rawer and more aggressive; after changing their sound on their three subsequent albums, the style was resurrected in modified form—the influences of

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were evident—on their post-''

Supercharger In an internal combustion engine, a supercharger compresses the intake gas, forcing more air into the engine in order to produce more power for a given displacement. The current categorisation is that a supercharger is a form of forced induct ...

'' output. The release of this album was followed shortly by numerous tours, which eventually led to drummer

leaving the band and being replaced, after careful consideration, by Dave McClain, who would stay with the band until 2018. Kontos, along with guitarist Logan Mader, would return to Machine Head in 2019 to celebrate the 25th anniversary of ''Burn My Eyes''s release with a tour, though neither of them officially rejoined the band. The album has since become a lasting success. In 1994, it quickly became a

best seller and was the label's best-selling debut album for a number of years, until the release of Slipknot's 1999 self-titled debut.

Cancelled re-release

On October 31, 2006,

announced that as part of their 25th anniversary, they would be re-releasing ''Burn My Eyes'' with a bonus CD, which includes previously unreleased tracks and rarities. It was said to be due out on January 8, 2007, but was then pushed back to September 2007 so it would not interfere with the release of ''

The Blackening ''The Blackening'' is the sixth album by American heavy metal band Machine Head. Released on March 27, 2007, in the United States, ''The Blackening'' sold 16,000 units in its first week, and became Machine Head's third highest charting release a ...

''. However, the re-release was in fact cancelled.

explained this on his blog, which is posted on Machinehead1.com:

Reception

* ''Q'' magazine (11/94, p. 115) – 4 Stars – Excellent – "...a violent, grinding experience, spiked with social comment and spruced up with some brain- tingling guitar..." * ''

Kerrang! ''Kerrang!'' is a British weekly magazine devoted to rock, punk and heavy metal music, currently published by Wasted Talent (the same company that owns electronic music publication ''Mixmag''). It was first published on 6 June 1981 as a one- ...

'' (p. 21) – "''Burn My Eyes'' took the heaviness and speed of thrash and combined it with the sledgehammer grooves of more left-field acts." * ''

'' (p. 53) – " e of the most ferocious and groove-laden behemoths the metal world has, and likely will ever see."

Track listing

Australian tour edition

The following songs constitute the entirety of the ''Burn My Eyes Demo''.

Personnel

;Machine Head *

–

lead vocals The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of t ...

rhythm guitar In music performances, rhythm guitar is a technique and role that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with other instruments from the rhythm section (e.g., drum kit, bass guitar ...

* Logan Mader –

lead guitar Lead guitar (also known as solo guitar) is a musical part for a guitar in which the guitarist plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs and chords within a song structure. The lead is the featur ...

Adam Duce Adam Duce (born April 14, 1972) is an American musician, best known as a founding member and former bassist of the heavy metal band Machine Head. He played in the band for over 21 years before his firing in 2013. Biography While still a chi ...

– bass,

backing vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are use ...

–

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

;Artwork *

Dave McKean David McKean (born 29 December 1963) is an English illustrator, photographer, comic book artist, graphic designer, filmmaker and musician. His work incorporates drawing, painting, photography, collage, found objects, digital art, and sculpt ...

– cover illustration and design *Jesse Fischer – band photo *Harald O. & Wasco – live photos *Robb Flynn – Machine Head logo ;Production *

Colin Richardson Colin Richardson is a British record producer, mixer and recording engineer. He has worked on over 100 albums and is most frequently associated with heavy metal and its subgenres. Career Some of the bands he has worked for include: * 3 In ...

–

production Production may refer to: Economics and business * Production (economics) * Production, the act of manufacturing goods * Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services) * Production as a stati ...

, mixing *Machine Head – co-production *Vincent Wojno –

engineering Engineering is the use of scientific method, scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad rang ...

, recording, mixing at Scream Studios *Steven Werner, Liz Sroka – assistant engineering *Eddy Schreyer – mastering at Future Disc, California ;Managerial *

Monte Conner Monte Conner is a former senior vice president of A&R for Roadrunner Records. He started at Roadrunner in December 1987. He has worked with numerous bands, including Slipknot, Trivium and King Diamond. The bands he has signed, in alphabetica ...

– A&R *Joseph W. Huston – management *Jeffery Saltzman – legal representation *Jonathan Wexler – accounting

Chart performance

Certifications

References

{{Authority control 1994 debut albums Albums with cover art by Dave McKean Machine Head (band) albums Roadrunner Records albums