''Supercharger'' is the fourth album by the 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 ...

. The release was ill-timed, and, as a result of little promotion, fell far short of the success of ''

The Burning Red ''The Burning Red'' is the third studio album by the American heavy metal band Machine Head. It is the band's second best selling album in the US, selling as many copies in three years as their debut album, ''Burn My Eyes'', sold in almost eigh ...

,'' which has sold about 134,000 copies in the US to date. ''Supercharger'' has sold about 45,000 copies in the US to date, making it a commercial failure. It is the band's last release to feature lead guitarist

Ahrue Luster Ahrue Ilustre (born \September 17, 1978), commonly known as Ahrue Luster, is an American heavy metal guitarist. He is a current guitarist of American heavy metal band Lions at the Gate, and was the lead guitarist for the heavy metal band Ill Ni� ...

Album information

''Supercharger'' was released in October, 2001, just weeks after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The lead (and only) single "

Crashing Around You "Crashing Around You" is a song by American heavy metal band Machine Head from their album ''Supercharger''. It was released as a single in September 2001 and is also available on the band's live album ''Hellalive''. The single's release was ill- ...

", was pulled from

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

and rock radio just as soon as it was added despite being the "most added" track in the United States. The pull was a result of the metaphorical "crashing" lyric in the song and the burning

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

skyline in the video. Machine Head's support tour for the album was done without help from their label

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 ...

, and after the release of ''

Hellalive ''Hellalive'' is the first live album by American heavy metal band Machine Head. The album was released to fulfill Machine Head's commitment to Roadrunner Records (the band released '' Through the Ashes of Empires'' shortly after). Former Vio-le ...

'' to fulfill their contract, led the band to a two-year hiatus from the label's American branch. With ''The Burning Red'', the band moved their sound more towards contemporary

nu metal Nu metal (sometimes stylized as nü-metal, sometimes called aggro-metal) is a subgenre of that combines elements of heavy metal music with elements of other music genres such as hip hop, alternative rock, funk, industrial, and grunge. Nu met ...

trends. ''Supercharger'' was darker and heavier than ''The Burning Red'', but lacked as much

groove metal Groove metal is a subgenre of heavy metal music that began in the early 1990s. The genre achieved success in the 1990s and continued having success in the 2000s. Inspired by thrash metal and traditional heavy metal, groove metal features raspy ...

sound as ''

Burn My Eyes ''Burn My Eyes'' is the debut studio album by American heavy metal band Machine Head, released on August 9, 1994, by Roadrunner Records. The album's themes generally tie into the social disorder and corresponding inner tension that the band was ...

'' and '' The More Things Change...'' Two years later, the band would release '' Through the Ashes of Empires'' and return to their groove metal roots. The album was released in standard and digipak editions, the latter of which contains four previously released bonus tracks.

Reception

The album received mixed to negative reviews.

Track listing

The bonus track on several editions of ''Supercharger'', "Hole in the Sky", originally appeared on '' Nativity in Black II''. The two live tracks on the 18 track

digipak Optical disc packaging is the packaging that accompanies CDs, DVDs, and other formats of optical discs. Most packaging is rigid or semi-rigid and designed to protect the media from scratches and other types of exposure damage. Jewel case A ...

were recorded on September 15, 1999 at

Webster Hall Webster Hall is a nightclub and concert venue located at 125 East 11th Street, between Third and Fourth Avenues, near Astor Place, in the East Village of Manhattan, New York City. It is one of New York City's most historically significant ...

, Hartford, Connecticut. These live tracks were previously released on the ''Year of the Dragon'' EP.

Personnel

;Machine Head *

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 ...

– vocals, rhythm guitar *

– lead guitar *

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 * Dave McClain – drums ;Technical personnel *

Johnny K John Karkazis, better known as Johnny K, is an American record producer, engineer, mixer, musician, and songwriter. He owns Groovemaster Recording Studios in Chicago. In addition to the studios, his music complex includes a gymnasium, rehears ...

. –

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 ...

*Machine Head – Co-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 ...

– mixing *Johnny K., Kevin Bosley –

engineers Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the limit ...

*Scott Oyster – assistant engineer *Brett Nolan – assistant mix engineer *

Ted Jensen Ted Jensen (born September 19, 1954) is an American mastering engineer, known for having mastered many recordings, including the Eagles' ''Hotel California'', Green Day's '' American Idiot'' and Norah Jones' ''Come Away with Me''. Biography Ted ...

– mastering ;Hole in the Sky *Colin Richardson – production *

Toby Wright Toby Wright is an American record producer and mixing engineer who has worked with artists such as Alice in Chains, Metallica, Sevendust and Korn. Credits Producer * 3rd Strike - '' Lost Angel'' * 8stops7 - ''In Moderation'' *Alice in Chains ...

– mixing ;Live tracks *Machine Head – production *Toby Wright – mixing

Chart positions

References

{{Authority control Machine Head (band) albums Nu metal albums by American artists 2001 albums Roadrunner Records albums