Even the greatest metal bands stumble sometimes. Despite the fact that they've never achieved the commercial success of some of their peers, Machine Head [ tickets ] are one of the greats. And it could be argued that they may have stumbled on occasion. But on new release "The Blackening," there's no stumbling.

There are also no attempts at fleeting mainstream viability, no flirting with trends, and, most importantly, no compromise. In short, Machine Head has delivered one of the most brutally resplendent albums of its 13-year career.

On album number six, guitarist/frontman/mastermind Robb Flynn is in prime form, crafting a heavy-metal beast so haughty, history might just herald it as neck-in-neck with the band's illustrious 1994 debut, "Burn My Eyes"--albeit for different reasons. Where "Burn" delivered blunt-force trauma to the skull, "Blackening" opts for a more prolonged attack; 60 minutes, eight tracks, and four songs clocking in at the 10-minute mark. Throughout, the band delivers pulverizing blow after pulverizing blow, its Bay Area thrash roots interwoven seamlessly with elements of death and speed metal, and an occasional jolt from the industrial genre. Flynn and Phil Demmel (who were co-writers on all but one of the tracks) are as tight as any guitar tandem in metal, whether it be the scalding leads and searing back-and-forth of epic opener "Clenching the Fists of Dissent" or "Aesthetics of Hate," or the more controlled rage of "Now I Lay Thee Down." Anchoring the fury, the rhythm section of bassist Adam Duce and drummer Dave McClain are equally as potent.

As naïve as it may be to think that Machine Head will ever get the recognition they so justly deserve, "The Blackening" is as convincing an argument as any band could offer. Take notice: there's a band breaking down the door to metal's elite, and they have no intention of going away quietly.