Friday, February 23rd, Live Nation and The Nile were host to Machine Head, Fear Factory, Orbit Culture, and Gates to Hell.
Machine Head has been on a war path with their recent tour, and rightfully so. The 2023 tour was canceled due to visa problems, so when they announced the 2024 tour dates, shows started to sell out fast. The Nile was no different, as it was another sold-out night. The lineup for this tour was heavy on every level, from opener to headliner. It was a perfect night for slam dancing, head banging, and a non-stop mosh pit. Every band on this tour brought something different to the table.
Gates to Hell is one of those deathcore bands that sticks out amongst the rest. This was my first time seeing them live, they reminded me a bit of the band Living Sacrifice. Gates to Hell is brutal, and their breakdowns are to die for. Pay attention to this band, as they’re on the rise.
Orbit Culture happened to be a completely new band to me, as I’ve never heard of them, and honestly, I feel stupid saying that. Being around since 2013, they have had several releases, and now I will be going back and starting their discography from the beginning. Orbit Culture is one of those bands whose music pulls you in with a tight grip and doesn’t let go until their set is done. It’s a non-stop war path of destruction and heaviness. The crowd and I couldn’t get enough of them. Every part of this band was on point, and as they exited the stage, the crowd was screaming for more.
Fear Factory needs no introduction, and while the band is missing a key member, Milo, the new vocalist, has been impressive. Replacing Burton was never going to be an easy task, and while we all have opinions on the matter, fans showing up to witness this new version of Fear Factory demonstrates we are witnessing a rebirth. Despite the lineup change, we’re still getting what we loved about Fear Factory, and tonight was no different, and the set list we got was one of my favorites. Opening up the setlist strong with “Shock” and “Edgecrusher“, FF played through a lot of hits, and ended with a couple of my personal favorites “Demanufracture” and “Replica” to bring things to a perfect close. As everyone sang and screamed along, it showed that Milo doesn’t miss a beat, and everyone was just living in that moment the entire time Fear Factory was on stage. Dino comes alive while on stage, and we’re lucky to be able to still witness the impact that Dino has had, and continues to have, on the metal scene. While we’re still waiting for the new album from Fear Factory, we’ll keep taking all these live dates.
It was finally time for the one and only Machine Head, and all the “Head cases” ion the crowd were ready for a memorable night. The set was just about an hour and a half, which did seem a bit short as Machine Head is known to play longer sets which can go beyond two hours at times. Robb Flynn and company opened up the night with “Imperium” off their 2003 album Through the Ash of Empires. Imperium is one of those songs that touches all the bases of Machine Head, from the opening riff to the breakdown at the end, this song hits hard on every level. Two songs that really stuck out the most were “Aesthetics of Hate” and “Locust“. Both of these albums, The Blackening and Unto the Locust, are underrated albums, and I highly suggest anyone who hasn’t checked them out listen to them from front to back. That’s not taking away from the entire set list, as Machine Head powered their way through it. From top to bottom, this set list had everything from all their essential albums. Throwing it back to 1999 with a couple songs off The Burning Red to Supercharger and of course the album that got them started, Burn My Eyes. Machine Head is a beating heartbeat of raw emotion, which is what has made them a mainstay in the metal genre all these years. Robb’s ability to experiment with going from melodic undertones to blistering metal riffs makes their live performance a journey. You can see the passion and emotion literally spilling out of his live performance. The ending to their set was just about as perfect as it could be, ending with the song “Halo“, a 9-minute high-powered song that showcases Robb’s vocal range and ends with one of their gnarliest breakdowns. Heads were banging, beers were flying, and we all got what we came for Machine Head!!
Set list
Imperium
Ten Ton Hammer
Choke on the ashes of your hate
Aesthetics of hate
Old
Locust
The Blood the sweat the tears
NO gods No masters
Slaughter the Martyr
Bulldozer
From this day
Davidian
Halo
