Machine Head took a hard turn into nü-metal territory with their 1999 record The Burning Red, which even featured outright rapping in songs like "From This Day" or "Desire to Fire." The Burning Red wasn't very well received, yet it remains one of Machine Head's best selling albums. In an interivew with Metal Hammer, Robb Flynn came to the logical conclusion that maybe people who say they hate the record don't actually hate it.
"The Burning Red didn't sell half a million copies because people hated it!" said Flynn. "There were a lot of motherfuckers lying about not getting that record."
Flynn later dismisses the claims that The Burning Red was Machine Head's foray into the world of hip hop, citing the "Davidian" video as an earlier turning point.
"I was throwing Method Man raps into 'A Thousand Lies' on the Burn My Eyes tour. We were covering 'Colors' by Ice-T, but suddenly people were saying we 'got into hip-hop' on The Burning Red. The 'Davidian' video is a rap video, we're walking down the streets with pitbulls, for Christ's sake!
"I never understood that criticism. I think those The Burning Red songs stood the test of time. Our mistake was making that video – it was corny as fuck!"
Personally, I think the one sore spot on The Burning Red is the cover of "Message in a Bottle" by The Police. It's right in the middle of the album and it just does not seem to belong there at all.
