Riff Police! Pull Over! #143: Angelus Apatrida Vs Machine Head!

Between them both Oakland’s Machine Head and Spain’s Angelus Apatrida have a lot of Metal to be celebrated. Some might say that Machine Head have had something of an on-off career with highs (“Burn My Eyes“) and lows (“Supercharger“) but every step of the way they’ve brought something new to the table and at least given us creativity. There has been something in every album to enjoy, even if some albums aren’t as good as some others and that’s something that you can say of a LOT of bands. When it comes to Angelus Apatrida though, we’ll they’re at the top of their game with their self titled record just released and being simply amazing. It draws on a lot of influences and there are a lot of little moments and nuances, one of which is the riff of “Old” by Machine Head in the middle of opening cut “Indoctrinate“. Blink and you might miss it but having that familiarity about the song is actually an instant hook. You might also notice the Phil Anselmo inspired rant from guitarist and vocalist Guillermo Izquierdo that leans on “F***ing Hostile” by Pantera as well, but like we say, that’s just part of the charm.