From the first words of Machine Head’s latest release, the tone of the CD is set as heavy snare comes from drummer Dave Maclain and screeching guitar from Ahrue Luster. Lead vocalist Robert Flynn then follows with , “1*2*F*** this place up.” The Burning Red was produced by Ross Robinson (Korn, Limp Bizkit) and had only one test a song needed to pass to make the final cut: Did he get goose bumps? According to Luster, Robinson would jump around the studio as the band played, releasing the energy of a live performance. “Ross was great. He would jump around and slam and that is where the energy on The Burning Red came from,” Luster said. “When we were done playing, he would look at his arm, if there were goose bumps, that take was used. It may not have been the best, but the energy was there.” The Oakland-based group has been inside the metal scene since their first indy-label album, Burn My Eyes, and are not afraid to stick by their label. “I still believe heavy metal is among the most expansive and all-encompassing forms of music around,” Mclain said. The Burning Red is filled with melodic rhythm to hardcore riffs, and as each song progresses, so does the CD. From the first song, “Desire to Fire” to song No. 6, “From this Day,” The Burning Red progresses in a fast-paced motion. Then, “Exhale the Vile” and a remake of the Police’s “Message in a Bottle” produce a calmer sound. Throughout the rest of the CD the rhythm is, again, melodic. “When we were finally done recording, it took days to mix and set the progress from song one to song 12,” Luster said. “But we ended it with a movement that takes the listener on a roller coaster, which is what we wanted to do with each song.” Perhaps the most memorable song also became the first single for the band, “From This Day.” If The Burning Red were to be put in a blender, “From This Day” would be the result, Maclain said. He felt that was the reason to make it their first single. “It represents everything about Machine Head,” Maclain said. “It’s got tenderness, hip-hop and then Robert (Flynn) takes the vocals to a level that amazes even me.””Many bands are using their remakes as singles, and we purposely stayed away from using “Message in a Bottle” as our first single,” Maclain said. “Although it may have received more airplay, we wanted people to know what we were about.” What separates The Burning Red from so many other metal bands are the extremes in which the band moves. When singer Flynn scorches in “The Blood, The Sweat, The Tears,” it displays some of the most intestine-twisting incantation since Lemmie in Motorhead. When he softens to a whisper in “Message in a Bottle,” the melody is as calming as if Sting were singing himself. The Burning Red CD is unlike any of Machine Head’s previous efforts. When Machine Head calms, it’s some of the most soothing and melodic music ever produced by a metal band. Then, in an instant, it’s turned back up and the polar opposite occurs. Machine Head will play the Alrosa Villa Friday, February 18.