Having experimented with elements of groove metal and nu metal in its early releases, Machine Head changed to a more traditional thrash metal sound and longer songs with its sixth album, "The Blackening" (2007), which drew critical acclaim and was chosen as Album of the Decade by "Metal Hammer" in 2010; the album's first single, "Aesthetics of Hate", also earned the band a Grammy Award nomination. The band achieved similar success with its following two albums, "Unto the Locust" (2011) and "Bloodstone & Diamonds" (2014), before returning to its nu metal roots with the release of its ninth album, "Catharsis" (2018).