Still no word on a release date, but at least Machine Head has finally given us the title and artwork for their highly anticipated new album. The follow-up to their 2011 monster hit Unto The Locust is to be titled Bloodstone and Diamonds.

The album will be the first to feature new bassist Jared MacEachern. The band split very publicly and acrimoniously with founding bassist Adam Duce and have been embroiled in a nasty lawsuit with him that was recently settled out of court on undisclosed terms.

Machine Head leader Robb Flynn, who regularly updates fans via his blog and on the band’s Facebook page, posted the following yesterday:

MACHINE HEAD – BLOODSTONE & DIAMONDS

There you have it. The new album title in all its glory my friends.

I cannot even begin to tell you how proud we are of this album. It’s been a heck of a ride. It looked like it might not ever happen again at one point, but man, this album is a milestone for us.

You’re going to love it Head Cases.

Without getting too philosophical on ya, bloodstone and diamonds represent two of the hardest materials on earth, it is also a lyric from the opening track of the album “Now We Die”. In many cultures the bloodstone has been used as an amulet to protect against evil, and is the symbol of justice. Diamonds are the hardest natural material on earth (which is how we feel about our music), and it also represents the diamond logo I drew 22 years ago (in my wife’s apartment on Dover St. in Oakland) that has become the symbol for the band.

Below is the track listing:

BLOODSTONE & DIAMONDS

1. Now We Die
2. Killers & Kings
3. Ghosts Will Haunt My Bones
4. Night Of Long Knives
5. Sail Into The Black
6. Eyes Of The Dead
7. Beneath The Silt
8. In Comes The Flood
9. Damage Inside
10. Game Over
11. Imaginal Cells (instrumental)
12. Take Me Through The Fire

10 songs, an interlude, and an instrumental with an audio collage of spoken word snippets (think “Real Eyes, Realize, Real Lies”) by Dr. Bruce Lipton and Steve Bhaerman, taken from their (incredibly inspiring) audiobook “Spontaneous Evolution”.

It was once again produced by your truly The General and Juan Urteaga, and like the last 7 out of 8 albums masterfully mixed by Colin Richardson. Additional tracking, editing, and mixing was done with heavy metal legend Andy Sneap and Steve Lagudi.

Guest musicians include 2 different string quartets featuring the original Quartet Rouge that appeared on our last album “Unto The Locust”. And a new all-male quartet which we featured on the song “In Comes The Flood”.

String arrangements for 2 of the songs “Now We Die” and “Sail Into The Black” came courtesy of myself and Rhys Fulber who has worked with everyone from Sarah McLachlan, to Fear Factory, and the string arrangement for “In Comes The Flood” came courtesy of myself and ex-Worship and current-Bring Me The Horizon keyboardist Jordan Fish, who is a producer in his own right.

We worked with several artists to complete the 28 page (!) “standard” CD booklet, as well as the 48 page (!) hardcover leather-bound Media-book that will serve as the special edition, including Rafal Wechterowicz, Marcelo Vasco, and long-time Machine Head art-collaborator Strephon Taylor. The theme was to have both CD and hardcover Mediabook look like an old Alchemy book from the 1800’s, with weathered edges, sepia toned pages, and magic / masonic / alchemy themed woodcarvings throughout.

It turned out fucking amazing!!

All album photos were done with our friend Travis Shinn who took some mind-bogglingly awesome photos, that again, were set to match the theme of the book with an old 1800’s / alchemy feel to them.

I’ve posted some pictures with this so you guys can get a sneak peak.

Enjoy maniacs!!

The special edition of the record will come with a hardcover book.

Flynn also released an image from the lyric sheet for the album’s first single “Killers and Kings” which was already teased when the band released a demo recording of the track.

Listen to the Demo for “Killers and Kings” here below.

Tour Dates

Machine Head will be hitting the road in North America with Children of Bodom, Epica and Batlecross for the following dates:

10/04/14 Denver, CO – Summit Music Hall
10/06/14 Dallas, TX – House of Blues
10/07/14 Houston, TX – House of Blues
10/09/14 Orlando, FL – Hard Rock Live
10/10/14 Atlanta, GA – Masquerade
10/11/14 TBA
10/12/14 Philadelphia, PA – Electric Factory
10/14/14 Toronto, ON – The Sound Academy
10/15/14 Montreal, QC – Metropolis
10/16/14 New York, NY – Terminal 5
10/17/14 Worcester, MA – Palladium
10/18/14 Cleveland, OH – Agora Theater
10/20/14 Chicago, IL – Concord Music Hall
10/21/14 Milwaukee, WI – The Rave
10/22/14 Minneapolis, MN – Skyway Theater
10/24/14 Saskatoon, SK – O’Brians
10/26/14 Edmonton, AB – Shaw Conference Center
10/28/14 Vancouver, B.C – The Vogue – Vancouver, B.C.
10/29/14 Seattle, WA – Showbox SODO
10/31/14 Oakland, CA – Fox Theater
11/01/14 Hollywood, CA – Palladium

Followed by a sweep through the U.K. with Devil You Know and Darkest Hour:

December 06 2014 – LONDON Roundhouse
December 07 2014 – LONDON Roundhouse
December 09 2014 – PORTSMOUTH Guildhall
December 10 2014 – BRISTOL O2 Academy Bristol
December 11 2014 – PLYMOUTH Pavillions
December 13 2014 – GLASGOW O2 Academy Glasgow
December 14 2014 – LEEDS O2 Academy Leeds
December 16 2014 – MANCHESTER Apollo
December 17 2014 – NOTTINGHAM Rock City
December 18 2014 – BIRMINGHAM O2 Academy Birmingham
December 19 2014 – DUBLIN Academy

We will keep you updated when the release date for Bloodstone and Diamonds is released.

Killers and Kings Demo