ROBB FLYNN explains why MACHINE HEAD stopped playing festivals for eight years
06-09-2022
On August 12, MACHINE HEAD played a surprise set at this year’s Bloodstock Open Air festival at Catton Park, Walton-on-Trent, United Kingdom. Three members of MACHINE HEAD — frontman Robb Flynn, bassist Jared MacEachern and drummer Matt Alston — who were in the U.K. rehearsing for their upcoming European tour, played a secret mid-afternoon set on the Sophie Lancaster Stage at the long-running festival. Polish guitarist Wacław “Vogg” Kiełtyka couldn’t join MACHINE HEAD at the show because he was scheduled to perform with DECAPITATED at Czech Republic’s Brutal Assault festival the same day.
One day after MACHINE HEAD‘s surprise appearance at Bloodstock Open Air, Flynn spoke to Oran O’Beirne from Bloodstock TV about the performance and MACHINE HEAD‘s return to the festival stage. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “To me, music is so much about a connection — it’s about making a connection with people. That’s always the goal with what we’re doing. We stopped playing festivals for eight years. That was my first festival in the U.K. in 10 years. And I stopped doing festivals ’cause I didn’t feel that connection with the audience anymore and I just needed to get my break from it.
“Obviously if every festival was like yesterday, I’d be like, ‘Fuck yes! This is fucking sick,'” he explained. “I mean, it was insane — just insanity levels of fucking mayhem. It was incredible. But you’ve also gotta do the festival circuit. That’s what people don’t realize. You’ve gotta go to Serbia (and) you’ve gotta go to Budapest.
“I was just talking to Chuck BillyandGary Holt from EXODUS and TESTAMENT yesterday, and they’re, like, ‘Dude, we’ve been out here for eight weeks. I’m done.’ They’re just frazzled. And they still have 10 more days here. And they’re just, like, ‘I just wanna go home. I’m fucking sick of it.’ And I get it — I get it, man. It’s fucking hard — it’s really hard doing the festival circuit.
“And so… I don’t know. Never say never,” Flynn added. “But for now, all that matters is that we did an awesome show yesterday, and that was it.”
MACHINE HEAD‘s tenth studio album, “Of Kingdom And Crown”, was released on August 26 via Nuclear Blast/Imperium Recordings. The follow-up to 2018’s “Catharsis”, “Of Kingdom And Crown” includes the three songs that were featured on last year’s “Arrows In Words From The Sky” single: “Become The Firestorm”, “Rotten” and “Arrows In Words From The Sky”. Much of the new MACHINE HEAD album was recorded at Sharkbite Studios in Oakland, California with engineer/producer Zack Ohren.
‘ØF KINGDØM AND CRØWN’ is a 13 track concept album set in a decimated futuristic wasteland where the sky is stained crimson red. The crux of the story is based on 2 main characters:
Character #1 Ares: (pronounced Aries), our main, who loses the love of his life (Amethyst) and goes on a murderous rampage against the vile sect responsible for her murder.
Character #2 Eros: (pronounced Arrows) the perpetrator, who loses his mother to a drug overdose and becomes radicalized in the aftermath. Eros goes off the deep end manifesting his own killing spree.
The lyrics detail how their lives intertwine.
MACHINE HEAD founder Robb Flynn comments:
“Thanks to my 2 teenage boys my family has become obsessed with this awesome Japanese anime series called “Attack On Titan.” The album’s concept was loosely inspired by the series in the sense that in the storyline, there is no “good” or “bad” guy, both characters believe they’re doing the right thing as it applies to their being, but make no mistake, both are committing acts of pure atrocity and evil. The opening track “SLAUGHTER THE MARTYR” is basically our character #1’s origin story.”
The colossal concept comes with a list of equally colossal packaging for various physical formats including 16 different worldwide vinyl formats, deluxe vinyl box set (with bonus tracks), CDs (both old-school longbox and jewel box options), multi-color cassettes, and a limited-edition Digipak with bonus tracks.
CDs, Digipak, cassettes, and all digital formats will be available on Aug 26th, with all vinyl formats arriving on Nov 25th.
ØF KINGDØM AND CRØWN
MACHINE HEAD
Track Listing:
1. SLAUGHTER THE MARTYR
2. CHØKE ØN THE ASHES ØF YØUR HATE
3. BECØME THE FIRESTØRM
4. ØVERDØSE
5. MY HANDS ARE EMPTY
6. UNHALLØWED
7. ASSIMILATE
8. KILL THY ENEMIES
9. NØ GØDS, NØ MASTERS
10. BLØØDSHØT
11. RØTTEN
12. TERMINUS
13. ARRØWS IN WØRDS FRØM THE SKY
ORDER MACHINE HEAD’S NEW ALBUM “ØF KINGDØM AND CRØWN” AT THIS LOCATION.
Catch MACHINE HEAD on the road across Europe, starting in August. For ticket information, click AT THIS LOCATION.
Machine Head & Amon Amarth “Vikings & Lionhearts” Tour Dates:
SEPTEMBER
08th NOTTINGHAM, Arena
09th CARDIFF, Arena
10th LONDON, Wembley Arena
12th MANCHESTER, Arena
13th DUBLIN, 3 Arena
16th ZURICH, Hallenstadion
17th VIENNA, Stadthalle
18th KRAKOW, Tauron Arena
20th TALLINN, Saku Arena
21st HELSINKI, Ice Hall
23rd OSLO, Spektrum
24th STOCKHOLM, Hovet
26th COPENHAGEN, Forum Black Box
27th HAMBURG, Barclays Arena
28th FRANKFURT, Festhalle
30th OBERHAUSEN, König Pilsener Arena
OCTOBER
01st BERLIN, Velodrom
02nd AMSTERDAM, Afas Live
04th MILANO, Lorenzini District
06th BARCELONA, Sant Jordi
07th MADRID, Vistalegre
08th LA CORUNA, Coliseum
09th LISBON, Campo Pequeno
12th PARIS, Zenith
14th MUNICH, Olympiahalle
15th LEIPZIG, Arena
16th PRAGUE, Tipsport Arena
18th BUDAPEST, Barba Negra
20th ESCH SUR ALZETTE, Rockhal
21st BRUSSELS, Forest National
22nd STUTTGART, Schleyerhalle
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