Machine Head will release their tenth studio album, Of Kingdom And CrownAugust 26 via Nuclear Blast/Imperium Recordings.
The album, which will follow 2018’s Catharsis, will include the three songs that were featured on the Arrows In Words From The Sky single, namely: Become The Firestorm, Rotten and Arrows In Words From The Sky.
Much of the album was recorded at Sharkbite Studios in Oakland, California with producer Zack Ohren.
Of Kingdom And Crown is a 13-track concept album set in a decimated futuristic wasteland where the sky is tinged with crimson red. The heart of the story rests on two main characters: the first is Ares, who loses the love of his life (Amethyst) and goes on a rampage against the nefarious sect responsible for his murder; the second is Eros, who loses his mother to an overdose and later becomes radicalized. Eros loses control and starts killing with all his might. The lyrics detail how their lives intertwine.
On “Why Do People Like Anime,” a podcast hosted by John Hill and Julie Hill, frontman Robb Flynn discussed how the Attack on Titan manga influenced Machine Head’s upcoming album.
He said (via Loudwire): “My kids never cared about cartoons, but when the pandemic hit, they went crazy for them. I settled in with them and started watching a few – some were brutal, weird, and psychedelic. I was like, ‘Man, this is crazy! Let’s look at this together. I’m all for it. So we started – the four of us were on the family couch watching cartoons on the big screen.”
“The link with the record lies in the fact that I wanted to make a concept album. I was writing a prototype. It originally revolved around two characters, and it was a very American story arc – with a good guy and a bad guy.”
“The thing that kind of opened my mind when I was watching Attack on Titan is that both sides of this story believe they are doing good, but they are both committing evil and atrocities. When I started to understand the concept of Attack on Titan, I was like, ‘Oh fuck, I should do the same for the album; I don’t need that nice/bad thing’.”
Additionally, Machine Head and Amon Amarth have planned a colossal European tour in September and October 2022, opening for The Halo Effect.
You can check the details of the French-speaking concerts below.
French concerts by Machine Head, Amon Amarth and The Halo Effect in 2022:
- September 16 – Switzerland, Zurich: Hallenstadion
- October 12 – France, Paris: Zenith
- October 20 – Luxembourg, Esch-sur-Alzette: Rockhal
- October 21 – Belgium, Brussels: Forest National
Read also : Listen to Scorpions’ new single, Hammersmith
“Why does Robb Flynn like cartoons?” :
Machine Head’s Robb Flynn explains how Attack on Titan inspired the band’s new album