Bloodstone & Diamonds
| Bloodstone & Diamonds | ||||
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| Machine Head studio album | ||||
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Publication |
November 7, 2014 |
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| Label (s) | Nuclear Blast | |||
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Title (number) |
12 |
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running time |
68 min 32 s |
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Robb Flynn & Juan Urteaga |
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Studio (s) |
Jingletown Studios, Oakland |
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Bloodstone & Diamonds is the eighth studio album of American thrash metal - band Machine Head . It was released on November 7, 2014 via Nuclear Blast and is the first album with new bassist Jared MacEachern and the first Machine Head album that was not released via Roadrunner Records .
Emergence
New bass player, new record label
At the end of February 2013, the band separated from bassist and founding member Adam Duce . According to singer Rob Flynn, Duce had long since lost his passion for the band and further work with Duce would have meant the end of the band. In an interview with German magazine Rock Hard , Flynn stated that the band was at a point where they either needed to stop or make a change. The remaining musicians selected eight candidates from the numerous applications for the post of bassist. Among them was Jared MacEachern, who previously played in the band Sanctity and a few years earlier helped out at Machine Head for a few concerts. After rehearsing together, the band invited the candidates to a dinner to get to know the people better.
“I liked other contenders better at first. Jared [MacEachern] had the same dry sense of humor as us and was really funny. And his singing also harmonized perfectly with mine. "
Finally, MacEachern was confirmed as the new machine head bassist on June 24, 2013. Since the band's contract with their previous record label Roadrunner Records had expired, the musicians negotiated with various labels. Ultimately, the band decided on Nuclear Blast Entertainment , a US- based subsidiary of the German label Nuclear Blast. Nuclear Blast Entertainment is headed by the former Roadrunner- A&R Monte Connor, who previously signed Machine Head twice for his old employer.
Songwriting and recording
Also in February 2013, the musicians start the first jam sessions for the new album, which Adam Duce was no longer part of. In April 2013 the band recorded the first demos together with Juan Urteaga . In order to gain some distance from the new material, Machine Head played on the Mayhem Festival tour in July and August 2013 and then sifted through the existing material. Flynn stated in an interview that after this tour the creativity only really broke out. Songs like Now We Die or Sail into the Black would often have been rearranged.
According to Robb Flynn, a lot of the music was created spontaneously in the studio. For some songs, 40 to 50 percent would come from a spontaneously recorded live take . Newcomer Jared MacEachern was partly involved in the songwriting and, according to Flynn, had to be slowed down by his bandmates. Overall, according to Flynn, all four musicians participated in the songwriting again.
The actual recordings for Bloodstone & Diamonds began in early February 2014. As with the previous album Unto the Locust , it was recorded at Jingletown Studios in Oakland . The studio is owned by the band Green Day . In an interview, Flynn cited the reason for choosing a studio because the recording studio is only a few minutes away from his house and the musicians were able to work without stress. During the recording, the band released several video messages to keep fans informed of the progress of the recording. The videos were more about the details of the production than the content of the songs. For example, there was a video about choosing the right snare drum. Among other things, the Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich provided a snare device valued at US $ 4,500 , which was then not used.
Was produced Bloodstone & Diamond by Robb Flynn and Juan Urteaga . The album was mixed by Colin Richardson and Andy Sneap . The album features two string quartets , including the all-female quartet Rouge , which was featured on the previous album's song Who We Are . An all-male string quartet can be heard on the song In Comes the Flood . When arranging the musicians of Rhys Fulber and Jordan Fish were from the band Bring Me the Horizon supported. After finishing the recording, Robb Flynn found that he had forgotten some leads . These were later recorded on the tour bus.
publication
The album cover was designed by the Brazilian artist Marcelo Vasco. The standard version contains the album on CD with a 28-page booklet . A limited version of the album contains a 48 - page booklet that is wrapped in a leather cover . According to Robb Flynn, the booklet should look like an old alchemy book from the 19th century . The album was also released as a double LP and as a download . An exclusive box set was offered via Nuclear Blasts Mailorder which, in addition to the limited album version, contained a T-shirt and a poster flag. The album was also offered in conjunction with an Epiphone guitar.
Previously, the band released the 10 "single Killers & Kings on the occasion of Record Store Day on April 19, 2014 . The single contains a demo version of the song Killers & Kings on the A side . For the B-side one was cover version of the song Our Darkest Days and Bleeding of Ignite in the style of medleys used. The single is limited to 2,000 pieces. There are 1,000 copies of each on red and blue vinyl, with 500 copies of each color having a different cover . The individual motifs are in the style of tarot cards, with the motifs of the copies appearing on red vinyl depicting the devil and death and those on the blue vinyl depicting a priestess and strength.
background
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According to Robb Flynn, the album title represents the two toughest materials that exist on earth. Also, the album title is included in the lyrics of the song Now We Die .
“In many cultures the blood stone is used as an amulet to protect against evil and as a symbol for justice . Diamonds are the hardest natural material on earth and show how I feel our music. "
According to Flynn, behind the title of the opening song Now We Die is the idea that death is also a rebirth at the same time . This theme would run through the whole album. Night of Long Knives deals with the murders of the Manson Family . Self-proclaimed cult leader Charles Manson and his followers were responsible for some gruesome murders in the late 1960s. Flynn had originally written three different texts for the song before he found the right subject. The text is about the question of what drives a person to such atrocities.
In the song In Comes the Flood , Flynn criticizes the constant hunt for money and fame of his compatriots. As an example, Flynn cited the pharmaceutical companies , which, according to Flynn, make millions and millions of people legally keeping people on drugs .
"As an artist, it is my job to hold up a mirror to society, even if what is depicted is not always pretty."
Flynn also missed the rebellion in contemporary music. In an interview, he named hip-hop bands such as NWA and Public Enemy as examples . In another interview, Flynn suspected that many musicians these days no longer dare to say something because a sponsor might drop out for the next tour. Game Over addresses the separation from the former bassist Adam Duce and the subsequent court case. The instrumental Imaginal Cells contains excerpts from the audio book Spontaneous Evolution: Our Positive Future and How We Reach It by Bruce H. Lipton and Steve Bhearman. Robb Flynn was introduced to the books by bassist Nick Schendzielos from the band Job for a Cowboy . According to Flynn, Lipton has waived payment for the usage rights.
reception
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Reviews
The German magazine Rock Hard named Bloodstone & Diamonds album of the month. According to Thomas Kupfer, the band "effortlessly manages the balancing act between the present and looking back at their own work". Bloodstone & Diamonds would be the "most multifaceted and most detailed machine head album to date". Since the band "has been setting new standards for years" and "has long been a trendsetter of a genre they have created themselves", Kupfer awarded nine out of ten points. For Matthias Weckmann from Metal Hammer magazine, the material seems “a lot livelier” and compared the album to the Machine Head album Through the Ashes of Empires from 2003. Since the “spontaneity of the early days and the urge for a metallic reinterpretation would be back “Weckmann awarded six out of seven points. However, Bloodstone & Diamonds , like the album Supercharger, was not named album of the month in contrast to the other albums in the band's history. Peter Kubaschk from the online magazine Powermetal.de was less euphoric . Although he praised the fact that Machine Head "was never more varied", he noted that "not every change and every experiment is a success". Kubaschk rated Bloodstone & Diamonds with 7.5 out of ten points.
Chart placements
Bloodstone & Diamonds entered the respective album charts at number six in both Germany and Austria. This was one place lower in Germany than the previous album, while in Austria the placement was repeated. In Switzerland , the album reached number seven, in the United Kingdom number 18 and in the United States number 21. In all three countries, new top positions were set. The album reached further chart placements in Australia (place ten), Finland (place 18), Canada (place 25), France (place 29) and Sweden (place 31).
Bloodstone & Diamonds sold around 18,200 copies in the United States in the first week after its release, beating its predecessor Unto the Locust , which sold around 17,000 times in the first week after its release.
Awards
The readers of the German magazine Rock Hard voted Bloodstone & Diamonds the second best album of 2014 and only had to admit defeat by AC / DC's Rock or Bust .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Marco Götz: Machine Head-Drama: Adam Duce was fired after all. Metal Hammer . Retrieved October 6, 2013 .
- ↑ a b c d Conny Schiffbauer: The perfect bassist dinner . In: Rock Hard , October 2014, page 7
- ^ MACHINE HEAD Announces New Bassist. Blabbermouth.net , accessed October 10, 2014 .
- ↑ MACHINE HEAD Signs With NUCLEAR BLAST ENTERTAINMENT. Blabbermouth.net, accessed October 10, 2014 .
- ^ MACHINE HEAD Holds 'Really Productive First Jam Session' For Next Album. Blabbermouth.net, accessed October 10, 2014 .
- ↑ a b c d Thomas Kupfer: A schnapps with the orchestra . In: Rock Hard, November 2014, page 14
- ↑ a b c d e f Tom Küppers: The brood of anger . In: Metal Hammer, November 2014, page 58
- ↑ a b c d MACHINE HEAD To Release 'Bloodstone & Diamonds' Album In November. Blabbermouth.net, accessed October 10, 2014 .
- ↑ Manuel Stein: Beginning and End . In: Legacy # 93, page 24
- ↑ Torben Brüderle: Great deeds of great masters! . In: Blast! , Issue 106, page 40
- ↑ MACHINE HEAD's ROBB FLYNN Says New Songs Are 'Definitely' Moving Band's Sound Forward. Blabbermouth.net, accessed October 10, 2014 .
- ^ Machine Head. Official Charts Company, accessed November 20, 2014 .
- ↑ Chart tracking Machine Head Longplay. (No longer available online.) Musicline.de , archived from the original on July 17, 2018 ; Retrieved November 20, 2014 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Machine Head in the Austrian charts. Austriancharts.at, accessed on November 20, 2014 .
- ↑ Machine Head in the Swiss charts. Hitparade.ch, accessed on November 20, 2014 .
- ^ Machine Head. Billboard , accessed November 20, 2014 .
- ^ Thomas Kupfer: Machine Head - Bloodstone & Diamonds . In: Rock Hard, November 2014, page 103
- ^ Matthias Weckmann: Machine Head - Bloodstone & Diamonds. Metal Hammer. Retrieved October 19, 2014 .
- ^ Peter Kubaschk: Machine Head - Bloodstone & Diamonds. Powermetal.de , accessed on November 6, 2014 .
- ↑ MACHINE HEAD's 'Bloodstone & Diamonds' Cracks US Top 25. Blabbermouth.net, accessed on November 20, 2014 (English).
- ↑ Michael Rensen: Reader Poll 2014 . In: Rock Hard, March 2015, page 54
