Unto the Locust is the seventh full-length studio album from American heavy metal band Machine Head, expected to be released on September 27, 2011 worldwide and in Australia on the 23rd of September.[1] The album was produced and mixed by Robb Flynn. Unto the Locust was recorded in Green Day's Jingletown Studios.[2] On June 14, 2011, Machine Head released the "advance mix" of their album track "Locust", which was included on the 2011 Mayhem FestivaliTunes sampler. On September 16, the album was leaked onto the Internet.
Special edition
The UK version of Metal Hammer Magazine have announced that a special edition fan-pack will be released by the magazine with a 132 page
special issue with exclusive behind-the-scenes access to the making of the album, extensive interviews with every member, historic shots from the band's personal collections, a guide to their custom rigs, and a diary of their massive Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival tour. It will be released in the UK a day earlier on the 26th.[3] This can currently be pre-ordered over at 'My Favourite Magazines'.[4]
Unto the Locust has been well-received by critics and fans.
Tour
The band will begin touring the album under the name of The Eighth Plague beginning 01/11/11. Support will come from the bands Bring Me the Horizon, Devildriver and Darkest Hour. Robb Flynn made a statement saying that "This will no doubt be the heaviest show you're going to see this year. A lot of the greatest shows of our last touring cycle were in Europe and the U.K., so the prospect of this lineup combined with these crowds has us extremely stoked to get out there and tear it up! New material, great venues, killer fans... we absolutely cannot wait!"[12]
The band are also to play two warm up shows, at Club Vegas in Salt Lake City, Utah and The Knitting Factory, Reno on the 5th and the 7th July respectively.[13] These dates will mark the first time the band have taken the stage since March of last year after the touring cycle for their last album The Blackening ended. The band performed on the 2011 edition of Rockstar Mayhem Festival, marking their 2nd time on the tour, as they were on the inaugural tour in 2008. They spent the first 9 dates on the tour from 7/9 to 7/20 playing the Main Stage, after which they headlined on the Revolver Stage spanning 7/22 to 8/14.
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