BareBonesMusic.com talked with lead guitarist Phil Demmel of San Francisco's MACHINE HEAD, backstage at the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival in Cincinnati. Agent eX asked Phil about the bands forthcoming album, Unto The Locust. Demmel talks about the recording process including working with guitarist and lead singer Robb Flynn and recording their album at Green Day's studio in Oakland, CA.

Watch the interview below:

Machine Head will release their new album, Unto The Locust, on September 27th via Roadrunner Records. The album artwork can be seen below:

Unto The Locust was recorded at JingleTown Studios in Oakland, California, with Machine Head frontman Robb Flynn producing. The album was mixed by Flynn and Juan Urteaga (EXODUS, SADUS, TESTAMENT).

Unto The Locust tracklistings:

Standard CD:

'I Am Hell (Sonata In C#)'

I) 'Sangre Sani'

II) 'I Am Hell'

III) 'Ashes To The Sky'

'Be Still And Know'

'Locust'

'This Is The End'

'Darkness Within'

'Pearls Before The Swine'

'Who We Are'

Special Edition CD+DVD:

'I Am Hell (Sonata in C#)'

I) 'Sangre Sani'

II) 'I Am Hell'

III) 'Ashes To The Sky'

'Be Still And Know'

'Locust'

'This Is The End'

'Darkness Within'

'Pearls Before The Swine'

'Who We Are'

'The Sentinel' *

'Witch Hunt' *

'Darkness Within' (Acoustic) *

* Bonus tracks

DVD:

- The Making Of Unto The Locust Documentary

Metal Hammer are set to release Unto The Locust on September 26th in the UK with a special edition fan-pack.

Complete with 132–page special issue complete with exclusive behind-the-scenes access to the making of the new album, extensive interviews with every member, never-before-seen historic shots from the band’s personal collections, a guide to their custom rigs, and a diary of their massive Mayhem tour happening this summer, this is the ultimate companion to the long-awaited follow-up to The Blackening, Metal Hammer’s album of the decade. And that’s not all. This exclusive fanpack also includes a 100% official patch, sticker sheet and poster. This is your chance to be part of Machine Head history!

“This is gonna be fucking awesome! It’s ridiculous,” says Robb Flynn of the venture. “I can’t believe that there’s going to be a magazine about us with a special edition of our new album. It’s pretty mindblowing, really. It’s something really fuckin’ cool for the fans, and it’s something incredible for us too. We’re all really stoked on this new record and we can’t wait for everyone to hear what we’ve been doing in the studio. Releasing it this way on newsstands (not just record stores) makes it way cooler! You guys know how to make magazines, man! People over here in the US need to look at the UK and how you make magazines.

“You guys make people care about this stuff and you’re real music fans. Get your niche and fuckin’ ride it! People want cool shit and cool interviews. We’re pumped about the whole idea”

Pre-order this special edition here.

The first single, 'Locust', is on sale now via Amazon. Click on icon below to hear a snippet of the song and to order.

Musically, the song is the essence of what Machine Head have been doing for nearly two decades.

"It feels like the culmination of what we've been doing for the last 17 years: power grooves, patented Machine Head harmonics, crushing guitars and dark melodies, but taken to a new level," Flynn said. "It's a natural progression from The Blackening, but different than anything on that record. In the past, when we debuted a new song, it was usually the fastest, thrashiest tune. This time we wanted to go with something just straight-up heavy."

The Eighth Plague Tour, headlined by Machine Head and also featuring BRING ME THE HORIZON, DEVILDRIVER and Darkest Hour, have added a December 1st date in Luxembourg at Rockhal. Tickets are on sale here.

The Eighth Plague Tour now includes the following dates:

November

2 - Oslo, Norway - Sentrum Scene
3 - Stockholm, Sweden - Arenan
5 - Tampere, Finland - Sorsapuistosali
6 - Helsinki, Finland - The Circus
8 - Fredriksberg, Denmark - KB Hallen
9 - Hamburg, Germany - Grosse Freiheit 36
10 - Dresden, Germany - Alter Schlachthof
12 - Vienna, Austria - Gasometer
13 - Milan, Italy - Alcatraz
17 - Lisbon, Portugal - Coliseum
18 - Oporto, Portugal - Coliseum
21 - Zurich, Switzerland - Volkshaus
23 - Paris, France - Zenith
24 - Neu-Isenburg, Germany - Hugenottenhalle
25 - Munich, Germany - Kesselhaus
26 - Ludwigsburg, Germany - Arena
28 - Eindhoven, Holland - Klokgebouw
29 - Brussels, Belgium - Vorst Nationaal
30 - Oberhausen, Germany - Turbinenhalle

December

1 - Luxembourg, Luxembourg - Rockhal
3 - London, UK - Wembley Arena
4 - Birmingham, UK - National Indoor Arena
5 - Glasgow, UK - Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre (SECC)
6 - Manchester, UK - Central