Radio Metal recently spoke with MACHINE HEAD vocalist/guitarist Robb Flynn about the band's new album, Unto The Locust. An excerpt is available below:

Radio Metal: The Blackening came out four years ago, so is four years what the band truly needed in order to promote The Blackening and make this new record? Because four years is starting to be a long time, and the fans were eagerly waiting for the follow up album.

Robb Flynn: "We toured for three of those years, but it’s just what happened. It wasn’t some grand strategy, it just ended up happening. We were ready to wrap up after about a year and a half and then, the Mayhem tour happened, and then the SLIPKNOT tour happened, and then the METALLICA tour happened, and that kind of kicked the whole thing off again, and we just rode it. Amazing opportunities, that were once in a lifetime dream come true things, so we came to Paris and came to France many times, we got to turn many people on to our band."

Radio Metal: With the huge success of The Blackening, we would have expected Unto The Locust to be in the same vein, but it actually isn’t. You’ve taken your music into new directions. Is it important for you not to repeat yourselves and explore new things?

Robb Flynn: "Very much so. We definitely did not want to write The Blackening 2. I mean, the whole last six months of the touring cycle for that record, all that we’ve heard, every day, every interview, was 'How are you going to top The Blackening?' you know, it was a great, huge moment, and we’re bigger than ever. One of the biggest metal bands in the world. For us it was about challenging ourselves, and write the record that would allow The Blackening to be what it was, and allow our new music to not get swallowed in the shadow of The Blackening. So we started challenging ourselves and we really pushed ourselves as musicians and artists and we feel like we came up with a great record that isn’t like The Blackening but is like Machine Head."

Radio Metal: Nevertheless, has the success of The Blackening and your experience in making this album had any impact in one way or another in how you made Unto The Locust?

Robb Flynn: "Not really, you know, it was something that we lived, and enjoyed, and when it came time to write it was… I think by the time we came to write, we had been touring for three years and doing 385 shows, it was kind of a relief to be done with The Blackening. In the long time that we were in that moment with The Blackening, and it was amazing, but when we were finally writing it was like 'All right! We’re moving on from The Blackening, fucking killer! This is great! I’m ready, bring on the future!'"

Click here for the complete interview.

Machine Head will release Unto The Locust on September 27th via Roadrunner Records. The album 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