Sweden's Metal Shrine spoke with MACHINE HEAD drummer Dave McClain recently about a number of topics. A few excerpts from the chat follow:

Metal Shrine: The whole locust thing, where did that came from?

McClain: "Phil had these lyrics and when we first started writing… he brought some lyrics and the song was called 'Locust' and I thought it sounded really cool. It didn't mean anything to me at the time, but I just thought it sounded cool and then I started reading the lyrics and it's a metaphor basically for a person, an actual person, the type I'm sure everyone's experienced. This person just kind of floats into your life and destroys things for you and then is out of your life and just leaves you to pick up the pieces. It's a metaphor for a person because that's what… when locusts are swarming they're not really flying, they're just going with the wind and wherever they land is just like complete devastation and then there off to the next place. That's what it is! A metaphor for a person that does that."

Metal Shrine: How many songs were recorded? You’ve got seven songs and about 50 minutes of playing time and I know you recorded cover versions of a RUSH song and a JUDAS PRIEST one, but was there anymore original Machine Head material recorded that didn't make the album?

McClain: "Yeah, we had a couple of songs. There was one that I wrote the music for. We were working on it and Robb was working on it for a long time, lyrically and melodically and just trying to get a melody he was happy with. I wrote it to be a bit more of a mellow thing and I gave it to him and told him I wanted it to be kind of like 'Changes' by BLACK SABBATH. We kind of took it into this… there was a piano at the end and he started working on it and had this guy do some piano stuff and then he also put like these kind of little orchestra pieces on there, like cellos and violins and stuff, but Robb just never got to the point… By the time we got to the studio, we were so swamped with doing stuff that he never got to the point where he was happy with it. Maybe it will surface somewhere… Then there was this other song that we had. Me and Robb wrote it and it was kind of the same thing, it just never really took shape. It's a good song. A lot of the time, Robb tries a hundred different things with melodies and stuff, but it's not just up to par with the rest of the stuff. We'll leave it on the backburner for now and maybe somewhere it will come out."

Metal Shrine: Do you think Machine Head could ever do something in the vein of what METALLICA has just done with LOU REED? Could you ever see Machine Head do something that different music wise?

McClain: "Man… yeah, I could definitely see us doing something. I don't know about Lou Reed, I've never really gotten into him. I could see us doing something really different with somebody. I can't think of someone on top of my head, but yeah, sure there's some pretty different people out there. We could do something with PRINCE! (laughs)"

Read the entire interview here.

Machine Head's new album, Unto The Locust, will be released on the following dates:

Japan - September 21st

Germany - September 23rd

UK / Europe - September 26th

North America - September 27th

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

Is there a question you've been dying to ask Robb Flynn, Phil Demmel, Adam Duce or Dave McClain? With Unto The Locust ready to hit stores, the guys are offering fans a rare opportunity to get their questions answered directly by the band!

E-mail your question(s) to roadrunnerrecords@gmail.com by Monday, September 12th at 10 AM (EST). When and how will the band be answering? We'll let you know. Stay tuned!