MACHINE HEAD drummer Dave McClain is featured in a new interview with MetalKaoz.com. An excerpt is available below:

Q: In a recent interview, Phil talked about some problems the band had during The Blackening tour and he actually said that Machine Head almost broke up. So, what did happen?

McClain: "Yeah, there was one time in particular in Paris during the SLIPKNOT tour; Robb and Adam had some pretty serious problems and after we got off stage that night, Robb was ready to call it a day and just end everything right there. But he and Adam did some therapy together and kind of worked things out."

Q: Did you think that getting into a long tour like you did, would probably take a toll on the band?

McClain: "Well, we did not know that the tour would stretch out for that long. And then album snowballed into a big thing, something that all of the bands hope for, so we did not think that it would be/cause a problem. When we went on the road with METALLICA, the tour got an additional year, but to tell you the truth, it wasn’t that hard, since we had two weeks on the road and two weeks off; so there was time to take a break and get back home. After all the band was not constantly on the road for the entire period of time."

Q: The US tour is up ahead, so did you have anything to do with choosing the bands to go on the road with?

McClain: "Yes, we always think of what bands to bring along in order to form a good touring package but also to get along well with. Just like with SUICIDE SILENCE that we have already been on the road together, during the Mayhem tour with MEGADETH, plus we are friends. The same goes with THE DARKEST HOUR guys that we did the European tour together. For the first band on the billing I'd say that we had met with Bruce Dickinson’s son Austin a couple of times before, so we knew that RISE TO REMAIN would be a strong opening band. I am sure it will be cool! And sometimes we want something different on the billing, like we did when we had BRING THE HORIZON with us. I mean, there are heavy but still their image is something different from Machine Head."

Go to this location for the complete interview.

Machine Head are set to embark on their first headline tour in four years starting today (January 15th). They’ll be reducing venues to piles of rubble and dust during The Eighth Plague tour. Watch the band’s tour commercial below:

Tour dates include:

January

15 - Denver, CO - Summit Music Hall
17 - Sauget, IL - Pop’s
19 - St. Paul, MN - Station 4
20 - Milwaukee, WI - Rave Ballroom
21 - Royal Oak, MI - Royal Oak Music Theatre
22 - Chicago, IL - House of Blues
24 - Columbus, OH - Newport Music Hall
26 - Portland, ME - State Theatre
27 - Montreal, QC - Metropolis
28 - Toronto, ON - The Sound Academy
29 - Buffalo, NY - Town Ballroom
31 - Pittsburgh, PA - Stage AE

February

1 - Baltimore, MD - Ram’s Head Live
2 - Philadelphia, PA - Trocadero
3 - New York, NY - Best Buy Theatre
4 - Worcester, MA - The Palladium
6 - Norfolk, VA - NorVA Theatre
7 - Charlotte, NC - The Fillmore
8 - Atlanta, GA - Masquerade
10 - New Orleans, LA - House of Blues
11 - Houston, TX - House of Blues
12 - San Antonio, TX - Backstage Live
13 - Dallas, TX - House of Blues
15 - Farmington, NM - Top Deck
16 - Tuscon, AZ - Rialto Theatre
17 - Hollywood, CA - Avalon
18 - San Francisco, CA - The Warfield

Machine Head is putting together a comprehensive DVD for release in 2012, guitarist Phil Demmel tells Artisan News in the report below: