Machine Head frontman Robb Flynn has posted the latest entry in his General Journals, titled Roma; an excerpt follows:

"I have to say the band and crew had a pretty amazing off day in beautiful Roma, Italy. Everyone was able to get out and about as we visited the Coliseum, checked out Vatican Square, as well as visiting many of the cities ruins. At these beautiful locales we admired the sites as well as the statues of Imp Caesari (aka; Julius Caesar). My buddy Jern and I also visited the Sistine Chapel… where I was politely asked to leave a.k.a. I Got Kicked Out!

Once in, the art was breathtaking. The ornate marble sarcophagi (coffins) with biblical scenes carved on them, the frescoes on the walls and ceilings (often brutal in their depictions of violence), the massive tapestries hanging on the wall with So much detail in the hair and sun-rays, the woodwork on the giant window shutters, there is even a section of modern art that was really amazing, dark, disturbing imagery, with a vague 'Reign In Blood' vibe to it.

I’m not a religious man, but the effort that went into the art put forth by Michelangelo and the other artists was simply jaw-dropping to me! That so much effort and fine-tuning and revisions, and size of scale went in to getting a ceiling painting right, all in the name of Anything, let alone a mysterious man in the sky, is so damn impressive. As a fellow artist it is giving respect beyond respect.

I marveled at how many revisions Michelangelo must have went through on each piece just to get the perspective right. How many close up / faraway looks, color tints, revisions, entire scrapings of sections… the dimension, the scale... it’s so much to take in. That he did most of it lying on his back on scaffolding 100 feet in the air, working 4 hours, then sleeping 4 hours is crazy enough, but that it only took 4 years is even crazier.

The Sistine Chapel is a must-see-before-you-die type thing.

So, of course I had to document it and bring my video camera. The guards didn’t stop me one bit as I filmed everywhere and as I entered the Sistine Chapel I was journaling myself walking and taking 'you guys/ the viewer/readers' through what I was doing. In the midst of doing so it was then that a guard warned me in broken english 'no camera!' Of course I disregarded him. I don’t know what it is with me but when someone tells me not to do something that I want to do, that 'fuck you' button gets hit. So I just hung the camera around my neck and kept filming.

As I watched other people taking iPhone photos, I thought 'hey, why not… they didn’t get thrown out…?' When in Rome, right?

Now... maybe cause I already received a stern 'warning'... or maybe cause I had a Duff’s Brooklyn hoodie with 666 on the hood tied around my waist... but ya know... let’s just say I kinda stood out, and dudes were… uh... eyeing me. I snapped 3 iPhone photos, and security swarmed on me. Poor Jern and I got escorted out lickety-split-like which in the end was a good thing as there was a line to exit! So I saw it as a way to cut in line and get out first, LOL!!

I had to laugh.

When it was all over I just literally laughed out loud! Wow, I just got kicked out of The Sistine Chapel!"

Read more and check out Robb's photos at this location.

Machine Head have announced a second North American leg of their "An Evening With" tour. Says the band: “2+ hours of mayhem, crushing riffs and metal anthems are coming back this November and December!” Confirmed dates are as listed:

November
2 - Sacramento, CA - Ace of Spades
4 - Reno, NV - Knitting Factory
7 - Colorado Springs, CO - Rawkus
9 - Lincoln, NE - The Bourbon Theatre
10 - Sioux Falls, SD - The District
12 - Ringle, WI - Q and Z Expo Center
13 - Milwaukee, WI - The Rave
14 - Indianapolis, IN - Deluxe at Old National Centre
15 - Bloomington, IL - Castle Theatre
17 - Louisville, KY - Mercury Ballroom
19 - Columbus, OH - Newport Music Hall
20 - Grand Rapids, MI - The Intersection
21 - Guelph, ON - Guelph Concert Theatre
22 - Ottawa, ON - Ritual
23 - Rochester, NY - Water Street Music Hall
24 - Huntington, NY - The Paramount
25 - Hartford, CT - Webster Theater
27 - Portland, ME - The Asylum
28 - Asbury Park, NJ - Stone Pony
29 - Richmond, VA - The National
30 - Charlotte, NC - Amos' Southend

December
1 - Birmingham, AL - Saturn
3 - Ft. Lauderdale, FL - Culture Room
4 - St. Petersburg, FL - State Theatre
5 - Pensacola, FL - Vinyl Music Hall
8 - Shreveport, LA - Riverside warehouse
9 - San Antonio, TX - Aztec Theater
10 - Lubbock, TX - Jake's
11 - El Paso, TX - Tricky Falls
12 - Albuquerque, NM - Sunshine Theater
14 - Flagstaff, AZ - Orpheum Theater
15 - Tucson, AZ - The Rock
17 - Riverside, CA - Riverside Municipal Auditorium
18 - Ramona, CA - Ramona Mainstage
19 - San Jose, CA - Rockbar Theater