Machine Head recently shared the brand new track "Bastards" from their ninth studio album, Catharsis, out January 26th via Nuclear Blast Entertainment. The song was written the day after the most recent presidential election and was inspired by a conversation frontman Robb Flynn had with his sons.

In the new video below, Catharsis: The Documentary - "Bastards", Robb Flynn discusses the track with Dom Lawson:

A "poetry slam" version of the song, where Flynn delivers the powerful lyrics in haunting, spoken word fashion, can be seen below, as well as a visualizer for the original version of the track:

Catharsis was produced by Robb Flynn and recorded, mixed, and co-produced by Zack Ohren at Sharkbite Studios in Oakland, CA. Mastering was handled by Ted Jensen at Sterling Sound, New York, NY. Cover photography was created by Seanen Middleton.

“I feel like metal could really infiltrate the mainstream with this album. And it needs to... now more than ever. A lot of consideration went into making these songs more identifiable to a wider audience. Simplifying ideas, simplifying hooks, really concentrating on story-telling as opposed to ‘brutal poetry’ or whatever. And while I’d love to say it was all some grand plan, there was no ‘plan’,” says vocalist / guitarist Robb Flynn. “You never know where you’re going to end up whenever you start writing a record... you just write... but I tell ya what... we ended up with a landmark here. Whenever you finish an album, you always feel proud, but this time... we’ve got something really special. We can feel it. We know it. Catharsis could really elevate our genre."

To pre-order Catharsis and view the various formats and bundles available, visit this location

Catharsis tracklisting:

"Volatile"
"Catharsis"
"Beyond The Pale"
"California Bleeding"
"Triple Beam "
"Kaleidoscope"
"Bastards"
"Hope Begets Hope"
"Screaming At The Sun"
"Behind A Mask"
"Heavy Lies The Crown"
"Psychotic"
"Grind You Down"
"Razorblade Smile"
"Eulogy"

"Catharsis":

"Beyond The Pale":

Catharsis special edition bonus DVD tracklisting (filmed live at The Regency Ballroom, San Francisco, CA, 2015):

"Imperium"
"Beautiful Mourning"
"Now We Die"
"Bite The Bullet"
"Locust"
"From This Day"
"Ten Ton Hammer"
"This Is The End"
"Beneath The Silt"
"The Blood, The Sweat, The Tears"
"Darkness Within"
"Bulldozer"
"Killers & Kings"
"Davidian"
"Descend The Shades Of Night"
"Now I Lay Thee Down"
"Take My Scars"
"Aesthetics Of Hate"
"Game Over"
"Old"
"Halo"

Bloodstone & Diamonds World Tour 2014 – 2016 (Bonus Live CD for box set):

"Clenching The Fists Of Dissent"
"Take Me Through The Fire"
"Now We Die"
"From This Day"
"Ten Ton Hammer"
"Locust"
"Desire To Fire"
"Killers & Kings"
"The Blood, The Sweat, The Tears"
"Crashing Around You"
"Darkness Within"
"Imperium"
"Block"

Bloodstone & Diamonds World Tour 2014 – 2016 (Bonus Vinyl for box set):

Side One:
"Clenching The Fists Of Dissent"
"Take Me Through The Fire"
"Now We Die"

Side Two:
"From This Day"
"Ten Ton Hammer"
"Locust"

Side Three:
"Desire To Fire"
"Killers & Kings"
"The Blood, The Sweat, The Tears"
"Crashing Around You"

Side Four:
"Darkness Within"
"Imperium"
"Block"

Machine Head recently announced the first dates of their world tour in support of Catharsis. Confirmed dates listed below.

January
25 - Phoenix, AZ - Nile Theater
27 - Albuquerque, NM - Sunshine Theater
29 - San Antonio, TX - Aztec Theater
30 - Dallas, TX - Gas Moneky Live!
31 - Houston,TX - HOB

February
2 - Birmingham, AL - Saturn
3 - Pensacola, FL - Vinyl MH
5 - Orlando, FL - Plaza Live
6 - Atlanta, GA - Centerstage
8 - Philadelphia, PA - Theatre of Living Arts
9 - New York, NY - Playstation
10 - Boston, MA - Paradise Rock Club
11 - Montreal, QC - Club Soda
13 - Toronto, ON - Danforth MH
14 - Buffalo, NY - Town Ballroom
15 - Pittsburgh, PA - Stage AE
16 - Cleveland, OH - Agora
17 - Detroit, MI - Majestic
20 - Des Moines, IA - Woolys
21 - Madison, WI - Majestic
22 - Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue
23 - Chicago, IL - Concord MH
24 - Saint Louis, MO - Pops
27 - Denver, CO - Summit MH

March
1 - Las Vegas, NV - HOB
2 - Los Angeles, CA - Fonda
3 - Oakland, CA - The Fox Theater
5 - Portland, OR - Roseland
6 - Vancouver, BC - Commodore
7 - Seattle, WA - Showbox Market

(Photo - Albert Tatlock)