San Francisco bashers Machine Head have checked in with the following announcement via Facebook:

"It is with great disappointment that Machine Head must announce the postponement of our North American tour this fall.

Our new album, Bloodstone & Diamonds, has taken longer to complete than expected and we had to make the difficult choice to either delay the album, let it go out as incomplete, or cancel the tour in order to properly finish and promote the album in the caliber it needs to be done. We decided postponing the tour was the best decision for the record.

We feel this record is a milestone, we have something truly special here, but getting there has been a challenge.

Our vocalist/guitarist Robb Flynn just returned from a press tour where he was playing rough mixes and incomplete versions of songs for the press just to try and keep everything on time for our November release date.

Refunds will be available for tickets at point of purchase. Look out for rescheduled American tour dates for the beginning of the year.

All European tour dates will remain as scheduled."

Machine Head will release their new album, Bloodstone & Diamonds, this November via Nuclear Blast Entertainment.

Frontman Robb Flynn: "I cannot even begin to tell you how proud we are of this album. It's been a heck of a ride. It looked like it might not ever happen again at one point, but man, this album is a milestone for us. You're going to love it Head Cases.

Without getting too philosophical on ya, Bloodstone & Diamonds, represent two of the hardest materials on earth, it is also a lyric from the opening track of the album, "Now We Die". In many cultures the bloodstone has been used as an amulet to protect against evil, and is the symbol of justice. Diamonds are the hardest natural material on earth (which is how we feel about our music), and it also represents the diamond logo I drew 22 years ago (in my wife's apartment on Dover St. in Oakland) that has become the symbol for the band."

Bloodstone & Diamonds tracklisting:

"Now We Die"
"Killers & Kings"
"Ghosts Will Haunt My Bones"
"Night Of Long Knives"
"Sail Into The Black"
"Eyes Of The Dead"
"Beneath The Silt"
"In Comes The Flood"
"Damage Inside"
"Game Over"
"Imaginal Cells" (instrumental)

"Take Me Through The Fire"

Flynn continues: "Ten songs, an interlude, and an instrumental with an audio collage of spoken word snippets (think "Real Eyes, Realize, Real Lies") by Dr. Bruce Lipton and Steve Bhaerman, taken from their (incredibly inspiring) audiobook, Spontaneous Evolution.

It was once again produced by yours truly The General and Juan Urteaga, and like the last seven out of eight albums, masterfully mixed by Colin Richardson. Additional tracking, editing, and mixing was done with heavy metal legend Andy Sneap and Steve Lagudi.

Guest musicians include two different string quartets featuring the original Quartet Rouge that appeared on our last album, Unto The Locust. And a new all-male quartet which we featured on the song "In Comes The Flood".

String arrangements for two of the songs "Now We Die" and "Sail Into The Black", came courtesy of myself and Rhys Fulber who has worked with everyone from Sarah McLachlan, to Fear Factory, and the string arrangement for "In Comes The Flood" came courtesy of myself and ex-Worship and current-Bring Me The Horizon keyboardist Jordan Fish, who is a producer in his own right.

We worked with several artists to complete the 28 page (!) "standard" CD booklet, as well as the 48 page (!) hardcover leather-bound Media-book that will serve as the special edition, including Rafal Wechterowicz, Marcelo Vasco, and long-time Machine Head art-collaborator Strephon Taylor. The theme was to have both CD and hardcover Mediabook look like an old Alchemy book from the 1800's, with weathered edges, sepia toned pages, and magic / masonic / alchemy themed woodcarvings throughout. It turned out fucking amazing!!

All album photos were done with our friend Travis Shinn who took some mind-bogglingly awesome photos, that again, were set to match the theme of the book with an old 1800's / alchemy feel to them. I've posted some pictures with this so you guys can get a sneak peak.

Enjoy maniacs!!"

Media book hard cover:

Check out Machine Head's complete updated tour schedule here.