Machine Head are set to release their ninth studio album, Catharsis, on January 26th, 2018. The video for the title track can be seen below.

Butoh dance is literally and figuratively the dance of death and pain. Born from Hiroshima / Nagasaki post-World-War-II-era Japan, the dance was created around the radioactive wasteland left behind in the wake of the nuclear bomb being dropped. Dancers would paint themselves in ash and take on a gaunt, deathly look. Facial expressions are agonizing and the body language is often deformed and contorted, expressing the pain and suffering that was a direct result of atomic warfare.

Frontman Robb Flynn explains, "'Catharsis' was a tricky concept to translate to a visual. How do you express somebody's catharsis? Frasier, the director, brought up the Butoh dance concept and it tied in so well into the idea of what catharsis could be. And when the Butoh dancers began performing for the video, we were blown away. Their expressions were so pained, almost horrifying, and yet very sad, it was extremely moving."

The other side of Machine Head's "Catharsis" video recounts the experiences of mental asylum patients. Oftentimes, in the '50s and '60s, people went through traumatic and regrettable experiences, and those vivid photos still linger today.

Flynn continues, "On a personal level, I related to this aspect. My uncle Jimmy lived with us for years while growing up. He had experienced some pretty severe drug testing when he was younger and didn't come out of it very well. For the rest of his life, he would do things like not eat for seven days straight and talk to Jesus all day. It was a trip to grow up with that at home. So, we took these disparate elements and turned them into a very cinematic and psychedelic visual to express that."

Furthermore, Flynn said, "Making videos is just fun now. There used to be a bunch of rules and around what you could and couldn’t do in a music video. Most of it was a boring performance, with us 'pretending' to play and sing the song. Now, it’s like making a crazy, whacked-out movie. You can get weird and strange and have a blast. We are super proud of how well this video tuned out!"

Behind the scenes, "making of" footage from the "Catharsis" video shoot has also been released.

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.

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"

"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 have announced the UK leg of dates of their world tour in support of Catharsis. All 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

May
13 - Southampton, UK - Guildhall
14 - Cardiff, UK - University
15 - Bristol, UK - O2 Academy
17 - Birmingham, UK - O2 Academy
18 - London, UK - Roundhouse
19 - London, UK - Roundhouse
21 - Nottingham, UK - Rock City
22 - Newcastle, UK - O2 Academy
23 - Glasgow, UK - O2 Academy
25 - Manchester, UK - Academy

(Photo - Albert Tatlock)