During a conversation with Ultimate Guitar's David Slavković, shred pioneer Michael Angelo Batio talked about his new album More Machine Than Man. Following is an excerpt from the interview.

Batio: "What I did with this latest record is: I said, 'You know, a lot of bands right now, especially instrumental guitars are doing very embellished songs, very dense, a lot of orchestration sounds, modern sounds,' and I said, 'I'm not doing that. I'm doing like Black Sabbath, 13.' And I said, 'I'm stripping this bad boy down, there's gonna be virtually no keys, this is the sparsest record I ever had'. And I was talking to Chris Adler (drums) about this the other day, he played on some of the tracks, and he's like 'Man, that's really good!' He's like 'It's really good!' (laughs). Because the drums are loud, the guitars are loud, there are no effects on the rhythm guitars, they're in your face, and my lead guitar sound is my normal sound - it's got a delay and things. I used to layer - one lead would fade away while another one fades in so live I had to compensate a little bit, but not this album. 

My approach to songwriting was really simple - I wanted it heavy, but even when I play seven-string I don't sound like crazy heavy, like other guitars. It's because I use Jazz picks, I'm sure of it. And even Andy James and I were talking about how he uses different guitar picks now, because of the sound. I like a certain sound, and it's me. 

I kept these songs a lot shorter; I did that purposely. I didn't want to make seven-eight-minute epics as I've done for many years, and I even tried with my playing, you hear really distinct melodies, and then the solo sections - some of the phrasing is asymmetrical and strange; I wanted it like that. So, that was the approach - to do the best songs I could, keep 'em heavy, keep 'em shorter, and really focus on the rhythm guitar parts and this raw, brutal sound. And I hope I did it."

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Batio will release More Machine Than Man on June 12 via Rat Pak Records. Watch a video trailer below, and pre-order the album here.

The album features 13 new studio tracks and is the highly anticipated follow up to 2013’s Intermezzo. More Machine Than Man is an all instrumental shred album that's sure to resonate with Michael’s past fans, as well as garner new fans along the way. From the infectious guitar riffs from album openers “Laser Guided” and “The Badlands”, to the crushing bonus-track finale of “No Backup Plan”. Michael has created something truly special.

Mixed and Mastered by longtime Batio engineer Chris Wisco, the album also features guest performances by Chris Adler (Lamb Of God), lending his drum skills on the tracks “More Machine Than Man” and “The Two Sirens”. Also appearing on the album is renowned bassist Victor Wooten who performs on “AVTD”, and guitar virtuoso Andrea Martongelli who guest solos on “The Countdown Is On”.

Regarding the release, Michael comments, "This is the most “in your face” album I have ever recorded. I limited the use of keyboards so you can hear the detail and precision of the rhythm guitars.  My goals were to write the best songs I could, keep the tracks as raw and natural as possible and make the grooves relentless!  I’m borrowing a quote by former Nitro singer Jim Gillette that I think describes More Machine Than Man perfectly – “If this album doesn’t rock your socks off, call the coroner ‘cause you must be dead!”"

With heavy rhythm riffs, blazing guitar solos and rock-solid grooves More Machine Than Man delivers all the power and punch that one would expect from this high-level player and is sure to be a favorite of shred lovers around the globe.

Tracklisting:

"Laser Guided"
"The Badlands"
"Put All Fear Aside"
"More Machine Than Man"
"Dreamin’ Of 1986"
"Beyond The Outer Limits"
"The Two Sirens"
"AVTD"
"The Countdown Is On"
"Rhythm Reprise (I Pray The Lord)"

Bonus Tracks (CD & Digital versions):
"21st Century Beck"
"Charlie Went To Chicago"
"No Backup Plan"