Released November 7, 2014 Artist Machine Head Label Chaosreigns | Length 70:59 Release date 5 November 2014 Genres Heavy metal, Thrash metal | |
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Recorded Jingletown Studios, CA, 2014 (Additional recording at Top Floor Studios, Gothenburg, Sweden, August 2014) Producer Robb Flynn, Juan Urteaga Similar Machine Head albums, Heavy metal albums | ||
Bloodstone & Diamonds is the eighth full-length studio album by American heavy metal band Machine Head, released by Nuclear Blast on 7 November 2014. This is the first album to feature new bassist Jared MacEachern who replaced founding bassist Adam Duce in 2013. Although the album doesn't feature a title track, the album gets its name from a lyric from the opening track and second single "Now We Die".
Contents
Background
The album was once again mixed by Colin Richardson with additional tracking, editing, and mixing by Andy Sneap and Steve Lagudi. All album art was done by Travis Shinn. Bloodstone & Diamonds is the band's first album not to be released on Roadrunner Records.
Lyrics and themes
Like with previous Machine Head releases, the album's lyrics detail political and social themes, particularly civil unrest, dissatisfaction and injustice, often with violent conclusions. "Night of Long Knives" is not about the Röhm-Putsch, but instead the Manson Family murders in Hollywood in 1969.
"Imaginal Cells" is an instrumental featuring samples from the audiobook Spontaneous Evolution by Dr. Bruce Lipton and Steve Bhaerman.
Reception
The album was met with great critical acclaim, with Dom Lawson of The Guardian writing "Striking an exquisite balance between brute force, insistent melody and bold experimentation, this is the finest mainstream metal album of 2014 by a huge margin." In the first week of release, the album debuted at #21 in The Billboard 200 chart, becoming the band's highest charting album ever.
Credits
Additional personnel
Production
Songs
1Now We Die7:10
2Killers & Kings4:32
3Ghosts Will Haunt My Bones6:06