Machine Head Release New Song “Beyond the Pale”
Earlier this fall, Robb Flynn gave warning about the musical direction of the new Machine Head album, Catharsis:
“Lower your expectations for the heaviness, lower your expectations for the speed. This is… If ‘The Blackening’ was us at our most thrashing and aggressive, this is probably the most melodic and the most grooving we’ve been.
“There’s little thrashy bits here and there and it’s heavy, but it is a very groovin’, rocking melodic record.
“I’m telling you that, because I don’t want everybody to think that we’re dropping fucking ‘Reign in Blood.’ And I could tell you that if I wanted to, I could make motherfuckers think that we were dropping the heaviest 29 minutes of music ever, but this isn’t. This isn’t. And I want to be realistic with you and I want to be honest with you. It’s very melodic… For no reason in particular we just decided to write some groovin’, melodic songs and it’s fucking good man. It’s just really, really songs.
“A lot of the songs are shorter. We got a couple of epics—of course we have to have a Machine Head epic, or two, or three. But it’s some good shit man, I’m really fucking excited…
“I think it’s going to have two or three songs that are absolutely instant, and I think there’s gonna be quite a few songs that people on first listen are gonna be like ‘Hmmm, I don’t know about this.’
And in a month, or two months, it’s gonna be, you’re gonna be, you know: ‘That’s some fucking good shit man.’”
Two months later we get to hear what Robb was talking about in the form of a brand new track called “Beyond the Pale.” And ya know what, the guy certainly wasn’t exaggerating: it’s quite grooving, with a big, looping main riff, and it’s melodic, too, with a giant-sized chorus. It’s also quite heavy, and it sounds like fucking Machine Head, plain and simple. I can’t see MH fans not liking it. That said, we’ve been lucky enough to hear Catharsis in full, and “Beyond the Pale” is one of its more straight-forward tracks… you’re in for a treat!
Check it out below! Catharsis comes out January 26th via Nuclear Blast; pre-order here. Get Machine Head’s upcoming “Evening With” tour dates here.
