ιδού τι λέει και ο Rob για το άλμπουμ στο ημερολόγιο του:
THE GENERAL JOURNALS: DIARY OF A FRONTMAN… AND OTHER RAMBLINGS
MACHINE HEAD - BLOODSTONE & DIAMONDS
There you have it. The new album title in all its glory my friends.
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 and 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.
Below is the track listing:
BLOODSTONE & DIAMONDS
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
10 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 your truly The General and Juan Urteaga, and like the last 7 out of 8 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 2 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 2 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!!
Εξωφυλλαρα, ωραια μας τα λεει ο Rob, ειμαι φουλ αισιοδοξος και περιμενω 3η στην σειρα τιτανοτεραστια δισκαρα. Τα 2 τελευταια τους θεωρω οτι ειναι οι κορυφες τους και ευελπιστω πως θα τριτωσει το “καλο”. Απο τους δισκους που περιμενω με μεγιστη ανυπομονησια.
Δισκαρα και το Through The Ashes Of Empires, απλα σαν συνολο δεν φτανει στα δυσθεωρητα υψη του The Blackening και του Unto The Locust. Αλλα ναι ειναι δισκαρα τεραστια και αυτο. Σημανε την επιστροφη της μπαντας και ηταν η αρχη της ανοδου στα υψηλοτερα σκαλια του metal κλιμακιου.
Το through the ashes πραγματικα τους ξανα εκανε μεγάλη μπάντα ( τι κορυφαιο live στο Gagarin ! ) ειδικά η έκδοση που εχει και αυτο μεσα http://youtu.be/K5T5OqAWRuk το κανει φοβερή δισκάρα. Οταν υπαρχει δίσκος που ξεκινάει με το imperium δεν εχεις και πολλα να πεις.
Το θεωρώ καλυτερο απο το unto the locust σαν σύνολο.
Ομως πανω απο 10 χρόνια τωρα δισκογραφουν χωρις μέτριες στιγμές , οποτε respect ! Περιμένουμε με αγωνία !
Επικό κομμάτι. Τα έχει όλα! Σε εμένα άρεσε η λίγη ορχήστρα που ακούγεται, δεν κλέβει την παράσταση άλλωστε. Μακάρι και τα υπόλοιπα του δίσκου να είναι σε τέτοιο επίπεδο.
Δεν ξερω πως θα ειναι ο υπολοιπος δισκος αλλα οταν ο Flynn ειχε πει οτι με το Blackening εφτιαξαν το δικο τους Master of Puppets, με αυτο το δειγμα νομιζω οτι φτιαχνουν το δικο τους Black Album…