Bloodstone & Diamonds

Bloodstone & Diamonds
Studio album by Machine Head
Released November 7, 2014[1]
Recorded Jingletown Studios, CA, 2014 (Additional recording at Top Floor Studios, Gothenburg, Sweden, August 2014)
Genre Groove metal, technical thrash metal
Length 70:59
Label Nuclear Blast
Producer Robb Flynn, Juan Urteaga
Machine Head chronology
Unto the Locust
(2011)		 Bloodstone & Diamonds
(2014)
Singles from Bloodstone & Diamonds
  1. "Killers & Kings"
    Released: April 29, 2014[2][3]
  2. "Now We Die"
    Released: September 26, 2014[4]
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic96/100 [5]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[6]
Blabbermouth.net9/10[7]
Rock Sound8/10[8]
The Guardian[9]

Bloodstone & Diamonds is the eighth full-length studio album by American heavy metal band Machine Head, released by Nuclear Blast on 7 November 2014.[10] 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".

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.[11]

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.[12]

Reception

The album was critically acclaimed, 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."[9] In the first week of release, the album debuted at #21 in The Billboard 200 chart,[13] becoming the band's highest charting album ever.

Track listing

No. TitleLyricsMusic Length
1. "Now We Die"  FlynnFlynn, Demmel 7:10
2. "Killers & Kings"  FlynnDemmel, Flynn 4:32
3. "Ghosts Will Haunt My Bones"  Flynn, Demmel, MacEachernFlynn, Demmel, MacEachern, McClain 6:06
4. "Night of Long Knives"  FlynnFlynn 6:48
5. "Sail into the Black"  Flynn, DemmelFlynn, Demmel, McClain 8:29
6. "Eyes of the Dead"  FlynnFlynn 6:25
7. "Beneath the Silt"  FlynnFlynn 4:43
8. "In Comes the Flood"  Flynn, MacEachernFlynn 7:22
9. "Damage Inside"  FlynnMcClain 3:24
10. "Game Over"  FlynnFlynn, Demmel 6:36
11. "Imaginal Cells" (Instrumental) Demmel, Flynn 3:36
12. "Take Me Through the Fire"  Flynn, DemmelDemmel, Flynn 5:48

Credits


Additional personnel

Production

Charts

Chart (2014) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[14] 10
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[15] 6
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[16] 33
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[17] 35
Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[18] 39
Dutch Albums (MegaCharts)[19] 38
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[20] 18
French Albums (SNEP)[21] 35
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[22] 6
Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ)[23] 27
Irish Albums (IRMA)[24] 32
Italian Albums (FIMI)[25] 81
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[26] 67
Korean Albums (Gaon)[27] 99
Korean International Albums (Gaon)[28] 22
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[29] 38
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[30] 31
Scottish Albums (OCC)[31] 18
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[32] 63
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[33] 31
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[34] 7
UK Albums (OCC)[35] 18
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[36] 1
UK Rock & Metal Albums (OCC)[37] 3
US Billboard 200[38] 21
US Digital Albums (Billboard)[39] 19
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[40] 2
US Top Hard Rock Albums (Billboard)[41] 2
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[42] 4
US Top Tastemaker Albums (Billboard)[43] 10

References

  1. ↑ http://oi62.tinypic.com/2url3lj.jpg
  2. ↑ "MACHINE HEAD - Details for >>Killers & Kings... - Nuclear Blast". Nuclear Blast. Retrieved September 18, 2014.
  3. ↑ "iTunes - Music - Killers & Kings - Single by Machine Head". iTunes. Retrieved September 18, 2014.
  4. ↑ "MACHINE HEAD - brand new e-single 'Now We Die' out NOW!!!". Nuclear Blast Website. Retrieved 12 December 2014.
  5. ↑ Bloodstone & Diamonds at Metacritic
  6. ↑ Jurek, Thom. Bloodstone & Diamonds - Machine Head at AllMusic
  7. ↑ Van Horn, Jr., Ray. "Machine Head - "Bloodstone & Diamonds"". Blabbermouth.net. Retrieved December 6, 2014.
  8. ↑ Bird, Ryan (November 7, 2014). "Machine Head - Bloodstone & Diamonds - Reviews". www.rocksound.tv.
  9. 1 2 "Machine Head: Bloodstone & Diamonds review – visceral and emotional". theguardian.com.
  10. ↑ MACHINE HEAD To Release 'Bloodstone & Diamonds' Album In November
  11. ↑ http://loudwire.com/machine-head-new-album-2014-sign-with-nuclear-blast-entertainment/
  12. ↑ http://machinehead.tumblr.com/post/94641501848/machine-head-bloodstone-diamonds
  13. ↑ http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/machine-heads-bloodstone-diamonds-cracks-u-s-top-25/
  14. ↑ "Australiancharts.com – Machine Head – Bloodstone & Diamonds". Hung Medien.
  15. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Machine Head – Bloodstone & Diamonds" (in German). Hung Medien.
  16. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Machine Head – Bloodstone & Diamonds" (in Dutch). Hung Medien.
  17. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Machine Head – Bloodstone & Diamonds" (in French). Hung Medien.
  18. ↑ "Danishcharts.com – Machine Head – Bloodstone & Diamonds". Hung Medien.
  19. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Machine Head – Bloodstone & Diamonds" (in Dutch). Hung Medien.
  20. ↑ "Machine Head: Bloodstone & Diamonds" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland.
  21. ↑ "Lescharts.com – Machine Head – Bloodstone & Diamonds". Hung Medien.
  22. ↑ "Longplay-Chartverfolgung at Musicline" (in German). Musicline.de. Phononet GmbH.
  23. ↑ "Top 40 album DVD és válogatáslemez-lista – 2014. 46. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ.
  24. ↑ "GFK Chart-Track Albums: Week 46, 2014". Chart-Track. IRMA.
  25. ↑ "Italiancharts.com – Machine Head – Bloodstone & Diamonds". Hung Medien.
  26. ↑ "ブラッドストーン・アンド・ダイヤモンズ – マシーン・ヘッド". Oricon.
  27. ↑ "South Korea Gaon Album Chart". On the page, select "2014.11.09~2014.11.15" to obtain the corresponding chart. Gaon Chart
  28. ↑ "South Korea Gaon International Album Chart". On the page, select "2014.11.09~2014.11.15", then "국외", to obtain the corresponding chart. Gaon Chart
  29. ↑ "Charts.org.nz – Machine Head – Bloodstone & Diamonds". Hung Medien.
  30. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Machine Head – Bloodstone & Diamonds". Hung Medien.
  31. ↑ "2014-11-14 Top 40 Scottish Albums Archive". Official Charts Company.
  32. ↑ "Spanishcharts.com – Machine Head – Bloodstone & Diamonds". Hung Medien.
  33. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Machine Head – Bloodstone & Diamonds". Hung Medien.
  34. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Machine Head – Bloodstone & Diamonds". Hung Medien.
  35. ↑ "Machine Head | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart
  36. ↑ "2014-11-16 Top 40 Independent Albums Archive | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart
  37. ↑ "20141116 Official Rock & Metal Albums Chart Top 40 | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart
  38. ↑ "Machine Head – Chart history" Billboard 200 for Machine Head.
  39. ↑ "Machine Head – Chart history" Billboard Digital Albums for Machine Head.
  40. ↑ "Machine Head – Chart history" Billboard Independent Albums for Machine Head.
  41. ↑ "Machine Head – Chart history" Billboard Top Hard Rock Albums for Machine Head.
  42. ↑ "Machine Head – Chart history" Billboard Top Rock Albums for Machine Head.
  43. ↑ "Machine Head – Chart history" Billboard Top Tastemaker Albums for Machine Head.

External links

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