Dave McClain Talks About "The Eight Plague Tour" & The Evolution Of MACHINE HEAD!

This past Friday (February 3), the might MACHINE HEAD took over the Best Buy Theater in New York City. Joining the Bay Area Metallers were Suicide Silence and Darkest Hour. Around 9:30, the mighty MACHINE HEAD returned to New York City after many years of not stepping on stage in the city that never stops rocking! Talk about a comeback show. This time around MACHINE HEAD brought with them an impressive aural and visual show that stimulated the senses of 2,000+ headbangers. Hearing their NEW songs live, proved to our ears that once again MACHINE HEAD has reinvented their musical craft with 'Unto The Locust'.

As oppose to other bands that wont perform a significant set time after having numerous albums under their belt, MACHINE HEAD pulled out their musical arsenal and included songs from every single one of their releases. An emotional Robb Flynn thanked New York City for always receiving his band with arms wide open, plenty of adrenaline, and tons of headbanging! Click here to check out our show review and a bunch of badass pictures!

Prior to the destruction that ensues when MACHINE HEAD steps on stage, we had the chance to chat with Dave McClain (MACHINE HEAD's drummer). During the conversation we discussed "The Eight Plague Tour", the bands musical evolution, and MACHINE HEAD's future plans. Check it out and spread the word!





MACHINE HEAD W/ Suicide Silence, Darkest Hour, Rise To Remain (Remaining Tourdates):

- 2/8, Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade
- 2/10, New Orleans, LA @ House of Blues
- 2/11, Houston, TX @ House of Blues
- 2/12, San Antonio, TX @ Backstage Live
- 2/13, Dallas, TX @ House of Blues
- 2/15, Farmington, NM @ Top Deck
- 2/16, Tuscon, AZ @ Rialto Theatre
- 2/17, Hollywood, CA @ Avalon
- 2/18, San Francisco, CA @ The Warfield





Video and photo credit: Steve Lars from Creative Ventures International & Steve Lars on Facebook

Related links:
Machine Head
Purchase Locust on Amazon
Purchase Locust on Itunes

MACHINE HEAD Return To New York City With “The Eighth Plague” Tour - Badass Pictures Available!

Machine Head are currently destroying venues all over North American on their first headline tour in four years. Their promise of reducing venues to piles of rubble and dust during “The Eighth Plague” tour, has definitely been kept so far.

This past Friday (February 3), the band took over the Best Buy Theater in New York City. Joining the Bay Area Metallers were Suicide Silence and Darkest Hour. Going into this show we knew that this lineup would be the perfect recipe for a night of musical greatness! While all three bands possess very different musical styles, they all share the same philosophy: put on a great show in order to make sure that everyone gets their money's worth.

D.C.'s Darkest Hour kicked off the “The Eighth Plague” New York City show at around 7:30 and took advantage of every minute they had to rock the hell out of the hundreds of headbangers. While their set was short and sweet, they definitely shook the entire floor up and got things warmed up Machine Head and Suicide Silence.

Then it was time for Suicide Silence to stomp on stage and devour ear drums. If there is a band that deserved to open for Machine Head this time around, that band is Suicide Silence. The Californian extreme Metallers never go on stage unprepared, because they understand how competitive the music market is today. Their live show is one to be reckon with and we predict many more years of musical madness for these young bucks.

Around 9:30, the mighty MACHINE HEAD returned to New York City after many years of not stepping on stage in the city that never stops rocking! Talk about a comeback show. This time around MACHINE HEAD brought with them an impressive aural and visual show that stimulated the senses of over 2,000 headbangers. Hearing their NEW songs live, proved to our ears that once again MACHINE HEAD has reinvented their musical craft with 'Unto The Locust'.

As oppose to other bands that wont perform a significant set time after having numerous albums under their belt, MACHINE HEAD pulled out their musical arsenal and included songs from every single one of their releases. An emotional Robb Flynn thanked New York City for always receiving his band with arms wide open, plenty of adrenaline, and tons of headbanging!

MACHINE HEAD's Setlist - New York City (February 3, 2012:

1) I Am Hell (Sonata in C#)
2) Be Still and Know
3) Imperium
4) Beautiful Mourning
5) The Blood, the Sweat, the Tears
6) Locust
7) This Is the End
8) Aesthetics Of Hate
9) Old
10) Darkness Within
11) Bulldozer
12) Ten Ton Hammer
13) Who We Are

Encore:
14) Halo
15) Davidian

So far Machine Head has exceeded all expectations and have definitely proven their elite status amongst today’s massive array of Heavy Metal artists. Actually, "Unto The Locust" doubled on the #54 Billboard Top 200 debut chart position of the band’s 2007 Grammy-nominated release, "The Blackening", Machine Head have topped themselves again with a remarkable #22 Billboard Top 200 chart debut for their new album, "Unto The Locust", with over 17,000 albums scanned. The band is currently gearing up for their North American tour.



MACHINE HEAD W/ Suicide Silence, Darkest Hour, Rise To Remain (Remaining Tourdates):

- 2/6, Norfolk, VA @ NorVA Theatre
- 2/7, Charlotte, NC @ The Fillmore
- 2/8, Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade
- 2/10, New Orleans, LA @ House of Blues
- 2/11, Houston, TX @ House of Blues
- 2/12, San Antonio, TX @ Backstage Live
- 2/13, Dallas, TX @ House of Blues
- 2/15, Farmington, NM @ Top Deck
- 2/16, Tuscon, AZ @ Rialto Theatre
- 2/17, Hollywood, CA @ Avalon
- 2/18, San Francisco, CA @ The Warfield







Video and photo credit: Steve Lars from Creative Ventures International & Steve Lars on Facebook

Related links:
Machine Head
Purchase Locust on Amazon
Purchase Locust on Itunes

Machine Head Unleash Promo Video For “The Eighth Plague” Tour!

Machine Head are ready to embark on their first headline tour in four years. They’ll be reducing venues to piles of rubble and dust during “The Eighth Plague” tour, that’s for sure.

Watch the band’s tour commercial and try not to headbang in the process. Watch it now, enjoy, and have your face ripped off!



So far Machine Head has exceeded all expectations and have definitely proven their elite status amongst today’s massive array of Heavy Metal artists. Actually, "Unto The Locust" doubled on the #54 Billboard Top 200 debut chart position of the band’s 2007 Grammy-nominated release, "The Blackening", Machine Head have topped themselves again with a remarkable #22 Billboard Top 200 chart debut for their new album, "Unto The Locust", with over 17,000 albums scanned. The band is currently gearing up for their North American tour.

MACHINE HEAD W/ Suicide Silence, Darkest Hour, Rise To Remain:

- 1/15, Denver, CO @ Summit Music Hall
- 1/17, Sauget, IL @ Pop’s
- 1/19, St. Paul, MN @ Station 4
- 1/20, Milwaukee, WI @ Rave Ballroom
- 1/21, Royal Oak, MI @ Royal Oak Music Theatre
- 1/22, Chicago, IL @ House of Blues
- 1/24, Columbus, OH @ Newport Music Hall
- 1/26, Portland, ME @ State Theatre
- 1/27, Montreal, QC @ Metropolis
- 1/28, Toronto, ON @ The Sound Academy
- 1/29, Buffalo, NY @ Town Ballroom
- 1/31, Pittsburgh, PA @ Stage AE
- 2/1, Baltimore, MD @ Ram’s Head Live
- 2/2, Philadelphia, PA @ Trocadero
- 2/3, New York, NY @ Best Buy Theatre
- 2/4, Worcester, MA @ The Palladium
- 2/6, Norfolk, VA @ NorVA Theatre
- 2/7, Charlotte, NC @ The Fillmore
- 2/8, Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade
- 2/10, New Orleans, LA @ House of Blues
- 2/11, Houston, TX @ House of Blues
- 2/12, San Antonio, TX @ Backstage Live
- 2/13, Dallas, TX @ House of Blues
- 2/15, Farmington, NM @ Top Deck
- 2/16, Tuscon, AZ @ Rialto Theatre
- 2/17, Hollywood, CA @ Avalon
- 2/18, San Francisco, CA @ The Warfield





Related links:
Machine Head
Purchase Locust on Amazon
Purchase Locust on Itunes

The Horns Up Rocks Top 10 Interviews Of 2011!

During 2011, Horns Up Rocks founder Jo Schüftan had the chance to interview dozens of artists about their various musical endeavors. While most of the interviews were very memorable, here are the 10 that caused the most impact within the Heavy Music scene. Here are the Horns Up Rocks Top 10 Interviews Of 2011!

10) Joey Zampella(Life Of Agony):

Life Of Agony is a proud member of the New York Hardcore community, and along with Type O Negative and Biohazard, they have become synonymous to the New York City underground music scene. On the exact day of our first year anniversary, we had the chance to interview Life Of Agony's guitarist Joey Z at Duff's Brooklyn!



9) Shawn Drover (Megadeth):

Megadeth has also proved that Thrash Metal doesn't stand any sissies and that only the strong survive. Many failed while fighting their own demons, but this legendary band found their way out of the darkness. You can't help admiring the fact that so many years later the band members are still in full vigor and at the pinnacle of their creativity. During these years Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival, we had the chance to interview Megadeth's drummer Shawn Drover about the Big 4, their NEW album titled 'TH1RT3EN' and about the impact that festivals like the Mayhem Festival have on the entire Heavy Music scene. Check it out!



8) Richard Christy (Death, The Howard Stern Show & Charred Walls Of The Damned):

During the Charred Walls of the Damned record release party for their second studio album entitled "Cold Winds on Timeless Days", which took place at Idle Hands in New York City. We were able to steal Richard away from his fans to chat about this epic NEW release, as well as his career in radio. We also discussed his relationship with the late great Chuck Shuldiner from the legendary Heavy Metal band Death.



7) Sal Abruscato (Life Of Agony, Type O Negative & A Pale Horse Named Death):

Sal Abruscato is synonymous to what the New York City Heavy Music scene represents: hard uncompromised work, original song writing, and not holding back when creating music. When we first heard A Pale Horse Named Death (his brand new band), our ears couldn't believe this man's vocal abilities. We had the chance to interview Sal at the Official Listening Party at Idle Hands Bar in New York City for the NEW album by A Pale Horse Named Death titled 'And Hell With Follow Me'.



6) Jamey Jasta (Hatebreed, Kingdom Of Sorrow & Jasta) and Shawn "Clown" Crahan (Slipknot):

Jamey Jasta is living proof that if you do everything in your power to accomplish your personal goals, you can live your own dream. This interview took place in Los Angeles, California, at the "Black Carpet" during the 2011 Revolver Golden Gods Awards, joining us in mid interview is none-other then Shawn Crahan # 6 (Clown from Slipknot) who discusses how Jamey Jasta reinvented Hardcore and Heavy Metal.



5) Geezer Butler (Black Sabbath & Heaven and Hell):

Here is an interview with one of the godfathers of Metal: Geezer Butler. This interview was conducted in Los Angeles, California, at the 2011 Revolver Golden Gods Awards. \m/



4) Devin Townsend (Strapping Young Lad & The Devin Townsend Project):

As we all know, Devin Townsend is one of the pioneers of "Progressive Metal", but when we chatted with him he made it clear that he doesn't sit back and enjoy his past success, for Townsend the most important thing is that his music is always evolving in order for him to keep bringing original music to the masses.



3) Vinny Stigma (Agnostic Front & Stigma):

Prior to the 2011 Black N Blue Bowl we had the chance to chat with Vinnie Stigma from the legendary New York Hardcore band Agnostic Front! During this interview, Stigma, who is the ambassador of New York Hardcore, talked to us about what it meant to be co-headlining such a historic event and about the NEW Agnostic Front album 'My Life, My Way'!



2) Phil Demmel and Dave McClain (Machine Head):

During these years Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival, we had the chance to catch up with lead guitarist Phil Demmel and drummer Dave McClain, to discuss with them the NEW Machine Head album 'Unto The Locust' and how they keep themselves focused while living on the road. He also discussed the impact that Mario Comesanas (RIP) had in the Heavy Music scene.



1) Vinnie Paul (Pantera, Damageplan & Hellyeah):

This interview took place in Los Angeles, California at the "Black Carpet" during the 3rd installment of the Revolver Golden Gods Awards. During the interview we talked with Vinnie about Pantera's legacy! So grab a black tooth and enjoy it!



We want to thank all the people who made all these interviews possible, and of course all of you for checking them out! In 2012, we're bringing all sorts of surprises your way, so stay tuned! \m/