The legendary Machine Head are finishing up their 2020 with a bang, dropping the heavy new single 'My Hands Are Empty' which you can hear below. It's a pretty significant release for them too, because it marks the first time that vocalist Robb Flynn has worked with the original Burn My Eyes guitarist Logan Mader in 24 years.
The song starts out slow like a distant, rumbling thunderstorm of haunting vocals, before it's all over taken by hammering drumwork and chugging riffs. It's a track that deals with the very real and serious problem of opioid addiction - watch the video below and continue on for Robb's statement:
“I have some family members who have beaten their opioid addiction, and have some still in the throes of addiction. It is painful to watch, and I deal with it with great difficulty. It is a song of sadness, but there is hope as well. I have beaten my own drug addictions and we can fight through this, together, and share our pain with the world.
Musically I wanted to go for a bit of a Through The Ashes Of Empires vibe, and it had a grandiose vibe from the beginning, something about that vocal melody haunted me day and night. I sent it off to one of our collaborators Joel Wanasek, and he came back with a whole depth and dimension with strings and keys that really made the song come alive. I added the guitar harmony in the chorus soon after and I knew we were on to something special.
'My Hands Are Empty' is the fourth single from the band this year, following 'Circle The Drain', 'Stop The Bleeding' with Jesse Leach (Killswitch Engage) and 'Bulletproof', a B-side from their latest album Catharsis.
Listen to Machine Head now.
