Album
Catharsis
Catharsis is Machine Head's ninth studio album, released in January 2018 on Chaos Reigns. It follows Bloodstone & Diamonds from 2014 and is the first record since The More Things Change… in 1997 to credit every member of the band as co-writer. At 74 minutes, it is also the longest album they have made.
Stylistically, it looks back to the nu metal-tinged sound of The Burning Red and Supercharger, set alongside the heavy, alternative and groove metal that shaped the band's wider catalogue. That makes it one for listeners curious about the group's more divisive turns. It also marks the end of a line-up: drummer Dave McClain and lead guitarist Phil Demmel left in September 2018, citing their dislike of the album's direction and conflicts with Robb Flynn.
Catharsis: tracklist, credits and charts
15 tracks · 1:14:18Tracklist
- 1VolatileDemmel, Flynn, MacEachern, McClain4:38
- 2CatharsisDemmel, Flynn, MacEachern, McClain6:10
- 3Beyond the PaleDemmel, Flynn, MacEachern, McClain4:31
- 4California BleedingDemmel, Flynn, MacEachern, McClain4:12
- 5Triple BeamDemmel, Flynn, MacEachern, McClain4:41
- 6KaleidoscopeDemmel, Flynn, MacEachern, McClain4:03
- 7BastardsDemmel, Flynn, MacEachern, McClain5:04
- 8Hope Begets HopeDemmel, Flynn, MacEachern, McClain4:30
- 9Screaming at the SunDemmel, Flynn, MacEachern, McClain3:54
- 10Behind a MaskDemmel, Flynn, MacEachern, McClain4:07
- 11Heavy Lies the CrownDemmel, Flynn, MacEachern, McClain8:48
- 12PsychoticDemmel, Flynn, MacEachern, McClain5:01
- 13Grind You DownDemmel, Flynn, MacEachern, McClain4:06
- 14Razorblade SmileDemmel, Flynn, MacEachern, McClain4:00
- 15EulogyDemmel, Flynn, MacEachern, McClain6:33
- Produced by
- Robert Flynn, Zack Ohren, Robb Flynn
- Recorded at
- Sharkbite Studios, Oakland, California
- Mixed by
- Robert Flynn, Zack Ohren
- Labels
- Chaos Reigns, Nuclear Blast
- Length
- 1:14:18
Line-up
- Phil Demmel · guitar
- Robert Flynn · guitar, lead vocals
- Jared MacEachern · bass
- Dave McClain · drums (drum set)
- Charles Akert · viola · guest
- Philip Brezina · violin · guest
- Ivo Bukolic · cello · guest
Peak chart positions
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart · 2018 | 12 |
| US Billboard 200 · 2018 | 65 |
| Austrian Albums · 2018 | 3 |
| German Albums · 2018 | 3 |
| Swiss Albums · 2018 | 4 |
| Scottish Albums · 2018 | 5 |
| New Zealand Heatseeker Albums (RMNZ) · 2018 | 6 |
| Australian Albums (ARIA) · 2018 | 10 |
| Finnish Albums · 2018 | 11 |
| Portuguese Albums · 2018 | 11 |
All 19 charts
| Belgian Albums (Flanders) · 2018 | 16 |
| Czech Albums · 2018 | 19 |
| Hungarian Albums · 2018 | 21 |
| Polish Albums · 2018 | 21 |
| Belgian Albums (Wallonia) · 2018 | 25 |
| Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE) · 2018 | 25 |
| Canadian Albums (Billboard) · 2018 | 38 |
| Dutch Albums · 2018 | 41 |
| Italian Albums (FIMI) · 2018 | 52 |
From MusicBrainz and Wikipedia. Only what the sources record is shown.
50.5
Popularity (0–100, vs the whole vault)
1.5k
ListenBrainz listeners
19k
Wikipedia views, last 12 months
4.7k
Deezer fans (all editions)
Released the same week
Also released on 26 January
Every year →
More from Machine Head
Full discography →
Burn My Eyes
1994
The More Things Change…
1997
Take My Scars
1997
The Burning Red
1999
Year of the Dragon
2000
Year of the Dragon Tour Diary: Japan
2000
Supercharger
2001
Hellalive
2003
Through the Ashes of Empires
2003
The Blackening
2007
The Black Procession
2011
Unto the Locust
2011
B-Sides & Rarities
2012
Machine F**king Head Live
2012
Bloodstone & Diamonds
2014
Of Kingdom and Crown
2022
UNATØNED
2025
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More on Chaos Reigns
The label →
Releases and pressings
How we know the release date wikipedia 2018-01-26 vs 2018-01-24 (musicbrainz)
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 24 January 2018 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | 26 January 2018 | |
| Wikidata | 2018 | |
| Deezer | 26 January 2018 | |
| US release | 26 January 2018 | earliest US date |
13 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 January 2018 | JP | Chaos Reigns | 4562387205158 | original |
| 24 January 2018 | JP | Chaos Reigns | 4562387205134 | original |
| 24 January 2018 | JP | Chaos Reigns | 4562387205141 | original |
| 26 January 2018 | XW | Nuclear Blast | 727361351960 | other |
| 26 January 2018 | — | Nuclear Blast | 727361351915 | other |
| 26 January 2018 | XW | Nuclear Blast | 727361351939 | other |
| 26 January 2018 | — | Nuclear Blast | 727361351946 | other |
| 26 January 2018 | — | Nuclear Blast | 727361351977 | other |
| 26 January 2018 | US | Nuclear Blast | 727361351908 | other |
| 26 January 2018 | — | Nuclear Blast | 727361429591 | other |
| 26 January 2018 | — | Nuclear Blast | 727361351984 | other |
| 26 January 2018 | — | Nuclear Blast | 727361351922 | other |
| 26 January 2018 | — | Nuclear Blast | 727361351991 | other |
Cover art sources
coverartarchive · upscaled: minor: best source 1417x1417, upscaled to 1500 (x1.06)
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| coverartarchive ✓ | 1417×1417 | upscaled: minor: best source 1417x1417, upscaled to 1500 (x1.06) |
| deezer | 1200×1200 | upscaled |
| fanarttv | 1000×1000 | upscaled |