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Gigging Northern Ireland had a chat with Machine Head - yep, that's right MACHINE HEAD(!!!) - ahead of their show in the Ulster, Belfast in early March. Talking about their Northern Irish (crazy) fans, their The Black Procession tour and the Machine Head songwriting process, we get a glimpse into the real Machine Head!

Thanks for taking the time to talk with us - let me start by saying thank you for coming to Belfast! How are you feeling about the show?

We're all SUPER excited about the show! Northern Ireland has their own brand of crazy and it's always a good show there! AND it's the last show of The Black Procession tour, so it could get stupid!!!

We have a bit of pressure of our shoulders since the Belfast show is the last leg of the tour.

There's no pressure for our fans in Northern Ireland. They're complete nutcases and we know it's gonna be amazing!!

This is the last tour Machine head will be doing in support of your last album 'The Blackening' - how have your fans received the album in comparison to the previous records?

The last two albums have been a fresh start for us. The four of us have a chemistry that is hard to find and I think it comes across in the music! We can't wait to get in the practice room and start writing for the next one!

So what is the songwriting process for Machine Head and has it changed any over the years?

We just get in the practice room and start jamming on riffs that we have. We'll give them stupid names and start combining things. We don't really write on the road, so for us, getting in a room together and just seeing what works and what doesn't is the best way for us.

Now for some general (and sometimes surprisingly brilliant) questions - what's the best show you've played as Machine Head?

That's an impossible question to answer. There are SO many amazing shows that we've had. Probably in the last year or so, Wacken and the UK, Sonisphere were back to back amazing shows!! Headlining Wacken to 130,000 people and then having our own plane to take us to England and do Sonisphere was a great moment in MH history!

In the world, who has the most insane crowd?

Another almost impossible question to answer! But I'll go back to the Wacken festival and seeing the circle pit of probably 5,000 people was just...[shocking!]

Now for another hard one - Slayer or Iron Maiden?

Maiden!! Maiden was the band that took me in a whole new direction. When "Killers" came out, it just floored me. I literally listened to it and only it for the whole Summer! Then seeing them open for Judas Priest on the same album tour was just amazing!!

How do you feel in general about most metal shows being for the over 18's, despite many younger people being heavily interested in the scene?

I guess it depends on the venue. We haven't had much problem with that, but I guess it happens a lot more in bars. I used to have a fake ID that got me in to the 18+ shows!!

Are there any new bands that you guys have been listening to and can recommend to our readers?

I would recommend All Shall Perish. They were supposed to be on The Black Procession tour, but their guitar player quit right before. Great band and "Awaken The Dreamers" is an amazing album!

The Northern Irish metal scene has a few gems too such as Residual Effect, Escape Fails plus many others, perhaps influenced by your music over the years. How does it feel to be an inspiration to younger bands who look up to you guys and aim to achieve what you have achieved?

We love it!! We're influenced by SO much! Younger bands, older bands. It's a great and surreal feeling when another band says they've been influenced by us. We've learned not to take ANY of our success for granted, so to have an influence on any band, kicks ass!

Gigging Northern Ireland says Machine Head play in the Ulster Hall on the 1st March 2010 with Hatebreed and Bleeding Through.

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