Machine Head released the single “Beyond the Pale” on November 17, 2017, introducing their ninth studio album, Catharsis. Its heavy groove and melodic chorus offered an early taste of a record that explored simpler arrangements and more singing. The music had arrived quickly; frontman Robb Flynn took much longer to decide what he wanted to sing over it.
“Beyond the Pale” was the second song written for the album. Flynn told Poland’s Interia.pl that its compact musical framework came together without much difficulty, but he struggled to find a lyrical subject that belonged with it. He tried seven versions, changing the chorus, subject and lyrics before reaching one he wanted to keep. That process made the song an exception among material that sometimes emerged almost immediately. The difficulty was finding its message, even after the band had music they liked.
The answer was belonging. Describing the finished song to Metal Hammer, Flynn called it “a straight-ahead Machine Head song, about embracing being outsiders and misfits.” That explanation gave the single a specific emotional center: identifying with people outside the accepted crowd and finding something to celebrate in that connection.
Clarity mattered across Catharsis. In an interview with Metal Covenant, Flynn explained that the band had been simplifying how the instruments worked together. A busy guitar part could sit over a straightforward drum pattern; a more involved beat could leave room for a simpler riff. He wanted the lyrics to be equally understandable, with stories listeners could follow and language closer to everyday speech. Complicated arrangements weren’t a requirement for every song.
The recording schedule also changed. Flynn produced the album, while Zack Ohren recorded, mixed and co-produced it at Sharkbite Studios in Oakland, California. Instead of completing all the writing before one extended recording session, the band moved between rehearsals and the studio. Flynn described recording roughly three songs at a time, capturing whatever was ready, then returning to writing. Unfinished sections could wait for another visit. He felt those shorter sessions helped preserve the energy of material the musicians were still getting to know.
That approach didn’t make the entire album easy to write. Flynn told New Noise Magazine that he hit a creative block about a third of the way through the process and struggled to come up with heavy riffs. The band kept meeting and working through ideas. He also cautioned listeners against expecting their heaviest record, emphasizing its groove and melody. “Beyond the Pale” introduced that broader direction through a song whose subject remained closely connected to the people listening.
Catharsis arrived through Nuclear Blast Entertainment on January 26, 2018, following 2014’s Bloodstone & Diamonds. The finished album contained 15 tracks, with “Beyond the Pale” placed after “Volatile” and the title track. Elsewhere, the band stretched into the acoustic setting of “Behind a Mask” and the folk approach of “Bastards,” giving the first single a place within a substantially wider musical range.
