Ahead of a tour that brings two former members back into the fold, Machine Head's Robb Flynn teased a "vicious" new song called "Do or Die" in the upcoming issue of Metal Hammer, which hits newsstands Thursday (May 23).

In the interview echoed by Blabbermouth, the musician revealed the unreleased tune's impetus being the band's 2018 split with guitarist Phil Demmel and drummer Dave McClain. The parting occurred before the band announced the 25th anniversary tour for their 1994 debut, Burn My Eyes, a live run that will involve original guitarist Logan Mader and early drummer Chris Kontos. Read what the Machine Head frontman had to say about it below.

"I wrote the music for 'Do or Die' back in August, before everything happened," Flynn explained. "Two days after that announcement on Facebook Live, I was back in the studio and working on ideas and lyrics. I guess I was really just pissed off that day. After all the haters and all the negativity, all the bullshit. It's vicious!"

He continued of the new song, "I know a lot of our popular songs are very metaphorical, like 'Now We Die' and 'Halo,' and I love that. I love writing … violent poetry, if you will. But other times I just gotta get shit off my chest. Like [Hatebreed's] Jamey Jasta always says, 'It’s ignorant-ass Oakland Metal!'"

After turning his attention to the upcoming Burn My Eyes tour, Flynn revealed the commemorative jaunt wasn't solely his idea. In fact, it was Mader who initially suggested that original Machine Head members reconvene.

"Not long after I made the announcement … Logan texted me," Flynn recalled. "We've remained friends for a while now. He's been coming to L.A. Machine Head shows since 2004. … So he texted me, we ended up talking and he said, 'It would be cool to do something around the anniversary…' And I thought, 'Yeah, it would.'"

However, Mader and Kontos are both serving as session members for the tour and surrounding live recordings, with new tryouts for Demmel and McClain's contemporary Machine Head replacements already occurring.

But what about Demmel's claim that the band's situation was unhealthy toward the end of last year? Sidestepping any talk of bickering on that tour, Flynn said he attempted to draw attention to Demmel and McClain's talents.

"There were definitely emotional moments," he added. “But we did it. I tried to keep it classy. Every night on that tour I got people to chant the guys names in recognition of their contributions, and that's the way it should be."

See Machine Head's upcoming tour dates here.

Top 100 Hard Rock + Metal Albums of the 21st Century

More From KZCD-FM