A recent issue of Rock Hard magazine in Germany included the following feature with Robb Flynn and James Hetfield while both bands were on tour together in Europe, written by Thomas Kupfer, with photos by Marc Villalonga, and transcription courtesy of Tom Trakas.
What immediately comes to your mind when you hear the word(s) Thrash Metal? What is your first thought?
James Hetfield: Early 80's, drinking, tackling each other, Ruthie's Inn, complete chaos, fun, no responsibilities (laughs), a lot of brotherhood back then. Just everyone having a great time, and destruction was a very big part of it. Robb Flynn: For me? I think of Metallica, that was kind of the first Thrash band I'd ever heard, though it wasn't called "thrash" back then. But yeah, Metallica, Exodus and Slayer were the three bands and being from the Bay Area we were just like, "METALLICA!" Then Exodus came along and we were really into Exodus! But at the time I was 14 years old and I was living in Fremont, California so me and my friend would sit in his bedroom until like 2 in the morning on a Saturday night pointing the antenna on our Radio Shack radio towards San Francisco hoping to get a signal to record everything we heard... James: On KUSF? Ron Quintana's Rampage Radio? Robb: Yep, KUSF.
How important was Ron Quintana for the whole scene?
James: Huge. He was the underground tape nucleus, I would say. If anything was worth listening to, he would have it or he would soon get it. He was responsible for sending stuff out as well, for us. You know the four track demos that we'd done, the 'No Life 'Til Leather' tape. His radio station, which was a college station you could get away with anything on it, he had this Rampage Radio Metal show which we guested on so many times. It was basically a hang. If there was nothing going on, no parties or nothing we'd just go into the city and invade the station! It was great! We'd spin records, he'd make us do, like public radio announcements, stuff about venereal disease, just whatever, it was a blast!
Do you still have those recordings?
James: No, I'm sure Ron has 'em though. It was a lot of fun, he was really like the Metal network operator, if you needed to know about a band he would know. He was the nucleus at that time, besides Lars who was the other very knowledgeable person.
So since we're talking about the beginnings of the Thrash Metal scene, do you guys have a special soundtrack that immediately comes to mind when thinking about those days or a special song or record that sums it up for you?
James: Well for me, yeah there was a lot of stuff that influenced us to kind of get us into the 'Kill Em All' feel. But when I think of it, besides [listening to] ourselves I think of Exodus, big time. I think of 'Bonded By Blood' the first record. Our manager at the time, Mark Whittaker was also managing Exodus... well he was our light guy, our pyro guy, our driver (laughs) he was pretty much "the guy"! I mean he was our landlord, as well (laughs) he took care of us once we went up to the Bay Area. So he managed Exodus so that's obviously where we got Kirk [Hammett] through that connection. But I would say 'Bonded By Blood' by Exodus was a great soundtrack to destroying your friend's house (laughs)! Robb: Exodus, I'll agree with that, I'll add Metallica and Slayer and then all the stuff that inspired those guys I got into after. But for sure 'Bonded By Blood', man, I lived and died by that record. Those songs and the fact that [Paul] Baloff was a freakin' madman! I mean, we'd go see them and it was so insane, those shows were so violent! We were still kind of like gangly kids going to Ruthie's and there's all these big dudes there just beating the shit out of each other, running or climbing across people's heads. I remember one of the first times I went to Ruthie's there was a dude running around in the pit and he had a cow's leg bone and he was just bashing people with it in the pit and I was like "what the fuck?!" (laughing) There were guys setting up chairs about fifteen feet away from the stage, then running from the rear of the club and using the chairs to launch themselves on stage, taking out the guitar player... and that was them showing affection! (laughs)
What made the Bay Area scene back then so special to you? Was it special to you? Did you realize it was special back then?
James: It was very special to me. Growing up in L.A. I knew how special it was, because I had been where it was non-special (laughs). I was in L.A. where the big hair and all the guys looking like chicks and we're [Metallica] there playing and trying to get some attention. So we're playing louder and faster and we're just stinky, sweaty kids trying to rock out, I would have to say the L.A. scene kind of helped develop our style. We were just so anti-it. So when we moved up to the Bay Area, when Cliff [Burton] agreed to join the band, we already knew it from the first time we went there to play, when Brian Slagel [Metal Blade Records founder] said "come play a Metal Massacre gig" up there. Cirith Ungol had cancelled so we ended up getting on the bill at The Stone and that's where Cliff saw us and we hooked up with him. But yeah, the scene, as soon as we went up there we noticed people there for the music, not for the chicks that were hanging out, not for the scene, not for the bar, it was for the music! They weren't hanging out at the bar they were at the edge of the stage waiting, for Metallica. I remember one of my first impressions of the Bay Area was a Metal fan standing there, there was a band that played before us, I think it was Bitch was the name of the band who were a little more Glam-oriented Metal. But this guy was standing there in his denim jacket with his back to the band he had a Metallica patch on his jacket. It was like "dude, this is our fan! We love you!" and it kinda grew from there. We would hang out and get to know the people in the scene and we would go to this place called Strawberry Hill in San Francisco. We'd go buy a bunch of booze and go to this hill in this big park and blast Motorhead, Tank, you name it, stuff that we all loved and just drink and headbang that was our scene. We were like a small little family who had similar problems and similar passions.
Was the scene dying down when you were coming up?
Robb: No not really, I got into it around the time of 'Ride The Lightning' when there was a lot of Punk Rock and crossover bands. My first show was the 'Ride The Lightning' tour at the Kabuki, and then my next show was D.R.I. at The Mab, at a time when D.R.I. only drew burly San Francisco skinheads. Me and my friend Leroy went with these two girls and they were into Punk Rock. So they took us to the show and we thought we had long hair at the time (laughs) so, you know, it'd be cool (laughs). The head dude of the SF skins was this dude named Dagger and the girls we were with were friends of his, and all he did was mean mug us the whole time! So we move into a corner near the door and we see this long haired guy come in, he pays his $5 and as soon as he's in the door, BAM! This skinhead drops him and screams "no long hairs!" and security drag him out. We panicked, we were like "Holy shit, we're gonna die!" (laughing) For the next hour we watched these skinheads just beat the shit out of each other to D.R.I. But it was like an adrenaline rush and surviving it was even better! So soon after we started reading and hearing of these other places these guys [Metallica] were playing like Ruthie's and The Mab and The Stone so we started going to these shows. We'd get rides from our friends older brothers, take BART, or get a ride from my Dad. My Dad was cool about it, he took us to the 'Ride The Lightning' show at the Kabuki. I made him drop us off like three blocks away so none of the other metal heads would see him. (laughs) James: Yeah, we hitchhiked (laughs). Robb: Hella! (laughing)
Is it true Machine Head were founded at or during a Metallica show?
Robb: Yep, I asked Adam if he wanted join a side project I was starting at the Day on the Green 1991. I was still in Vio-Lence but that's when I said I was going to start Machine Head and I wanted Adam in it.
When did you first take notice of Machine Head?
James: Well a lot of the early stuff is somewhat blurry, to me. There were a lot of bands that were playing at the time and I don't think I'd ever seen Forbidden Evil, or Forbidden is what they were called after you'd split... Robb: Yeah, when I left I took the "Evil" (laughs)... James: So you went on to Vio-Lence then? Robb: Yes... James: Well I certainly remember seeing Vio-Lence... they were part of the scene and it was another great gig to go see. The band title say's a lot about the scene at the time, you know? (laughs) It's tough though when a band or a guy like Robb is really trying to make it and he's going through a few different incarnations of a few different bands, after awhile it can get a little confusing. There's quite a few bands that, it's like whoa, "we're exchanging singers or were trading drummers, he used to be the roadie from that" now and it kind of became this game of everyone changing stuff. Eventually the cream rises and once Machine Head formed that was more intense and a lot more powerful, no doubt. I have to say that 'The Blackening' is one of the albums I put on and that's one of my favorites in my computer all the time... sounds weird to say "in my computer" but...
What do you like about it ['The Blackening'] the most?
James: It's solid, every song, it's very good sonically, very pleasing. The guitars are crunchy yet in your face and there's enough hooks and melodies to keep you going and the riffs... ugh!
What blows me away, and what I'm kinda jealous of every once in a while is the solos, the dual solos they're doing are off the charts cool. Also all the other singing, there's more than one guy that can sing in the band... I've been trying hard to get the other guys [in Metallica] to sing a little and it's like well, maybe it's better that you guys just play good (laughing)! You know we don't have to be like Alice In Chains or the Beatles doing four part harmonies, but I need a little help man, come on! (laughing)
Robb, what do you like most about 'Death Magnetic'?
Robb: I just love the spirit, it seems like they're just letting the music pour out of them which is how I interpret [is the way] it happened before. It just seems like they just went "let's take this riff and just fucking ride this, and let's put this part here and this is cool" you know? Something I noticed early on were they always had these slight time changes, like extending something to where it's four and a half or five and a half, it wasn't always just a straight 4/4. So there's all those little details that make their songs so interesting, the structures. It's obviously great to hear the Thrash stuff again... but I've also always been a fan of the melodic stuff they've done too. I just think it's a killer record, it's an honest record, I don't think they're trying to recreate the past so much as just letting the past flow through them.
I would like to talk about the first European tours you did, how as it coming to Europe for the first time and finding out how many people were already into Metallica? Was it mind blowing or was it expected?
James: Well a lot of the earlier touring we did we had some interaction with people from the UK, we played with Raven in the UK and we also did some shows with Venom, who were completely out of their minds. So we learned a bit of the slang and the way the people were and the way they viewed life... and obviously I learned the smells of Europe through Lars! (laughs) I learned his views on music and attitude towards life, I learned a lot from Lars. So yeah, I knew a little about the vibe but once you get there, I mean from the way buildings are put together or the way the streets are chaotic (laughs). I mean, they're old horse trails that are turned into roads! I come from the West where there are grids and you know where you're at. I remember after we'd recorded 'Ride The Lightning' we did the tour with Tank, and that was like a dream come true. My girlfriend at the time and I were huge Tank fans and I was on the side of the stage headbanging, every night. But yeah, I remember struggling through all of Europe, staying in little closets, you know those rooms where you open the door and there's the bed, you can maybe get your bag in there (laughs). All kinds of funny visions. I remember looking out the window and seeing someone's bag hanging out of their window in the courtyard / alleyway and thinking "that looks like Kirk's bag" and it was. He'd gotten crabs and had the bag hanging out the window trying to get rid of them (laughs)! Things like that, very cool memories. Festivals, doing the Heavy Sound Festival, seeing all these other bands, just walking around meeting bands like Ostrogoth and Tokyo Blade, you know bands from the early 80's and just thinking "this is sooo cool, I wish all my friends from back home could come over here and be a part of a festival like this."
How about you Robb, what was it like the first time here?
Robb: The first time I toured Europe was in 1994 on the Slayer run. I had no idea what to expect and our first show was in Dublin, Ireland. I remember we opened up with "Davidian" and every single person in the crowd screamed "Let Freedom Ring..." up until that point we'd never had that before, ever! We ended up outselling Slayer on merch that night, so it was like, "Europe is amazing!" (laughing) you know? But yeah we had fun, it was crazy and since it was our first tour we didn't have a legit bus, it was like this half bus, half van thing and it was the middle of the Winter and no heater. When we played these Eastern Bloc countries, man it was so fuckin' cold. You'd wake up to take a piss and the bathroom was on the lowest part of the bus floor above the wheels, and it was so cold you'd go to take a pee, and your pee being warm and all, would hit this frozen toilet bowl and you'd be standing there in this fucking pee steam cloud! (laughs). But the crowds were nuts, the people were so passionate and so into new bands and new music. It's also the first time we were ever mobbed. You'd wake up in the morning and there'd be like 100 people outside of the bus waiting for autographs, and all I want to do is drink some coffee and take a dump (laughs) but of course you take care of them. Like I said it was with Slayer and we were Slayer freaks so we got to watch Slayer every night, for like 85 shows. It was amazing.
Would you say that thrash Metal was your way to rebel against society or were you not thinking that far?
James: Yes. It wasn't on purpose though, it's just what we felt. When Robb talked about the early days of the crossover, when you'd go see Motorhead, you'd see spiked hair, not really the skinheads because they were more closed into their thing. But definitely a lot of punks were into Motorhead and I was not opposed to Punk music, not at all. I remember being at school and wearing a Scorpions shirt and some punk rock glasses, and the Rockers would say "take off those glasses" and the Punks would say "take off that shirt!" (laughs)! But eventually it all melded together, right? But really it [Thrash] was an escape from how my life sucked... it really was. My dad left when I was 13, my Mom died when I was 16, I was living with my brother while I went to the last few years of school and I had to change High Schools and I hated High School! There was nothing but jocks and if you weren't a jock there was no way you were going to have a date or get a chick. So I totally sunk into music and my guitar and the music was speaking for me. It spoke my language, it was my voice. I felt lost, I felt forgotten even. When I hooked up with Lars I was living at Ron McGovney's house, working at a factory making stickers and living off of some of the money I had left from my Mom, life sucked! But as soon as we played, life was awesome. We jammed and it all went away and we just took it from there. Then it became, like we have some strength, we have a mission, we have a little confidence and then we were kind of able to go against what we didn't like. When we started doing gigs, they noticed us because we didn't like what was going on, we didn't like what was being played or the scene or what was on the radio so it eventually turned into that.
Was it the same way for you Robb?
Robb: Yeah, we were getting into Punk Rock and we were getting into Metal. But when we started going to shows it was like I found people I could finally relate to. They were like me, they wanted to drink or get some speed or take acid, they just wanted to rage! It was such a release, I mean I'd be at the front of the stage headbanging for like an hour and twenty minutes and FUCK it was the hugest release! I remember watching him [Hetfield] and he was so pissed off! And we were so pissed off! (All laughing) It was like "Fuck Yeah!!" This guy knows what I'm thinking! Then we started playing instruments and emulating what we heard, especially because it was coming from our own area, we were just filled with pride, there was such a connection. I mean we'd go to a show and James Hetfield was there! This was a guy who we'd heard on a record so it was something we'd never experienced before! It was like Black Sabbath walked in the room or something, like he walked in and then he went into the bathroom... James: And you followed me! (laughing) Robb: But from our perspective it was a little different, I mean, when Vio-Lence's debut 'Eternal Nightmare' came out, you know, in 1988, Metallica were on '...And Justice For All' so we were just like snotty kids compared to them, they were almost adults! But yeah, there was a connection and the fact that they seemed so down to Earth, like a Punk Rock band or just so different from the major bands at the time, it endeared me and my friends... we never hung out with them, but you could go up to them and get an autograph or whatever.
That's another thing about the Thrash Metal scene I guess, the musicians were always very accessible and had a lot of the D.I.Y. attitude. Do you still try to live by those ideals in a way or is it just too hard to do it if you're really successful?
James: No, we're extremely involved in what we want to do, I mean do it yourself is Metallica's motto. Do it yourself, think for yourself and carve your own path, no doubt. We've done that since day one and there's been paths we've carved that weren't so great, you know everyone makes mistakes. But there's a dare to fail attitude about us that we can laugh about, and let the people who want to exploit that fact take the piss out of you and rip you down. Go for it! There's at least passion around it because it's oozing from us. We could never just let things drift off and be 'the machine' and let it roll and just let it live off its wake. That's not the artist part [and] that's where I get the satisfaction from, it's always been "we're doing it our way." I think a lot of that attitude does come from the Punk world. [It's like] you're a fan of that band, I know what it's like to be a fan, I'll say hi to you, you know? I might not want to stop eating dinner with my family to take a picture holding your baby or something... but! What I'll do is acknowledge you and say thank you. Because I know what it's like to be a fan and try to meet Lemmy who comes over while he's swimming in his Speedo and signs my autograph (laughs)! Robb: That sounds like a true story? (laughing) James: Oh totally! (laughing) And I go "Wow!" The word "rockstar" has become such a horrible word. It's applied to other things, like [TV] shows, about chef's or something [in mock voice] 'well you know he's the rockstar chef', it's a bad connotation and it always has been. When we toured with Ozzy and he's up there in the sparkly robe, that's not the Ozzy I wanted to see, you know? It came from that whole world of LA Glam that we didn't like. You were acting bigger than you were, you were above your fans, you were above everyone else and you acted that way. We never related to that whatsoever.
Same with you guys, right?
Robb: Yeah, like I said that very attitude was a huge influence on us. We admired it, we respected it and we try to carry a similar vibe. Because we were around that and we saw that, it did influence us. We've tried to keep that vibe throughout our career too.
Caliban & My City Burning Added To Luxembourg Show!
06.03.09
Just a quick note to announce that Caliban and My City Burning have been added to the bill for Thursday night's show in Luxembourg at Rockhal!
Duce to Miss Stockholm Show
05.02.09
Adam Duce is currently recovering from an emergency root canal to address a massive infection in his jaw, and as a result will miss Monday's Metallica show in Stockholm. Replacing Duce on bass for the show will be our good friend Jensen of local metal heroes The Haunted. Says Duce, "Apparently I've had this abscessed tooth breeding infection just above my mouth for a couple of years. The pain was tolerable and I didn't think to have it checked out. I went to the doctor to see if it was ok to fly, and she told me to go get some x-rays. My dentist found the abscessed tooth as soon as he looked at the x-rays and sent me to another dentist that could fit me in immediately for a root canal procedure. The dentist also informed me that I couldn't fly with that condition because, believe it or not, it could be fatal due to how close the infection is to my brain. I apologize to all the fans in Sweden for not being able to be there for Mondays show. Thanks for your understanding and I'll see you next time." Adam will return for Wednesday's show in Munich.
Megadeth & Slayer Co-Headline Tour!
04.27.09
Talk about a mind-blowing line-up. Slayer and Megadeth - two of the bands that defined the thrash/metal genre - will perform together for the first time in more than 15 years when they co-headline four shows in Canada in late June. The tour, dubbed "Canadian Carnage," will also feature Machine Head and Suicide Silence, and will see Megadeth and Slayer each closing two of the four shows. Tickets will go on sale Saturday, May 2, and will be available at all Ticketmaster outlets and at Ticketmaster online.
Few bands come close to matching the intensity that Slayer brings to its live shows, having been named "Best Live Band" by numerous media outlets including Revolver, SPIN, and Metal Hammer. Slayer - guitarists Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman, vocalist/bassist Tom Araya and drummer Dave Lombardo - is currently in Los Angeles recording its as yet untitled tenth studio album with Greg Fidelman producing and Rick Rubin executive producing. Fans were given an early taste of the brutal new Slayer material when "Psychopathy Red," a song inspired by the heinous Russian serial killer Andrei Chikatilo, who confessed to savagely murdering 56 children, was recorded last October and then leaked online. Attendees of "Canadian Carnage" will be treated to Slayer performing "Psychopathy Red" live on stage. Plans are to release the new album in July, in tandem with the Mayhem Festival tour Slayer is co-headlining with Marilyn Manson.
With over 20 million albums sold worldwide, the icon that is Megadeth culminated earlier this month, with Dave Mustaine's acceptance of the highly coveted "Golden God" accolade and the band's headline performance at the inaugural Revolver Golden Gods Awards in Los Angeles. Megadeth - lead guitarist/lead vocalist Dave Mustaine, lead and rhythm guitarist Chris Broderick, bassist James Lomenzo and drummer Shawn Drover - is currently recording their 12th studio album in Los Angeles with Andy Sneap. The disc is scheduled for release later this summer to coincide with a full scale world tour. Known for their ferocious live show, Megadeth will once again bring this intensity to their loyal throng of Canadian followers.
Bay Area titans Machine Head add to the carnage as main support. Machine Head - vocalist/guitarist Robb Flynn, guitarist Phil Demmel, bassist/backing vocalist Adam Duce and drummer Dave McClain - are currently touring in support of their critically-acclaimed and Grammy nominated The Blackening. Since its release, the band has been awarded both Best Album at the Metal Hammer Awards and Album of the Year at Kerrang's annual ceremony that same year. And with a fan base so rabid, they've actually been banned from certain U.S. venues, Machine Head will bring with them the relentless stage show they are renowned for.
There is little doubt in anyone's mind that Suicide Silence is one of the frontrunners of the new wave of American metal, a statement further validated as the group won the "Best New Talent" award at the inaugural Revolver Golden Gods Awards, held at Club Nokia in Los Angeles on April 7. The group was also hailed as the event's breakthrough artist by the L.A. Times, but make no mistake that this extreme juggernaut is not resting on its laurels and is about to take things up a notch with their highly-anticipated sophomore release, No Time to Bleed, which was produced by acclaimed producer Machine (Lamb of God) and set for a June 30 release.
Kerrang! Feature: "The Last Resort"
04.16.09
Kerrang! magazine recently published a 5-page cover story on Machine Head in their April 4th issue, exploring the conflict between Robb and Adam that was revealed in Robb's latest Diary. Read the text of Ian Winwood's excellent feature in its entirety below, and click here to check out the spread, including Paul Harries' great photos!
In December 2008 Machine Head were coming apart at the seams. Then they signed up for regular therapy sessions. Here's what happened...
The tour in support of Machine Head's sixth album, 'The Blackening', began in North America more than two years ago. Since that time the band - frontman Robb Flynn, bassist Adam Duce, guitarist Phil Demmel and drummer Dave McClain - have racked up more road and air miles than any band since Metallica toured in support of their own Black album at the start of the '90s.
In that time Machine Head have rounded the world many times over. In the United Kingdom alone they have shared stages with, amongst others, Metallica, Slipknot, Trivium, Mastodon, HIM, Arch Enemy and DragonForce. By the time the Bay Area thrashers return home from the road at the end of this coming summer, they will have been on tour for more than two and a half years.
Is it any wonder, then, that life has become a bit fractious?
It was on November 20 last year that things came to a head. The details of the conflagration need not detain us here - indeed Flynn and Duce, the two combatants, offer slightly differing accounts of what happened that night - but the essence of the story is as follows.
Someone Robb Flynn did not care for was set to attend that night's show. The frontman believed he'd made it clear to Adam Duce that this person's presence was not welcome at the show or in the dressing room. Duce, for his part, did not believe the issue was so clear cut, and felt that were this individual to attend the show he could be kept out of Flynn's way. This proved not to be the case, and when Flynn discovered the offending person in the dressing room he went nuts. Duce swears that he did not permit the man access to the backstage area of the Amsterdam Music Hall to spite his band mate, but the "the way [Robb Flynn] reacted you would think that I had done so".
[Adam's Note: "Just so it's said, it seems to me that the writer put a slant on this whole thing to make Robb look like the bad guy in this article. I want to be clear that neither one of us are exempt from ownership of the problem. I own at least 50% of the wrongdoing here." - Adam Duce]
The next day Machine Head traveled to Paris, where the fight continued. For a time the two musicians - who had been a part of the band since the release of the group's debut album, 'Burn My Eyes' in 1994 - weren't speaking. It was during this time that the frontman considered boarding a plane back to California and quitting the band entirely. Somehow, it had come to this.
This is not the first time Machine Head had incurred trouble within its ranks. Some years back drummer Dave McClain abandoned his post in an unseemly squabble over money, hurt and offended that Flynn had referred to him as "a 1-per center". Today McClain says that "life in any band can be difficult, and we're no exception".
So it would seem. In Paris, before Flynn could do a runner, the pair finally spoke and decided on a course of action, and that course of action took the form of therapy sessions.
The interviews for this feature took place separately, in a small, white-walled room inside London's 02 Arena, a few hours before Machine Head's special guest slot as support to Metallica. This is, of course, a coincidence, if not an irony. MH have not spoken to their Bay Area brethren about the time that they had their own very public meltdown. But if there are similarities there are also many differences. For one thing, there are the economies of scale: where Metallica paid therapist Phil Towle a monthly retainer totaling $40,000 - Flynn and Duce are working out their problems at a rate of $150 a session.
If there is something darkly humorous about this disparity - and there is - you can bet your face that this something isn't making Machine Head chuckle. When informed of the angle of this interview, Duce admits "We actually had a therapy session about whether or not we should do this." Things may be on the mend in the Machine Head camp, but their recent troubles are still, clearly, no joking matter.
When you were in Paris, what was your state of mind? Did you actually get to the point where you'd booked a flight back home?
Flynn: "No, I didn't book a flight. I was still in my hotel room. But I was up all night. I was too angry to eat or sleep, I was so angry I couldn't even go pee. In all of the time that I've known him I've never been so pissed at Adam as I was at that time."
You posted all this on your website, a strange thing to do, is it not?
Flynn: "Not really. I look at it as being like a diary. I think about what's going on in my life, in the band's life, and I write it down. It's a snapshot of that. We're a very honest band that tells people what's going on, and we tell them to hang in there with us. And the part of the diary that concerns [what happened between the two band mates] is only one paragraph long. But we played two shows in Paris, and by the time of the second show we'd had our fight and we were starting to work things out as best we could. He said that he'd never seen me as angry as I had just been and that it was time to clear the air."
Is there a part of you, Adam, that wishes this hadn't been conducted quite so publicly?
Duce: "Probably. But at the same time the information is out there, so there's nothing that can be done about that."
Would you describe Robb as being your friend?
Duce: "Yeah, I would. But I'd also describe him as being my brother, and brothers fight. We fight. Being in a band together and being friends for as long as we have, that's way more of a brotherhood."
Have you ever had a fist fight?
Duce: "No, never."
Can you give an example of some of the things that have occurred that have led you into therapy?
Flynn: "Well there are a million things. Amsterdam was just the last straw. If you've been in a band for 17 years, and if you've been friends for as long as we have, then there's lots of things that can happen. But the things that make him mad I would never think would make him mad. And the things that don't make him mad are the things that I assume would drive him crazy. So it can be very difficult to gauge. It can be like a minefield, and I'm sure it can be for him as well. I'm not saying it's his fault, or all his fault, because it's not. I want to be very clear about that."
Duce: "I think [Robb and I] have a very fat communication barrier between us. And because we've known each other for so long the way we talk to each other - or at least until recently - went from zero to 50 in no time at all. We'll be talking like you and I are right now, and then two seconds later we'll be yelling at each other. The thing is, he's not trying to press my buttons and I'm not trying to press his, but they've been pushed so many times that if you push a couple of them then the 'fuck you's' start to fly."
Flynn: "Adam and I are both alpha males, and we are both better at fighting than we are at talking."
Is there anything that has happened leading up to this, Robb, that you could identify as definitely being your fault?
Flynn: "Well, I would say that I definitely have control issues."
Do you try and control too much, and at other people's expense?
Flynn: "Yes, I do. And it can be reflected in a personal way."
And do you think that is resented?
Flynn: "Yeah, I do. I think my guys deal pretty god damn good with the attention I get. I'm the singer and so a lot of attention goes onto me. But I think I could have done a better job at deflecting that [attention], though. I try and share the credit out, but I might have done better with that. But I'm a control freak, I'm not denying that. I'm not saying I don't like control, I like it and I tend to take a lot of it. I think that's a good thing in some ways, but in other ways it's a bad thing. There's a line in there somewhere."
Machine Head's therapist goes by the name of Suzanne Slyman; she practices in Oakland, California. Ms. Slyman was already known to Robb Flynn, as she was the woman that mediated between the musician and his wife when the pair were having marital problems during the writing for 'The Blackening'. (Flynn will laugh at the suggestion that, with him, it's just one catastrophe after another.) Anyway, the frontman found the sessions to be "very helpful" (he's still happily married) and so naturally suggested Slyman be the person to help guide himself and Duce through their problems.
Slyman's workspace - the room in which they unveil themselves each session - featured a carpeted floor and comfortable seating. It is, Flynn says "very peaceful, very relaxing", with "a kind of holistic, kind of spiritual vibe." And it was here, on the week after the end of the tour with Slipknot at the close of last year that Robb Flynn and Adam Duce began therapy, each paying $75 per hour in order to find out what it is that keeps them apart.
When you suggested therapy to Adam, what was his reaction?
Flynn: "He thought about it for a couple of minutes and he said, 'Yeah, we should try that'."
In the therapist's office, do you lay down on couches like they do in films?
Flynn: "No, of course we don't do that! But the vibe she has is very relaxed. It's different from, say, [Metallica's former therapist] Phil Towle. I should add that this opinion is based only from what I saw on [Metallica's 2004 documentary] 'Some Kind of Monster'. And I'm not saying anything against Phil Towle, just that what we've got going is very different. And it seems to be working for us."
Did you have faith that undergoing therapy would work or were you skeptical?
Duce: "No, I definitely had faith. I definitely wanted this to work. These sessions are costing me $75 bucks a fucking hour! I want to get to the truth as quickly as I can!"
So what form did these early meetings take?
Duce: "Well, the first few sessions were about breaking the ice, and about getting to know the person we were talking to; and her getting to know us as well. But for the first few sessions Robb and I were communicating with each other in the way that we normally do. Now our therapist sees this from a therapist's point of view. She knows the technical terms for what it is we're doing to each other. And she explains these terms in regular English and explains to us what it is we're doing to each other. She's very careful to avoid using words such as 'co-dependency' and those kinds of terms. And then she offers us different ways of doing things.
If you don't mind me saying, Adam, you don't strike me as the kind of man who would be receptive to the idea of laying yourself open to a therapeutic process. I can imagine you being there with your arms crossed and a scowl on your face...
Duce: "Well, you shouldn't judge a book by its cover. People tell me I'm intimidating to talk to, but that's not the way I mean to present myself. All I want is for people to listen to what it is I have to say and to look me in the eyes when I'm saying it. But growing up the way I did, this isn't the first round of therapy that I've gone through. Between the ages of 11 and 18 I spent two four-month periods at home with my parents. The rest of the time I was in drug rehab, juvenile hall, group home, mental hospital... It's quite a list."
So do you think back on those times and think, 'compared to that this is nothing'?
Duce: "Yeah, that's right."
What kind of things have you been able to uncover in therapy that you otherwise might not have been able to talk about?
Flynn: "There's a lot of shit. And it sounds like [the incident in Amsterdam was] a reaction to one thing, but really it was a reaction to 1,000 things. Adam is a really strong dude, and I really respect that. He's got super strong convictions, and those are qualities that I admire. He quit smoking cigarettes, he quit smoking weed, he quit drinking alcohol - he's a very different person to the guy he was when we started. He used to be a really difficult person to be around when he was so fucked up all the time. But he cleaned up and straightened up. But sometimes it seems that he gets consumed with stuff at home that supersedes the band totally, you know. A lot of it had to do with trust issues, and him honoring, or not honoring, the things we agreed to. He doesn't like touring, and that's a hard thing to get your head around with a band that tours as much as we do. I was pretty sure he was going to quit in 2007 not long after [the Download festival], he just seemed miserable. When he broke his leg and we toured without him for the one tour, I think it helped him appreciate the band more, and it made me appreciate him more and what he brings to the band."
Adam, was there ever a time when you thought, 'Fuck this, I'm off!"?
Duce: "I didn't think about leaving [following the arguments in Europe] but I have thought about it. There have been times when I've thought, 'Well, if this is the way it's gonna be then I don't want to be a part of [the band]'. But I was 30 when I thought about leaving, and I'm 36 now. I haven't thought about leaving recently."
Given what you're currently going through, that seems surprising.
Duce: "Well I'm pretty big on winning and losing, and I don't like losing. I'm not fucking good at it and I don't try to practice it. Quitting at this point would just be one of the biggest losses that my life could possibly have. And I'm not going to play a part in that. I'm not just going to say, 'Okay, well, I lose'. To me quitting and losing are brother and sister. To quit something that I've been a part of for almost two decades is simply not acceptable."
How long do you think you'll need your therapy session for?
Duce: "That's difficult to say, but I can already tell that we interact with each other with more compassion than we did prior to therapy. Before, Robb and I were really quick on the draw, and now we speak a lot softer towards each other. How much longer is it going to take? I don't know. It took us a long time to get [to this point] so it might take a while for it all to unwind. But I do know that every time we go [to therapy] it feels as if we're accomplishing something. It feels like a good thing."
What do you hope to have achieved when they come to an end?
Flynn: "Well, for one thing, I think therapy has already taught us both that we don't want to lose [the group], that this is worth fighting for. I have my wife, my kids and the band. But the music business is where all the rejects find a home, you know? Both Adam and I are both pretty fucked up. We've both had very fucked up childhoods, similar childhoods in a lot of ways, and we're two guys who are used to not giving in. And we've been living on a bus together for much of the past 15 years - there were bound to be problems. It's a very dysfunctional way to live, and we started off as dysfunctional people in the first place. So there is stuff that we have to work through, and right now we're working through it. And that is a good thing."
So, given the circumstances, would you say things are going well for Machine Head right now?
Flynn: "Let's put it this way, the therapy is working. We're still a band."
Summer Festival Madness!
03.25.09
Summer festival season is right around the corner, and Machine Head have been confirmed for numerous shows across Europe, including headlining Wacken Open Air 2009, Storas Festival, Nova Rock and Tokaj Festival, as well as co-headlining with Marilyn Manson at Kobetasonik and Hellfest! The Head will also be playing Sonisphere UK, Spain and Finland, Rock Am Ring and Rock Im Park, playing with Korn in Berlin and Slipknot in Madrid... and there's even more to come! Check the Tours page for up-to-the-minute details, and stay tuned for more!
Machine Head Confirmed for Sonisphere Festivals!
02.27.09
Machine Head are confirmed for two Sonisphere Festivals, the first in Kirjurinluoto, Finland on July 25th, and the second in Knebworth, England on August 2nd! Both festivals will feature Metallica, Linkin Park, Lamb of God, Mastodon and many more! Says Machine Head vocalist/guitarist Robb Flynn, "Sonisphere is going to be a MONSTER of a festival. We are ready to RAGE, we are ready to ANNIHILATE, we are ready to make things fucking DANGEROUS! We are super proud to be a part of Sonisphere's inaugural run, and can't wait to play our first festival slot in the UK since the legendary Download 2007." Visit the Tours page for details, as well as SonisphereFestivals.com for more information!
Metal Hammer Slipknot/MH Feature!
01.28.09
Metal Hammer's Caren Gibson has posted a 5-part web feature on the Slipknot/Machine Head show in Tampere, Finland! Click here to check it out!
Machine Head Banner Contest!
01.28.09
Back once again is the official Machine Head Banner Contest! Debuting a couple years ago during the Heaven & Hell tour, the Banner Contest is simple: The band scans the crowd during their set for fan-made banners, and the fan(s) with the best banner are granted backstage access to meet the band after the show, where photos of winners with their banners will be taken and posted here at MachineHead1.com! To see banners from the last contest, click here!
Current Winners (click the names to view banners):
Guitar Hero: Metallica, the Metallica-focused version of the popular videogame Guitar Hero, will feature the Machine Head track "Beautiful Mourning" in its setlist! For more information, click here and here!
Happy Holidays!
12.21.08
The entire Machine Head family wishes you all a very merry holidays and the happiest of New Year's! Our sincerest thanks for an amazing 2008!
Machine Head Cancel Two Remaining Slipknot Performances
12.13.08
Machine Head have been forced to cancel their remaining two performances on the Slipknot tour in Antwerp and Luxemburg, in the wake of guitarist Phil Demmel collapsing onstage again during Machine Head's second-to-last song Friday night in Sheffield, England. Says bassist Adam Duce, "After considering the seriousness of Phil's health condition, we all feel that skipping these last two shows is the best thing to do. It's a bummer to end this tour like this after doing 9 amazing weeks and 3 continents with Slipknot, but getting Phil back to the States to get checked out is the most important thing right now. Our sincerest thanks to Slipknot and Children of Bodom for their support and understanding, we understand that it's a big disappointment to the fans, and Phil is very sorry about it, but we all feel that his health and safety is most important at this time." Machine Head plan to resume touring Wednesday in Los Angeles for the first of two Metallica shows at The Forum.
Demmel Okay After Collapse Onstage
12.12.08
Phil Demmel did indeed collapse onstage during Machine Head's second-to-last song Friday night in Sheffield, England. Says singer Robb Flynn, "He's doing much better now and taking it easy. As Phil has mentioned before, the doctors say he suffers from episodes of Cardiogenic Syncope and has for the last 17 years or so. We're all a little worried here in our camp, but Phil genuinely wants to carry on. It is a bit unclear to us as to why these keep happening, but at Phil's request, we will finish out all these dates through to Metallica in L.A.". Machine Head wish to extend our gratitude to the good people of Sheffield for their support and for being so understanding at the end of our show. Machine Head are still set to perform with Demmel at the last 2 remaining stops in Antwerp and Luxembourg.
Vote "Halo" for Best Metal Video of 2008!
12.02.08
MTV2 is currently accepting votes for the Best Metal Video of 2008, so click here and cast as many votes as you'd like for "Halo" now!
MH Cancel Copenhagen Performance Tonight
11.13.08
Tonight's Machine Head performance in Copenhagen has been cancelled as vocalist/guitarist Robb Flynn deals with a severe throat and bronchial infection. Slipknot and Children of Bodom will still be performing tonight in Copenhagen, and Machine Head will play Saturday's show in Berlin (Nov 15) as scheduled.
Having Trouble Finding The Blackening S.E.?
11.10.08
Hey folks, we need your help! We've been hearing reports from fans from all over that are having trouble finding The Blackening Special Edition in their local stores. If you've been looking for a copy and can't find one, we urgently request that you send us an e-mail with the store name(s) and address(es) in your area that are currently sold out.
"The Blackening" Re-Enters Australian Top 20!
11.03.08
After landing at #14 when it was released in March of 2007, "The Blackening" has re-entered the Australian JB chart at #20 this week after the release of "The Blackening" Special Edition! The new Special Edition features unreleased bonus tracks, rare live performances, music videos and more, and is available in stores now!
"The Blackening" Special Edition In Stores Now!
10.28.08
"The Blackening" Special Edition is now in stores worldwide! So get your bad self on down to your friendly neighborhood music retailer and snag yourself a copy of the record that is hailed by critics and fans around the globe as "a masterpiece", now featuring tons of killer "this ain't your average Special Edition" nuggets like rare bonus tracks, even rarer live performances, uncensored music videos and more! You can't go wrong! Click here to see all the reasons why you NEED "The Blackening" Special Edition!
See The New "Hallowed Be Thy Name" Video!
10.27.08
Check out the brand new video for Machine Head's cover of Iron Maiden's "Hallowed Be Thy Name", brilliantly directed once again by Mike Sloat (Halo, Now I Lay Thee Down, Aesthetics Of Hate), available now on the Media page! Originally appearing on Kerrang's "Maiden Heaven" tribute CD, the song is now being released as a bonus track on "The Blackening" Special Edition, due in stores today overseas, tomorrow stateside! Click here for details!
Pre-Order The Blackening Special Edition!
10.22.08
Pre-order your copy of "The Blackening" Special Edition now! Click the following links, depending on where you live:
Get your second sneak peek at a clip from the DVD included with the upcoming "The Blackening" Special Edition exclusively at MTV's Headbanger's Blog, featuring Machine Head's performance of "Aesthetics Of Hate" from this year's Rock In Rio! For more details on "The Blackening" Special Edition, click here, and be sure to grab your copy when it hits stores on October 28th! Stay tuned for pre-order details...
Machine Head Main Support For Euro Metallica Dates!
10.20.08
Machine Head will serve as main support for Metallica during their European tour! Head over to the Tours page for specific dates and details!
Exclusive MH DVD Preview at Revolver!
10.15.08
Get a sneak peek at a new clip from the DVD included with the upcoming "The Blackening" Special Edition exclusively at Revolver's website, featuring Machine Head's performance of "Blood For Blood" from 2004's Burn My Eyes 10th Anniversary show in Philadelphia! For more details on "The Blackening" Special Edition, click here, and be sure to grab your copy when it hits stores on October 28th!
Machine Head Main Support For L.A. Metallica Dates!
10.01.08
Machine Head will serve as main support for Metallica at both Los Angeles shows on December 17th and 18th at The Forum! Head over to the Tours page for details!
Machine Head To Headline Wacken 2009!
09.20.08
Machine Head can officially confirm that they will be headlining the 20th annual Wacken Open Air festival in Wacken, Germany on August 1st, 2009!
For tickets, click here.
"The Blackening" Special Edition Announced!
09.11.08
Machine Head are proud to announce the release of the Special Edition version of their Grammy-nominated album "The Blackening"! Hailed unanimously around the world as the best metal album of 2007 by journalists, metal radio stations and fans alike, "The Blackening" Special Edition will deliver the original epic album alongside a wealth of extras, including rare bonus tracks such as a cover of Iron Maiden's "Hallowed Be Thy Name", over an hour of live performance footage from With Full Force, Download and Rock in Rio festivals, three uncensored music videos for "Aesthetics of Hate," "Now I Lay Thee Down" and "Halo," a "making of" featurette for each video and new, expanded artwork. Plus, what many hardcore fans have been rabidly waiting for, 4 never-before-seen performances of Machine Head celebrating the 10th anniversary of their debut album, Burn My Eyes, captured in Philadelphia in 2004! This Special Edition is a must-have for every Machine Head fan, as well as the ultimate introduction to the album that Metallica's James Hetfield calls "Unbelievable. Unbelievable sound, power. It sounds like a band on fire. They have really turned it on again for me."
"The Blackening" Special Edition will arrive in stores on October 28th (October 27th outside of the U.S.), and will be available with certain extras depending on where you live. Details are outlined below, followed by a preview snippet of the DVD featuring Machine Head's performance at With Full Force 2008. Click here to check out the cover art.
01. Clenching The Fists of Dissent
02. Beautiful Mourning
03. Aesthetics Of Hate
04. Now I Lay Thee Down
05. Slanderous
06. Halo
07. Wolves
08. A Farewell To Arms
09. Hallowed Be Thy Name [Iron Maiden cover] *
10. Battery [Metallica cover] *
* Bonus Track
DVD - Live Performances & Videos
The Making Of The Blackening
Live performances:
- Clenching The Fists Of Dissent (With Full Force 2008)
- Now I Lay Thee Down (With Full Force 2008)
- Halo (With Full Force 2008)
- Aesthetics Of Hate (Rock In Rio 2008)
- Davidian (Rock In Rio 2008)
- Imperium (Download 2007)
- Old (Download 2007)
- A Thousand Lies (Burn My Eyes 10th Anniversary 2004)
- The Rage To Overcome (Burn My Eyes 10th Anniversary 2004)
- Death Church (Burn My Eyes 10th Anniversary 2004)
- Blood For Blood (Burn My Eyes 10th Anniversary 2004)
Uncensored & Unedited Music Videos:
- Halo
- Now I Lay Thee Down
- Aesthetics Of Hate
- The Making of Halo
- The Making of Now I Lay Thee Down
- The Making of Aesthetics Of Hate
International Special Edition 3-Disc 2CD/DVD
CD1 - The Blackening
01. Clenching The Fists of Dissent
02. Beautiful Mourning
03. Aesthetics Of Hate
04. Now I Lay Thee Down
05. Slanderous
06. Halo
07. Wolves
08. A Farewell To Arms
CD2 - B-Sides & Rarities 1994-2008
01. Hallowed Be Thy Name [Iron Maiden cover]
02. Alan's On Fire [Poison Idea cover]
03. Negative Creep [Nirvana cover]
04. Seasons Wither
05. My Misery [1997]
06. House Of Suffering [Bad Brains cover]
07. The Possibility Of Life's Destruction [Discharge cover]
08. Ten Ton Hammer [Original Extended Studio Mix] *
09. Hole In The Sky [Black Sabbath cover]
10. Colors [Ice-T cover]
11. Hard Times (Live) [Cro-Mags cover]
12. Halo (I Want Your Soul) [Demo] *
13. Aesthetics Of Hate (Thrash-terpiece) [Demo] *
* Previously Unreleased
DVD - Live Performances & Videos
Live performances:
- Clenching The Fists Of Dissent (With Full Force 2008)
- Now I Lay Thee Down (With Full Force 2008)
- Halo (With Full Force 2008)
- Aesthetics Of Hate (Rock In Rio 2008)
- Davidian (Rock In Rio 2008)
- Imperium (Download 2007)
- Old (Download 2007)
- A Thousand Lies (Burn My Eyes 10th Anniversary 2004)
- The Rage To Overcome (Burn My Eyes 10th Anniversary 2004)
- Death Church (Burn My Eyes 10th Anniversary 2004)
- Blood For Blood (Burn My Eyes 10th Anniversary 2004)
Uncensored & Unedited Music Videos:
- Halo
- Now I Lay Thee Down
- Aesthetics Of Hate
- The Making of Halo
- The Making of Now I Lay Thee Down
- The Making of Aesthetics Of Hate
MH Win Kerrang! Award For "Best Live Band"
08.25.08
Huge thanks to all of the fans that sent Machine Head home with the 2008 Kerrang! Award for "Best Live Band" with their vote. The nod marks their second "Best Live Band" award this year, the second consecutive year that MH have walked away from a Kerrang! awards show with honors, and their 5th Kerrang! Award overall! As always, they have you to thank, so cheers to everyone who voted!
UK Slipknot Dates Announced!
08.20.08
New Slipknot + Machine Head dates have been announced for the UK, including London, Cardiff, Birmingham, Glasgow, Manchester, Newcastle and Sheffield! Hit up the Tours page for details!
Demmel Okay After Collapse Onstage
08.17.08
As has been reported in the media, Phil Demmel did indeed collapse onstage during Machine Head's second-to-last song Sunday night in Bristow, VA. Demmel was severely dehydrated and had mentioned several times to his tech that he felt lightheaded during the show. Says drummer Dave McClain, "That was a scary moment for all of us. Seeing your friend collapse like that is something that nobody wants to experience. He's doing much better now and taking it easy on the bus.". Machine Head wish to extend our gratitude to the good people of Bristow, VA. for their support and for being so understanding at the end of our show. Machine Head are still set to perform with Demmel at the last Mayhem stop in Darien Lake, NY.
Machine Head To Tour With Metallica!
08.12.08
Metallica have just announced dates for their upcoming North American tour, the third leg of which will feature Machine Head as main support! Says frontman Robb Flynn, "We are so fuckin stoked beyond belief to be main support to Metallica in America, we're speechless!!! Dream come true type shit! Let's fuckin' tear America to pieces!!!" Hit up the Tours page for details, and stay tuned for more info!
"Aesthetics Of Hate" for Rock Band!
08.11.08
Owners of Rock Band for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 will be able to download "Aesthetics Of Hate" this Tuesday from the Xbox Live Marketplace and this Thursday from the PlayStation Store! The track will be available on its own for 80 MSP/$0.99 for the first month of release and 160 MSP/$1.99 thereafter, or as part of the Roadrunner 6-Pack (including tracks from Airbourne, DevilDriver, Dream Theater, Killswitch Engage and Megadeth) for 480 MSP/$5.99 for the first month and 800 MSP/$9.99 thereafter!
Mayhem Video Tour Diary!
08.04.08
Head on over to the Media page and check out the brand spankin' new Mayhem Tour Diary featuring interviews, show footage and more!
Machine Head Nominated For Kerrang Award!
07.26.08
Machine Head have been nominated for the "Best Live Band" award at the 2008 Kerrang! Awards, to be held in London on August 21st! Better yet, YOU can vote for Machine Head by clicking here and/or using the form included in hard copies of Kerrang! magazine!
Australasia Slipknot Dates Announced!
07.24.08
New Slipknot + Machine Head dates have been announced for Australasia, including Auckland, Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth! Hit up the Tours page for details!
Machine Head Cancel Vegas Performance
07.17.08
Machine Head are regrettably forced to cancel their off-date performance tonight in Las Vegas due to a severe throat infection on the part of vocalist Robb Flynn. Mastodon and Black Tide will still be performing, so please go and support these great bands. MH will be ready for Friday's Mayhem performance in Phoenix, AZ.
Sacramento Mayhem Show Rescheduled!
07.10.08
Tomorrow's Mayhem Festival show in Sacramento has been rescheduled for Monday, July 14th as the many out-of-control wildfires in the Sacramento area are causing severe air-quality issues, posing a significant health risk to those spending extended periods of time outdoors. This change does not affect any of the other scheduled Mayhem Festival dates.
Sample "Hallowed Be Thy Name"!
07.08.08
Click here to listen to an exclusive sample of Machine Head's cover of Iron Maiden's "Hallowed Be Thy Name" and pre-order the upcoming issue of Kerrang! featuring the "Maiden Heaven" CD that the track is featured on!
MH on Kerrang's "Maiden Heaven"!
06.25.08
Following on from their 2006 Kerrang! Remastered CD in honor of the 20th anniversary of Metallica's "Master Of Puppets", Kerrang's latest collection "Maiden Heaven" features 15 bands covering tracks spanning Iron Maiden's legendary career, and will be given away free in Kerrang! issue 1219 on sale July 16th! "When I was a kid, Iron Maiden were a very big deal to me and the influence they had on Machine Head has been huge" says Robb Flynn. "We decided to cover 'Hallowed Be Thy Name' for this CD because it's just such a great song, in fact it's a classic. I just love the way the vocal line goes up and down, so dramatic. If someone who'd never heard them wanted to know what Iron Maiden sounded like, I'd point them in the direction of 'Hallowed Be Thy Name'." Click here to see the full cover, and read on for the full tracklist:
Black Tide - "Prowler"
Metallica - "Remember Tomorrow"
Avenged Sevenfold - "Flash Of The Blade"
Glamour Of The Kill - "2 Minutes To Midnight"
Coheed and Cambria - "The Trooper"
DevilDriver - "Wasted Years"
Sign - "Run To The Hills"
Dream Theater - "To Tame A Land"
Madina Lake - "Caught Somewhere In Time"
Gallows - "Wrathchild"
Fightstar - "Fear Of The Dark" Machine Head - "Hallowed Be Thy Name"
Trivium - "Iron Maiden"
Year Long Disaster - "Running Free"
Ghostlines - "Brave New World"
MH In This Month's Revolver!
06.18.08
Revolver's August issue features coverage of this summer's Mayhem Festival including an interview with Machine Head! Click here to check out Robb Flynn on the cover, and be sure to pick up your copy, on sale now!
Machine Head Win Golden Gods Award!
06.16.08
Machine Head took home the 2008 Golden Gods award for "Best Live Band" at Saturday's Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards, the second year in a row that MH have walked away from a Metal Hammer awards show with honors! Last year, Machine Head won "Album Of The Year" for their new album "The Blackening", and Robb Flynn was given a Golden God award! Huge thanks go out to all of you that voted!
Electric Weekend Photos!
06.11.08
Machine Head's raging performance at Electric Weekend in Madrid on May 31st was captured in all of its glory, and then some, in 80+ amazing shots by photographer Henning Gulli!
Summer Off-Dates Announced!
06.08.08
In an effort to get out to a few areas that the Mayhem Festival won't be able to reach this summer, Mastodon, Machine Head and Black Tide will joining forces and heading to Portland, Vegas and New York for a few off-dates during their run on the blockbuster summer festival. Hit the Tours page for details!
"Halo" Video Exclusive World Premiere!
05.28.08
Tune in to MTV2's Headbanger's Ball this Saturday, May 31st at 11pm PT/ET for the exclusive world premiere of the video for "Halo"!
Demmelition King V Available Now!
05.02.08
Phil Demmel's Jackson Pro Series Signature guitar - the aptly-titled Demmelition King V - is now available from Jackson! Click here to visit Jackson's site for more details!
MH Nominated For Golden Gods Award!
04.16.08
Metal Hammer has nominated Machine Head for the 2008 Golden Gods award for Best Live Band! Voting is open to the public, and it only takes three quick clicks! One here, one on "Best Live Band" and one on "Machine Head", so vote as often as you'd like!
Halo Video Shoot Photos!
04.08.08
Fans from around the world answered the casting call to be a part of Machine Head's upcoming video for the song "Halo", and it was a raging success! Directed by Mike Sloat (Aesthetics Of Hate, Imperium, Days Turn Blue To Gray) and shot entirely in front of a green screen, the footage will all be digitally manipulated to mimic the style of the artwork from the packaging for Machine Head's new album "The Blackening". With shooting set to wrap up in the next few days, you can plan on seeing the new video sometime in May! For photos from last Thursday's shoot and a sneak peek at what you can expect to see, head on over to the Photos page!
Wacken Seaside, With Full Force & Moscow!
03.17.08
Three new dates have been confirmed for Moscow on July 2nd, Germany's With Full Force festival on July 4th and Wacken Rocks Seaside Open Air on July 5th! Head on over to the Tours page for details and ticket links.
Machine Head Will Play In Portland
02.24.08
Having had to cancel last night's performance in Seattle after Robb Flynn came down with a severe bronchial infection, Machine Head are pleased to announce that they will indeed be playing in Portland tonight.
Machine Head Cancel Seattle Performance
02.23.08
Machine Head's Seattle performance on the "More Balls, More Volume, More Strength" tour had to be cancelled Saturday night after Robb Flynn came down with what is, according to doctors, a severe bronchial infection. As many of you know, the band absolutely hate the idea of cancelling a performance, and as such extend their sincerest apologies to the fans in Seattle that weren't able to see them tonight. Flynn's condition unfortunately calls into question the status of tomorrow's performance in Portland as well, so stay tuned, we'll be sure to let you know as soon as possible if the band will again be unable to play.
MH Supporting Metallica For 4 More!
02.21.08
In the wake of their blistering performance at Wembley Stadium last July, Machine Head will once again be supporting Metallica for four more shows: Chorzow, Poland on May 28th, Madrid, Spain on May 31st, Prague, Czech Republic on June 3rd and Lisbon, Portugal on June 5th! Said Metallica in a recent statement, "We're psyched that our friends in Machine Head have said 'yes' to more fun and games following the good times that were had by all at Wembley last summer" ...and even more are sure to follow, so head on over to the Tours page for more details, including links to grab your tickets before they're all gone!
Headbanger's Ball Podcast: Robb Flynn
02.20.08
Robb Flynn recently conducted a half-hour podcast interview for MTV's Headbanger's Ball Blog Podcast, click here to check it out.
Dave McClain Misses Wisconsin Shows
02.13.08
The Machine Head family wishes to extend our deepest condolences and sympathy to the McClain family for the tragic loss of Dave's mother, Mary Douglas. Dave was on the first flight to San Antonio, Texas yesterday so that he could be there with his sister. The resulting circumstances understandably but unfortunately forced the band to cancel Tuesday night's performance on late notice, and Machine Head would like to sincerely thank all of the fans in Green Bay, Wisconsin for their understanding. The band were, however, able to perform tonight (Wednesday night), in La Crosse, WI, once again with the amazing help of their metal brothers, as Mark Castillo from Bury Your Dead, Robb Rivera from Nonpoint and Vinnie Paul from HellYeah all stepped up to help Machine Head perform. Mark Castillo played drums on Imperium, Now I Lay Thee Down and Davidian, Robb Rivera played drums on Aesthetics of Hate and Old, and Vinnie Paul played drums on Halo.
Says vocalist Robb Flynn, "Having just went through a similar situation not 2 months ago, it's really a testament to metal, to see guys and their crews come together like this for another comrade in need... they really fucking brought it tonight for Dave!" Adds guitarist Phil Demmel, "We'd like to thank our friends who filled in admirably in Dave's absence, on 4 hours notice they learned the songs and gave La Crosse a serious ass-kicking". Dave McClain will be returning for the Davenport, IA show this Friday, February 15th, and wishes to extend his sincerest apologies to the fans of Green Bay and La Crosse, he was incredibly moved by the support and wishes from everyone there.
RIP, Mary Douglas
Machine Head Headliner In Japan!
02.11.08
Machine Head have confirmed an upcoming headlining gig at O-East in Tokyo, Japan on March 18th, their first headlining, non-festival performance there since the year 2000! Says drummer Dave McClain of the opportunity, "We're so stoked to be getting back to Japan, especially as a headliner, the crowds there are always sick". Adds lead guitarist Phil Demmel, "I'm definitely excited, it'll be my first time headlining with MH in Japan, so I can't wait". Tickets go on sale February 23rd, so be ready to snatch yours up, 'cause they won't last long!
Watch the Grammy.com Pre-Tel Webcast!
02.08.08
For the first time in Grammy Awards history, the Pre-Telecast awards presentation will be broadcast live online on Sunday, February 10! By heading over to Grammy.com from 1-3:30pm PST, you will be able to view awards given in each category announced during the Pre-Tel, including the "Best Metal Performance" category, in which Machine Head has been nominated for "Aesthetics Of Hate"!
Mayhem Festival Announced!
01.31.08
In what's sure to be the hottest concert ticket of the summer, Machine Head will be headlining the second stage at the first-ever Rockstar Energy Mayhem Festival, a riotous road show packed with some of hard music's most influential artists and a plethora of the genre's most exciting young voices. Featuring Slipknot, Disturbed, Dragonforce and Mastodon on the main stage, Sevendust, Airbourne, Five Finger Death Punch and 36 Crazyfists on the JAGERMEISTER stage, and Machine Head, Black Tide, Suicide Silence, The Red Chord and Walls Of Jericho on the second stage, this is sure to be THE festival you won't want to miss! The tour is set to kick off July 9th at the White River Amphitheatre in Seattle and will hit 30 cities in the U.S. and Canada between early July and late August (a full itinerary will be announced in the coming weeks).
The Blackening Wins Swedish Metal Award
01.30.08
Machine Head's new album "The Blackening" won "Best International Metal Album" at the Swedish Metal Awards 2008 this last Saturday, January 26th in Falkenberg, Sweden! Winners were selected from more than 58,000 fan votes which were submitted via an Internet-based poll on the Swedish Metal Awards web site.
End-of-Year Accolades Pour In
01.10.08
It was a busy 2007 for Machine Head and their new album "The Blackening"... from receiving glowing 5/5 and 10/10 reviews upon release, to winning "Best Album"/"Album of the Year" at the Kerrang! and Metal Hammer Awards respectively, to winning "Best International Album" at the Danish Metal Awards, all the way to their Grammy nomination for "Best Metal Performance", it's been anything but ordinary, and it didn't let up when it came to end-of-year Best-Of lists, polls and awards either.
"The Blackening" was awarded "#1 Album of the Year" by the Metal Hammer's Critic's Poll, "Thrash Album of the Decade!" by Hard Rock France, "#3 Album of the Year" by Kerrang!'s readers and "#3 Album of the Year" by Kerrang!'s critics, "#1 Thrash Album of the Year" by Hammer Germany, "#3 Album of the Year" by Rocksound, "Band of the Year" and "Album of the Year" by Total Guitar, "Best Band" and "Best Live Band" by Terrorizer readers... the list seems to go on and on and on. Even the traditionally unsupportive U.S. press had to bow down and take notice, with Revolver putting the album at #5 on its Album of the Year list, calling it "the finest Thrash album of the year", Guitar World naming it "#1 Extreme Metal Album of the Year", Metal Maniacs' critics putting it at #3 on their Album of the Year list, and uber-elitists Decibel grudgingly including it at #21 on their list.
To top it all off, The Blackening was the #1 most spun record on Sirius Radio's Hard Attack, Grammy nominated "Aesthetics Of Hate" was the #1 most requested song on Hard Attack and Machine Head's 2007 Download performance was #7 on Kerrang!'s "Top 100 Greatest Gigs of All Time"! Needless to say, it's been a hell of a year... bring on 2008!
Machine Head To Join HellYeah Tour
01.08.08
Fresh off the heels of their overwhelmingly successful Black Crusade run through Australia and Europe, Machine Head return to the States for a run of dates with HellYeah, beginning January 25th in New York. Immediately following that, the band head back to Dubai to play the Desert Rock festival, then to Israel and India, both for the first-time ever, followed by a string of headlining dates in Japan, to be confirmed soon. For more information on confirmed dates, visit the Tours page!
Demmel Returns For Black Crusade's Last Show
12.17.07
Machine Head guitarist Phil Demmel, having flown back to the States less than a week prior to mourn the loss of his father, returned Friday night for the final show of The Black Crusade tour in Helsinki, Finland, capping off an incredible tour and incredible year for the band. Having received an enormous amount of help in his absence, and in essence salvaging Machine Head's ability to even finish the remainder of the tour, various guitarists from the other bands on The Black Crusade filled in on various songs to help the band complete the last 4 of the 5 shows.
Corey Beaulieu from Trivium played on "Clenching The Fists Of Dissent", "Imperium" and "Aesthetics Of Hate".
Fr�d�ric Leclercq, the bass player from Dragonforce filled in on "Old".
Matt Heafy from Trivium played on "Halo" and "Take My Scars".
Christopher Amott from Arch Enemy played on "Descend The Shades Of Night", and...
Matt Heafy returned again for "Davidian".
All of them did an amazing job, and Machine Head can't thank them all enough for the help they gave, especially at such an incredibly difficult time. Respect.
Singer / Guitarist Robb Flynn wishes to offer his apologies to the people of Stockholm, Sweden for his inability to move during Tuesday night's performance at The Arenan as he was suffering from food poisoning and the flu. He was enduring severe vomiting and diarrhea before and after the show, and required 4 different medications and an intravenous glucose feed 3 hours prior to the set just to be able to perform.
Machine Head wish to sincerely thank the nearly 70,000 fans who came out to make The Black Crusade such a huge success (with several promoters calling it the biggest tour to hit the UK and Europe since the legendary Clash Of The Titans Tour 15 years ago), and for making it all such an amazing experience through and through. Much respect to the all of the bands on the tour as well for pulling together to make this such an unprecedented bill. Our sincerest thanks.
At Phil Demmel's Request, MH To Continue Tour
12.08.07
All of us here in Machine Head wish to extend our deepest condolences and sympathy to the Demmel family for their tragic loss of Harry W. Demmel. Flying home today to grieve with his family and celebrate the life of his father, Phil has asked that Machine Head continue on in his absence for what will most likely be the remainder of the Black Crusade tour. Says singer Robb Flynn, "Phil was adamant about us continuing on. We didn't think it would be possible, but a lot of the guitar players on the tour rallied around Phil last night and volunteered to help out on guitar duties. We really can't thank them all enough. Adam and I spent most of our day off today teaching Corey and Matt from Trivium, Christopher from Arch Enemy, and Frederic the bassist of Dragonforce the set. They will all be playing various songs throughout the rest of the tour".
Regarding Friday night's show in Zurich, Flynn adds, "We left it up to Phil as to whether we would play last night, and he was very sure of the fact that he needed to play. He wanted to keep moving and not dwell on it until the next day. It was one of the most courageous things I've ever seen, I honestly don't know how he did it. To the amazing people of Zurich who stood by the band, and supported us so much last night, we were all crying, and Phil and all of us felt the love more than you will ever know. Thank you."
Play the video below for an update from Germany regarding the situation.
In other news, as has been reported in the media, Phil Demmel did indeed collapse onstage Thursday night in Milan, Italy. Demmel was suffering from the flu at the time and was severely dehydrated. Says drummer Dave McClain, "Thankfully, he was fine from the fall, his blood pressure was normal, and the medical technicians that arrived on scene all felt that he was ok. Machine Head wish to extend our gratitude to the good people of Milan for being so understanding at the end of our show."
Machine Head have been nominated for a Grammy for "Best Metal Performance" for the song "Aesthetics Of Hate" off of their new album "The Blackening"! Determined by 12,000 music industry professionals who belong to the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, the nomination marks Machine Head's first nod from the group, and places them alongside genre peers Slayer, King Diamond, Shadows Fall and As I Lay Dying in the category. Held at Los Angeles' Staples Center on Sunday, February 10, 2008, the 50th Annual Grammy Awards will air on CBS.
MH Sweep Total Guitar Reader Awards!
12.03.07
Machine Head have been voted "Band Of the Year" and their new album "The Blackening" has been voted "Best Album" by the readers of Total Guitar magazine! Be sure to pick up your copy of the the Total Guitar Readers Awards 2007 issue (click to view cover) and check out the MH feature!
MH Win Best International Album!
11.19.07
Machine Head's new album "The Blackening" took home "Best International Album" at the Danish Metal Awards this weekend, beating out Down's "Over The Under", Deftones' "Saturday Night Wrist", Neurosis' "Given To the Rising" and Type O Negative's "Dead Again"!
Black Crusade Tickets Flying Fast!
11.06.07
Following hot on the heels of the completely sold out Black Crusade Tour of Australia, tickets to this Fall's massive Black Crusade Tour through Europe and the U.K. are disappearing quickly, with shows in Lille, Dublin, London, Paris and Koln already sold out, with the 2nd shows in Paris and London, as well as Amsterdam, Wiesbaden, and Birmingham about to do the same some time next week. Make sure you get your tickets now, before they're all gone! In other news, Machine Head's new album "The Blackening" has been nominated for "International Metal Album of the Year" at the Danish Metal Awards!
London and Dublin Sold Out
10.25.07
The first London show and the Dublin stop on The Black Crusade tour have now officially sold out, so make sure you snag your tickets to the remaining shows before they're gone! In related news, the support bands for the two Black Crusade warm-up shows have been announced, with Zuul FX opening in Lille, FRA and up-and-coming thrashers Evile and Gama Bomb kicking things off in Dublin, IRE.
Korea and New Zealand Shows Cancelled
10.16.07
Due to circumstances beyond anyone's control, Machine Head sincerely regret that they will be unable to play their upcoming shows in Korea and New Zealand. Insurmountable difficulties arose while attempting to secure passports and work visas, preventing the band from getting the necessary clearances from the respective consulates in time to enter and perform in both countries. The band extend their deepest regret to the fans in Korea and New Zealand that were looking forward to these shows, Machine Head was also looking forward to playing both shows, and they are extremely disappointed that they now cannot. They will, however, be making every effort to return to both countries as soon as possible, and want you to know that they deeply appreciate your support and understanding.
*** UPDATE ***
The following statement was recently made in response to a press release supposedly issued by NZ promoter Peter Campbell:
A STATEMENT FROM KMW PRODUCTIONS
(THE ACTUAL PROMOTER OF MACHINE HEAD IN NEW ZEALAND & AUSTRALIA)
I feel that we need to address the erroneous, outrageous statement issued by an external contractor connected with Peter Campbell, our New Zealand representative without the consent or approval of Mr. Campbell or the actual promoter of the event.
The erroneous statement is particularly astonishing as we are fully aware of developments leading to the cancellation of Machine Head's nearly sold out performance scheduled for Auckland this week and the tireless effort by the band to salvage the shows.
1. While the New Zealand visas were approved by the New Zealand Immigration Department, entry into the country is subject to the band submitting their passports to a New Zealand consulate in advance of the tour. Unfortunately the band and crew passports were not returned by The Japanese Embassy in time to do this. The band made every effort possible, including hiring one of the most reputable and expensive visa processing companies in the world to try to expedite the processing of work visas from all the necessary consulates.
2. Having worked with Machine Head for nearly a decade, and having observed Robb Flynn and the band's sheer dedication to the band's fanbase makes the tone and contents of this drivel positively astounding. Machine Head have an impeccable reputation for delivering for their fans and making it to their shows through circumstances including snowstorms, floods, injuries and personal tragedy. This band has proven the high respect it holds for its fans all over the world. It is therefore absurd to suggest that they would treat their New Zealand fans with disrespect.
3. The Auckland show was scheduled and insisted upon by the band (despite my recommendation to the contrary) due to the band's desire not only to perform for their patient and dedicated supporters in New Zealand, but also because the country was foremost in the band's wish-list of destinations to visit.
4. The band have incurred an enormous financial loss by having to cancel and rebook airfares and losing the income from this show while still having to pay for accommodation and crew wages while on a layover in Australia.
This cancellation has been well and truly outside and beyond the control of Machine Head, the band's representatives and promoters. We are all deeply saddened to have to disappoint the fans and all efforts will be made to prioritise New Zealand on the band's next visit to Oceania.
Robb Flynn recently contributed a guest blog for the "Headbanger's Blog" over at MTV's Headbanger's Ball web site. Click here to check it out.
"Now I Lay Thee Down" Video Premiere!
10.04.07
Head on over to the Headbanger's Ball Blog to catch the premiere of Machine Head's new video for "Now I Lay Thee Down", from their new album "The Blackening"! The video will also air on Headbanger's Ball this Saturday, and be sure to check back here at MachineHead1.com on Sunday to watch the full, uncut and uncensored version of the video!
Worcester Telegram Article on Cancellations
09.20.07
The Worcester Telegram & Gazette just published the following article regarding the sudden cancellation of a number of metal shows on Disney property, including the opening night of The Black Tyranny Tour featuring Machine Head, Arch Enemy, Throwdown and Sanctity. You can also view the original article at the following link.
Machine Head's music rattles Disney
By Scott McLennan, Entertainment Columnist
September 20, 2007
Machine Head is disturbing The Mouse.
Twice this month, House of Blues concert venues on Disney-owned property - one in Anaheim and one in Orlando - booted long-booked Machine Head concerts just days ahead of the scheduled performances. The Orlando House of Blues also forced death-metal band Cannibal Corpse to change venues.
"It's pretty disturbing," said Machine Head singer Robb Flynn. "We are shocked that in this day and age, in 2007 America, that bands can be pressured, (and) that promoters can be pressured by a business and be removed from a venue because somebody doesn't like what your lyrics stand for or think that your fans are crazy. We've played these venues before, and there was no indication that anything was going to be different."
Calls for comment from the House of Blues in Orlando were bounced around three offices before falling into a voice mail belonging to Kendall Lee in the HOB's operations department. In published reports, Live Nation, the concert-promoting giant that owns the House of Blues chain, conceded that the entertainment mix presented at its venues on Disney property will have to differ from what it typically offers elsewhere in the country.
Machine Head is heading to a safe harbor this week, though, as the band brings its Black Tyranny Tour to The Palladium, 261 Main St., Worcester, tomorrow. The package also features co-headliner Arch Enemy and support acts Throwdown and Sanctity (whose bass player Jared MacEachern is also subbing for Machine Head's Adam Duce, who broke his leg just before the start of the tour).
To modify Flynn's assessment of the situation a bit, things are a little different from previous Machine Head tours as the band is now packing 'The Blackening,' the best - and darkest - album of its career.
"Once we started the recording process, it dawned on everyone that this might be something a little different, and that got us excited," Flynn said.
'The Blackening' consists of eight tracks, two of which pass the 10-minute mark, and another two that hit nine minutes. The shortest tune is just shy of five minutes. In other words, these thrash-bred guys from the Bay Area got their epic on for 'The Blackening,' making the sort of move into big sounds that their forebears Metallica did a generation earlier with 'And Justice for All.'
Making such a record was a gamble, as Machine Head was solidly leading a pack of young metal acts expert in the genre's scorched-earth approach to music making. The band's previous album, 'Through the Ashes of Empires,' restored Machine Head's place in the metal firmament after it stumbled through a couple of experimental and hasty-sounding efforts.
"After all the success with 'Through the Ashes,' we felt that now more than ever we could not play it safe. We couldn't make 'Through the Ashes II.' That was a record for its time, and that time passed. We set out to challenge ourselves."
Flynn said that writing 'The Blackening' was actually the easy part. Once he got the green light from band mates Adam Duce (bass), Phil Demmel (guitar) and Dave McClain (drums) that they were on board with his lyrical content, turning out the songs was not difficult.
"I asked them if it was OK to say some of the things I say on this record. They agreed that this is what we are about," Flynn said.
And what Machine Head is about on 'The Blackening' is unfiltered rage. The band picks over the American landscape like a vulture on a carcass as the songs present a stark world view full of hate and mayhem. In contrast to what the Disney banning may lead one to believe, Machine Head is not endorsing the misery so much as reflecting it. Besides, if the band simply wanted to agitate, it likely would not have so exquisitely crafted the message.
"Recording this was the challenge. Everything became so epic that everything else needed to become epic just to sound right. We have songs with 10 tracks of just snare drum. Just the beginning of 'Clenching' (the Fists of Dissent), that acoustic intro, was cut with 84 different tracks. Mixing this record was hell," said Flynn, who also served as producer for the project.
But the basic Machine Head grind born in the early 1990s is not lost in "The Blackening." And a good portion of the record is as staggering and blunt as the band's raucous 1994 debut "Burn My Eyes."
Machine Head's efforts to both celebrate its thrash origins and then build upon them paid off nicely as U.K. music magazine Kerrang! in its annual music poll bestowed album-of-the year honors on "The Blackening." Machine Head bested favorites My Chemical Romance and Fall Out Boy in the voting. Kerrang! also awarded Machine Head its Hard Rock Hero award. In similar fashion, earlier in the summer Metal Hammer magazine dubbed "The Blackening" best album of the year and gave Flynn its Golden God award.
"It was a huge day for metal," Flynn said of the Kerrang! awards. "I didn't think we had a chance against My Chemical Romance or Fall Out Boy. Those are both huge commercial bands championed by Kerrang! (Our) album is as edgy and as extreme as we've ever gotten, but the readers and editors of Kerrang! found it more relevant. Our jaws just hit the floor when they announced we won," said Flynn, noting he was able to thank Judas Priest, also in attendance at the award ceremony, for "letting us jack so many of its riffs over the years."
The awards were just one honor for Machine Head this year as the band was also tapped to tour with the Ronnie James Dio-fronted lineup of Black Sabbath, now known as Heaven and Hell.
"Touring with Heaven and Hell was surreal. Walking out of my dressing room and seeing (Black Sabbath guitarist) Tony Iommi was too much. It took me two weeks just to get my head around that. I used to write letters to Black Sabbath when they broke up with Ozzy (Osbourne), pleading for them to get back together so I could see them play 'National Acrobat' before I died."
Flynn grew up a metal head through and through and said things worked out nicely that he learned the music through the San Francisco scene rather than through the more prominent Los Angeles scene taking place farther south in his home state.
"'The Blackening' is steeped in the stuff I heard growing up. I was fortunate to be 14 years old growing up in the golden age of thrash," Flynn said. "In L.A. the musicians acted like rock stars. In the Bay Area, people were accessible. When I first saw Metallica, James Hetfield was hanging around outside the auditorium. You could get his autograph and talk to him. To a young kid that made a huge impression. That's the spirit we are trying to carry on. The Bay Area sound always had more evil notes than other styles of metal."
And that deliverance of evil is so convincing these days that Machine Head is earning the sort of notoriety through corporate censorship most metal bands would gladly pay for. Yet Flynn was not over-hyping the Disney cancellations.
"It's basically a form of profiling, and it's pretty shocking," he said. "A result of 9-11 is that you have people acting in a way they say makes the world a safer place. I just want to know, safer for who?"
L.A. Times Article on Cancellations
09.17.07
The L.A. Times just published the following article regarding the sudden cancellation of a number of metal shows on Disney property, including the opening night of The Black Tyranny Tour featuring Machine Head, Arch Enemy, Throwdown and Sanctity. You can also view the original article at the following link.
Heavy metal acts moved off Disney properties
By Greg Burk, Special to The Times
September 15, 2007
Metal detectors may soon be irrelevant at House of Blues clubs, at least any sitting on property owned by the Walt Disney Co. Five heavy-metal concerts scheduled on Disney property in Anaheim and Orlando have been hastily shifted to other venues or canceled recently, according to House of Blues website calendars.
A Sept. 7 show featuring Machine Head, Arch Enemy, Throwdown and Sanctity, booked two months earlier, was moved on two days' notice from the House of Blues in Anaheim's Downtown Disney entertainment complex to the Glass House in Pomona. Thursday's concert with Cannibal Corpse, The Black Dahlia Murder, The Red Chord and The Abscence, originally slated for Anaheim House of Blues, was moved to the Galaxy Theatre in Santa Ana. A Sept. 26 Anaheim House of Blues concert featuring Obituary, Alabama Thunderpussy, Full Blown Chaos and Hemlock has been canceled outright.
At the House of Blues in Orlando, Fla., on Disney World property, a Sept. 17 concert of the Machine Head lineup has been moved to Club Firestone in downtown Orlando. The same action has been taken with the Oct. 11 Cannibal Corpse package.
Asked about the scheduling changes, John Vlautin, vice president of communications for Live Nation (formerly Clear Channel), the concert-promotion organization that owns the nationwide House of Blues chain, issued a statement Thursday that said only: "House of Blues offers a range of entertainment to match the audience at our venues. It was determined that the mix of entertainment at our two Disney locations should be different from our other venues."
Vlautin declined to comment on why metal bands have been singled out after years of similar bookings or whether other metal events already scheduled, including Suffocation, Edguy and Static X, will be affected.
Rob Doughty, communications vice president for Disneyland Resorts, declined to comment, referring inquiries to Vlautin. Paul McGuigan, concert promoter at the Anaheim House of Blues, also declined to comment through a club spokeswoman.
The Walt Disney Co., through Vlautin, issued a short statement Thursday that included no specifics about the shifts of the metal concerts: "In consultation with Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, the House of Blues will provide a mix of entertainment for guests visiting Disney Resorts."
Robb Flynn, vocalist and guitarist of Machine Head, expressed surprise about the venue change, saying in a phone interview that the group had played both clubs several times without incident. He said he had been told that Disney pressured House of Blues to evict metal on the grounds that it attracted an "undesirable" element; he also said he suspects that "one of the main issues of contention Disney had with Machine Head was our antiwar and anti-administration lyrics."
A sample lyric from the Bay Area quartet's current recording, "The Blackening," goes, "Murder us, silence us, / Divide and conquer us."
The veteran Cannibal Corpse, which headlines the touring Metal Blade Records bill that was removed from the Anaheim and Orlando House of Blues calendars, is known for its extreme album-cover artwork and death-obsessed lyrics such as "Pray to our God / With blood we praise his epic acts of hate," from last year's "Kill" collection. Many modern metal bands express an antiwar, anti-authority and/or anti-religion message.
John Halperin, talen booker for the Glass House, said Friday that the Machine Head show transferred to his venue came off to the satisfaction of bands and fans, despite the fact that it is an all-ages club where no alcohol is sold.
Disney Retaliates, Forces Another Cancellation
09.10.07
In a not-so-stunning move, The Walt Disney Company have once again pressured promoter Live Nation into canceling Machine Head's performance at a House of Blues venue on Disney property, this time in Orlando, a mere four days after the band's previous announcement called out the corporation for their underhanded tactics regarding the cancellation of Friday's House of Blues Anaheim show on 2 days notice.
While no one is willing to provide evidence that would prove unfavorable to Disney, sources close to events have suggested that once again, vague threats of liability, and now threats on job security may have been levied, successfully resulting in the show being moved off of Disney property.
As a result, the September 17th show has now been relocated to Club Firestone in Orlando, FL (located at 578 N. Orange Ave). All existing tickets will be redeemable for entry at Club Firestone, all Will Call pickups will now be available for pickup at the new venue, and all refund requests will be honored.
As they are not on Disney property and therefore not subject to the corporation's alleged coercionary tactics, the Dallas, New Orleans, Cleveland and Chicago House of Blues shows will go on as scheduled.
On behalf of all four bands on the bill, Machine Head wish to again extend their gratitude to Live Nation and the House of Blues for their poise and tolerance during these absurd developments.
Disney Forces Machine Head Cancellation
09.06.07
In a stunning last-minute move, Walt Disney Properties have pressured promoter Live Nation into canceling Machine Head's performance tomorrow night at the House of Blues venue in Anaheim (on Disney property). Citing violent imagery, undesirable fans and inflammatory lyrics as the reason, the diversity-impaired corporation began pressuring the promoter on Saturday to cancel all upcoming heavy metal concerts, placing Machine Head under an internal "review process" that took 5 days before bothering to convey their alarming decision to the band late yesterday - less than 48 hours before their Black Tyranny Tour was to kick off at House of Blues Anaheim on Friday night.
While the enactment of this new blanket rule applies to all upcoming heavy metal shows at the House Of Blues Anaheim (with some metal bands having been banned from performing on name alone), Machine Head is the first band to actually have tickets go on sale, and remain on sale for 2 months, before intense pressure and vague threats of liability from the corporation left the promoter with no choice but to remove the show from the venue.
As a result, Live Nation's Paul McGuigan did the honorable thing and incredibly, on one days notice, managed to salvage the tour's opening night by moving the first date of The Black Tyranny tour (featuring Machine Head, Arch Enemy, Throwdown, and Sanctity) to The Glass House in Pomona, CA (located at 200 W. Second Street). All existing tickets will be redeemable for entry at The Glass House, and all Will Call pickups will now be available for pickup at the new venue. Any fans unable to make the 70-mile trip to The Glass House as a result of this ridiculous turn of events will be able to have their money refunded in full. Strangely, all other Black Tyranny dates at House Of Blues venues on Disney property will remain unaffected.
On behalf of all four bands on the bill, Machine Head wish to extend their gratitude to promoter Paul McGuigan and Live Nation for finding an alternate venue for tomorrow night's show on such short notice.
Temporary Replacement Named For Duce
09.04.07
After a thorough audition process, Machine Head have chosen Brandon Sigmund from Bay Area metal heroes Hostility to play bass in place of the injured Adam Duce for the duration of this Fall's highly-anticipated Black Tyranny Tour. Also joining the band onstage to handle Adam's vocal duties will be Jared MacEachern of tourmates Sanctity.
"We're really stoked to have found guys as killer as Brandon and Jared to help us through this situation" says Machine Head drummer Dave McClain, "we can't wait to get out there and give our fans in the States the headlining show they've been waiting for, especially with bands like Arch Enemy, Throwdown and Sanctity on the bill".
Duce's leg is healing normally and he's currently on track to rejoin the band for the rest of their 2007 tour schedule, starting with their Loudpark date in Japan on October 20th.
Emo Outrage Over MH Win Boils Over
08.28.07
Machine Head's "Best Album" win at last Thursday's Kerrang! Awards over pop-rock powerhouses My Chemical Romance and Fall Out Boy has apparently cut deep with fans of both bands, prompting a flood of angry whining and sad-faced emoticons on the Kerrang! message boards. Machine Head's upset victory over the multi-platinum softcore acts sent their inherently sensitive fans into an emotional frenzy, building into a tizzy of unparalleled proportions. Wrought with dismay, polished fingernails the world over lashed out at the band and metal as a whole with diatribes the likes of "MCR really should have won!!! I'm mad now!!!!", "what a load of shit, who the fuck listens to them?" and "Stupid Machine Head!!", at times stooping so low as to say the competition was fixed, and often gravely endangering the integrity of their carefully sideswept hair with posts like "I H8 METAL, I H8 METAL, I H8 METAL, I H8 METAL, I H8 METAL, I H8 METAL, I H8 METAL".
Not surprisingly, Machine Head fans responded en masse to the tirades, lashing back in defense of the band and the undisputed quality of the album, citing critical praise, technicality, songwriting and fan response to 2007's "The Blackening", as well as the band's influence on and history within their genre, with the occasional "Machine Head piss all over anything MCR have ever done" thrown in for good measure.
To much less internet-based commotion, the band also took home the "Hard Rock Hero" award, netting them two Kerrang! awards for the first time since "Burn My Eyes" where they received "Best International Band" and "Best Video" for the song "Davidian".
MH Win 2 At The Kerrang! Awards!
08.23.07
Machine Head won two Kerrang! Awards tonight, beating out multi-platinum artists Fall Out Boy and My Chemical Romance to win the "Best Album" award for "The Blackening" as well as being honored with Hard Rock Cafe's "Hard Rock Hero" award!
Adam Duce To Miss U.S. Tour With Broken Leg
08.21.07
In an unfortunate turn of events, Machine Head bassist Adam Duce will miss this Fall's highly-anticipated Black Tyranny Tour in the U.S. due to a broken leg suffered while dirt biking in Redding, CA. Initially thought to be nothing more than a bad sprain, x-rays later confirmed the break, which required surgery to attach a steel plate and two screws to the broken bone.
A disappointed Duce laments, "It sucks to be in this position, because we have such a killer tour set up for the end of the summer and now we'll have to find a replacement for me. I've never missed one show that this band has ever played up to this point and I never thought I would see the day when Machine Head would be playing and I wouldn't be on stage."
The band are currently rehearsing with temporary bassist candidates and are in the final stages of selecting Duce's replacement, the details of which will be announced as soon as they are determined. All Black Tyranny dates in the U.S. will go on as scheduled, and Duce will be returning for the Australian and European legs of The Black Crusade Tour, beginning with the band's Loudpark date in Japan.
Santa Cruz Warm-Up Show 09/05!
08.01.07
Machine Head have just announced they will be playing a warm-up show for The Black Tyranny Tour on September 5th at The Catalyst in Santa Cruz, CA. Be sure to catch The Black Tyranny - featuring co-headliners Arch Enemy, as well as Throwdown and Sanctity - when it comes through your area! Check the Tours page for details.
Kerrang! reviews Wembley with Metallica!
07.26.07
Kerrang! recently gave Machine Head 5 K's for their blistering performance as support for Metallica at London's Wembley Stadium on July 8th! Click on the image below to see what they had to say, and be sure to track down the recent Machine Head cover feature (also pictured below) in the July 7th issue of Kerrang!
The Black Tyranny Tour Announced!
07.16.07
The onslaught that is "The Black Tyranny Tour" begins Friday, September 7th and will rip a swath across North America well into October! With Machine Head and Arch Enemy both performing full headlining sets and Throwdown and Sanctity supporting, you won't want to miss this tour!
Machine Head frontman Robb Flynn states, "Man, it's just an endless stream of good news here in Machine Head-land, we are so fucking stoked to be going out with some of our favorite bands, here in the U.S., on what is sure to be THE most brutal metal tour of the Fall! Machine Head, Arch Enemy, Throwdown and Sanctity are going to bring the pain to you motherfuckers, and carnage will have no rules on this tour. Beware The Black Tyranny!!!"
Arch Enemy's Angela Gossow adds, "Arch Enemy teaming up with Machine Head in the U.S. is a big FUCK YOU to everybody who dwells in the past! We certainly aren't! Instead we're looking forward to crushing the U.S. together and leaving nothing but a tangled wreck of molten metal in our wake!"
Gossow continues, "As an added bonus for Arch Enemy fans, this will be the first time in three years that the (recently reunited) Amott brothers will be bringing their insane dual-guitar shredding to American soil! I am very excited to get back on stage and celebrate the sheer power of extreme music, all wrapped up in this fantastic tour package!"
"Let freedom ring with a METAL blast!!!"
The Black Tyranny Tour promises night after pummeling night of power from some of metal's finest. From the first note to the last, The Black Tyranny Tour will be spoken of long after it crushes your town, so if there is one show this year that you can't afford to miss, this is it. Prepare, The Black Tyranny is coming your way!
For individual show details, check the Tours page, and be sure to check back, as there are more dates to come!
MH Added to Metallica's Wembley bill!
06.27.07
Machine Head has been added as one of the opening acts for thrash legends Metallica on July 8th at Wembley Stadium in London, England! Says Dave McClain of the opportunity, "This will be the icing on the cake after a month of great moments, like headlining the Metal Hammer awards and taking home "Album of the Year" honors, Robb winning the Golden God and supporting Iron Maiden at the Olympic Stadium in Rome! Huge thanks to the Metallica guys for adding us to the show." Also scheduled to appear are H.I.M. and Mastodon, for more details check the Tours page!
MH Win Best Album & Golden God Awards!
06.15.07
Monday's Metal Hammer Awards in London saw Machine Head perform a rowdy set to a crowd of raging fans (for details, read Robb Flynn's latest Diary), capped off by the band receiving the Album Of The Year award and Robb Flynn receiving a Golden God award! A very special thanks to every single one of you who voted!
The Black Crusade Tour Announced!
06.09.07
A distant roar can already be heard, and come November the onslaught will hit the shores of the U.K.. Five of the world's heaviest metal bands join forces to create 'The Black Crusade' which will march through every country rewriting history and establishing itself as THE metal tour of the decade.
Machine Head, Trivium, Dragonforce, Arch Enemy and Shadows Fall will combine forces for the tour of tours. "The Black Crusade" will rip a swath across the world and leave only ashes in its wake. A line up, the likes of which has never been seen, will level venue after venue, city after city, country after country. Check the Tours page for details, and be sure to get your tickets early as demand is going to be high...
Just Added! - "The Black Crusade" has expanded into a global conquest! It will march across the continent of Australia starting October 28th with Machine Head, Trivium, Arch Enemy and special guest (TBA)!
Also just confirmed, Machine Head will be playing the Loudpark festival in Tokyo, Japan on October 20th!
"The Blackening" Special Editions!
06.08.07
Machine Head's new album "The Blackening" has a couple of limited special edition releases overseas that are worth mentioning for those of you in the States. Available in Europe for a limited time only, "The Blackening" is currently available as a 2-LP gatefold vinyl release that features gorgeous artwork and a great old school feel for those of you that remember jamming records before everything else (and those that collect vinyl) and as a CD+DVD 2-disc special edition that comes in a sleek silver foil-enhanced slipcase (featuring the bonus track "Battery" added to the CD, as well as "The Making of The Blackening" and a 2006 Tour Documentary on the DVD). See below for pictures of the two items, and click the links above to visit their product pages for more information!
Machine Head Banner Contest!
05.02.07
Throughout the duration of the Heaven & Hell tour, Machine Head scanned the crowd for fan-made banners. The fan(s) with the best banner were granted backstage access to meet the band, and you'll find photos of the winners and their banners posted below, as well as a few runners-up! Click on the links to check 'em out.
The full-length, uncensored version of Machine Head's new video "Aesthetics Of Hate" is now available on the Media page. Directed by Mike Sloat, the video is the first from Machine Head's new album "The Blackening", in stores now.
L.A. Times Review of Heaven & Hell Tour
04.27.07
Greg Burk wrote the following excellent review of the April 25th Heaven & Hell show at The Forum for the L.A. Times today:
Heaven and Hell at the Forum The members of Black Sabbath, circa 1982, take their fans to the other side in a head-banging festival of heavy metal.
By Greg Burk, Special to The Times
April 27, 2007
In heavy metal, you must hit the right combination of ham and fist. Wednesday night at the Forum, Heaven and Hell, Megadeth and Machine Head gave an advanced seminar in the delicate art of arena rock.
Guitar riffmaster Tony Iommi and bass wrangler Geezer Butler virtually invented arena rock nearly 40 years ago as half of Black Sabbath. And they continue to deliver the quintessence of clobber with Heaven and Hell - which, completed by Ronnie James Dio's operatic tenor and Vinny Appice's fearful drum slog, duplicates the highly regarded 1982 version of Sabbath. (Iommi could call it that but defers to his original Sab incarnation fronted by Ozzy Osbourne.)
The wide-ranging audience had been waiting all night to slake its Hellish thirst when the glitter-shirted elf Dio appeared, chanting the provocative questions "What do you say to the dead? Will you forgive me for living?" Iommi's shuddering riff, like a shoulder thrust against a rusty sepulcher door, set the tone for what functions best in an echoing concrete vault: deliberate battery.
Though Heaven and Hell revved regularly with chargers such as "The Mob Rules" and "Die Young," the selections from the three Dio-Sab studio albums (from 1980, 1981 and 1992) were dominated by slow and dire paeans such as the environmentally themed "Children of the Sea" and the mystical "The Sign of the Southern Cross." The new moans "Shadow of the Wind" and "The Devil Cried," from the just-released "Black Sabbath: The Dio Years," blended seamlessly with the murky templates stamped on 1992's "Dehumanizer" album.
By the time the four crashed to the conclusion of the dynamic "Falling Off the Edge of the World," the crowd was like a mass of asylum inmates clamoring for the coup de grace. It arrived with the dizzying extended build of the signature song "Heaven and Hell," Iommi flaying demonic inspirations while Dio joined his virtuosic howls with those of the rabble. And these guys are over 60.
Dave Mustaine's current edition of Megadeth preceded Heaven and Hell with a hard-bitten set reaped from its '80s thrash period ("Peace Sells... But Who's Buying") all the way through recent years' more melodic but no less intense proclamations ("Kick the Chair"). Fueled by corporate conspiracy and alien cover-ups, Mustaine's paranoia is his muse. Even if the golden-tressed guitarist has joined the anti-U.N. squad for his upcoming album, "United Abominations," his ripping new song "Washington's Next" indicates his suspicion serves him. This night's arc peaked with the spooked spiels of "Hangar 18"; Mustaine is letting slick new axman Glen Drover handle a bigger share of the solos lately. Overall, despite drummer Shawn Drover's solid thwack, Megadeth's condensed and speedy sound didn't sync well with the big hall's booming acoustics.
By contrast, opener Machine Head showed real arena adaptability. These thrash vets, riding a pretty spectacular new studio album, "The Blackening," pulled off the unusual feat of sounding like a totally different (and just as good) band live. The double-kick drums and pinging guitars united into a head-trippy environment that nevertheless rocked viciously.
Machine Head To Support Iron Maiden In Rome!
04.24.07
Machine Head will be supporting metal icons Iron Maiden along with Motorhead and Mastodon at Rome's Olympic Stadium on June 20th! The star-studded lineup is but one of many great Machine Head dates in Europe this summer, including the U.K.'s Download, Germany's Rock-am-Ring and Rock-im-Park, Sweden's prestigious Metaltown festival, Denmark's Roskilde, Holland's Fields Of Rock and a number of headlining dates with support coming from the mighty Killswitch Engage, Lamb Of God, Type O Negative, Mastodon and Chimaira! Head on over to the Tours page for more details.
Scott Ian Reviews The Blackening!
04.17.07
Famed Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian reviewed Machine Head's new album "The Blackening" for this month's Hard 'N Heavy magazine in France. See below for the entire review.
This should've been the soundtrack to the movie 300!
The Blackening is a great metal record. From the opening riffs of Clenching The Fists of Dissent you know you're in for brutality. This song takes you on an epic journey all leading up to the monstrous riff that happens at the 8:41 mark. HOLY FUCK!!! CLENCHING THE FISTS OF DISSENT!!!!! The next track, Beautiful Mourning shows how Machine Head can so perfectly balance modern metal with old school thrash. Track 3, Aesthetics Of Hate is a riff-o-rama showing off Rob Flynn and Phil Demmel's killer guitar work. Next up, Now I Lay Thee Down is like the Deftones on steroids. Track 5, Slanderous starts with a pick slide. I fucking love pick slides and they're all over this record. More crushing guitars in the middle breakdown take this song straight to hell. The lead trade-off has hints of Hammett. Rob screams THIS IS A CALL TO ARMS WILL YOU STAND BESIDE ME at the beginning of the next song Halo. I can only imagine the audience response. This song is classic Machine Head but with so much more maturity and melody in the chorus. Great hook. The next two, Wolves and A Farewell To Arms, clocking in at 9:01 and 10:12 respectively are so chock full of riffs, breakdowns, hooks, leads, harmonies and pick slides you'll need multiple listens to take it all in. The songs are epics and in a lesser bands hands that could be a terrible thing. It's extremely hard to maintain a cohesiveness and focus after five minutes. It's also hard to keep the listeners interest after five minutes. I've been listening to the record all the way through over and over again and the strength of the song writing and riffs maintains a depth and intensity that never lulls. The hooks are deep. Like a great book or movie, this record takes you out of your life for an hour to a place of pure unadulterated listening pleasure.
I love the record. Yay metal!!!
Scott
Machine Head Storms the Charts!
04.03.07
In its first week in stores, Machine Head's new album "The Blackening" has crashed the Billboard charts, landing at #54 (an all-time high for the band)! The record also stormed into the UK Top 20, muscling past Fall Out Boy, My Chemical Romance and Hilary Duff on its way to #16 for the week, topping the mark set by the band's acclaimed debut "Burn My Eyes" and surpassing their all-time 1st-week sales totals for the UK! Also just in, "The Blackening" arrived at #12 on German charts (another all-time high), #14 in Australia, #19 in Sweden, #23 in Ireland and #36 in France! And the action doesn't stop there, the album is currently dominating radio charts as well, hogging the #1 metal radio spot across the board!
The Blackening - In Stores Now!
03.27.07
The day you've been anticipating for oh-so-long is finally upon you. Machine Head's new album "The Blackening" is now in stores worldwide! So get your bad self on down to your friendly neighborhood music retailer and snag yourself a copy of the record that's being hailed by critics around the globe as "a masterpiece"! Read on below for full reviews.
The Blackening Reviewed!
03.27.07
Now that the album's release is upon us all, we present to you the collected works of "The Blackening" reviewers everywhere for your reading pleasure. So sit back, throw on your brand spanking new copy of the record and enjoy!
Metal Hammer (UK):
MACHINE HEAD
The Blackening
Metal's legendary fighters raise the bar.
It's hard to believe that less than five years ago, Machine Head were on the brink of devastation. The relative failure of 2001's 'Supercharger' album and the subsequent split from their record label had robbed them of their confidence and direction. Appallingly, the future looked bleak. As a result, the manner of their comeback - the astonishing return to form of 2003's 'Through the Ashes of Empires' and the triumphant live shows that followed - was all the more welcome and heartening for old and new fans alike.
And now that stirring tale of victory snatched from the jaws of defeat continues: 'The Blackening' is absolutely fucking stunning. With only eight tracks but coming in at over an hour in length, the creative quantum leap the band made last time round with mini-epics like 'Imperium' and 'In The Presence of My Enemies' has clearly gathered pace, resulting in an album that takes the best from all that Machine Head have achieved in the past, and cranks everything up an insane number of qualitative notches.
Gargantuan opener 'Clenching the Fists of Dissent' sets the tone with maximum dramatic impact. It begins with an ominous, sombre intro and then erupts into a swirling labyrinth of brutal riffs, structural twists and textural turns. Every member of the band is playing out of their skin as Robb Flynn unleashes his finest ever vocal performance; something he sustains throughout the album. Far more than just an exercise in technical showboating, 'Clenching...' is also a wonderfully crafted song, brimming with emotion and controlled ferocity. Remarkably, each of the remaining songs matches it. 'Beautiful Mourning' is a slamming, succinct anthem that soothes as it crushes. 'Aesthetics of Hate' snarls, rips and lacerates at a breathless pace; thrash metal's corpse regenerated via an eye-popping dose of fiercely modern progressive protein. 'Now I Lay Thee Down' swings like a buffalo's nutsack, Flynn's voice veering from roar to soar, while the vitrilolic 'Slanderous' is a celebratory onslaught of sinewy riffs; air-tight, relentless and irresistible. 'Halo' is the album's grand dynamic ballad, albeit one with the pulverising, slow-burn momentum of a runaway steamroller. Best of all, the closing brace of 'Wolves' and 'A Farewell To Arms' - two turbulent, shape-shifting colossi that contain more moments of savage perfection than most bands could squeeze out in a lifetime of trying - are the best of the lot; an exquisite, 20-minute valediction that should have fans jumping off their sofas and breaking into spontaneous applause.
More than any band since Maiden, Machine Head have cultivated a powerful bond with their fans through sheer honesty, humility and a fervent devotion to metal's sacred principles. Once this magnificent album reaches the ears of the faithful, that bond will be set in stone forever, and you sense that Flynn and his comrades know it. No wonder 'The Blackening' hums and crackles with such overpowering confidence and pride. Not just the finest album of their career, this is Machine Head's victory address. We never doubted them, they never doubted us, and this masterpiece represents the spoils of war. Enjoy it.
10 / 10
-DOM LAWSON
Kerrang!:
MACHINE HEAD
The Blackening
Taking The Power Back OAKLAND RAIDERS PULL OUT ALL THE STOPS ON COLOSSAL SIXTH ALBUM
'This is a call to arms, will you stand beside me? This is a time to fight, no more compromising', furiously spits Robb Flynn on 'Halo'. It's not only a plea, but it's a firm statement of intent that resonates through every savage riff, frantic drumbeat, thundering bassline, screaming solo and venomous lyric of 'The Blackening'. Machine Head needed to deliver the album of their career. And they have delivered. In spades.
For their sixth album, the Bay Area metallers have directed their focus on the very elements that make them Machine Head, amplifying every aspect of their sound, pushing the envelope of their abilities and distilling it all into their most ambitious, powerful, credible and accomplished work to date. With only one of its eight tracks clocking in at under five minutes - half of them weighing in at a mammoth nine minutes-plus - it's epic without being self-indulgent, diverse without being drawn-out and angry without being clich�d.
Opener 'Clenching The Fists Of Dissent' begins with a distant, echoing bass strum, building to an acoustic intro backed with a militaristic drum crescendo before exploding into a ravaging riff for a 10-minute thrashfest. 'Beautiful Mourning' bursts into life with a cyclonic swirl of guitars and defiant 'fuck you all!'. Slowing the pace a little with 'Now I Lay Thee Down' - featuring the obligatory shredding breakdown, natch - it's the closest they get to a ballad; in the most viciously powerful sense of the word, of course. The slow-burning 'Halo' is another hefty epic, with all the ammo in the Machine Head arsenal thrown into the ring, each musician stretching himself with every note and drumbeat, the fury balanced with serenity, allowing the suffocating anger room to breathe.
Their crowning glory, however, is 'Aesthetics Of Hate', written in response to the media circus surrounding the death of Dimebag Darrell. Clattering into life with a galloping opening gambit it charges at a furious pace, Flynn snarling his vitriol through gritted teeth before taking on Phil Demmel in a frantic duel of a guitar solo before exploding back to life, breaking down into a solemn death march and collapsing in a squall of feedback.
To coin a lyric, Flynn and co have taken their rage to overcome and ploughed all their fury into producing their definitive album. In 'The Blackening', Machine Head have not only created a monster; they have produced their absolute masterpiece.
5 / 5
-Caren Gibson
Metal Edge:
MACHINE HEAD
The Blackening
Just as they did in 1994 with their debut Burn My Eyes, Machine Head has once again lifted the proverbial metal bar and set a new standard for bands to be measured against. Although Machine Head's sound has been the subject of much scrutiny in previous years, they rejuvenated and redeemed their career with 2003's Through the Ashes of Empires. But redemption is nothing without validation, and The Blackening, the band's first effort in nearly four years, is the musical stamp of validation that transcends their own limitations, pitting Machine Head once again at the head of a pack of wolves.
On the surface, The Blackening is Machine Head's masterpiece. Four of the eight songs comprise nearly forty of The Blackening's sixty minutes, two of which eclipse the ten minute mark. During a time when good song writing seems to be at an all time low (quality three minute songs are apparently difficult to write for most) Machine Head has figured out a way to write songs that are long and compelling, simple and complex, brutal and beautiful. With The Blackening, Machine Head has embarked on a path many bands fear to tread and they have successfully accomplished a feat that has not been reached since Metallica's Master of Puppets.
But it goes even deeper. The Blackening is an epic journey through a hypnotic blend of thrash roots and metal riffs that starkly contrasts the more melodic elements of Machine Head with the heavier aspects reminiscent of Burn My Eyes. Resonating inside the deepest and darkest chambers of your mind, The Blackening takes you places your mind doesn't want to go. Highlighted by tracks "Clenching the Fists of Dissent," "Halo," and "A Farewell to Arms," the dark and strikingly aggressive music penetrates and haunts you. The resulting cathartic purge, whether a scream or a cry, is a "calling to arms" for all to stand up to their own demons. After all, "this is our time to fight, no more compromise."
And there is no compromising. As it stands now, The Blackening is the best release of 2007 and bands will have to work really hard to change that. It is not another act of redemption for Machine Head, but rather for the fans, as The Blackening is one of the few albums that elicit an emotional response. Your soul cannot feel clean after listening to only parts of The Blackening, however over the course of an hour it is a blackening and cleansing all in one.
-Andrew Gargano
Blabbermouth:
MACHINE HEAD
The Blackening
"The Blackening", Machine Head's sixth studio album, is quite simply the band's best effort since its shattering 1994 debut, "Burn My Eyes", and may even surpass that modern classic. It may also be the best all-out metal recording of 2007. This is a no-holds-barred, brutally heavy, uncompromising album, a labor of love on which every single note of music bleeds with the passion and anger of Robb Flynn and his bandmates. And the music they've created here - eight songs, with two of them passing the nine-minute mark and another pair cruising past ten minutes - is relentless, monstrously heavy and perhaps lyrically darker than anything the band has done before. In short, Machine Head has made its masterpiece.
Machine Head - and Flynn in particular - have always been under intense scrutiny since arriving on the metal scene in such unforgettable style with "Burn My Eyes" all those years ago. In the ensuing decade and a half, expectations and commercial pressures seemed to drive everyone a little crazy: the band, its label, and its fans, all of whom seem to be searching for some sort of abstract, undefined height of perfection and success. The frantic overthinking on the still-worthy sophomore album "The More Things Change" was followed by the more market-driven pursuits of "The Burning Red" (which was nevertheless a solid CD) and "Supercharger" (widely acknowledged as the band's lowest ebb). Fifth album "Through the Ashes of Empire" found the group righting the ship, discarding counsel about current music trends and finding its way back to the most pure-sounding Machine Head CD since the first. Freed of commercial considerations, "Empire" was the best-received MH effort in a while and paved the way for the all-out assault of "The Blackening".
Aside from the first record, this is the ultimate Machine Head album: it clearly sounds like the work of a band completely following its artistic bent without giving a damn for the consequences. Only that kind of mindset would allow any act to open an album with a track that runs for 10 minutes and 34 seconds. But that's just what Machine Head has done with "Clenching the Fists of Dissent". The song's haunting, gentle opening soon gives way to an overwhelming barrage of riffs, tempo changes and mood swings, each calibrated for maximum heaviness and impact. The track sets the tone for the rest of the album, with a vibe that veers between fury and despair.
The sonic pyrotechnics continue straight into "Beautiful Mourning" and the literally breathtaking "Aesthetics of Hate", which channels its title emotion into a blazing volcano of pure speed and furious guitarwork from Flynn and Phil Demmel. The fact that the song is driven by Flynn's anger over the media response to Dimebag Darrell's death only adds to its raw energy. "Now I Lay Thee Down" is the closest that Machine Head comes to easing off the accelerator on this record, but even its slight lean in a ballad-like direction is balanced by its onslaught of slow, ominous riffing.
The incredible barrage of metallic power continues on "Slanderous" and especially "Halo", whose main riff is nothing short of classic Machine Head. All four members of the band - Flynn, Demmel, bassist Adam Duce and drummer Dave McClain - have not only risen to the occasion on this record, but surpassed themselves, with Flynn and Demmel playing off each other in an intense, dynamic way that Flynn has arguably never had before with any previous Machine Head guitarist. The fluid playing of all four members and seamless songwriting keeps each song lively and interesting, so that even the most lengthy numbers never feel like they're dragging.
"The Blackening" ends almost where it begins, with "A Farewell to Arms", like "Dissent", addressing the spiraling, catastrophic situation that the once-mighty U.S. has found itself in thanks to its depraved, delusional, war-mongering leadership. But whereas "Dissent" is a fevered call to revolution, "Farewell" is more mournful and accusing: "War hawks and senators they sit tight, so trite/Never their sons will know what it's like to fight/But soldiers are dead/And children have bled/And the silence is numb/What have we become?" Some here on the Blabbermouth message boards have already commented on the political nature of the lyrics, but Flynn's clear, unrestrained feelings on these subjects only add to the sense of artistic freedom and emotional power on the disc.
In a recent span of time that has seen credible comeback efforts from Slayer and Type O Negative, plus worthy new albums from contenders like Lamb of God, Trivium and Mastodon, it's fitting that Machine Head - who waged an often lonely battle to keep its identity through metal's ups and downs - have topped them all and set the standard for the next big return to form (we're looking at you, Metallica). But "The Blackening" is no mere comeback: it's the nearly perfect testament to the musical, personal and commercial journey that Machine Head has taken and survived all these years, their sound and integrity restored and intact. It's also one of the purest, finest, most powerful expressions of modern heavy metal released in this young but already blackened century.
9.5 / 10
-Don Kaye
Decibel:
MACHINE HEAD
The Blackening
It's better than the rest
This can't be right: A Machine Head album with jagged prog-metal movements and four songs that surpass the nine-minute mark? Oh but it is, and the result's as massive and masochistic as the running time suggests. Basically, that makes The Blackening Machine Head's best album since Burn My Eyes and the second consecutive release in what's clearly becoming the band's renaissance period--an artery-tapping run of reckless ambition that almost makes up for the career-marring frat-metal detour of Burning Red and its goddamn crunch-tastic Police cover.
Which brings us to an important question: Who does Robert Flynn think he is all of a sudden? A blistered and beaten bastard child of Dream Theater and Pantera? A chord-climbing hero of those who like metal without the -core? Not exactly. If he's moving toward anything in Machine Head's golden years, it's that of the Great American Antihero. Simply put, dude's pissed off at our President and his appalling foreign policies, as well as humanity in general. So rather than exercise his ego, Flynn has turned his eyeglass outward, opening his mouth as wide as a whale and firing off seared solos in every direction. In other words, Flynn has decided to start writing compelling protest music, matching "this is our time to fight" rhetoric with rippling oceans of noise and riffs that burn like the rubber of a racecar driver.
The Man isn't his only target either; Flynn also drags his dirty nails down the back of organized religion ("Halo," which is a real high point), intolerant bigots (the daring "Slanderous"), and even a journalist ("Aesthetics of Hate") who had no problem bashing Dimebag Darrell soon after his death. "Aesthetics of Hate" is especially haunting, weaving its way through a labyrinth of swooping, sweeping guitars and the threatening final thought "may the hand of god strike them down." Throughout the time and stylistic changes, you'll barely notice that The Blackening crams an hour of genuinely creative ideas into eight debilitating tracks. That and you'll actually be left wanting another masterwork from what's turning out to be one of the greatest survivors of the Backward Baseball Cap Age.
9 / 10
-Andrew Parks
Maximum Metal:
MACHINE HEAD
The Blackening
ALBUM SPOTLIGHT
And so it is. Finally the age old question is answered. After years and years of speculation and intrigue, the final piece of the puzzle is laid before us.
What is the greatest heavy metal album of all time?
The answer. Machine Head's "The Blackening".
Obviously that sort of question and answer format could be derived from any sixteen year old fan forum commenting on any notable mainstream record release. However I feel that my justification of this album comes from experience. Forgive my somewhat arrogant approach, but I feel that I have been around the block a few times over and have lived to tell about it. My metal expertise lies within thirty long years of ear and neck damage, stretching tendons, muscles, and joints in a never ending quest for everything heavy metal. I've seen the rise of Bay Area thrash, the invention of death metal and it's sub-genre innovators, the dark drape of black metal, the false hope of rap-core, and the ugly face of nu-metal. Along with those famed landmarks comes the underground facets of our shiny little nugget, those smaller but equally powerful movements like power metal, hard rock, AOR, stoner, and the loveable but quirky Teutonic invasion. Through a personal milestone of three-thousand CDs bolted to the studs of my household walls to an insurmountable stack of demos and CDRs of bands twice the world over, I have been left with ONE album that simply dwarfs all others. ONE album that simply achieves the proverbial "top of the mountain". This, my fellow headbangers and friends abroad, is Machine Head's "The Blackening".
I remember hearing Machine Head on the "Tales From The Crypt: Demon Knight" soundtrack way back in 1994, weighing in with a barrage of sonic annihilation on the selection "Demon Knight". From that point on my collection has always been updated semi-annually with whatever bombastic bad-ass Machine Head tunes dropped from the sheer heights of metallic aggression. From Robb Flynn's gravel scraped voice to Dave McClain's obviously under-rated talent and skill behind the skins, Machine Head have adopted and captured a metal sound that is simply like no other. With countless followers and clones, this band, this gigantic beast of sound still chugs away with the most abrasive output ever recorded on an audio format. I dare any leatherneck worth his salt to find me any "extreme" metaller that is this heavy, melodic, and groove friendly yet still educates masses with lyrics that are not blasphemous or Satanic.
The bay area band made a serious impact with their debut "Burn My Eyes" in 1994. The band's sophomore release, "The More Things Change", rivaled only Pantera in sheer heaviness and aggression. The group changed things and leaned more towards mainstream musical philosophies with "The Burning Red" as well as 2001's "Supercharger". In 2003 the band enlisted former Flynn bandmate (Vio-lence) Phil Demmel and recorded "Through The Ashes Of Empires" in 2004. The album went on to be the highest selling record for Roadrunner Records UK and made a big splash domestically. In late 2006 the band once again partnered with sound genius Colin Richardson to produce this generation's "Master Of Puppets", an album simply entitled "The Blackening".
Never in my life have I heard any band make this type of sound on a record. The music coming out of my speakers is simply revolutionary. This is innovation at work, the beginning of something entirely new and fresh in today's modern heavy metal world. While over a decade ago Metallica's "Master Of Puppets" took the headbangin' man to extraordinary heights in terms of brutality and musicianship, it is this decade and this time that sweeps a brand new sound into the fold, a polished and perfectly executed album that simply contains every single drop of blood, sweat, and tears that heavy metal has spilled forth in thirty plus years of bands, music, and madness. This is a relentless assault, an iron lunged, super-heated frenzy of musical might, never compromised and never bowing to any maker or master. What could easily be assumed as a by-product of today's political climate and the war, "The Blackening" is simply mesmerizing in its ability to add so many elements together to fuel a supersonic sound machine. From Flynn's pulverizing vocals to six-string maniac Demmel's lead playing to the concrete sledge hammer of Adam Duce's bass, this is simply metal on metal, scraping the rivets, steel, and bolts from a society that has simply become hostile.
As the old metal world simply grows tired, weak, and weary, Machine Head rises like a phoenix, a steel winged savage that simply exists as the symbolic force of heavy metal. It simply does not get any better than this. As the years go by and song after song hits CD, MP3, and any other digital invention yet undiscovered, the tempered metal fan will always call upon "The Blackening" to soothe distress and fuel any desire to achieve, dominate, and overcome. For these are the days of "The Blackening".
-EC
Rocksound:
MACHINE HEAD
The Blackening
ALBUM OF THE MONTH
Machine Head's 1994 debut 'Burn My Eyes' tore strips off the ears, and no subsequent release has come close to its power. 'The More Things Change' was a credible follow-up, 'The Burning Red' saw the band descend into the popular ranks of nu-metal, and 'Supercharger' was the ultimate crisis point in the band's career. Fifth album 'Through The Ashes Of Empires' marked a welcome return to form, with standout track 'Imperium' mimicking the political chaos of 'Davidian' nine years on. But nothing could touch the raw force of 'Burn My Eyes' - until now. 'The Blackening' begins like Machine Head's very own 'Master Of Puppets'. The band have already recorded a cover version of Metallica's 'Battery', and opening track 'Clenching The Fists Of Dissent' mimics it by walking a stately march and then breaking into a run. Two minutes in, a full-on old-skool thrash attack hammers the nail into 'Supercharger''s coffin forever. Thus begins 10 minutes of pure Machine Head carnage, where life-affirming chants of "fight!" break through the noise and set the listener up for what's about to come.
From here on in, the band revamp their finest riffs and breakdowns, playing them in the modern metal style they created on 'Through The Ashes Of Empires'.
'Beautiful Mourning' shares aggressive sonic qualities with 'A Thousand Lies', but the beautiful part comes from Robb Flynn's improved slow and sinister way of singing. Similarly, 'Slanderous' recalls the galloping guitars of 'Bay Of Pigs', but sounds sleeker and stronger.
If 'Through The Ashes Of Empires' wasn't enough to realign Machine Head with the metal community, 'Aesthetics Of Hate' will be. The song takes its title from a letter of the same name, penned by a man called William Grim on conservative website The Iconoclast after Dimebag Darrell was shot on stage. Where Grim's letter damns "ignorant, filthy, and hideously ugly heavy metal fans" for their passions, Machine Head's song damns grim with the vitriolic refrain "may the hand of God strike them down".
Flynn's anger remains strong after 15 years, and rips through the smooth production on 'The Blackening'. Anti-war themes remain central, from 'Clenching The Fists Of Dissent''s defiant chanting to 'Halo''s reactionary cry, "this is a call to arms, will you stand beside me?" Here, bursts of melodic riffage get lodged in the brain like negative feedback loops, while the chorus shares a hymn-like quality with 'Beautiful Mourning' and tale of tragedy 'Now I Lay Thee Down'.
Machine Head meld these themes with another dose of thrash to end on 10-minute epic 'A Farewell To Arms'. Its title comes from of Hemingway's anti-war novels, again aligning the band with Metallica, who borrowed 'For Whom The Bell Tolls' for their own metal masterpiece. Chills run down the spine as Flynn ends by asking: "This silence is numb, what have we become?" in summation of 'The Blackening'. This is Machine Head's finest hour since 'Burn My Eyes', and it may prove to be their greatest ever.
9 / 10
-Eleanor Goodman
Pre-Order The Blackening on iTunes!
03.19.07
Take advantage of this rare opportunity to pre-order "The Blackening" on iTunes! Machine Head's new record drops next week, and if you were already planning on downloading the album from iTunes, you can pre-order it now and then redeem your downloads on the album's street date! Click here to open the pre-order page in iTunes now!
Heaven and Hell Tour Announced!
03.05.07
Machine Head have joined up with heavy metal icons Heaven and Hell (Ronnie James Dio, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Vinny Appice) and Megadeth for the "Heaven and Hell Tour 2007"! Tickets will go on sale the weekend of March 9th for all 20 dates (except Houston - on sale March 17th), head on over to the Tours page for details!
The Blackening E-Card!
03.02.07
Get yet another taste of the new album with the official The Blackening E-Card, featuring "Now I Lay Thee Down" and snippets of other songs as introduced and described by Dave McClain! Click here to check it out and be sure to pick up your copy of the record in stores on March 27th!
The Blackening Sessions - Part Three
02.26.07
Enter the studio with Machine Head in the third and final episode of "The Blackening Sessions", a behind-the-scenes look at the band as they record their upcoming album, "The Blackening". Head on over to the Media page to check it out, and be sure to pick up your copy of the record in stores on March 27th!
Free New Song Download!
02.16.07
Click here to download a free MP3 of the new song "Aesthetics Of Hate", from Machine Head's upcoming album "The Blackening", currently set to hit stores on March 27th!
The Blackening Cover Revealed!
01.12.07
Your very first official taste of the new album is here! Click here to view the cover art for Machine Head's upcoming album "The Blackening", currently set to hit stores on March 27th!
The Blackening Sessions - Part Two
12.18.06
Enter the studio with Machine Head in Part Two of "The Blackening Sessions", a behind-the-scenes look at the band as they record their upcoming album, "The Blackening". Head on over to the Media page to check it out, and be sure to stay tuned because there's much more to come!
Sounds Of The Underground Video!
10.03.06
Go behind-the-scenes with Machine Head as they tear up the Sounds of the Underground tour! Joining the tour for six select dates before entering the studio to record the new album, the band played to electric crowds night after night, and it was all captured on film, including the live debut of the new song "Aesthetics of Hate"! Head on over to the Media page pronto and check it out!
The Blackening Sessions - Part One
09.15.06
Enter the studio with Machine Head in Part One of "The Blackening Sessions", a behind-the-scenes look at the band as they record their upcoming album, "The Blackening". Head on over to the Media page to check it out, and be sure to stay tuned because there's much more to come!
Machine Head Reveal New Album Details!
08.17.06
Bay Area metal titans Machine Head are set to enter Sharkbite Studios in Oakland, CA on Monday, August 21st to record their newly titled upcoming album, "The Blackening". Vocalist/Guitarist Robert Flynn will be returning to the producer's chair for the band's sixth studio album, with Mark Keaton once again handling engineering duties. Longtime Machine Head collaborator Colin Richardson (Machine Head, Cannibal Corpse, Trivium, Bullet For My Valentine) will also be returning to mix the record alongside Flynn this October in London. "Words can't really describe how excited we are to get into the studio and record this record," exclaims drummer Dave McClain. "The shows that we just played on the Sounds of the Underground tour were as amazing as we'd hoped they'd be, the raw energy and excitement level of our fans right now is just incredible, we're fired up!"
Tentative song titles for "The Blackening", set for release in early 2007, currently include "Clenching The Fists Of Dissent", "Aesthetics Of Hate", "Halo", "The Beautiful Mourning", "Now I Lay Thee Down", "Slanderous Love", "Wolves" and "A Farewell To Arms". Guitarist Phil Demmel adds, "We're still smoothing out some rough edges but what we have, we're extremely proud of. I'm not one to go off on 'Heavier than blah-blah-blah!!!!' and 'Crushes your-these-and-those!!!!', but I will say that fans of what we call 'Just Fuckin' Metal' will be digging this new material". The band have also tapped longtime Machine Head artist Paul Brown (Machine Head, Marilyn Manson, Michael Moore) to begin working on album art in the upcoming weeks.
New Album Preview Video!
07.20.06
So you've been chomping at the bit for what seems like ages, dying to get a glimpse of the new Machine Head record... well, the time has come for you to taste the metal. Now available on the Media page, get your first sneak peek at the new material as the band prepares to join the Sounds of the Underground tour for select dates before hitting the studio to record the new album! Why are you still reading?
