Head Cases,

I just wanted to say a few words.

This is really the end of an era, as we close the UNATØNED chapter for Machine Head.

We’ve been out here doing this for about a year and a half now, and when I started thinking about everything that’s happened over that time, it’s actually fucking ridiculous.

We’ve had:

Four different drum techs.

Four different monitor engineers.

Four different merch people.

Three different video guys.

Three different booking agents.

Two different guitar techs.

And somehow…

SEVEN FUCKING GUITAR PLAYERS!?

Three of whom didn’t even make it far enough to play a show!

We played seven shows as a 3-piece for the first time in the 30-plus-year history of Machine Head - including festivals and three-hour-long “Evening With” shows.

So to say this album cycle has been unpredictable would be putting it mildly.

There have been some incredible highs.

There have been some seriously difficult moments.

Personnel changes. Crew changes. Chaos. Long drives. Fucked-up days. At least one nervous breakdown. Amazing shows. Sold-out shows. Empty fucking rooms. Multiple bot attacks on our socials. Cancelled flights. Close friends and family passing away. Breakups. Some of the best shows of our entire career. Traveling the world and living a life that could only be dreamed of. And probably more than a few moments where all of us wondered what the fuck we were doing with our lives.

But we fucking did it.

Before I get to everyone who took this record around the world, I want to acknowledge the people who helped us actually MAKE the fucking thing.

A huge thank you to everyone at Nuclear Blast and Believe who worked behind the scenes to get UNATØNED out into the world, and who continued fighting for this band and these songs throughout the entire cycle.

And a very special thank you to the always roarin’, never borin’, Zack Ohren.

Zack was there from the inception of this record, just like he’s been there for damn near everything we’ve created over the last 10 years.

He’s been behind the desk, on the stage, in the trenches, arguing with me, laughing with me, putting up with my endless fucking changes, and helping me turn the sounds I hear in my head into Machine Head records.

UNATØNED wouldn’t be what it is without you, brutha.

Thank you.

And then there are the road crew who took this thing out into the world.

Different faces came and went during these 18 months, and I want to acknowledge every single person who gave their time, talent, sweat and energy to Machine Head during this era.

Whether you were here for the entire year and a half, the first few legs, the last few legs, or joined us somewhere in the middle of this goddamned tornado - you helped us get to the finish line.

Thank you.

On the band side, Jared, Matt, and myself were the three constants throughout this entire cycle.

Jared and Matt - I love you guys. Thank you for standing beside me through all of it.

And a special shout-out to Reece, Vogg, and Ben Eller for everything they brought to this album cycle. We couldn’t have done it without you.

But there’s one other constant that has been there through every lineup, every crew change, every country, and every ridiculous fucking twist and turn this album cycle threw at us:

YOU.

The Head Cases.

You bought the records.

You streamed the songs.

You bought the shirts.

You learned the fucking words.

You stood in the pouring rain, the blazing heat, and the bitter cold.

You packed into sweaty little clubs and giant festival fields.

You annihilated the circle pits and walls of death.

You screamed until you had no fucking voice left.

You were there.

And you gave these songs a life beyond the four walls where we created them.

Thank you.

Because when something goes on for this long, sometimes you don’t actually stop and acknowledge when it’s finished.

One tour ends and you’re already talking about the next one.

One album ends and you’re already thinking about the next record.

So I want to stop for a fucking minute and acknowledge this one.

We made UNATØNED.

We took it around the world.

We gave it everything we had.

You gave it everything you had.

And now we’re closing the chapter.

We’re taking some fucking time off.

We’re going home to our wives, girlfriends, partners, kids, dogs, cats, families and friends.

We’re going to sleep in our own beds and remember what the fuck normal life feels like.

And then, when the time is right…

We’ll figure out the future.

But that’s for another day.

Today is about UNATØNED.

To every single person who worked on this album.

To every crew member who helped us take it around the world.

To every agent, promoter, label person and partner who helped make this whole fucking thing happen.

And to every Head Case around the world who continues to give a shit about MACHINE FUCKING HEAD…

Thank you.

I’m incredibly proud of what we accomplished together.

So raise a glass.

To UNATØNED.

To this fucking badass crew.

To this fucking badass band.

To you badass Head Cases.

And to one hell of a fucking ride.

Cheers, motherfuckers.

Robb

Head Cases,
After I recorded my guest vocals for “Revenger,” I decided to film a complete one-take performance of the entire track.

Just me, a mic, and 3½ minutes of controlled chaos.

The response to the song since release has been absolutely incredible, so now felt like the right time to unleash this version into the world.

Watch the full vocal one-take now on YouTube.

BLACK VEIL BRIDES - REVENGER (FEAT: MACHINE HEAD)
OUT TODAY🔥
Order and Pre-save the new album here: 👉🏻 https://blackveilbrides.lnk.to/vindic...

FROZEN SOUL - I INVOKE WAR (FEAT: MACHINE HEAD)
OUT TODAY🔥
Order and Pre-save the new album here: 👉🏻 https://frozensoul.lnk.to/NoPlaceofWa...

AUGUST 2026
5th • Ottawa, ON 🇨🇦
7th • Rock La Cauze, QC 🇨🇦 *FESTIVAL SHOW*
8th • Toronto, ON 🇨🇦
9th • London, ON 🇨🇦
11th • Thunder Bay, ON 🇨🇦
14th • Saskatoon, SK 🇨🇦
15th • Enoch, AB 🇨🇦
16th • Dawson Creek, BC 🇨🇦

SEPTEMBER 2026
19th • Cleveland, OH 🇺🇸
20th • Louder Than Life, KY 🇺🇸 *FESTIVAL SHOW*
21st • Moline, IL 🇺🇸
23rd • Denver, CO 🇺🇸
24th • Salt Lake City, UT 🇺🇸
25th • Missoula, MT 🇺🇸
27th • Spokane, WA 🇺🇸
28th • Portland, OR 🇺🇸
29th • Tacoma, WA 🇺🇸

MACH

👆🏻 WATCH VIDEO HERE 👆🏻

👆🏻 WATCH VIDEO HERE 👆🏻

AUTHENTIC STAGE-PLAYED “UNATØNED” GUITAR – DIAMOND STAGE EXPERIENCE 

**Limited to 1 (One) Per Show**

Own a true piece of Machine Head history.
This custom 22-fret “Unatøned” stage-played guitar will be used live on stage during the show you attend, then personally autographed by the band and presented to you after the performance.

Featuring diamond-shaped inlays, antique bronze hardware, and a high-quality custom graphic, this guitar was created exclusively for this tour.

Each guitar is unique and may show authentic signs of stage use from the performance, making it a one-of-a-kind piece tied to the exact show you attended.

YOUR DIAMOND STAGE EXPERIENCE INCLUDES

• 1 Autographed, Stage-Played Guitar Used During Your Show
• 4 Total Tickets (Guitar purchaser + 3 guests)
• Private Meet & Greet with Machine Head
• Photo with the Band to Commemorate the Night
• Exclusive VIP T-Shirt (only available with this package)
• Limited Tour Poster
• Commemorative VIP Laminate
• Early Entry to the Venue
• Early Access to Merch Before Doors Open
• Certificate of Authenticity for Your Stage-Played Guitar
• 15% Discount Coupon for Shotgun Blast Whiskey

SHOP: 👉🏻 https://tentontradingco.com/collections/stage-played-guitars-us

**IMPORTANT**

This item does NOT ship.
Your guitar and Diamond items will be presented to you at the show you selected during checkout.

Your guitar will be signed by the band and handed to you in person at the end of the night as part of your Diamond Experience.

U.S. residents only

Visual rendering may look slightly different from actual guitar

JUNE 2026
3rd • Detroit, MI 🇺🇸
5th • Minneapolis, MN  🇺🇸
6th • Milwaukee Metal Fest, WI 🇺🇸
7th • South Bend, IN 🇺🇸
9th • Raleigh, NC 🇺🇸
11th • Brooklyn, NY 🇺🇸
12th • Boston, MA 🇺🇸
13th • Bethlehem, PA 🇺🇸
16th • Orlando, FL 🇺🇸
17th • Atlanta, GA 🇺🇸
19th • Dallas, TX 🇺🇸
20th • Houston, TX 🇺🇸
21st • San Antonio, TX 🇺🇸
23rd • Albuquerque, NM 🇺🇸
24th • Tempe, AZ 🇺🇸
25th • Los Angeles, CA 🇺🇸
27th • San Francisco, CA 🇺🇸

STAGE-PLAYED GUITARS: https://www.machinehead1.com/blogs/news/machine-head-stage-played-guitar-package

US SUMMER FESTIVALS 2026
JUNE
6th • Milwaukee Metalfest, WI 🇺🇸

JULY
16th • Rock Fest, WI 🇺🇸
18th • Inkcarceration, OH 🇺🇸

SEPTEMBER
17th • Louder Than Life, KY 🇺🇸

APRIL 2026
11th • Copenhagen, DK 🇩🇰
13th • Hamburg, DE 🇩🇪
15th • Warsaw, PL 🇵🇱
17th • Zwickau, DE 🇩🇪
18th • Berlin, DE 🇩🇪
19th • Vienna, AT 🇦🇹
20th • Munich, DE 🇩🇪
22nd • Milan, IT 🇮🇹
23rd • Marseille, FR 🇫🇷
24th • Toulouse, FR 🇫🇷
25th • Pamplona, ES 🇪🇸
27th • Madrid, ES 🇪🇸
28th • Lisbon, PT 🇵🇹
29th • Malaga, ES 🇪🇸
30th • Barcelona, ES 🇪🇸

MAY 2026
2nd • Paris, FR 🇫🇷
3rd • Strasbourg, FR 🇫🇷
4th • Saarbrücken, DE 🇩🇪
6th • Ludwigsburg, DE 🇩🇪
7th • Wiesbaden, DE 🇩🇪
8th • Cologne, DE 🇩🇪
9th • Fribourg, CH 🇨🇭
11th • Tilburg, NL 🇳🇱
12th • Brussels, BE 🇧🇪
14th • Glasgow, UK 🇬🇧
15th • Manchester, UK 🇬🇧
16th • Wolverhampton, UK 🇬🇧
17th • London, UK 🇬🇧

👉🏻 TICKETS:

A LETTER TO THE HEAD CASES

From Robb

Head Cases,

I’ve been thinking a lot about what makes a Machine Head show… a Machine Fuckin' Head show.
People talk about the riffs, the circle pits, the sweat, the beers, the chaos—and yeah, all of that is part of who we are. It always has been.

But there’s something else.
Something I didn’t fully understand until years into doing this.

It’s the singing.

The way you take our songs... songs we wrote in a cold Oakland rehearsal room, in dark places, in moments of pain, struggle, or heartbreak—and you turn them into something bigger. Something yours.

I’ve stood on stages all over the world, guitar hanging off my shoulder, lights blinding my eyes, sweat dripping down my face… and then I hear it:

You. All of you. Singing louder than the PA. Singing like the song belongs to you—and it does.

That feeling… I can’t compare it to anything else in my life.

There was a show a while back—honestly, I can’t even remember what city it was—but during “Darkness Within,” the crowd came in so strong on that first line I actually stepped back from the mic. Just… let it happen. And as I listened, I felt something shift inside me. Like, this is why we’re here.
This connection.
This shared voice.

It’s not a performance anymore.
It becomes a conversation.
A communion.

And that’s why we’re doing this tour.

“AN EVENING WITH MACHINE HEAD” — EUROPE / UK APRIL & MAY 2026

No openers.
No limits.
Just 3 hours of anthems, deep cuts, ragers & epics, the songs you’ve screamed so loud we could feel it in our bones.

I want these nights to feel like those rare shows where everything clicks and the world falls away. Where we can dig into the catalog, take our time, talk, play, improvise, go places we haven’t gone in years… or ever.

I want to see you jump until the floor shakes.
I want to hear those first words of “Halo” explode like a war cry.
I want to hear that massive “Let freedom ring” during “Davidian” that rattles the walls.
I want to feel the whole room move as one.

These are the nights where the band and the fans become the same damn thing.

Pre-sale tickets start today.
I hope you’ll be there with us.
I hope you’ll bring your voice.
Because we’re going to need it.

With love, rage, and gratitude
- Robb
**MACHINE F*ING HEAD**

👉🏻 TICKETS:

DESTROYEROFHARMONY has written a thoroughly in-depth review of our latest album "UNATØNED"

---------------

Machine Head’s ‘Unatoned’ Is a 41-Minute Punch in the Soul – Brutally Honest Review (Track-by-Track)

Landscape of Thorns

A 31-second instrumental opener that is like walking into a post-apocalyptic cathedral made of rust and bad decisions. No lyrics, just vibe.

The vibe?

You’re screwed.


Atomic Revelations

You know that moment when you realize humanity might’ve peaked with sliced bread and everything since is just radioactive garbage?

Yeah, that’s this song.

“Atomic revelations / These cryptic devastations…”

In other words, the future’s here, and it’s wearing a hazmat suit. Think less “technological utopia” and more “Oops, all fallout.”

It’s a poetic bitch slap to our blind optimism. A warning, framing the future not as a bright evolution but as a terrifying construct built from our short-sighted and immoral decisions.

Unbound

This is the sonic equivalent of breaking out of a mental straitjacket while screaming into a hurricane.

Lead single for a reason, it’s the sound of someone clawing their way to freedom, with bloody nails and existential panic.

It’s not about being free. It’s about realizing you’ve been your own prison warden the whole damn time.

Outsider

A love letter to being done. Betrayal, bitterness, burn-it-to-the-ground energy.

"All the lying, all the cheating
All you left me was defeated
There could never be forgiveness in the end"

No redemption arc. Just someone standing over the wreckage of trust and lighting a cigarette off the flames.

It’s beautiful.

In the way that watching your ex trip over karma is beautiful.

Not Long for This World

Here’s your death anxiety, set to music. Haunting, lyrical, and bleakly gorgeous. The kind of track that makes you text your therapist and also maybe your mom.

"Through the struggles life hurls
Behold the heavens unfurl
Not long for this world"

You’re gonna die. Everyone you love will die. And this track whispers: “Yup. And?” It’s oddly comforting, like being hugged by a ghost.

These Scars Won’t Define Us

A motivational anthem for people who’ve seen some serious crap and didn’t get a cheesy Instagram quote tattoo about it.

"Head to the grindstone, power forward through the endless dark
Focus, determination, on this world I’ll leave a mark
It took so long for any confidence to get in here
And now the question that I need to know, I cannot hear"

It’s not saying “you’re special.” It’s saying “you survived, now do something with it.” Less “self-love,” more “self-discipline.”

Dustmaker

“Dustmaker” is a little musical intermission.

A breather.

Kind of. It’s the metal equivalent of a weird dream sequence in a war movie. You’re not dying yet, but your brain’s doing weird crap.

Sip some water. You’ll need it.

Bonescraper

It’s a head banger with themes of self-destruction and a side of guilt.

"We scrape our bones to numb the pain"

If you’ve ever tried to drink your problems away, punch your trauma into silence, or sleep with someone just to feel something, this one’s your anthem. Congrats, you’re the problem and the solution.

Addicted to Pain

This one goes out to everyone who keeps dancing with the same demons and calling it “growth.” Spoiler: it’s not.

"We’ll never know what could’ve been
Cravings pulled you deep within
Thrown into the hit machine
Feed the beast, start the routine
You gave it all just to chase this flame
The dotted line, a puppet in the game now
Twisted and cheating
The fame we chase is bleating
Turned against brother for acclaim that is fleeting"

The fame-chasing, dopamine-looping, clout-sucking treadmill of modern life, and how it turns people into hollowed-out achievement junkies.

No wonder you’re tired.

Bleeding Me Dry

This one’s a gut-punch, a slow-motion collapse of a relationship that started with dreams and ended with pill bottles and silence.

"There’s no pain without living life
This liquor helps cope with the strife
We talked of you being my wife
Picket fences, some kids, and two bikes
But all that was a fantasy lost in our haze
Through all of the weed smoke and piles of cocaine
A pharmacy of Vicodin, Percs, refillers
You and I were worst friend’s best painkillers"

Jesus.

That line alone deserves a Pulitzer in “Emotional Damage”.

It’s not a love song, it’s a eulogy for what could’ve been. And it hurts because it’s true.

They’re not lovers, not saviors, just each other’s favorite painkillers in a life too painful to face sober.

Shards of Shattered Dreams

More heartbreak. More poetic destruction. Think of it like picking glitter out of a crime scene.

"It’s raining
Shards of shattered dreams
This love divine
Ruins everything
Left to pick up the pieces
Of my dejected heart
I’m breaking and I’m ripping at the seams
These shards of shattered dreams"

When hope becomes a weapon. When dreams cut deeper than knives. This one will haunt you at 3 a.m., probably while scrolling through old texts you should’ve deleted.

Scorn

Dom Lawson, in Metal Hammer, called it “ostensibly a dark, crestfallen ballad” that builds through synth-drenched haze and emotional swells before erupting in a syncopated, spine-tingling finale. 

He’s not wrong.

In fact, “Scorn” might be the most hauntingly beautiful track Robb Flynn has ever penned.

Machine Head is no stranger to monumental album closers, think “The Burning Red,” “Descend the Shades of Night,” “A Farewell to Arms,” “Who We Are,” or “Arrows in Words from the Sky.” 

Now, add “Scorn” to that list, lifted from their new record “Unatoned” a fitting name for what feels like both an indictment and a lament.

The opening verse says it all:

“I’m putting you under my spell / ‘Cause I’ve got a Bible to sell
Let go your convictions, restrictions will cost you / Your fiction and all that is well
Distrust all the fable they sell…”

This isn’t subtle. It’s manipulation disguised as salvation. The “Bible to sell” is a loaded metaphor, suggesting the commodification of belief, the weaponization of faith. Convictions and moral boundaries are liabilities here, illusions sold to the weak, while the puppeteers profit.

“I look to the sky / As it won’t be the first / And it won’t be the worst
‘Cause there’s still yet to come / With a nation undone by their Scorn”

Hope?

Maybe.

But not without cynicism. The sky becomes a metaphorical void, once a symbol of transcendence, now indifferent or complicit. The “nation undone” is a clear nod to societal collapse, a warning about the corrosion eating away at public trust, autonomy, and truth.

The chorus drives the point home with venom:

“Scorn / Paranoia seeps through every pore
Scorn / Envenomated eyes emit their scorn”

Yes, “envenomated.”

A rare, brutal word choice. It means poisoned. But more than that, it implies a kind of psychological venom, gazes that don’t just judge but infect. Surveillance becomes psychotropic. The “eyes” don’t just watch; they erode.

“The eye in the sky never rests
Watching to form our arrest
They’re chasing us out of our nests
Keeping tabs as they play us like masters of chess…”

There’s Orwell here, but also something more, this is modern paranoia woven through algorithmic control, deep-state tactics, and manufactured chaos. The image of being driven from nests evokes exile from comfort, from truth, from home.

“I look to the sky / As they give us new rifles / To stifle our words
With a Bible and bulletproof vests / As we suffer their Scorn…”

Weaponized religion. Militarized faith. Truth gets smothered in the name of protection. Resistance becomes treason. Free thought becomes a target.

Thematically, “Scorn” stands shoulder-to-shoulder with:

– Rage Against the Machine’s political fire
– Pink Floyd’s “The Wall” and its suffocating institutional critique
– Dylan’s “Highway 61 Revisited”, where biblical imagery twists through cultural critique
– Metallica’s “…And Justice for All”, where justice is just another rigged game

But “Scorn” isn’t derivative, it’s a culmination. It distills our present-day fears: media manipulation, mass surveillance, the erosion of belief systems, and a creeping spiritual void. It’s a bitter elegy dressed as an anthem.

You don’t just listen to “Scorn”. You endure it, absorb it, and then see the world a little more clearly and perhaps a little more grimly.

The Wrap Up

It’s short, sharp, and swinging a sledgehammer. Less an album, more a therapy session set to blast beats. It’s a bleak, beautiful middle finger to false hope and a mosh pit for your emotional baggage. If you’re looking for easy answers, you’re in the wrong pit, buddy.

Joining Robb Flynn and Jared MacEachern is drummer Matt Alston and guitarist Reece Scruggs, injecting fresh energy into their sound, making “Unatoned” a noteworthy entry in their discography.

Final Score:
5 existential crises out of 5🏅🏅🏅🏅🏅

Now go scream into the void or your pillow, whichever’s closer.

\::/