Machine Head (band)

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Machine Head

Background information
Origin Oakland, California, USA
Genre(s) Heavy metal
Groove metal
Thrash metal
Nu metal (Mid-Career)
Years active 1992 - present
Label(s) Roadrunner Records
Website machinehead1.com
Members
Robert Flynn
Adam Duce
Dave McClain
Phil Demmel
Former members
Tony Costanza
Chris Kontos
Logan Mader
Ahrue Luster

Machine Head is a groove metal band, formed in 1992 in Oakland, California.

Contents

[edit] Early career

Machine Head was founded in 1992 by former Vio-lence guitarist Robert Flynn. They released their first album, Burn My Eyes, produced and mixed by Colin Richardson, in 1994. The first song on the album, "Davidian", features the lyric "Let freedom ring / with a shotgun blast". Subsequently the video was banned from MTV due to its release date being very soon after the Waco Siege which it was apparently describing.

"Burn My Eyes" launched Machine Head's career and the band toured with several veteran heavy metal bands including: Slayer and Pantera. UK Metal magazine Kerrang gave the album their top rating, being 5 "K's", equivalent to 5 stars. Slayer guitarist Kerry King praised "Burn My Eyes".

[edit] Nu-Metal Influence

After Chris Kontos left to work with Testament, the drumming services of Dave McClain formerly of Sacred Reich were acquired. They then released the follow up album, The More Things Change, once again produced and mixed by Colin Richardson, in 1997, after which guitarist Logan Mader unexpectedly left in the spring of 1998. He was then replaced by Ahrue Luster (Now of Ill Niño) who worked with the band on the third album The Burning Red (1999). This album was a sign of a change for Machine Head, the band deciding to experiment more rather than release another album that would be seen as just a shadow in the footsteps of Burn My Eyes. Robb uses his rapping techniques in this album in addition to the growl he used on earlier releases. The song "Devil With The Kings Card" is based on Logan Mader's leaving of the band. The album did, however, receive some backlash from fans who weren't pleased with their change in style - some even accused the band of "selling out" and following musical trends (nu-metal and rap metal were becoming increasingly popular in 1999).

[edit] Supercharger/Decline

Machine Head released Supercharger in 2001, though the album failed to do well. The video for the song "Crashing Around You" was banned by MTV due to its images of collapsing buildings. The album received more of the same criticism that met The Burning Red.

By 2002, Machine Head had sold over 1.3 million albums worldwide, and overall "Supercharger" (mixed by Colin Richardson) would go on to sell an impressive 250,000 copies worldwide, but it would be their lowest selling album to date. Once the tour for the album had been completed, Machine Head and Roadrunner Records mutually decided to sever ties with regards to distribution in North America and around the world, however to fill the ties, the band released "Hellalive" (also mixed by Colin Richardson) which was a recording of a Brixton Academy, London set.

In 2002 Ahrue Luster left the band and was temporarily replaced by Phil Demmel, who played in thrash band Vio-lence alongside Flynn. Demmel played some festival shows with Machine Head (including a headlining slot at the With Full Force festival in Germany). Then with Phil not being able to commit to the band, he and Machine Head parted ways. The remainder of the band started writing songs for the next album (eventually Through the ashes..), and hoping to get signed to a record label. They recorded a short demo, including a radio-style song called "Pins and Needles", and a Electronic Press Kit for the companies, also hoping they can get signed on the strength of their previous efforts. Nearly every record label in the music industry rejected the four track demo.

[edit] Revival

However in March 2003, the band's spirits would rise when Phil decided to rejoin the group full time, and Roadrunner International (Europe and the rest of the world) came to the band with an offer. Then the band signed the international deal, and started recording "Through the Ashes". The band then decided to go back to Roadrunner USA hoping on being signed (which they eventually did), and "Through The Ashes of Empires" (Colin Richardson mixing once again) was finally released in Europe and around the world (except North America) on October 28 2003. The album overseas would be praised in most musical publications (a notable absentee from the 'good review list' was Britain's influential Kerrang! magazine), and then it created a buzz in America.

Roadrunner USA came back to Machine Head and made them an offer, and they signed with the label, and to make up for making the American fans wait so long for the new album, they recorded a track called "Seasons Wither" which had not appeared on the European release. Through the Ashes of Empires returned to a style closer to that of Burn My Eyes, and received significant publicity due to the success of the song "Imperium" and what was seen by fans as a massive return to form - both musically and lyrically. As part of this revival, Machine Head headlined the "True Metal" stage at 2005's Wacken Open Air festival in front of 40,000 fans - their biggest show to date (they made an appearance at the Dynamo Open Air festival in their early years but didn't headline). Through the Ashes of Empires debuted on the Billboard Charts in US at #88 -- an excellent showing for a band that was considered at one point dead-in-the-water.

On October 11, 2005, Machine Head released their first ever DVD: Elegies. The DVD contained concert footage from the Brixton Academy show in December of 2004, and various extras, including their most recent music videos (of 2004) and a documentary on the Making of "Through The Ashes". In the DVD's first week of release, "Elegies" reached the #13 spot in US and the #6 spot in UK music-related DVD sales.

As well on October 11, 2005, Roadrunner Records released an album to commemorate the 25 years of the label's storied history. Four of the songs on the album, Roadrunner United: The All-Star Sessions, were written by Robert Flynn of Machine Head. Both Phil Demmel and Dave McClain of Machine Head contributed to the album musically, and Logan Mader came on board as a producer,also providing the melodic harmonics on the track "The End". Roadrunner United was a project conceived by the label to showcase the talent of the dozens of bands signed to Roadrunner Records. There were 4 "Captains" assigned to write songs for the album: Robb Flynn of Machine Head, Dino Cazares ex-Fear Factory, Matt Heafy of Trivium, and Joey Jordison of Slipknot. Each "Captain" had to choose which artists were to participate in the recording of their songs, and they were to be primary producers. The album saw an all-star cast of artists from such bands as: The Misfits, Killswitch Engage, 36 Crazyfists, Sepultura, Soulfly, Slipknot, Cradle of Filth, Type O Negative, Fear Factory, Front Line Assembly, Coal Chamber, Ill Niño, Vision of Disorder, Trivium, Opeth, Stone Sour, King Diamond and Deicide, among others.

[edit] The Blackening

The band has finished working on their sixth studio album, entitled "The Blackening"[1], which was produced by Robert Flynn and mixed by Colin Richardson. On April 18, Robb Flynn reported on the band's website that some of the current tentative song titles are 'Halo', 'Aesthetics of Hate', 'The Beautiful Mourning', and 'Now I Lay Thee Down'. The release date for the effort is tentatively set for March 26. They have also contributed a studio recorded and produced cover of Metallica's "Battery" for Kerrang! Magazine's 'Remastered', a tribute to Metallica's seminal album Master of Puppets.

On October 31 2006, Roadrunner Records announced that as part of their 25th Anniversary, they will be re-releasing Burn My Eyes with a bonus CD, which includes previously unreleased tracks and rarities. It was said to be due out on January the 8th, 2007 but has been pushed back to September 2007 so it does not interfere with the release of 'The Blackening'. However now these plans have since been scrapped by the band and Roadrunner.

They were also announced on the 6th March to be playing at The Download Festival at Donnington Park in England.

[edit] Albums

For the complete discography, please see Machine Head discography.

[edit] DVDs

[edit] Music Videos

Please see Machine Head videography

[edit] Subgenre Debate

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There have been a few debates on what particular subgenre of heavy metal Machine Head can be classified as. Some call them a thrash metal, groove metal and even neo-thrash metal band, thanks to their thrash influences, their roots in the Bay Area thrash scene (most notably Flynn and Demmel's time in Vio-lence), their occasionally fast riffing style and shouted vocals. Robb Flynn has stated that Machine Head were never a thrash band and that they are more influenced by bands like Biohazard and hardcore bands rather than thrash - he once claimed, in fact, that their original intent was to be the West Coast's answer to Biohazard [2].

Whether it's continuing to add little segues to parts, harmony shredding, or just making things more difficult to play, the bottom line is we're having a good time writing a 100% metal album. Not, “this or that metal” or whatever kinds of metal are out there, this is just "Fucking Metal!!!!"
- Dave McClain [3]

Some consider early Machine Head to be groove metal and may be one of the original bands in that sub-genre. Others have called them nu metal, mostly due to their style at the time of their The Burning Red and Supercharger albums but say they went back to a sound comparable to their early years on Through the Ashes of Empires. Others use the term Post-Thrash to describe the band's style, grouping them with other early 90s bands such as Pantera or Sepultura who have an approach based in Thrash metal but with more mid-tempo riffing and a stronger groove.

[edit] Trivia

Although Burn My Eyes was more influential as an album to the metal scene in general, according to a Blabbermouth.net Report, The Burning Red moved almost as many units in 3 years (1999-2002) as Burn My Eyes did in 8 years (1994-2002).

In 2000, bands like Machine Head and Slipknot were involved in product placement for the HBO show The Sopranos. A.J. Soprano, played by Robert Iler, often wore Roadrunner Records apparel like Machine Head's Year of the Dragon T-Shirt.

On Metallica's album Garage, Inc. Jason Newsted is shown in the booklet wearing a Machine Head t-shirt.

During the 'Davidan' music video, Bassist Adam Duce is wearing a Slayer t-shirt with the classic 'Eagle logo'.

Later to be (and now previous) guitarist Ahrue Luster was in the crowd at the concert used in the 'Davidian' music video.

[edit] Current line-up

[edit] Former members

[edit] External links

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