Machine Head

Members: Robb Flynn, Adam Duce, Phil Demmel, Dave McClain

Active: 1992-present

HISTORY

Machine Head is a Heavy Metal band, formed in 1992 in Oakland, California.

It has been said that Machine Head was one of the heaviest metal bands to rise to fame during the 1990s. Founded in 1992 by former Vio-lence guitarist Robert Flynn and Adam Duce, their first album, Burn My Eyes (1994), is widely acclaimed to be as pivotal to heavy metal as Slayer\'s Reign in Blood and Metallica\'s Master of Puppets. 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.

After Chris Kontos left to work with Testament, the drumming services of Dave McClain were acquired. They then released the followup album, The More Things Change in 1997, after which guitarist Logan Mader unexpectedly left in the spring of 1998. He was then replaced by Ahrue Luster (Now of Ill Ni?o) 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 rather than 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).

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.

Machine Head released Supercharger in 2001, though the album failed to do well, mostly due to it being released shortly after 9/11. 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. Once the tour had been completed, Machine Head left their record label Roadrunner Records. In 2002 Ahrue Luster left the band because of musical differences. Ahrue Luster was replaced by Phil Demmel, who played in thrash band Vio-lence alongside Flynn.

Since then, 2003 and 2004 have been somewhat of a revival for Machine Head, firstly releasing their live album Hellalive in 2003 which was a recording of a Brixton Academy, London set.

In fall 2003, Machine Head released their fifth studio album, Through the Ashes of Empires, in Europe. In early 2004 they re-signed to Roadrunner Records in America and then released Through the Ashes of Empires in the US, featuring an additional then-new song (\"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. 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. Elegies also contains 3 music videos: \"The Blood, The Sweat, The Tears\" from Hellalive, and \"Imperium\" and \"Days Turn Blue to Gray\" from Through The Ashes Of Empires. The DVD also contains a rather self-scathing documentary about the almost-demise of the band and how they survived the great burden posed apon them by the record labels, the exiting of Ahrue Luster and the public\'s lack of faith in the band\'s musical direction. 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. 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, Coal Chamber, Ill Ni?o, Vision of Disorder, Trivium, Opeth, Stone Sour, King Diamond and Deicide, among others.

The band are currently working on their sixth studio album. On April 18, Robb Flynn reported on the band\'s website that some of the current tenative song titles are Halo, Aesthetics of Hate, The Beautiful Mourning, and Now I Lay Thee Down. 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.

ALBUMS

1994 - Burn My Eyes

1997 - The More Things Change

1999 - The Burning Red

2001 - Supercharger

2003 - Hellalive

2004 - Through the Ashes of Empires

SINGLES & EP\'S

1995 - Old - Burn My Eyes

1997 - Take My Scars - The More Things Change

1999 - From This Day - The Burning Red

1999 - Year of the Dragon - The Burning Red

1999 - Year of the Dragon Tour Diary: Japan - The Burning Red

1999 - Silver (Take My Hand) - The Burning Red

2001 - Crashing Around You - Supercharger

2004 - Days Turn Blue to Gray - Through the Ashes of Empires