Machine head
| Machine head | |
|---|---|
 |
|
 Performance of the band at a concert in Zurich (2007) |
|
| General information | |
| origin | Oakland , United States |
| Genre (s) | Thrash metal , groove metal , heavy metal , nu metal |
| founding | 1991 |
| Website | machinehead1.com |
| Founding members | |
| Robb Flynn | |
guitar |
Logan Mader (until 1997) |
| Adam Duce (until 2013) | |
| Tony Costanza (until 1992; ✝ 2020) | |
| Current occupation | |
Vocals, guitar |
Robb Flynn |
guitar |
Waclaw "Vogg" Kieltyka |
Bass, backing vocals |
Jared MacEachern (since 2013) |
Drums |
Matt Alston |
| former members | |
guitar |
Ahrue Luster (1998-2002) |
Drums |
Chris Kontos (1992-1994) |
guitar |
Phil Demmel (2003-2018) |
Drums |
Dave McClain (1996-2018) |
| Live support and session musicians | |
bass |
Brandon Sigmund (Tour: 2007) |
bass |
Patrick Jensen (Live: 2009) |
Drums |
Walter Ryan (Live: 1995) |
Machine Head is an American metal band from Oakland , which is often assigned to the subgenre Neo-Thrash . The band was founded in 1991 and has been under contract with Nuclear Blast Entertainment , a sub-label of Nuclear Blast , since 2013 . The discography of Machine Head includes nine studio albums. Machine Head have sold more than 2.4 million records worldwide. In 2007 the band was nominated for a Grammy in the category Best Metal Performance .
According to the band, the band name does not refer to the album of the same name by the British hard rock band Deep Purple ; the singer and guitarist Robb Flynn chose the name Machine Head because he liked it.
Band history
1991–1994: The early years
In 1987 guitarist Robb Flynn joined the thrash metal band Vio-lence . After the band was temporarily without a contract in the early 1990s, the discontent grew at Flynn. The songs he wrote, Death Church and Blood for Blood , were rejected by the other band members because they wanted to change the band's sound towards grunge . On October 12, 1991 Flynn attended the Day on the Green music festival with his friend Adam Duce . While Metallica was playing, Flynn and Duce decided to start a new musical project. Four months later, Flynn left Vio-lence after a fight to concentrate on his new project.
Flynn and Duce wrote the first songs for the new band. One of them was I'm Your God Now , the opening riff of which comes from Duce's friend Logan Mader . Mader and drummer Tony Costanza completed the band, who met for the first jam sessions in a local warehouse . Machine Head played their first concert in August 1992 at a party in Oakland. While the band quickly made a name for themselves in the San Francisco Bay Area through their live appearances in support of Rancid or the Deftones , there were regular brawls at concerts . The band was then banned from entering three clubs .
The band recorded their first demo on a budget of $ 800 in a bedroom. Costanza later had to vacate his place for former verbal abuse drummer Chris Kontos . In February 1993, Machine Head recorded another demo with six songs, which was very well received in the underground . Various record companies subsequently became aware of Machine Head, and the band finally signed their record deal with Roadrunner Records . Even though the band hadn't released an album at the time, Machine Head went on a US tour with Napalm Death and Obituary .
1994–1998: Burn My Eyes and The More Things Change ...
The debut album Burn My Eyes , released in the summer of 1994, was the best-selling debut album in Roadrunner history until the self-titled Slipknot album was released. Together with Pantera and Fear Factory , Machine Head became the pioneers of the so-called “Neo-Thrash”. Machine Head went on a US tour with Slayer and Biohazard . In the winter of the same year, the band played in the opening act for Slayer for the first time in Europe , where the album had already sold around 150,000 times by then.
While success in Europe quickly set in - Burn My Eyes was # 26 in the UK and # 44 in the German album charts - the band struggled in the USA . The debut album did not make it into the US charts, MTV boycotted the music video for the song Davidian , which is about the Waco victories . The line of text “Let freedom ring with a shotgun blast” was the reason for the MTV boycott in this context.
In May 1995, Machine Head returned to Europe with the Swedish bands Mary Beats Jane and Meshuggah as supporting acts, the highlight of which was a performance at Dynamo Open Air in the Netherlands . The band spent a total of 17 months on tour. Due to health problems of Chris Kontos, the band had to cancel some concerts in Australia and two festivals in Europe. Kontos called in sick three days before the appearance at the Monsters of Rock and was fired shortly afterwards. Kontos was later hired by the band Konkhra . Will Carroll jumped in for the remaining concerts on the US tour, but did not become a permanent member of the band. The choice fell on the recommendation of Sepultura drummer Igor Cavalera on Dave McClain , born in Frankfurt am Main , who had previously played with Sacred Reich , among others .
In the summer of 1996, the band began under the direction of Colin Richardson , who had also produced the debut album, with the recordings of the second studio album. It was originally due to appear in the fall, but a number of unfortunate circumstances delayed it. Instruments were stolen from the band, song and guitar tracks disappeared in an unexplained manner and a car accident put Dave McClain out of action for months. The band was dissatisfied with the finished mix, so they flew to Colin Richardson in Liverpool to re-record the guitar and bass tracks. The band wasn't satisfied with the second mix either, and Flynn then mixed the record himself in Los Angeles . The finished The More Things Change… was finally released in March 1997. A limited version contains cover versions of Ice-T and Discharge . Years later, in an interview, Flynn described The More Things Change ... as the band's only attempt to copy the successful Burn My Eyes formula.
On the world tour that followed, Machine Head played over 200 concerts and shared the stage with bands such as Megadeth , Pantera and Skinlab . In the US, Machine Head took part in the first Ozzfest . Problems with alcohol and other drugs led to the departure of the guitarist Logan Mader , who first joined the band Soulfly and later founded the band Medication . Ahrue Luster , who previously played for Man Made God , joined Machine Head as his successor . Flynn, meanwhile, went into therapy.
1998–2002: The Burning Red and Supercharger
In March 1998, the band returned to the studio to record their third studio album, The Burning Red , under the direction of producer Ross Robinson . Flynn began on this album to process his personal problems in the lyrics. Songs like Five or the theme song are about Flynn's childhood and his own adoption . From This Day became a club hit and with Message in a Bottle a cover version of The Police was featured on the album. Machine Head dared some experiments musically. So the band took over elements of Nu Metal , and rap vocals could be heard for the first time .
The album was well received by the press. B. voted "Album of the Month" in German Metal Hammer . Many fans from the very beginning accused the band of encouraging trends and selling out. In particular the band Korn was used as a comparison to the new musical attempts. Flynn pointed out that the rap vocals are only a small part of the album and bassist Adam Duce even described the album as a "brave step forward."
Machine Head were able to further expand their fan base. The Burning Red sold as often in three years as Burn My Eyes did in eight years. The band played many concerts again, including for the first time in South Korea and Japan .
In September 2000, the recordings for the fourth studio album Supercharger began . As a producer, the band brought Colin Richardson back on board. Despite mostly good reviews from music critics, the album could not convince many fans. The video clip for the first single Crashing Around You was taken out of service by MTV and other music channels after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 , because the video shows collapsing buildings. Even though the album reached number 115 in the US album charts, Supercharger is the least sold album in the Machine Head discography with a total of around 250,000 units sold.
2002–2006: Hellalive and Through the Ashes of Empires
In May 2002, Ahrue Luster dropped out due to creative differences and switched to Ill Niño . Phil Demmel , who had already played with Flynn in the band Vio-Lence, was hired for the tour in the summer of 2002 . The performances at the German festival With Full Force and at the Brixton Academy in London , where Machine Head played in front of 5,000 spectators, were recorded and published under the name Hellalive . The title of the live album was suggested by a fan through the band's website . Due to other obligations Demmel initially renounced to become a permanent member of the band. In March 2003 he finally joined Machine Head.
At the end of 2002, the future did not look bright for Machine Head. The band and Roadrunner Records America dissolved the collaboration by mutual agreement. The search for a new record company for the North American area turned out to be difficult. The band recorded a four-song demo that earned them more than 30 rejections. After Flynn underwent further therapy for his problems with alcohol and other drugs, he toyed for a long time with the idea of joining the band Drowning Pool as a singer . Eventually, he abandoned these plans and focused back on Machine Head.
Between June and August 2003, the band recorded the album Through the Ashes of Empires . Stylistically, she returned to her roots, although the songs were overall longer than before. The album was released in October of that year and received praise from the press. The German metal hammer again named the album "Album of the Month". Due to the very good sales in Europe, the band received a new contract with Roadrunner Records America.
This is followed by two tours in Europe and three in North America. Machine Head played at Rock am Ring and Rock im Park , at the Download Festival and at Wacken Open Air , where they were voted the best band of the festival by the audience, and at the Rock Hard Festival . In North America Machine Head played the "Roadrage Tour" together with Chimaira and Trivium . A concert at London's Brixton Academy was recorded for the DVD Elegies , which was released in October 2005. In early 2005 Machine Head performed at a festival in Dubai , the only metal festival in the Arab world . Robb Flynn took part in the Roadrunner Records anniversary as one of four "team captains" as a songwriter in the Roadrunner United project . The band also played at the Böhsen Onkelz farewell concert at the EuroSpeedway Lausitz .
2006-2010: The Blackening
In August 2006 the band began recording their sixth studio album, The Blackening . The work was produced by Robb Flynn, it was mixed by Colin Richardson. The album contains the longest and most complex songs in the band's history. For example, two pieces are over ten minutes long. Flynn underlined the importance of the album in many interviews and compared the work with the album Master of Puppets by Metallica . The German Metal Hammer named The Blackening "Album of the Month". During the recording a cover version of the Metallica song Battery was made for a Metallica tribute album by the British Kerrang! Magazine.
Machine Head first toured North America with Lamb of God , Gojira and Trivium and later another with Megadeth and Heaven and Hell . In the summer the band performed at various European festivals. In June 2007 the band received an award for the best album from the British Metal Hammer . Robb Flynn received the Golden God Award . On July 8, 2007, Machine Head replaced Bullet for My Valentine at short notice as the opening act for the Metallica concert at London's Wembley Stadium , as Bullet-for-My-Valentine singer Matt Tuck had to undergo a tonsillectomy .
Under the title "The Black Crusade" a European tour with Trivium, Arch Enemy , Dragonforce and Shadows Fall took place from December 2007 , followed by a North American tour with Hellyeah , Nonpoint and Bury Your Dead . On the Iron Maiden Tribute CD Maiden Heaven des Kerrang! Magazine, Machine Head is represented with a cover of the song Hallowed Be Thy Name . At the end of 2008 Machine Head played with Children of Bodom as the opening act for Slipknot in Europe. During this tour, the band almost fell apart when Robb Flynn briefly left the band after an argument with Adam Duce.
In January 2009 Machine Head played eight concerts as the opening act for Metallica in North America and up to May six concerts in Germany and were also represented at the Wacken Open Air 2009. In the fall of 2009, Machine Head toured North America with Suicide Silence in support of Megadeth . The band also recorded a cover version of the Pantera song Fucking Hostile for a Dimebag Darrell tribute sampler for Kerrang! Magazine. In February 2010, The Blackening was voted "Album of the Decade" by the British magazine Metal Hammer.
2010–2013: Unto the Locust and Machine Fucking Head Live
In the spring of 2010, Robb Flynn and Dave McClain began songwriting for the seventh studio album. This process dragged on over a longer period of time, so that the recordings only started in April 2011. For this purpose, the band rented the Jingletown Studios in Oakland, the studio of the band Green Day . For the first time, Machine Head worked with a string quartet and a children's choir . The album Unto the Locust , released on September 23, 2011, was once again given excellent reviews, including being voted album of the month in German Metal Hammer.
For the first time, the band was able to achieve chart positions among the top ten. In Germany the album made it to number five, in Austria to six and in Australia and Switzerland to number ten. With 17,000 units sold in the United States, Unto the Locust was able to establish itself there at number 22. According to their record company, this was the third year in a row that Machine Head increased their sales by twenty percent in the first week after release. Machine Head embarked on a European tour with Bring Me the Horizon , DevilDriver and Darkest Hour , followed by a North American tour with Suicide Silence . In the summer of 2012 the band headlined the Wacken Open Air and the Bloodstock Open Air .
During the tours in 2011 and 2012, numerous Machine Head concerts were recorded. A selection of 15 songs was released in November 2012 under the title Machine Fucking Head Live . In addition, the band received the award in the “Best International Band” category from the German magazine Metal Hammer . In November 2012, the band had to cancel several concerts because Robb Flynn had to undergo emergency surgery for an inguinal hernia .
On February 22, 2013, the band announced the split from founding member Adam Duce. According to singer Rob Flynn, Duce had long since lost his passion for the band and further work with Duce would have meant the end of the band. He was succeeded by Jared MacEachern , who was previously the singer and guitarist of the thrash metal band Sanctity .
2014–2018: Bloodstone & Diamonds and Catharsis
In January 2014, ex-bassist Adam Duce initiated a lawsuit against the band. It concerns, among other things, allegedly missing or under-received wage payments, breach of contract and personal matters. Meanwhile, the band recorded their eighth studio album Bloodstone & Diamonds , which was released on November 7, 2014. On the occasion of Record Store Day in April 2014, a 10 "vinyl single with a demo version of the new studio piece Killers & Kings was released , with a medley of two covered Ignite songs as the B-side . A planned North American tour with Children of Bodom, Epica and Battlecross was postponed and finally performed under the name An Evening with Machine Head without opening acts.
On June 3, 2016, the band released the single Is There Anybody Out There? , with the singer Robb Flynn criticized the racist remarks of the former Pantera singer Phil Anselmo . Flynn then received many death threats. A year later, the band began work on the next studio album, Catharsis , which was released on January 26, 2018 and was produced by Zach ears. With the album, the band reached number three in the German and Austrian and number four in the Swiss album charts. On September 28, 2018, Flynn announced with a video message on Facebook that Phil Demmel and Dave McClain would leave the band with the end of the Catharsis tour on November 24, 2018. According to Flynn, the musicians have drifted apart, both humanly and musically. Robert Flynn also admitted his own mistakes.
“I kept the reins of this band too tight and I didn't let these guys breathe. I have a very strong driving force, but I also have a lot of anger and anger in me. And that driving force has alienated the people in the band. I ask you to accept Phil's and Dave's decision, just as I do. "
Phil Demmel stated that Machine Head was becoming more and more of a solo project by Robb Flynn and that he would hate the current album Catharsis . Demmel felt frustrated because there was no more band feeling and he had to follow increasingly strict instructions on stage. He reactivated his old band Vio-Lence after leaving, while Dave McClain returned to Sacred Reich.
Since 2019: Burn My Eyes anniversary tour & new members
In March 2019, the band first announced a European tour on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the debut album Burn My Eyes for autumn of that year. As part of the publication of further tour dates, this tour was finally expanded to a world tour 2019-2020. Former members Logan Mader and Chris Kontos will also be there. On the occasion of the anniversary, Burn My Eyes was re-recorded in the studio and the pieces were gradually released.
On September 29, 2019, the Pole Waclaw "Vogg" Kieltyka (lead guitar, founding member of Decapitated ) and the Briton Matt Alston (drums) were introduced as new members of the band. It remains unclear whether they will stay with the band after the anniversary tour. The concerts of the tour consist of two parts per evening: in the first part Flynn and MacEachern play a repertoire of Machine Head songs together with the new members Kieltyka and Alston, in the second part they perform with the former members Logan Mader and Chris Kontos to play the full length of Burn My Eyes live.
style
music
Machine Heads are difficult to assign to a particular genre due to their musical development over the years of their existence. As a rule, they are assigned to Thrash Metal , but sometimes also to Groove or Heavy Metal . For the musicians themselves, the classification into a certain subgenre does not matter.
“Basically, we enjoy writing a 100% metal album. Not this or that Metal or whatever styles of Metal are out there. It's just metal! "
Robb Flynn's main influences include classic thrash metal bands such as Metallica, Exodus or Testament as well as groove metal bands such as Pantera or Exhorder . Machine Head draws further influences from heavy metal bands like Judas Priest , Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath , progressive rock bands like Rush and grunge bands like Alice in Chains , Nirvana or Soundgarden .
In addition, Machine Heads have always been influenced by hip-hop . Even at the time of the debut album, the band flirted with the typical hip-hop look. Robb Flynn raps on the song Block , which, in his opinion, hardly anyone has noticed due to the aggressive style. On The Burning Red , Flynn clearly uses spoken vocals on the pieces From This Day and Desire to Fire .
Discography
Studio albums
| year | Title music label |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, music label , placements, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 DE
|
 AT
|
 CH
|
 UK
|
 US
|
|||
| 1994 |
Burn My Eyes Roadrunner Records |
DE35 (20 weeks) DE |
AT29 (2 weeks) AT |
- |
UK25th  (3 weeks)UK |
- |
First published: August 9, 1994
Sales: + 60,000 |
| 1997 |
The More Things Change ... Roadrunner Records |
DE22 (10 weeks) DE |
AT24 (8 weeks) AT |
- |
UK16 (3 weeks) UK |
US138 (1 week) US |
First published: March 25, 1997
|
| 1999 |
The Burning Red Roadrunner Records |
DE15 (10 weeks) DE |
AT22 (5 weeks) AT |
- |
UK13 (1 week)UK |
US88 (2 weeks) US |
First published: July 27, 1999
Sales: +60,000 |
| 2001 |
Supercharger Roadrunner Records |
DE25 (8 weeks) DE |
AT33 (3 weeks) AT |
CH82 (1 week) CH |
UK34 (1 week) UK |
US155 (1 week) US |
First published: October 2, 2001
|
| 2003 |
Through the Ashes of Empires Roadrunner Records |
DE24 (4 weeks) DE |
AT56 (2 weeks) AT |
CH80 (1 week) CH |
UK- |
US88 (1 week) US |
First published: December 16, 2003
Sales: + 60,000 |
| 2007 |
The Blackening Roadrunner Records |
DE12 (5 weeks) DE |
AT19 (6 weeks) AT |
CH29 (5 weeks) CH |
UK16 (3 weeks)UK |
US54 (2 weeks) US |
First published: March 27, 2007
Sales: + 60,000 |
| 2011 |
Unto the Locust Roadrunner Records |
DE5 (6 weeks) DE |
AT6 (6 weeks) AT |
CH10 (6 weeks) CH |
UK43 (2 weeks) UK |
US22 (2 weeks) US |
First published: September 27, 2007
|
| 2014 |
Bloodstone & Diamonds Nuclear Blast |
DE6 (4 weeks) DE |
AT6 (3 weeks) AT |
CH7 (3 weeks) CH |
UK18 (2 weeks) UK |
US21 (2 weeks) US |
First published: November 10, 2014
|
| 2018 |
Catharsis Nuclear Blast |
DE3 (6 weeks) DE |
AT3 (4 weeks) AT |
CH4 (4 weeks) CH |
UK12 (1 week) UK |
US65 (1 week) US |
First published: January 26, 2018
|
Awards
Machine Head were nominated once for a Grammy. With the Kerrang! Awards and the Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards , the band received five awards each, and one each at the Loudwire Music Awards and the Metal Hammer Awards .
Web links
- Official website (English)
- Machine Head at Allmusic (English)
Individual evidence
- ^ Machine Head. The New Los Angeles Music Awards, accessed December 26, 2017 .
- ^ Machine Head. NARAS , accessed September 29, 2018 .
- ^ Troy Neff: Dave McClain interview. The Entertainment Nexus, archived from the original on January 20, 2015 ; Retrieved November 4, 2012 .
- ^ Robb Flynn : 20 Years Ago Today. October 12, 2011, archived from the original on November 5, 2013 ; Retrieved November 4, 2012 .
- ↑ a b c d e f Holger Stratmann (Ed.): Rock Hard Encyclopedia . Rock Hard GmbH , Dortmund 1998, ISBN 3-9805171-0-1 , p. 225 .
- ↑ a b c d e Machine Head Biography. Roadrunner Records , accessed November 4, 2012 .
- ↑ a b c d e Biography: Machine Head. laut.de , accessed on November 4, 2012 .
- ^ Machine Head Bio. (No longer available online.) CelebrityPro, archived from the original on June 25, 2010 ; Retrieved November 4, 2012 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Matthias Weckmann: "Fighter Heart". In: Metal Hammer, November 2003, page 33ff.
- ↑ Metal / Hard Rock Album Sales In The US As Reported By SoundScan. Blabbermouth.net, April 30, 2002, accessed April 5, 2018 .
- ↑ Michael Edele: "We loved videos with bombs and flames". laut.de, accessed on November 4, 2012 .
- ↑ musicomh.com: Machine Head ( Memento from June 8, 2007 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ Doug G .: Interview With Machine Head's Phil Demmel. Metalunderground.com, August 12, 2004, accessed November 4, 2012 .
- ↑ It's Official: MACHINE HEAD Re-Sign With ROADRUNNER RECORDS US Blabbermouth.net, February 17, 2004, accessed April 5, 2018 .
- ↑ Anzo Sadoni: "Chunks of Concrete". In: Metal Hammer, April 2007
- ↑ MACHINE HEAD Frontman Talks About Playing With METALLICA, Hanging Out With LARS ULRICH. Blabbermouth.net, October 23, 2007; accessed April 5, 2018 .
- ↑ How MACHINE HEAD Nearly Fell Apart. Blabbermouth.net, April 16, 2009, accessed April 5, 2018 .
- ↑ MACHINE HEAD: New Video Interview With ROBB FLYNN Posted Online. Blabbermouth.net, November 29, 2009, accessed April 5, 2018 .
- ↑ MACHINE HEAD's 'The Blackening' Named 'Album Of The Decade'. Blabbermouth.net, February 15, 2010, accessed April 5, 2018 .
- ↑ MACHINE HEAD Drummer: 'We've Got Another Kick-Ass Album On Our Hands'. Blabbermouth.net, April 27, 2011, accessed April 5, 2018 .
- ^ Matthias Weckmann: Machine Head - Unto the Locust. Metal Hammer , September 13, 2011, accessed November 4, 2012 .
- ↑ MACHINE HEAD's 'Unto The Locust' Cracks US Top 25. Blabbermouth.net , October 5, 2011, accessed April 5, 2018 .
- ↑ Sebastian Kessler: METAL HAMMER Awards 2012: winners and pictures. Metal Hammer, September 15, 2012, accessed November 4, 2012 .
- ↑ MACHINE HEAD Forced To Miss Nine Dates On DETHKLOK Tour Due To ROBB FLYNN's Health. Blabbermouth.net, November 13, 2012, accessed April 5, 2018 .
- ↑ Marco Götz: Machine Head-Drama: Adam Duce was fired after all. Metal Hammer, February 27, 2013, accessed October 6, 2013 .
- ↑ MACHINE HEAD South By Former bassist ADAM DUCE. Blabbermouth.net, accessed August 13, 2014 .
- ↑ Christian Zanders: Machine Head with teaser for 'Killer & Kings'. Metal Hammer. Retrieved July 24, 2016 .
- ↑ MACHINE HEAD To Release 'Catharsis' Album In January; North American Tour Announced. Blabbermouth.net, accessed September 19, 2017 .
- ↑ Alexandra Michels: Machine Head: Phil Demmel and Dave McClain leave the band after a US tour. Rock Hard, accessed September 29, 2018 .
- ↑ PHIL DEMMEL Says MACHINE HEAD 'Became A ROBB FLYNN Solo Project'. Blabbermouth.net, accessed February 11, 2019 .
- ↑ SACRED REICH Rejoined By Ex-MACHINE HEAD Drummer DAVE MCCLAIN. Blabbermouth.net, accessed March 25, 2019 .
- ↑ MACHINE HEAD To Release Re-Recorded Version Of 'Burn My Eyes'. Blabbermouth.net, accessed March 28, 2019 .
- ↑ Please welcome Vogg and Matt to the Machine Head family! Retrieved September 30, 2019 .
- ↑ Dave McClain: Diary 2006. Machine Head, June 14, 2006, archived from the original on July 14, 2011 ; Retrieved November 7, 2012 .
- ↑ Interview - Machine Head Robb Flynn (Part 2). Faceculture, accessed November 5, 2012 .
- ↑ Matthias Weckmann: Kings of the gutter . In: Metal Hammer, February 2018, page 18
