Machine Head (band)
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This article is about the US-American band. For the Deep Purple album, see Machine Head (album).
Machine Head is an American metal band from Oakland, often categorized in the neo-thrash subgenre. The band was formed in 1991 and has been signed to Nuclear Blast Entertainment, a sublabel of Nuclear Blast, since 2013. Machine Head's discography includes nine studio albums. Worldwide, Machine Head have sold more than 2.4 million records. 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 British hard rock band Deep Purple; singer and guitarist Robb Flynn chose the name Machine Head because he liked it.
Style
Music
Machine Head are difficult to classify into a certain genre due to their musical development over the years of their existence. Usually they are assigned to thrash metal, but sometimes also to groove or heavy metal. For the musicians themselves, the classification into a certain subgenre plays no role.
"Basically, we have fun writing a hundred percent metal album. Not this metal or that metal or whatever metal styles are out there. It's just metal!"
- Dave McClain
Among the main influences Robb Flynn counts classic thrash metal bands like Metallica, Exodus or Testament as well as groove metal bands like Pantera or Exhorder. Further influences are 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.
Furthermore, Machine Head have always been influenced by hip-hop. Already at the time of the debut album the band flirted with the hip-hop typical look. On the song Block, Robb Flynn raps, which he says hardly anyone noticed due to the aggressive style. On The Burning Red, Flynn uses distinctly recognizable chanting on the tracks From This Day and Desire to Fire.
Dave McClain 2010
Awards
→ Main article: List of Machine Head awards
Machine Head have been nominated for a Grammy once. At the Kerrang! Awards and the Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards, and received one award each at the Loudwire Music Awards and the Metal Hammer Awards.
