On January 15, Machine Head’s Robb Flynn and Jared MacEachern played a virtual “Electric Happy Hour” set. The performance included various Machine Head tracks as well as covers of Iron Maiden’s “Hallowed Be Thy Name,” Metallica’s “Master Of Puppets,” System Of A Down’s “Aerials,” and a snippet of Bryan Adams’ “Summer Of ’69.” You can watch the full show below:
Machine Head’s Robb Flynn has shared a new poem tilted “Vomitous Creatures And Cretins.” The piece was written following the treasonous pro-Trump insurrection at the United States Capitol, which occurred earlier this week.
Here’s the full poem:
“Charlatans with no morals, have brought us these sorrows, and we have no one to blame⠀
But ourselves we’ve allowed, what can only be now, called a moment of national shame⠀
With confederate piousness, standing tall on the Dias, armed gunman plunder our Congress⠀
When American flags, are replaced with Donald Trump flags, only now do they⠀
see how we’ve regressed⠀
⠀
Fiery speeches, puked by lecherous leeches, the vomitous creatures and cretins⠀
Conspiracies shouted, her truth has been routed, as liberty lays raped and beaten⠀
And we would be fool, not to call this a coup, months in the making this game⠀
Too little too late, did the tech giants wait, as the country went up into flame⠀
⠀
The police remained calm, as white men looted on, the Qanon’s who feigned so much disgust⠀
At when Kaepernick kneeled, because black boys were killed, in silent protest to the unjust
They attacked freedom‘s property, then claimed that it ought to be, OK to kill black kids for the same⠀
God forbid it was Target, that might make them a target, police trigger-fingers itching to tame⠀
⠀
Black folks died for fake $20’s, for toy guns they lost plenty, 2020 our national reckoning⠀
Now in 2021, the Maga’s have come, to the tune of Trump’s pied piper beckoning⠀
And with nary a scratch, a few cans of teargas, to the terrorist attempting a coup⠀
They looted with amnesty, to democracy’s travesty, oh to be white, in the red, WHITE, and blue”
Despite receiving some praise for the poem, it appears others have sadly decided to threaten Flynn over his frequent political posts. He said the following about that:
“Good times in my DM‘s today. Just a little taste. Listen to me… I have literally dealt with this for 30 years. Before it was in mail and hand written letters, then it was emails and message boards, now it’s DM’s and the comment section.
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Just so we’re all crystal clear… I am not going anywhere.
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I will not shut up.
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If you don’t like the things that I have to say on my personal Instagram account, Unfollow. I’m not here to please you, or give you some watered down version of what you think somebody in metal band should be.
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Don’t agree with my politics? Go ahead and Unfollow. Zero Fucks given. No one is forcing you to be here. You are free to speak your opinions here, as long as you are respectful and not spamming, and I keep a pretty long leash on what is “respectful”
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“Shut up and stick to music”? I’ll do just that… By singing songs like a “nation on fire”, “Davidian”, “clenching the Fists of Dissent”, “ in comes the flood“ and “halo”.
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And for those of you who did write this to me, consider this a warning. I purposefully left your names off of this post. This is the last time I will do that. Let there be no mistake, I will not hesitate to Dox you the fuck out.
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I’ve been a public figure for most of my adult life, I’m used to people threatening me, I had over 1000 death threats after the “racism in metal“ video. I still get death threats at least twice a week. I accept it for what it is.
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But the second people start threatening my wife and my kids, you’ve crossed the line, a line I will not ever accept.
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Don’t believe me? FUCKING BRING IT!!”
As you are probably well aware of by now, pro-Trump rioters stormed the Capitol in Washington, D.C. earlier today (January 6) as lawmakers were counting the Electoral College votes to officially certify President-elect Joe Biden’s win. A number of rock/metal musicians have since taken to social media to comment on the insurrection, which was spurred by Trump himself. You can find some of the various reactions below:
Paul Stanley (KISS):
These are TERRORISTS. This is armed insurrection. The flames were fanned today & over time by the president & specific senators who CANNOT be allowed now to distance from or denounce what they have directly caused. Know their names. THIS is the result of their deception. Shame. pic.twitter.com/nDJhvV3b1c
When BLM protestors were marching on the confederate monuments here in Richmond, they were getting beaten with batons & tear gassed. These dudes are literally being allowed to CLIMB the Capitol building lol
hey Fuckhead @realDonaldTrump tell you covidiots to go home…its a wrap, ya'll lost, GTFOH!! and while you're at it YOU get the fuck outta here too before people get seriously hurt!
When fear & hate are encouraged to assimilate steadily into the cultural zeitgeist the is ultimate result. Absolutely heart breaking & embarrassing. I see nothing patriotic or decent in the support of this idiotic, dangerous & asinine behavior. We must find a way to unite & heal
Imagine if these people were black and doing this? Mike Pence had to be evacuated. Domestic terrorist just stormed the capital. Where is the teargas? where the rubber bullets? https://t.co/Sgti5eawW3
Ok, the US Capital is in lockdown. Angry, Anarchist mob worse than what they say Antifa is. Lafayette Square was ruthlessly swept by authorities in an instant for a Bible photo op yet these people are able to swarm here?? Where is the military? The National Guard? #capital#couppic.twitter.com/7DbEgVqhHT
In NYC during the summer, we saw footage of police bashing bicycles over peaceful protesters heads, ramming through a bunch with their cars, shoving @zayer_dounya for simply walking in their pathway. And this is being allowed to go on inside the Capital right now: https://t.co/eFOQjwa1MX
They’re putting one man above the country. That’s how “patriotic” these people actually are. They are traitors & should be held accountable for their actions. The fact that they are cultists & idiots is no excuse. https://t.co/XM4aNiTkah
A US President started this rally and asked the attendees to March with him to Capitol Building and overturn the election he lost. #Treasonhttps://t.co/SiZIkTXZTe
spare me that right of the people bullshit we all know that if it was a Black or Hispanic storming the capital breaking windows and destroying property it would be a bloody mess. Because these are Trump supporters and not of color police are doing nothing. https://t.co/qVbzMhNIFw
I do not encourage any violence or riots but because these people are not Black, Hispanic ,BLM or Antifa they are allowed to destroy the capital without any push back from law enforcement. If u don’t see the racism in that then u are complacent. https://t.co/NNBUJWuTOi
You know he’s watching and loving all this.He has so much control over his supporters, so much control that he can get them to believe his lies and storm & vandalize the capital building based on a conspiracy theory he tweets, and to take millions of your dollars in donations.
On December 18, Machine Head frontman Robb Flynn played a virtual “Acoustic Happy Hour Xmas Extravaganza” set. The performance included various Machine Head tracks as well as covers of Green Day’s “American Idiot,” Judas Priest’s “Breaking the Law,” Metallica’s “The Memory Remains,” The Eagles’ “Hotel California,” Pearl Jam’s “Black,” System Of A Down’s “Aerials,” Nirvana’s “Heart-Shaped Box,” George Michael’s “Carless Whisper,” and Alice In Chains’ “Bleed The Freak” and “Man In The Box.” You can watch the full show below:
Tim Keller, the metalhead mayor of Albuquerque, New Mexico, rocked a Machine Head hoodie while casting his ballot in the U.S. presidential election. The band’s frontman Robb Flynn reacted to the news on Twitter:
Shout out to Mayor Tim Keller of Albuquerque for flying the MH colors while voting!!👊🏻🇺🇸🤘🏻 https://t.co/0QHGBzJ1MC
As previously reported, Van Halen’s Eddie Van Halen has sadly passed away following a battle with cancer. A number of rock/metal musicians have since taken to social media to pay tribute to the legendary guitarist and some of the various posts can be found below:
My heart is broken. Eddie was not only a Guitar God, but a genuinely beautiful soul. Rest in peace, Eddie! …Eddie Van Halen Dead at 65 from Cancer https://t.co/gITtcndQVv
Black Sabbath’s Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, and Geezer Butler:
. @EddieVanHalen was one of the nicest guys I ever worked with and we shared so many laughs together. His influence on music and especially the guitar has been immeasurable. He was an absolute legend. Eddie, I’ll see you on the other side, my friend. Love, Ozzy.
I’m just devastated to hear the news of the passing of my dear friend Eddie Van Halen. He fought a long and hard battle with his cancer right to the very end. Eddie was one of a very special kind of person, a really great friend. Rest In Peace my dear friend till we meet again. pic.twitter.com/Qs8tsLPANJ
Just when I thought 2020 couldn't get any worse, I hear Eddie Van Halen has passed. So shocking- One of the nicest, down to Earth men I have ever met and toured with. A true gent and true genius. RIP. So sad.Thoughts go out to his brother Alex, and his family. pic.twitter.com/fwIw040YMX
RIP Eddie Van Halen. Van Halen were a tremendous influence on both Vinnie & Dime & Pantera. Hopefully they are all rocking out together now! pic.twitter.com/XtnL33aGsd
Edward Van Halen was the single reason I ever wanted to play guitar to begin with. He’s the worlds greatest guitar hero, inspiring generations of players to pick up the instrument we love so dearly. Thank you so much for the music and inspiration. We love you forever Eddie. pic.twitter.com/6KzzEpBLBW
The word “innovator” gets thrown around a lot in this industry. In my humble opinion, there is no one it applies to more than the great @eddievanhalen. Thank you for being THE innovator of these six strings and blazing a trail for so many of us to attempt to follow. 💔 RIP pic.twitter.com/5xG2Ywimk6
The world lost an icon, innovator, showman, virtuoso, master songwriter and perhaps one of the biggest inspirations ever to learn how to play guitar. Heartbroken to hear of Eddie Van Halen’s passing. Our love, condolences and best wishes to his his family, friends and fans. #RIPpic.twitter.com/pGhPUXRzyb
I am in complete and utter shock over the news of Edward Van Halen’s passing…Very few musicians ever come along that change the entire landscape of their instrument and King Edward was one of those few. One of the G.O.A.T! #RIPEVH#RIPEdwardVanHalen 😢😢😢 pic.twitter.com/1uuMLt1cvv
So you think the death of EVH is hitting you now. It’s not. Grief doesn’t work that way. Tomorrow is going to be worse than today. His passing is enormous. Exploitation will follow, like t shirts for Kobe. Don’t be too proud to cry. This is a sad time. Tears are appropriate.
I just found out that my guitar hero Eddie had passed away. I have fond memories of the tours we did together! He’s up there shredding!!!! RIP my friend. pic.twitter.com/CCLZf1IVsw
Jamey Jasta (Hatebreed) says he wants to team up with Dee Snider (Twisted Sister), Sebastian Bach (ex-Skid Row), Robb Flynn (Machine Head), and Kirk Windstein (Crowbar) to record new vocals over the instrumentals on Metallica and Lou Reed’s collaborative album “Lulu.” He even offered to give the band a $50,000 donation for their “All Within My Hands” Foundation to make his vision a reality:
Machine Head’s Robb Flynn recently paid tribute to the late Chester Bennington by sharing footage of himself covering Linkin Park‘s “In The End“ during a live performance three years ago. You can check that out below:
During the June 26 edition of his “Acoustic Happy Hour” series, Machine Head’s Robb Flynn performed covers of Slipknot‘s “Snuff,“ “Deftones‘ “Change (In The House Of Flies),“ System Of A Down‘s “Aerials,” Dio‘s “Holy Diver,“ Staind‘s “Outside,“ and more. You can watch that set below:
During a recent appearance on Knotfest.com‘s “Mosh Talks With Beez,” Machine Head frontman Robb Flynn discussed the band’s new material. According to him, the lyrics in the new music “are pissed off as fuck.”
Flynn said the following while discussing how the ongoing anti-racist protests and the coronavirus pandemic have impacted his creativity:
“I walk around in a fury all day. I walk around in a fucking rage all day, and the lyrics that I write, and the music that I’ve been writing, all of it is very reflective of that. And even if the music isn’t super thrash or whatever you wanna call it, the lyrics are pissed off as fuck.
“As you get older in a band, the best option is to just shut your mouth and make middle-of-the-road statements that don’t really offend anybody and not really take a stand on anything as opposed to when you’re young and full of piss and vinegar and you don’t give a fuck. I think it becomes the logical choice, because why rock the boat? It’s like what happens to you when you become old — people tend to become more conservative; they don’t wanna do things that might offend people.
“I’m definitely nowhere near the middle of the road right now. I am just in a whole other place. And I’m sure I’ll lose fans because of it, at least for a little while. I think they’ll come back, and if they don’t, then thanks for listening for the time you did. But this is what I’ve gotta say, and this is where we have to go, and this is the place that MACHINE HEAD is at.”
He continued when asked if touring guitarist Wacław “Vogg” Kiełtyka (Decapitated) has contributed to the new material:
“I’ve co-written some stuff with Logan [Mader], and I’d love to write with Vogg too. We’re just kind of hammering out whatever we need to do. But Vogg did play a solo on one of the new songs that we’re gonna be dropping pretty soon here. And, yeah, it’s angry, and I’m stoked about the direction that it’s going. It’s heavy. It’s modern MACHINE HEAD. I would say it’s familiar to the last 10 years. It’s not ‘Burn My Eyes’; it’s still some other thing.”
He went on to say that Machine Head are not planning to release a new full-length album anytime soon:
“I’m all about dropping singles right now. I think an album will definitely show up, and some of these songs may end up on that album, but, to me, it’s all about just a constant stream of music dropping all the time.
“We’re pretty slow with albums — it’s already been two and a half years since our last album [2018’s ‘Catharsis’] — so I just don’t wanna wait another year to get music out. The music’s here, the music’s done; a lot of the lyrics that I’ve written are very much now, and they need to be heard now, in this moment.
“I do a podcast, and I can record a podcast and have it up an hour later. That’s fucking crazy to me. I can finish a song and have it up six hours later on all the fucking digital service providers. That’s fucking amazing. Never in history have we been able to do something like that. And we need to do more of that, especially with songs that are written about this moment and these times. It’s important to put ’em out now, not a year and a half from now.”
He also added the following when asked if fans can expect new music in the near future: