Metal Hammer caught up with Machine Head frontman / founder Robb Flynn for a look back oon the band’s iconic Burn My Eyes album, which celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2024. Following is an excerpt from the story.
Flynn: “We didn’t think we were going to conquer the world. We knew the shit we were playing was super-aggressive and was never going to fly on the radio. I wasn’t sitting there thinking, ‘Oh this is going to set the world on fire!’ I just remember trying to make it as heavy, intense, pissed-off, experimental and wild as possible.”
Three decades on, it all seems disturbingly relevant to mankind’s current state of disarray. When Robb expressed doubts about the lyrics to Davidian (“Let freedom ring with a shotgun blast!”) after the mass shooting in Vegas in October 2017, it emphasised the edgy, subversive power that Machine Head were wielding back in those early days: this was music born of chaos and rage. No compromise, no fucks given.
“I feel proud of what I was able to say in those songs,” Robb states. “I don’t want to say it’s political, but songs like ‘Davidian’ and ‘Block’ were documenting all the crazy shit that was going on. Until then, there was a lot of fantasy stuff in metal and I couldn’t connect with it. Rap and punk rock were still about the streets and protest and anger. Anger, whether it was right or wrong, just spraying it everywhere, is definitely what was getting me off.”
Read the complete story here.
“To coincide with the 30th anniversary of our seminal debut album Burn My Eyes, we have scoured the vaults to unearth some absolute gold for the legions of die-hard Head Cases out there,” begins an update from Machine Head.
“All-new, limited edition Diamonds In The Rough ’92-’93 demos & rarities ultra-deluxe picture disc and splatter vinyl, plus CD digipak, all-new, limited edition merch designs including tee’s, zip hoodies, and beer drinkers rejoice, we even have limited edition Burn My Eyes IPA available in U.S. and EU courtesy of Black Lung Brewing and Turning Point Brew Co.
“We have found the original unmastered demo cassette of the 1993 demo that got the band signed, and had it meticulously remastered at Sterling Sound. But the jewel in the crown; a never-before-released 4-track cassette rehearsal demo with our original drummer Tony Costanza, painstakingly remixed from the original 4-track cassette bounces and also mastered at Sterling Sound.
– 2 vinyl color ways exclusive to Ten Ton Trading Co.
– 4 vinyl color ways exclusive to Metal Hammer UK, Revolver, Metal Injection and Rock Hard France
– 1 CD/Digipak exclusive to Ten Ton Trading Co.
“Take a scroll and browse our completely updated webstore!”
Shop here.
Note: Vinyl is a pre-order, ships September 4. Vinyl limited to 2 (two) per person. No resellers, no wholesalers.