Machine Head to audition 8 people to replace Adam Duce
2nd May 2013
San Francisco Bay Area metallers MACHINE HEAD recently began the process of searching for a temporary bassist for this summer's Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival in the U.S.
Commented the band's guitarist/vocalist Robb Flynn: "[We've] got eight guys lined up so far — some 'known' guys, some dudes who are under the radar, [and] all have touring / stage experience. It's exciting in some ways, and weird in others. I never thought I'd be going through this process again, and it fucks with my head from time to time. It's just a fill-in slot for Mayhem, but these guys have to deliver on several levels. They got a bit of big shoe to fill; the dude who used to be onstage left was a presence, so we're going to test these guys out musically, performance-wise, creatively, and see if there's any kind of chemistry there."
MACHINE HEAD in February parted ways with bassist Adam Duce. Flynn explained in an online posting: "We may have fired Adam on [February 11], but Adam quit MACHINE HEAD well over a decade ago. He just never bothered to tell anyone… but we all knew it."
He added: "Adam hasn't been happy in this band for a long time. But how do you leave? To a guy like Adam, everything is either winning or losing. A stunning victory or the ultimate failure. There was no in between … No matter how unhappy or fed up he got, quitting the band would be seen as 'losing' or a 'failure.' Truth be told, he was sick of it. Sick of touring, sick of recording, sick of practicing, sick of looking at album artwork, sick of being on a team but never getting the ball, sick of yearning for the honeymoon to resume when 20 years deep it never does. Sick of never quite hitting the big time, sick of carving the niche… sick of caring."
"Machine Fucking Head Live", the new live album from MACHINE HEAD, sold 3,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release. It's the band's second live effort; "Hellalive" came out in 2003.
MACHINE HEAD's most recent studio album, "Unto The Locust", sold more than 17,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 22 on The Billboard 200 chart — putting MACHINE HEAD in the Top 25 for the first time in the band's 17-year history.
"Machine Fucking Head Live" was recorded at various tour stops across the globe last year. It features songs from throughout the band's expansive catalog, including crowd favorites like "Imperium", "Aesthetics of Hate", "Locust", "Ten Ton Hammer", "This is the End" and "Halo".
"Machine Fucking Head Live" was mixed and mastered at Trident Studios in Pacheco, California by Juan Urteaga and Robb Flynn.
MACHINE HEAD is currently seeking a new label home following the expiration of the band's contract with longtime record company Roadrunner Records.