Robb Flynn’s Metal Appreciation: From the Bay Area Thrash Scene to Modern Deathcore Kings!
Have you heard Machine Head‘s thumping new album Øf Kingdøm And Crøwn yet? Of course you have, otherwise you wouldn’t be here right?
Well earlier in the week we shared our interview with the thrash man himself, frontman Robb Flynn, who opened up about his experience in the heavy music scene – which dates all the way back to the early years of the Bay Area Thrash Scene where he was rubbing shoulders with the greats and, much like us, fanboying over the likes of James Hetfield – at small capacity venues:
“I grew up in the thrash scene, I was lucky enough to be born in the Bay Area when I was a teenager and the first time I went to see Metallica, they were supporting Raven at a 500 capacity room. There’s maybe 250 people there and we run into James Hetfield who’s just signing autographs at the bar stool.”
He shared more insights into the scene back then, long before physicals and streaming were the only ways to consume music, and explained everyone was sharing everything they could – even long before final mixes were mastered and sent off for production:
“It was this incredible time – it was very underground and it [thrash music] wasn’t getting played on radio… There was no mainstream attention, it was all tape-traders and demos being circulated at bootleg stores.”
“Me and my friend had bootlegs of every Metallica song that would be coming out on Kill ‘Em All. When Exodus came out with Bonded by Blood, we already had that record six months before it came out! I had Reign in Blood still with the hi-hat counts at the beginning of every song…”
And those early years were all about word-of-mouth. Telling friends about bands and sharing mix-tapes of their fav tracks. Nowadays we have everything from social media, publications, forums, Reddit, and podcasts to talk about and pass on our new discoveries and if you think those days of uncovering new bands are long gone for Flynn, you better think again!
As our deathcore connoisseur Ricky Aarons poked a little harder, Robb opened up about modern heavy bands that he’s come across in his travels, and featured on his own podcast (vidcast) No F’n Regrets (NFR), and turns out he’s loving a whole lot of bands we’re well and truly across here at WoS HQ including, in particular, Oceano and Lorna Shore!
“They’re killing it. It’s awesome, I love it – it’s so brutal. I think that it’s really refreshing and exciting to see this new stuff… The guys definitely give respect where respect is due. I talked to Adam [Warren] from Oceano not that long ago and he used to do backyard wrestling to Machine Head’s ‘Exhale the Vile’. He’s a beast – oh, my god. I could watch that dude sing death metal all day, his voice is so brutal and I love that.”
“It’s not a new style but it’s like the modern version of a lot of ‘this’,” he says referring to thrash. “It’s great to see their take on it, like they grew up with a little bit of Machine Head and a little bit of deathcore and then put their own spin on it.”
Lorna Shore‘s demonic frontman Will Ramos also scored praise from The General, who featured on the NFR podcast not long after the release of the band’s br00tal EP …And I Return To Nothingness.
“I love to see that they’ve got this passion for it. He’s the nicest guy ever, him and I really hit it off – which I was not expecting. Super nice guy, killer singer, fantastic f*cking band.”
So could we see a partnership emerging between the thrash gods of the past and the new age death metal/core kids of the modern world? Only time will tell.
Get stuck into Machine Head’s new album, listen to our interview with Robby and then expand your horizons and see what the youth of today are snapping their necks to!
Stream the entire interview below or your fav podcast app here
Grab Øf Kingdøm And Crøwn here
Machine Head – Øf Kingdøm And Crøwn tracklisting
1. Slaughter The Martyr
2. Chøke Øn The Ashes Øf Yøur Hate
3. Becøme The Firestørm
4. Øverdøse
5. My Hands Are Empty
6. Unhalløwed
7. Assimilate
8. Kill Thy Enemies
9. Nø Gøds, Nø Masters
10. Bløødshøt
11. Røtten
12. Terminus
13. Arrøws In Wørds Frøm The Sky
