Machine Head parted ways with guitarist Logan Mader in 1998. Mader's position was then filled by Ahrue Luster (ex-Ill Niño, ex-Pestilence) until 2001, and then in walked longtime guitarist Phil Demmel. But things could've been very, very different.
In his No Fuckin' Regrets podcast, founding Machine Head vocalist and guitarist Robb Flynn spoke to Exodus guitarist Gary Holt about his audition for the band after Mader's departure. Holt tells Flynn he would've been a bad fit for the band and "there wasn't nearly enough soloing that would ever make me happy."
"You actually tried out for Machine Head," Flynn said. "This was after Logan left, you came down and tried out."
"It would've been a bad fit," said Holt. "At the time I was like, 'Alright, let's try that.' I mean, I thought I nailed fucking all, killed it. I remember 'Ten Ton Hammer.' I forgot to tune that G string back – because you tune it up that quarter-step, and I was like, 'Why is that out of tune? Oh yeah, it's the fucking Machine Head wacky tuning shit.'"
"I think for me, it was like, 'This dude shaped so much of my guitar playing, this dude needs to be in Exodus and not doing jack shit in fucking Machine Head,'" said Flynn. "I walked away and went, 'He needs to go fucking Exodus going again.'"
"At that time, that era of Machine Head, there wasn't nearly enough soloing that would ever make me happy, you know?" said Holt. "Not that you guys can't shred quite a bit, but then, like, 'Where's the solos?'. I was glad I did it, it was fun."
Listen to the full podcast below.
