How Does MACHINE HEAD Manage To Stay Relevant After All These Years? JARED MACEACHERN Responds

In a recent interview with MoreCore.TV, MACHINE HEAD bassist Jared MacEachern was asked how he and his bandmates manage to "stay relevant" after all these years. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "You hope that you creativity and the art that you create, you always hope that it stays relevant.

"It's hard to say," he continued. "I'm not quite sure if Robb [Flynn, MACHINE HEAD frontman and sole remaining founding member] always has a plan, or if he's sitting there at home, writing songs and going, 'Okay, how are we gonna remain relevant with these songs?'

"You hope that you remain relevant," Jared repeated. "I think part of it is… you can't stop. You have to always keep creating and pushing yourself to try something different in many cases with bands. Again, I don't know if we sit at home going, 'Okay, how are we gonna stay relevant?' I just think that maybe one big part of it is just chance or luck. And you just hope that the climate is ready — the climate of the audience — is ready to accept what you're putting out there.

"But the short answer is, how do you remain relevant? I don't know," MacEachern added. "I don't know. I think it's just something you hope for and something that you can work towards maybe in your subconscious. But you just create this art and you put it out there and you hope that it's accepted."

MACHINE HEAD is continuing to tour in support of its latest album, "Of Kingdom And Crown", which came out last August. The follow-up to 2018's "Catharsis" includes the three songs that were featured on the 2021 "Arrows In Words From The Sky" single: "Become The Firestorm", "Rotten" and "Arrows In Words From The Sky". Much of the new MACHINE HEAD album was recorded at Sharkbite Studios in Oakland, California with engineer/producer Zack Ohren.

As previously reported, MACHINE HEAD recruited HAVOK's Reece Alan Scruggs to play second guitar on the "Electric Happy Hour (Live)" fall 2022 tour. Scruggs filled in for Polish guitarist Wacław "Vogg" Kiełtyka (DECAPITATED),who was unable to make the trek due to his touring commitments with his longtime band DECAPITATED.

Reece made his live debut with MACHINE HEAD on November 3 at Strummer's in Fresno, California at the opening show of the "Electric Happy Hour (Live)" tour.

Vogg joined MACHINE HEAD's touring lineup prior to the launch of the band's "Burn My Eyes" 25th-anniversary tour in late 2019.

In November 2020, MACHINE HEAD released a single, "My Hands Are Empty", via Nuclear Blast. The song marked the first musical collaboration between Flynn and original "Burn My Eyes" guitarist Logan Mader in 24 years.

"My Hands Are Empty" was just one in a line of singles to be released by MACHINE HEAD, which issued "Do Or Die" in October 2019, "Circle The Drain" in February 2020, and the two-song digital single "Civil Unrest", consisting of "Stop The Bleeding" and "Bulletproof", in June 2020. "Stop The Bleeding" featured guest vocals from KILLSWITCH ENGAGE frontman Jesse Leach, and was written and recorded just days after the murders of George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery.