MACHINE HEAD Guitarist DEMMEL Thanks Fans For Their Support

MACHINE HEAD guitarist Phil Demmel — who is sitting out the remaining dates on the band's current European tour due to the death of his father — has released the following statement to BLABBERMOUTH.NET:

"Thank you to everyone who has offered their condolences and best wishes. I can't thank you enough for all the support that you've shown my family and I during this very hard time.

"My father's health had been steadily declining over the past few years and we knew his time was nearing, just thought it would've been for a bit longer.

"Thursday, December 6th will be a day I never forget. We were in Milan for our only Italian date on the Black Crusade tour. I had woken at the crack of 4pm to news that we had been nominated for a Grammy in America. Our camp was very excited upon hearing that and we carried that out onstage with us to a kick-ass crowd. Towards the end of the set, during the song 'Descend the Shades of Night' (a song about death and the loss of someone close),I became dizzy and passed out onstage. I have a history of fainting spells but hadn't had an episode in over five years. I woke up behind my rig and realized what happened. Robb [Flynn, MACHINE HEAD frontman] had told the crowd the show was over and said sorry to them. I apologize sincerely to those fans and I feel horrible for cutting their show short.
"We leave Italy for Switzerland and I feel weird. Not sick but just 'off' or 'wrong.' I wake the next day to email and voice mail messages from my sister to call home immediately. I expect the worst and hear from my mother that dad has died. He'd been going to dialysis for about a year and had left his appointment early that afternoon, sat in his car, set the keys on the dash, folded his hands and went to sleep for good.

"My mom and sister were adamant about me finishing the tour, that that's what my dad would want and they support me.

"After hanging up and speaking with the band and trying to process everything, I realized I needed to be home. The band would try and have the other guys fill in and no shows would have to be missed.

"I apologize to all those fans at the shows I've missed. Sorry you're not getting the MH you were expecting.

"They asked me if I was up for playing the show that night [December 7] in [Zurich] Switzerland. I felt so bad about the night before and that we were already set up, my father would want me to play. Besides, he would be there watching me. I wrote his lucky # 33 on both my hands and got through the show.

"Dave [McClain, MACHINE HEAD drummer] was pretty determined on finding out what time he had died. I didn't put together why until I did the math. Basically, within 30 minutes of his death, was the moment I passed out in Italy. I won't go into any religious rhetoric here other than I don't think it was coincidence.

"I saw my dad today for the last time. A small grin on his face, very at peace. I couldn't have asked for a more perfect ending to a wonderful relationship with the man who was my hero, my best friend, my teacher, my coach, my team mate, my sons grandfather.

"Harry William Demmel, you're in the arms of the angels, fly home Father. I will see you again."

During MACHINE HEAD's performance in Zurich, frontman Robb Flynn dedicated the song "Descend the Shades of Night" to everyone who has lost someone important in his/her life, and informed the crowd that MACHINE HEAD had just lost a family member of its own, adding that the song would be played in Phil's father's honor. (See video footage below.) Demmel reportedly cried while he played the solo to the track, which Flynn had previously described as "an eight-minute elegy on death."

Fan-filmed video footage of the moment when Demmel collapsed on stage in Milan and the subsequent statement the other members of MACHINE HEAD made from the stage regarding Demmel's condition can also be viewed below.

MACHINE HEAD's Robb Flynn introducing the song "Descend the Shades of Night" in Zurich, Switzerland (December 7, 2007):

MACHINE HEAD performing "Descend the Shades of Night" in Milan, Italy (December 6, 2007):

MACHINE HEAD's statement regarding Phil Demmel at Milan concert (December 6, 2007):