The exact circumstances around which why drummer Dave McClain and guitarist Phil Demmel quit Machine Head earlier this year remain vague, but at least one of those members has found a new home. McClain will be playing with Arizona thrash veterans Sacred Reich, who he previously was a member of from 1991 to 1995. The band will be hitting the studio in the new year.
"I'm so excited about rejoining my brothers in Sacred Reich," McClain said of the reunion. "To have the opportunity to make and play music with one of my favorite metal bands was always something I hoped could happen. I can't wait for everyone to hear the new album that we're recording in February and to come see us out on the road in 2019-2020."
Back in September, Machine Head frontman Robb Flynn went on Facebook Live to announce the imminent departure of the two longtime members of the band. Flynn said it was his own controlling tendencies that led to a rift between him and his bandmates. Machine Head concluded a farewell tour to that incarnation of the group's lineup this past fall, but Flynn has stated stated that the band will continue to make music, in some capacity. After the tour, Demmel lived out a childhood dream by playing as a member of Slayer on select European dates while guitarist Gary Holt visited his dying father.
