[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ul_PP4J8D4g[/youtube]
With offices in Europe and Canada closing down (and a handful of layoffs across the board), it’s safe to say that it’s been a rough year so far for Roadrunner Records. So naturally it would seem like bad timing for the label to lose one of their bigger acts like Machine Head. There’s a chance that might happen.
During an interview with Germany’s Pit Cam, frontman Robb Flynn let it slip that Machine Head are currently in between labels. While you can watch the full interview above (comments made around the 8:33 mark), Flynn said the following in response to Roadrunner’s current situation and what it means for the band:
“It’s a shame, man. It’s a fucking shame, considering that these are the premiere people in their field. I mean, when it comes to metal, there was no one better… And the thing that was most bizarre was that Warner had all of their rock and metal bands going through Roadrunner because they didn’t know what to do. So it’s kind of like ‘Why would you do that?’ But they did it…
We’re still trying to see how it is. We’re trying to get a feel for what’s going on. I mean, we’re actually in between labels right now. We completed our last record with Roadrunner. So we’re actually in a pretty unique position because we have a lot of different choices that we can go with right now, and the world is basically our oyster… Eight years ago, we got turned down by 35 labels, and now every label on the planet wants to sign us. So it’s pretty awesome.
So we’re gonna play it out. Roadrunner still has a lot of people that we know and love there, especially in America… The core people that are there are huge Machine Head supporters, and we’re gonna check it out. And we may very well be on Roadrunner. We just need to make sure that it’s the right thing and that they get what we’re doing because we’re not a pop band, we’re not some mainstream artist. I mean, we’re the biggest underground band there is.”
Before things get blown out of proportion, it should be noted that Machine Head have NOT YET parted ways with Roadrunner. In fact, Flynn even notes that there’s still a strong chance of them re-signing. Let’s not forget that before releasing 2003’s Through The Ashes Of Empires, Roadrunner had split from Machine Head only to reunite (though in that instance, Machine Head had been let go and re-signed).
So what does this all mean? Well, as Flynn explains, Machine Head are simply checking out all of their options. Of course, considering how big they’ve become since releasing The Blackening (and not to mention the success that came with last year’s Unto The Locust), Machine Head are likely swamped with options.
[via The PRP]
