Per Machine Head guitarist and singer Robb Flynn, the ’90s thrash scene was in really rough shape; such rough shape in fact that, at one point during his time in Vio-lence, Flynn was threatened with grenades.
Per a recent feature with Metal Hammer, the Machine Head frontman reflected on his journey as a metal musician, speaking to such topics as his early days learning to play guitar, his love for rap and punk, and taking part in the Roadrunner United project.
Among the stories he shared though, Flynn spoke to a dangerous encounter had experienced back in the day while on the road. While playing in Vio-lence, Flynn says that he was getting into fights with folks and that the thrash metal scene was not in a super great place.
And at one point, a gang threatened him with grenades. Here is what the Machine Head frontman had to say reflecting on how rough the ’90s thrash scene was:
“When I joined Vio-lence we went on a real van tour – all of our luggage and gear tied to the top of the van with rope, driving across America.
“By the time I left, they’d gone from playing two sold-out nights at [Oakland rock club] Omni and The Stone to playing to maybe 100 people, and people were throwing silver dollars at us.
“I was jumping off and fighting dudes. Like everything else, thrash was dying. I got into this fight, and this gang threatened to throw grenades onstage while I played. I laugh now, but it was real and fucking scary at the time.”
That is some wild shit – being threatened with grenades? Damn. Thankfully nothing came of the threat.
As of nowadays, the thrash metal scene is in a great place. Just the other day, we published a feature covering 10 bands that have helped to revitalize the genre; you can check out that feature by following the link below.
10 Bands That Have Revitalized Thrash Metal
The 10 Legendary Bands Now Representing Heavy Metal's Old Guard
