MACHINE HEAD NEWS!

June 4, 09:22, posted by Crumbs.
Source: TakeMyScars.com

Machine Head Recruits Guitarist Ben Eller For North American Tour

Just as Machine Head kicks their highly anticipated North American tour into gear alongside Killswitch Engage, the band has revealed a massive, last-minute lineup shakeup. Renowned guitar educator, session player, and YouTuber Ben Eller has officially stepped in as the band’s touring lead guitarist.

Eller is filling the shoes of regular guitarist Reece Scruggs, who is sitting out this trek to handle ongoing personal matters. Machine Head confirmed via social media comments that Eller’s placement is strictly a temporary, fill-in role for the duration of this run.

The whirlwind recruitment was put to the ultimate test this week. On June 1st, Eller made a surprise appearance at Machine Head’s intimate, warm-up headline show at the Thunderbird Cafe in Pittsburgh, where frontman Robb Flynn brought him out to handle the final three songs of the night.

However, the real trial by fire happened on June 3rd at The Fillmore in Detroit—the official opening night of the Killswitch Engage tour—which marked Eller's very first time playing a complete, full-length set with the band.

Just hours before taking the stage in Michigan, Robb Flynn shared a video update on social media to give the "Headcases" some context:

"Honestly, it's a pretty special night for us. We are going to be bringing out Ben Eller on the guitar to do the whole show with us... We’ve been throwing a lot of songs at him, and he’s had a very short amount of time to learn it all."

Despite the frantic crunch and minimal prep time, fan-filmed footage from the Detroit gig shows Eller seamlessly locking down Machine Head’s notoriously complex, thrash-heavy arrangements and intricate dual-guitar harmonies alongside Flynn.


This isn't Eller's first time acting as the metal community’s ultimate emergency weapon. In March 2025, "Uncle Ben" similarly stunned fans when he learned a 17-song setlist in a mere 48 hours to fill in for Mastodon’s Brent Hinds at the Tool Live in the Sand festival. It seems his deep-dive instructional content on YouTube has evolved into a real-world resume for mastering elite metal catalogs on zero notice.

Machine Head is currently on the road with Roadrunner Records alumni Killswitch Engage and crossover openers Iron Reagan. The tour continues tomorrow, June 5th, at The Fillmore in Minneapolis, MN, before hitting the Milwaukee Metal on Saturday.