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Phil Demmel (born April 2, 1967) is an American musician who played lead guitar in the heavy metal band Machine Head between 2002 and 2018, making him their longest running member in that position. He has also performed with other artists such as Vio-lence,
Torque In physics and mechanics, torque is the rotational analogue of linear force. It is also referred to as the moment of force (also abbreviated to moment). The symbol for torque is typically \boldsymbol\tau, the lowercase Greek letter ''tau''. Wh ...
, Metal Allegiance,
BPMD BPMD is an American hard rock/ heavy metal supergroup. Formed in 2019, the band plays cover songs of classic American rock bands of the 1970s. The band consists of Overkill singer Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth, former Vio-lence and Machine Head g ...
, Kerry King and Category 7, and briefly with
Slayer Slayer is an American thrash metal band from Huntington Park, California, formed in 1981 by guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King, drummer Dave Lombardo and bassist/vocalist Tom Araya. Slayer's fast and aggressive musical style made them ...
, Nonpoint, Overkill,
Lamb of God Lamb of God (; , ) is a Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, title for Jesus that appears in the Gospel of John. It appears at wikisource:Bible (American Standard)/John#1:29, John 1:29, where John the Baptist sees Jesus and exclaims, " ...
and
Testament A testament is a document that the author has sworn to be true. In law it usually means last will and testament. Testament or The Testament can also refer to: Books * ''Testament'' (comic book), a 2005 comic book * ''Testament'', a thriller no ...
as a fill-in guitarist.


Biography

In 1996, Demmel auditioned for lead vocals with
Sepultura Sepultura (, "grave")Barcinski & Gomes 1999, page 17. is a Brazilian heavy metal band formed in Belo Horizonte in 1984 by brothers Max and Igor Cavalera.Barcinski & Gomes 1999, page 16. They were a major force in the groove metal, thrash met ...
as the replacement for Max Cavalera, but lost that position to Derrick Green. Demmel joined Machine Head shortly before the recording of the 2003 album '' Through the Ashes of Empires''. He began touring with Machine Head in 2002. He was long time friends with Machine Head frontman Robb Flynn, either since or before they both played in Vio-lence. In 2007 Demmel appeared as a guest on the album '' DDP 4 Life'' with Chuck Billy's and Steve Souza's Dublin Death Patrol. Demmel has suffered from a loss of consciousness and fainting several times while playing live with Machine Head. At first believed to be a side effect of dehydration, Demmel has since said that an existing heart condition was the cause. On the subject of his collapse whilst playing in Bristow, Virginia, he said,
"I've suffered from episodes of Cardiogenic Syncope for the last 17 years or so but (doctors) ran a series of tests that came up inconclusive. I hadn't had it happen for a while until last December in Italy, when I passed out roughly about the time my father passed away back in the States. The incident in Virginia felt similar to what has happened in the past"
Demmel announced his engagement to Bleeding Through's keyboardist Marta Peterson in January 2012. Before that, he had two children. The two were married later that year. Following Demmel's departure from Machine Head in November 2018, musical outlets reported there were rumors that he would reunite with Vio-lence, who planned to do shows and possibly release new material "in the not too distant future". A reunion of the band was officially confirmed on January 8, 2019, and it has been performing occasional live shows since then. The band released their first recording in 29 years, '' Let the World Burn'', as an EP on March 4, 2022. In December 2018, Demmel joined
Slayer Slayer is an American thrash metal band from Huntington Park, California, formed in 1981 by guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King, drummer Dave Lombardo and bassist/vocalist Tom Araya. Slayer's fast and aggressive musical style made them ...
for a few shows on their final European tour, filling in for his friend Gary Holt who left the tour to be home with his dying father. In summer 2019, Demmel joined forces with Overkill vocalist Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth and two-fourths of Metal Allegiance (bassist Mark Menghi and drummer Mike Portnoy) in the supergroup/cover band
BPMD BPMD is an American hard rock/ heavy metal supergroup. Formed in 2019, the band plays cover songs of classic American rock bands of the 1970s. The band consists of Overkill singer Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth, former Vio-lence and Machine Head g ...
, which released their first album, ''American Made'', in June 2020. In 2020, Demmel contributed a guest guitar solo to the song Drowning In My Head, by Scottish groove metal band Catalysis. Demmel filled in for Dave Linsk (who was unable to perform) at an Overkill concert in New Jersey on November 13, 2021, and two months later, he filled in for Willie Adler during
Lamb of God Lamb of God (; , ) is a Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, title for Jesus that appears in the Gospel of John. It appears at wikisource:Bible (American Standard)/John#1:29, John 1:29, where John the Baptist sees Jesus and exclaims, " ...
's performance at ShipRocked. In April 2022, Demmel filled in as bassist for Lamb of God, and in October of that year performed with the band as the first time they had ever played with three guitarists live. In January 2023, on ShipRocked, Demmel, Vixen's Tyson Leslie, and Jack Ivins composed the backing band for
Living Colour Living Colour is an American rock music, rock band from New York City, formed in 1984. The band consists of guitarist Vernon Reid, lead vocalist Corey Glover, drummer Will Calhoun and bassist Doug Wimbish who replaced Muzz Skillings in 1992. T ...
's Corey Glover. Demmel performed on Kerry King's 2024 solo debut album '' From Hell I Rise'', as well as Category 7's self-titled debut album.


Equipment

Since his days with Vio-Lence, Demmel has always used Jackson guitars. He first used Randy Rhoads models, then later in the 1990s he began using a white King V. When he joined Machine Head he had his white V and a Jackson Warrior which can be seen in the videos for "Imperium" and "Days Turn Blue to Gray". Around the time of '' The Blackening''s release he had his own signature V with Jackson, named The Demmelition King V. For amplification, he uses Peavey 5150 and 6505 amplifiers with Marshall 1960BV cabinet in the studio. When playing live, he turned to the AxeFX pre-amplifier for practical reasons.


Discography


Vio-lence

* '' Eternal Nightmare'' (1988) * '' Oppressing the Masses'' (1990) * '' Nothing to Gain'' (1993)


Torque

* ''
Torque In physics and mechanics, torque is the rotational analogue of linear force. It is also referred to as the moment of force (also abbreviated to moment). The symbol for torque is typically \boldsymbol\tau, the lowercase Greek letter ''tau''. Wh ...
'' (1996)


Machine Head

* '' Through the Ashes of Empires'' (2003) * '' The Blackening'' (2007) * '' Unto the Locust'' (2011) * '' Bloodstone & Diamonds'' (2014) * ''
Catharsis Catharsis is from the Ancient Greek word , , meaning "purification" or "cleansing", commonly used to refer to the purification and purgation of thoughts and emotions by way of expressing them. The desired result is an emotional state of renewal an ...
'' (2018)


BPMD

* '' American Made'' (2020)


Category 7

* '' Category 7'' (2024)


Kerry King

* '' From Hell I Rise'' (2024)


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Demmel, Phil 1967 births Living people 20th-century American guitarists American heavy metal guitarists American lead guitarists Machine Head (band) members People from Dublin, California Vio-lence members American male guitarists 20th-century American male musicians American people of Portuguese descent Thrash metal musicians