Machine Head came out with their first new single called “Beyond the Pale” off their upcoming album, Catharsis. Some cranky metal fans have taken to social media alleging that the main riff from Machine Head’s new single, “Beyond the Pale,” is rip-off of the riff from Strapping Young Lad’s “Love?” as mentioned by the PRP. Strapping Young Lad, a Canadian metal band formed by Devin Townsend came out with the song “Love?” back in 2005. Devin Townsend has taken to Twitter to respond to the raised questions about resemblance.
To say that Townsend took the high road would be an understatement. The musician seemingly had no problem with the argument fans were trying to make, and this isn’t the first time he has kept his cool about a situation like this. Last year Deep Purple shared album artwork that was pretty much identical to Townsend’s most recent album, and he had no quarrel about that either. See his response to Machine Head’s riff below.
Rob Flynn of Machine Head responded to Townsend, basically admitting that he copied his riff but that it was unintentional and in good spirit, nothing malicious about that similarity. “Shout out to @dvntownsend for being so cool. The Riff Police pulled me over, I got a $300 infraction for that one!! Like Dime bag always used to tell me ‘we’re all just sharing riffs man’.” Flynn later added, “Got a lot of respect for you Devin, super talented musician, amazing producer (as the palaces burn production crushes all!) And while I would proudly admit that I stole a Riff from you… Was just a happy accident. Riff on brother!!”
Listen to Machine Head’s “Beyond the Pale” and Strapping Young Lad’s “Love?” below.
Photo Credit: Raymond Flotat
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