In a new installment of an interview with Ultimate Guitar's David Slavković, Vio-lence guitarist Phil Demmel looks back on leaving Machine Head in 2018 after a 16-year tenure. Asked if his final performance with Machine Head was "an emotional moment for you," Demmel replied:

"Yeah, it was. You know, it was 16 years that I played with that band, and poured a lot of my life into it; that's almost one-third of my life. I had a lot of great times, we had a lot of cool moments, and we had a lot of cool music. So, stepping away from that relationship not knowing what was gonna be next - not knowing if anything was gonna be next, what my value was as a guitar player or what my need in the industry was... it was a huge step of faith, walking away from a decent living playing music.

I still am a union carpenter, but I worked construction for most of my life, so getting up before 4:30 and going back to the grind wasn't something I wanted to do. As bad as things were, personal-wise, with the band, walking away from making a living like that was a huge step of faith. So, there was some fear, there was some concern, and after it was done there was no second-guessing, I'd absolutely done the right thing; the relationship soured, it's better for everybody."

Read more here.

BPMD - the new juggernaut featuring heavy metal icons Bobby Blitz (Overkill) on vocals, drummer Mike Portnoy (The Winery Dogs, Sons of Apollo), bassist Mark Menghi (Metal Allegiance) and guitarist Phil Demmel (Vio-lence, ex-Machine Head) - have released a guitar playthrough video for their cover of Aerosmith's "Toys In The Attic". Watch below:

BPMD will release their upcoming full-length, American Made, on June 12 via Napalm Records.

It’s evident within the initial seconds of BPMD’s American Made, as the legendary Bobby Blitz chants the introductory lyrics to Ted Nugent’s “Wang Dang Sweet Poontang” in his signature skyscraper-high howl, that he and his equally iconic bandmates are here to have a damn good time. Featuring 10 unforgettable rock classics reimagined as heavy bangers, American Made is a party on wax. Tracks such as the raucous “Toys in the Attic” (Aerosmith) and rager-ready “Beer Drinkers & Hell Raisers” (ZZ Top) prove that BPMD not only manages to capture the essence of each original track on the album, but skillfully transforms each classic into an unforgettable metallic anthem for a new age. The seasoned quartet flex their musical muscles on renowned classics such as “Saturday Night Special” (Lynyrd Skynyrd), “We’re an American Band” (Grand Funk Railroad) and “Walk Away” (James Gang), and introduce a whole new heavy generation to deeper cuts like blues standard “Evil” (Cactus/Willie Dixon) and “Never In My Life” (Mountain). Channeling nostalgia while maintaining a fresh attitude, American Made is a summer soundtrack for all ages.

Bassist Mark Menghi remarks on BPMD's origins: “Last summer, right after the Fourth of July, I was sitting in my backyard. I was listening to a bunch of ‘70s stuff and Lynyrd Skynyrd's ‘Saturday Night Special’ came on. I said, ‘Man, I would love to play that song,’ and my eight-year-old son turned to me and said, ‘You should do a record of all these songs, Dad.’ And I was like, ‘Hmmm? Yeah, why not!?!’”

After connecting over their mutual love for the classics and forming their current line-up, the members of BPMD traveled to drummer Mike Portnoy’s home studio in Pennsylvania and set up shop. Since the whole concept of the band was born the night Menghi was listening to “Saturday Night Special”, BPMD were determined to record the song for the album. Beyond that, each musician picked two ‘70s rock tracks and everyone had to learn them!

Menghi chose “Beer Drinkers & Hell Raisers” in addition to “Saturday Night Special". Blitz’s choices were a little more obscure - “Never in My Life” replete with cowbell and a blazing repeated blues lick, and Cactus’ version of “Evil", a fiercely Zeppelin-like take on an old Willie Dixon song.  For his tracks, Demmel picked “D.O.A.” and had a blast channeling his inner Eddie Van Halen, and took a deep dive with “Tattoo Vampire". Recalling the days when Ted Nugent was more of a bad boy than a gunslinger, Portnoy picked “Wang Dang Sweet Poontang", in additon to “Toys In the Attic”.

Menghi, who also co-produced American Made, adds: “We didn't go into it trying to make everything metal, we just wanted to play the way we play and this is what you get... we’ve all been influenced by a wide variety of bands including Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden and Metallica. So, of course, we’re going to attack the songs a little harder than guys that didn’t grow up on heavy music.”

Blitz adds: "We made sure we did high-quality versions of these songs and gave them all a little twist. I think there’s a place for that in the music world today. There’s something really great about nostalgia, especially if it's reimagined.”

American Made was mixed and mastered by Mark Lewis, also known for his work with Metal Allegiance (featuring Mark Menghi), as well as artists such as DevilDriver, Trivium, and many others.

Pre-order here.

American Made tracklisting:

"Wang Dang Sweet Poontang"
"Toys In The Attic"
"Evil"
"Beer Drinkers & Hell Raisers"
"Saturday Night Special"
"Tattoo Vampire"
"D.O.A."
"Walk Away"
"Never In My Life"
"We're An American Band"

"Toys In The Attic" video:

"Toys In The Attic" drum playthrough video:

“Absolutely f*cking brilliant! God bless the real music krankers of America! Godspeed!" - Ted Nugent

”Turbocharged version of D.O.A. by BPMD. These guys are rocking!” - Michael Anthony (Chickenfoot, ex-Van Halen)