Robb Flynn Praises Jordan Fish’s (Ex-BRING ME THE HORIZON) Longtime Role in MACHINE HEAD: “He’s Kind of a Genius”

Despite parting ways with Bring Me The Horizon in 2023, keyboardist and programmer Jordan Fish has remained a major presence in modern heavy music through his work as a producer and songwriter. In addition to collaborations with Architects, BABYMETAL, and Poppy, Fish has maintained a long-running creative relationship with Machine Head.

His contributions to the Bay Area heavyweights date back to 2014’s Bloodstone & Diamonds, where he handled arrangements, keyboards, and various post-production elements. That collaboration has continued over the years, including on Machine Head‘s newly released eleventh studio album, UNATØNED.

Speaking with Full Metal Jackie (via Loudwire), Machine Head frontman Robb Flynn discussed Fish‘s involvement on the new record:

“I really feel like we’ve got a record that’s got a lot of layers. I’m really stoked because I have about four collaborators that I work with and they kind of handle all the keyboards and the piano stuff that I can hear and I play on guitar, and I just say, ‘Hey, turn this into this sound or whatever.’

I’m fortunate enough to work with Jordan [Fish] from Bring Me The Horizon. He’s been a decade-long collaborator of mine. I started working with him on the Bloodstone & Diamonds record. And on this record, I said, ‘Hey, I really want you to be part of every song, and even if you don’t end up on any of the songs, I just want you to be able to collaborate with me and try some stuff and see where it goes.’

And it turned out really, really cool having him be a part of it because he really just brought this depth and this dimension that I don’t think we’ve had before in a couple of songs. But to hear it all throughout an album just really ties the album together more so. Yeah, I’m very stoked.”

Flynn continued:

“I’ve worked with him for 10 years now, so it doesn’t feel like a new collaboration. It might sound like a new collaboration to people, but we’re four albums deep with him. I just feel like he’s part of the team at this point.

He’s kind of a genius. He just brings in this killer [mentality]. Sometimes that guy, I’d be like, ‘Hey, do your ideas and put it on,’ and he’d send me like 70 tracks of stuff.

Then me and my producer Zack [Ohren] would just go through everything and determine what is what. Sometimes it was just like a hi-hat or something or just like a shaker or whatever, but then other times it’s layers of strings and layers of piano and layers of sub stuff and cool textures.

We didn’t use it for every song. It wasn’t needed for every song. But to me, a thrash song doesn’t need stuff like that. It just needs thrash and guitars really loud. Let’s turn those guitars up. But for other moments, it really just brought to life the song.”

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