Adam Duce - Bass

Adam Duce was born on April 14, 1972, in California, USA.

Duce became friends with future Machine Head guitarist Logan Mader while they were young. Mader introduced him to bands including Slayer, Metallica, Exodus, King Diamond and Celtic Frost and became an important influence on his interest in heavy music.

The two initially played guitar together, but around 1987 Mader convinced Duce to switch to bass because they were unable to find a bassist.

At around the age of sixteen, Duce met Robb Flynn through a mutual friend. Flynn was then guitarist for Bay Area thrash metal band Vio-lence. Duce and Flynn became close friends and eventually roommates.

Formation of Machine Head

On October 12, 1991, following the Day on the Green concert in Oakland, Flynn and Duce began discussing a new musical project.

Flynn was still a member of Vio-lence at the time, meaning Machine Head initially developed alongside his existing band rather than immediately replacing it.

Flynn had begun writing heavier material, including early versions of "Death Church" and "Blood for Blood", which did not fit comfortably within Vio-lence.

Several months later, Flynn became involved in a violent confrontation with a local gang in Oakland. The incident and its aftermath contributed to the growing tensions surrounding his position in Vio-lence, and Flynn eventually left the band in 1992.

Machine Head then became his primary musical focus.

Flynn and Duce recruited their longtime friend Logan Mader on guitar and Tony Costanza on drums, establishing Machine Head's first regular lineup.

Burn My Eyes

During Machine Head's formative period, Duce helped develop the band's distinctive combination of thrash metal, hardcore and groove-oriented heavy metal.

Costanza was eventually replaced by Chris Kontos, and Machine Head signed with Roadrunner Records.

The band's debut album, Burn My Eyes, was released in 1994.

Duce's bass playing and backing vocals became an important part of Machine Head's sound, particularly the vocal contrast between his higher backing vocals and Flynn's lead vocals.

The album became a major success for the band, particularly in Europe, and Machine Head began years of extensive international touring.

The Machine Head Years

Duce remained Machine Head's bassist throughout numerous lineup changes.

After Logan Mader's departure in 1998, Ahrue Luster joined the band and appeared on The Burning Red in 1999 and Supercharger in 2001.

Luster left in 2002 and was eventually replaced by Flynn's former Vio-lence bandmate Phil Demmel.

Duce appeared on each of Machine Head's first seven studio albums:

Burn My Eyes (1994)
The More Things Change... (1997)
The Burning Red (1999)
Supercharger (2001)
Through the Ashes of Empires (2003)
The Blackening (2007)
Unto the Locust (2011)

In addition to bass and backing vocals, Duce contributed to Machine Head's songwriting and lyrics throughout his career.

Roadrunner United

In 2005, Duce participated in Roadrunner Records' 25th anniversary project, Roadrunner United.

He was part of the group of musicians assembled for the special Roadrunner United concert at the Nokia Theatre in New York City on December 15, 2005.

Duce performed bass on numerous songs during the concert alongside musicians from bands throughout Roadrunner Records' history.

The Black Tyranny Tour

In 2007, Duce was forced to miss Machine Head shows for the first time after breaking his leg in a dirt bike accident in Redding, California.

The injury required surgery and prevented him from participating in the North American The Black Tyranny Tour.

Machine Head recruited Brandon Sigmund of Bay Area metal band Hostility to temporarily perform Duce's bass parts.

However, Sigmund did not reproduce Duce's high backing vocals, so Machine Head also recruited Sanctity vocalist and guitarist Jared MacEachern, whose band was already opening the tour.

Sigmund therefore handled Duce's bass parts while MacEachern joined Machine Head onstage to reproduce his backing vocals.

Duce recovered from the injury and returned to the band for the remainder of the 2007 touring schedule, beginning with the Loud Park festival in Japan in October.

The incident would later become an unusual piece of Machine Head history: six years later, MacEachern became Duce's permanent replacement in the band.

Unto the Locust

By the time Machine Head began working on Unto the Locust, creative tensions had developed within the band.

Duce later explained that he had submitted riffs and lyrics that Flynn did not know how to use vocally and that, after having material rejected, he gradually withdrew from much of the songwriting process.

He nevertheless recorded bass and backing vocals for Unto the Locust, released in 2011.

The album ultimately became his final Machine Head studio recording.

Departure from Machine Head

On February 22, 2013, Machine Head announced that they had parted ways with Duce.

The initial announcement described the separation as amicable, but Flynn subsequently revealed that Duce had actually been fired on February 11.

Flynn described years of personal and creative tension within the band and said that the decision had been made by Flynn, Phil Demmel, Dave McClain and the band's management.

Duce's departure ended a partnership with Flynn that had lasted for more than two decades and left Flynn as Machine Head's sole remaining founding member.

Machine Head subsequently launched an open audition process to find a new bassist.

More than 400 musicians submitted audition videos before the band selected seven finalists for in-person auditions in Oakland.

In June 2013, Jared MacEachern was announced as Machine Head's new bassist.

Legal Dispute

In January 2014, Duce filed a lawsuit against his former bandmates and Machine Head's management.

The dispute involved claims concerning the band's business partnership, trademark rights and other financial and personal issues surrounding his departure.

The case was settled out of court in July 2014. The claims were dismissed and the terms of the settlement remained confidential.

Later Career

Following his departure from Machine Head, Duce largely withdrew from the international metal scene.

He was later associated with the metal band Sintanic and has continued to make occasional musical appearances.

Despite the difficult circumstances surrounding his departure, Duce remains one of the most important figures in Machine Head's history.

As a founding member, bassist, backing vocalist and songwriter, he helped establish the band's sound and appeared on every Machine Head studio album from Burn My Eyes through Unto the Locust, covering more than two decades of the band's career.