Matt Alston - Drums

Matt Alston was born on July 29, 1988, in Colchester, Essex, England. Before joining Machine Head, Alston spent many years in the UK metal scene, both as a drummer and working behind the scenes as a professional drum technician.

One of Alston's earliest bands was Devolution, where he played drums and percussion and appeared on the Penumbra EP in 2004. The band later changed its name to Sanctorum, and Alston remained behind the kit.

Alston became a long-standing member of Sanctorum, playing drums and contributing backing vocals. He appeared on the band's debut album The Heavens Shall Burn in 2006, followed by Ashes of Redemption in 2008 and Semper Fidelis in 2011. During this period, Sanctorum established themselves in the UK metal scene and shared stages with bands including My Ruin, Unearth, 36 Crazyfists, God Forbid and Ill Niño.

In 2010, Alston also appeared under the name "Matthis" with Guardians of Andromeda, playing drums on the album Light Years from Destiny.

In 2012, Alston joined British extreme metal band Eastern Front under the stage name "Blitz". He played drums and percussion on Descent into Genocide (2014) and Empire (2016), also contributing to the songwriting on the latter.

Alongside performing, Alston gained considerable experience on the road working professionally as a drum technician, including work with bands such as Ill Niño and My Ruin. This gave him extensive touring experience from both sides of the stage before joining a major international touring band himself.

In 2016, Alston joined Devilment, the gothic/extreme metal band fronted by Cradle of Filth vocalist Dani Filth. He played drums on the band's second studio album, II – The Mephisto Waltzes, released later that year, and remained with Devilment until 2019.

Alston's career took another major step forward in 2019 following the departure of longtime Machine Head drummer Dave McClain. In September 2019, Machine Head announced Matt Alston as their new drummer alongside new guitarist Wacław "Vogg" Kiełtyka of Decapitated.

Alston made his live debut with Machine Head during the Burn My Eyes 25th Anniversary Tour. The concerts featured two different line-ups and sets. During the first part of each show, Alston performed Machine Head's more modern material alongside Robb Flynn, Jared MacEachern and Vogg. For the second part, original drummer Chris Kontos and guitarist Logan Mader joined Flynn and MacEachern to perform the entire Burn My Eyes album.

The unusual format allowed Alston to establish himself as Machine Head's new drummer while the band simultaneously celebrated its original 1994 line-up.

Alston remained Machine Head's drummer as work began on the band's next studio album, Øf Kingdøm and Crøwn. However, logistical difficulties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic prevented him from recording the final drum tracks for the album. Although Alston worked on demo versions of the material, the drums on the finished 2022 album were performed by session drummer Navene Koperweis.

Alston continued as Machine Head's live drummer throughout the Øf Kingdøm and Crøwn era and subsequently entered the studio with the band for their next album.

In 2025, Machine Head released UNATØNED, marking Alston's first Machine Head studio album on which he performed the final recorded drum tracks. His drums and percussion can be heard throughout the album, including tracks such as "ATØMIC REVELATIØNS", "UNBØUND", "BØNESCRAPER" and "BLEEDING ME DRY".

Matt Alston remains Machine Head's drummer and percussionist, combining the experience gained from more than two decades in the British metal scene with his role in the band's current line-up.