Robb Flynn
As the fierce, unwavering core of Machine Head, he channeled personal turmoil into anthems that helped redefine modern heavy metal.
Born 1968 (age 58)·American guitarist and vocalist·Birthday: July 19·Generation X
Biography
Robb Flynn's journey is the story of Bay Area metal survival. Cutting his teeth in the thrash band Vio-lence, he left in 1992 to found Machine Head, driven by a desire for something heavier and more personal. The band's 1994 debut 'Burn My Eyes' was a concrete slab of groove-laden aggression that immediately carved a deep niche. Flynn's life—marked by childhood instability, addiction struggles, and fierce industry battles—became the band's lyrical fuel, delivered with a roar that mixed rage and vulnerability. Through nu-metal trends, critical backlash, and numerous lineup changes, he remained the constant, steering Machine Head back to a thrash-inspired sound that galvanized a global fanbase. More than just a frontman, he became a vocal, often controversial, chronicler of the metal scene's trials and triumphs through his online 'The General Journals'.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Robb was born in 1968, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Robb Was Born
The biggest hits of 1968
#1 Movie
2001: A Space Odyssey
Best Picture
Oliver!
#1 TV Show
The Andy Griffith Show
Robb's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1968Born
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1973Started school
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1981Became a teenager
MTV launches; first Space Shuttle flight; AIDS identified
Gas: $1.31/galHome: $52,300Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Bette Davis Eyes" — Kim CarnesBest Picture: Chariots of Fire
1984Could drive
Apple Macintosh introduced
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $59,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"When Doves Cry" — PrinceBest Picture: Amadeus
1986Could vote
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1989Turned 21
Berlin Wall falls; Tiananmen Square protests
Gas: $1.00/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Look Away" — ChicagoBest Picture: Driving Miss Daisy
1998Turned 30
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2008Turned 40
Barack Obama elected first Black US president; financial crisis
Gas: $3.27/galHome: $153,100Min wage: $6.55/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Low" — Flo RidaBest Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
2018Turned 50
Royal wedding of Harry and Meghan; Parkland shooting
Gas: $2.72/galHome: $211,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"God's Plan" — DrakeBest Picture: Green Book
2026Age 58 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Founded the influential heavy metal band Machine Head in 1992 and has remained its lead vocalist, primary songwriter, and only constant member.
- Wrote and performed on the band's landmark debut album 'Burn My Eyes', a cornerstone of 1990s groove metal.
- Led Machine Head to its highest chart positions with the albums 'The Blackening' (2007) and 'Unto the Locust' (2011), both receiving widespread critical praise.
Did You Know?
Flynn is an avid skateboarder and has incorporated the culture into the band's aesthetics and music videos.
He has a large collection of tattoos, many of which are connected to his lyrics and personal history.
Before music, he worked as a telemarketer and has cited the misery of that job as motivation to make his band succeed.
“Metal is the one true form of music that is still dangerous.”
