Machine Head

A New Orleans, Louisiana high school teacher allegedly forced a student to remove her Machine Head t-shirt during class because the teacher objected to the anti-war message that was printed on the shirt's back.

The fan, who posts on Machine Head's official message board, "The Frontlines," under the name "Robyn", wrote in an October 3, 2008 posting, "A couple weeks ago I bought the 'War' t-shirt from the Machine Head store and I got it in the mail yesterday and I wore it to school today. The shirt that says 'War, Lies, Fear, Change' on the back. [see image below] Well, when I got to school today, my English teacher told me I couldn't wear it and I had to call home to get a different shirt. Well, I had no idea, but [the teacher's] son is in Iraq right now. I mean, I know [the message printed on the back of the shirt] has a lot to do with politics and everything, but it's not like I was talking about it or anything. Because they tell us at school that we're not supposed to talk about religion or politics. But half the kids in that school don't really give a shit or they're just to dumb to know anything.

Did they have any right in telling me to take it off?"

The "War! Lies! Fear! Change!" slogan is based on the lyrics to the Machine Head song "Clenching the Fists of Dissent", which opens the band's latest album, 'The Blackening'.

The U.S. version of the special edition of 'The Blackening' is scheduled for release on October 28 via Roadrunner Records. 'The Blackening Special Edition' is two-disc CD/DVD set that will feature an assortment of extras, including rare bonus tracks such as covers of Iron Maiden's "Hallowed Be Thy Name", over an hour of live performance footage from With Full Force, Download and Rock in Rio festivals, three uncensored music videos for "Aesthetics of Hate", "Now I Lay Thee Down" and "Halo", a "making-of" featurette on each video, "The Making of The Blackening" and expanded artwork. There's also what many hardcore fans have been rabidly waiting for: four never-before-seen performances of Machine Head celebrating the 10th anniversary of their debut album, 'Burn My Eyes', captured in Philadelphia in 2004.