Machine Head have a new guitarist onstage for their June 2026 dates with Killswitch Engage: Ben Eller is handling the live slot.
That is more than a name swap for guitar players keeping score. Eller comes into the run after a visible Mastodon touring stint, and Machine Head are stepping into a month of U.S. dates with a strong bill already in place: Killswitch Engage headlining, Machine Head in support, plus Iron Reagan and Havok on most dates.
The first full show with Eller landed June 3 at The Fillmore Detroit, opening the June stretch of the Killswitch Engage tour. Ticketmaster listings confirm the Detroit opener and the rest of the routing, with Machine Head appearing across the run alongside Killswitch Engage, Iron Reagan, and Havok.
For tickets, use the official Ticketmaster search route: Machine Head and Killswitch Engage June 2026 tickets.
Why Ben Eller Matters Here
Eller is not an anonymous touring hand. Guitar players know him from the "Uncle Ben" lesson world, where he built a serious following by breaking down rock and metal technique without making it feel like homework. Metal fans outside that lane paid closer attention when he started playing Mastodon dates after Brent Hinds' exit.
Machine Head's guitar chair has moved around lately. Reece Alan Scruggs was brought into the band after Vogg's exit, while Machine Head also leaned on fill-ins during stretches of road duty. The current June setup puts Eller into a band whose live set depends on precision, endurance, and command. This is not a half-hour festival walk-through. Machine Head songs punish loose hands.
It also gives the Killswitch tour a second reason to watch after the original package announcement. When the run was first announced, the news was simple enough: Killswitch Engage and Machine Head sharing a U.S. tour, with Iron Reagan and Havok adding crossover/thrash weight underneath. Metal Mantra covered that March news in the Metal & Hard Rock News rundown, but the Ben Eller slot is a new development, not a rehash of the original announcement.
The June Dates
The tour opened June 3 in Detroit and continues through June 27 in San Francisco, with stops including Minneapolis, South Bend, Raleigh, Brooklyn, Boston, Bethlehem, Orlando, Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, Albuquerque, Tempe, and Los Angeles.
Machine Head are not background support on a bill like this. Robb Flynn's catalog asks a lot from the second guitar position, especially when the set has to balance newer material with the tracks that still get the old-school response. "Davidian" is not complicated because people know the chorus. It is complicated because everyone in the room knows what it is supposed to feel like when the band hits it correctly.
The placement also puts Eller in front of a crowd that will notice the details. Killswitch fans may not all be Machine Head diehards, but this package is full of people who know when a heavy band is locked in and when it is only getting through the night.
Killswitch Engage, meanwhile, are touring behind This Consequence, the 2025 record that kept the Jesse Leach era moving with purpose. Their audience overlaps with Machine Head without being identical, which is the strength of the package. One side brings New Wave of American Heavy Metal history and melodic metalcore muscle. The other brings Bay Area groove/thrash weight and the Robb Flynn lifer factor.
For a broader view of what else is moving this year, keep Metal Mantra's 2026 metal tours hub open. Festival lineups get the bigger headlines, but club and theater dates are where fans actually find out how a lineup works.
The Fit Has to Prove Itself on Stage
Eller's Mastodon connection makes the move easy to notice, but Machine Head is a different assignment. Mastodon material often bends around odd shapes, progressive layering, and vocal/instrumental atmosphere. Machine Head demands a more direct physical attack: tight right hand, big stage presence, and the ability to sit inside Flynn's rhythm language without turning the set into a clinic.
If Eller plays it too politely, the set could feel stiff. If he leans into the aggression without overplaying, the fit should make sense fast.
Machine Head do not need a novelty. They need the songs to land.
The Detroit start gave fans the first look. For now, the move makes sense on paper: a visible guitarist with heavy credibility stepping into a band that cannot coast on reputation live.
