Machetazo were formed in La Coruña, Spain in 1994 as a side project of two other death metal bands from the area. Initially, they were more noisecore-oriented than grindcore. They recorded two demos, 46 Cabezas Aplastadas por un Yunque Oxidado in 1995, and Realmente Disfruto Comiendo Cadáveres in 1997. The latter was an international underground success, and in 1999 was remastered by the American label Fudgeworthy Records.

At this point Machetazo stopped being a side project and became a band in its own right, although line-up problems forced them to conntinue with only two members. They recorded their first album Carne de Cementerio in 1999, which was released by Razorback Records. After this they released numerous split singles. With Dopi as the sole surviving original member together with the new guitarist Rober, Machetazo recorded their second full length, Trono de Huesos (2002). In this work the band gives tribute to the seminal grind sound in a work in the vein of bands like Carcass or Repulsion. After the recording of Trono de Huesos Machetazo created a more stable line-up, that still exists today: Dopi (drums and vocals); Carlos "Cadaver" (bass and vocals); and Rober (guitar).

After testing this line-up with two singles, Machetazo released their third full length in 2005, Sinfonías del Terror Ciego, a concept album about the Spanish film maker Amando de Ossorio. This record brought them to a wider audience than ever before and 2006 was a year of intense touring and projects. They released a split single with Total Fucking Destruction on the American label Relapse in 2006. In late 2008, Carlos Cadaver left the band. Santi from the grindcore band Nashgul, is now the new bass player.