| Written by Alex Stojanovic TRACK LISTING Landscape Of Thorns Atomic Revelations Unbound Outsider Not Long For This World These Scars Won't Define Us Dustmaker Bonescraper Addicted To Pain Bleeding Me Dry Shards Of Shattered Dreams Scorn Release Date: April 25, 2025 Label: Nuclear Blast Records Website: www.machinehead1.com |  |
There have been many bands over the years that have gone through tumultuous times in their careers with releasing not-so-well-received records and lineup changes, many of which have caused fans to believe that their time was over, only for them to prove all the naysayers wrong by releasing a record that serves as a form of redemption and putting them back on track. Machine Head is a perfect example of this kind of band. Burn My Eyes comes out in 1994 and it becomes a legendary album, then in the late 90s into the early 2000s, they go into a nu metal direction on Supercharger and The Burning Red, then head into their classic era with Through The Ashes Of Empires, The Blackening and Unto The Locust. This successful period would go on for over a decade until the release of Catharsis in 2018, which caused Phil Demmel and Dave McClain to leave the band, and this put the band into a state of uncertainty, and many people thought that the band's time had come to hang it up.
Once the pandemic was lifted, they came roaring back in 2022 with Of Kingdom & Crown; their best album in many years. It still feels super fresh 3 years later, but they're already back with their eleventh album Unatoned. When I first saw the title and the track listing, my first thoughts were that it's definitely a continuation of where Kingdom left off because of the "O" in each word being replaced with "Ø", as well as the production quality and sound of the first single "These Scars Won't Define Us". On top of that, it looks like they've gotten comfortable using words that begin with "Un". I mean, "Unatoned", "Unbound", "Unhallowed", hello?! It makes me wonder if we're going to see "Unbroken", "Unstoppable", "Unbearable", or "Unfinished" next. Okay, I'll shut up now.
Anyway, very much like Kingdom, the production is thick, beefy and monstrous. The differences this time is that the lineup is complete once again. Kingdom was written primarily by Robb Flynn and Jared MacEachern with contributions from Vogg when he was a member, and drums were recorded by Navene Koperweis. Now, with Reece Scruggs, formerly of Havok, firmly in place on lead guitars and Matt Alston finally recording drums for a Machine Head album, it's a complete band again. Unatoned packs the punch and crunch with crushing tracks that ignite the pits like "Atomic Revelations", "Outsider" and "These Scars Won't Define Us", and even dials back the aggression giving way to a more accessible sound with tracks like "Not Long For This World" and the epic closer "Scorn", with the latter also featuring piano.
Robb also spoke about the boundaries and parameters he set around this record, particularly in the running length department, with each song being under 4 minutes, although there are only two songs that exceed that length. Those being "Bleeding Me Dry" at 5.5 mins, and "Scorn" at just over 4 minutes. It's also been well documented that the band's nu metal sound divided the fanbase, but they still found a little space on the album to feature that kind of sound with the track "Addicted To Pain". However, one element that seems present in every song is killer choruses, whether soaring or just downright catchy. The harmonies between Robb and Jared make these choruses destined to be heard in the arenas.
After finding their stride on Of Kingdom & Crown, I think it's safe to say that we can expect that level of quality from Machine Head on each album to come. With all the years of experience and experimentation, Unatoned is possibly the band's most eclectic offering with elements of thrash, groove, hardcore, nu and epic ballads. While Unatoned certainly doesn't top its predeccesor, it can be proudly be referred to as Of Kingdom & Crown's little brother, and both albums can proudly sit alongside the Machine Head classics. Even with the minimal amount of weak points, the album stands boldly and confidently.
Once the pandemic was lifted, they came roaring back in 2022 with Of Kingdom & Crown; their best album in many years. It still feels super fresh 3 years later, but they're already back with their eleventh album Unatoned. When I first saw the title and the track listing, my first thoughts were that it's definitely a continuation of where Kingdom left off because of the "O" in each word being replaced with "Ø", as well as the production quality and sound of the first single "These Scars Won't Define Us". On top of that, it looks like they've gotten comfortable using words that begin with "Un". I mean, "Unatoned", "Unbound", "Unhallowed", hello?! It makes me wonder if we're going to see "Unbroken", "Unstoppable", "Unbearable", or "Unfinished" next. Okay, I'll shut up now.
Anyway, very much like Kingdom, the production is thick, beefy and monstrous. The differences this time is that the lineup is complete once again. Kingdom was written primarily by Robb Flynn and Jared MacEachern with contributions from Vogg when he was a member, and drums were recorded by Navene Koperweis. Now, with Reece Scruggs, formerly of Havok, firmly in place on lead guitars and Matt Alston finally recording drums for a Machine Head album, it's a complete band again. Unatoned packs the punch and crunch with crushing tracks that ignite the pits like "Atomic Revelations", "Outsider" and "These Scars Won't Define Us", and even dials back the aggression giving way to a more accessible sound with tracks like "Not Long For This World" and the epic closer "Scorn", with the latter also featuring piano.
Robb also spoke about the boundaries and parameters he set around this record, particularly in the running length department, with each song being under 4 minutes, although there are only two songs that exceed that length. Those being "Bleeding Me Dry" at 5.5 mins, and "Scorn" at just over 4 minutes. It's also been well documented that the band's nu metal sound divided the fanbase, but they still found a little space on the album to feature that kind of sound with the track "Addicted To Pain". However, one element that seems present in every song is killer choruses, whether soaring or just downright catchy. The harmonies between Robb and Jared make these choruses destined to be heard in the arenas.
After finding their stride on Of Kingdom & Crown, I think it's safe to say that we can expect that level of quality from Machine Head on each album to come. With all the years of experience and experimentation, Unatoned is possibly the band's most eclectic offering with elements of thrash, groove, hardcore, nu and epic ballads. While Unatoned certainly doesn't top its predeccesor, it can be proudly be referred to as Of Kingdom & Crown's little brother, and both albums can proudly sit alongside the Machine Head classics. Even with the minimal amount of weak points, the album stands boldly and confidently.
FINAL RATING
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