Machine Head – UNATØNED
Release Date: 25th April 2025
Label: Nuclear Blast
Order/Stream
Genre: Groove Metal, Thrash, Alt Metal.
FFO: Lamb of God, Gojira, Sepultura.
Review By: Jeff Finch
I like Catharsis, in case anyone wants to know the mindset behind this review of the newest album from groove metal monsters Machine Head, Unatøned. Arguably the most polarizing album of their thirty-year career, and among their worst in the minds of many, something about that album was, dare I say, cathartic and clearly had strong emotional investment from mastermind Robb Flynn. With their most recent release Øf Kingdøm and Crøwn, the band seemed to shift back to their heavier and less off-putting style of straight-up groove thrash, which brings us to this new one. Even though the years have had an impact on the group, as is to be expected, Robb and crew still maintain their punishing grooves and pace, sprinkled with a bit of introspection and slow-downs, to release another fine installment in the (mostly) excellent Machine Head discography.
What the group has done well for thirty years, and thus what they bring to the table, is aggressive, fast, sometimes quite technical groove metal, the throaty rasps of Robb Flynn punctuating the assault on your speakers. After a brief opening interlude, the band chooses not to come full bore on the first proper track Atømic Revelatiøns, instead opting for a very brief clean piano break precluding an instant switch to thrash, the vocals breaking through with a rush of anger and vitriol, keeping pace with the groove and thus stretching Flynn’s capacity due to the rapid influx of lyrics, the clean chorus, a bit less intense in the mix but no less impactful as a stark contrast to the opening moments. Lead single Unbøund sounds like an all out assault, Robb’s opening shouts followed quickly by blast beats and a riff that would thrill the guys in Gojira, intensely groovy, each instrument popping through the mix, the melodic pre-chorus demonstrating the impeccable and strangely forgotten clean vocals that Flynn has displayed throughout his career. The chorus itself comes in after a brief pausing beat, reintroducing the main groove in a way that makes us feel like we’re in the midst of a breakdown, incapable of keeping our heads from nodding and banging.
Øutsider and Nøt Løng før this Wørld see a bit more introspective melody from the band, the former featuring a sing along anthemic chorus sandwiched between bursts of thrash, while the latter sticks to a melodically composed mid-pace tempo, almost no harsh vocals to be found, ultimately sounding like a cut that sounds written for an Alice In Chains record.
Finale Scørn provides a full Machine Head experience, the vast majority a slow, brooding track rife with atmosphere and Robb’s raspiness completely gone, a crooning, sparkling clean voice one with the music, piano the main instrument pulled out, harmonized vocals inserted for maximum impact. When the band ups the ante a bit, they manage to slow into a breakdown to ease the transitional tension, the drums pounded with such ferocity, so high in the mix, they create an almost tin can reverberation, not entirely unwelcome as it works in tandem with the rest of the group to move beyond the opening sequence of calm. The track finishes with a flourish, the melancholic atmosphere thickening as the music gains pace and heaviness, vocals layered to create a stark contrast between Robb’s cleans and his gravelly rasp.
At the end of the album, we listeners realize something, if we hadn’t already: we know what Machine Head sounds like as a general rule of thumb, and it’s those little key changes they pop into each album that make each album stand apart. On Unatøned, the band plays with transitional pace, anthems, melody, and most importantly, a rhythmic groove that would make all previous iterations of the band proud. With this album, Machine Head continue to prove that 30 years of metal hasn’t slowed them down, it’s just given them more to look back on when they get together to create.
(4.5 / 5)
