As always, Flynn leads the way here from a songwriting perspective, but both Scruggs and MacEachern also made significant contributions on that front - and the concise nature of the songs, alongside the duelling guitar leads of Flynn and Scruggs, make Unatoned feel like a real band effort. The opening instrumental piece Landscape of Thorns is so brief that it really lacks any character. It essentially just sets a cold tone with some synth work and effects - before the first big riff of Atomic Revelations kicks in and the album gets underway. Despite a slightly percussive opening following the first big guitar chord, Atomic Revelations is a fast-paced, thrashy track - very reminiscent of Machine Head's classic sound. There is a lot of that throughout this album, but there are also mid-paced, groovier moments - as well as the odd slow-burner. Atomic Revelations generally goes for the throat, though, with Flynn's gruff vocals driving the fast-paced verses - whilst the punchy drumming of Alston cuts through the mix. The drum production here is very typical of that groove metal sound of the 1990s, but it works well here - and Alston shines on his first album with the band. The song does vary the pace as it moves along, though, with a chorus that feels a lot more mid-paced and atmospheric, breaking up the heaviness of the verses - with Flynn adopting a cleaner vocal style as subtle synths fill in the gaps between the less intense riffing. A blistering solo section follows later, too, which is kicked off by Flynn and finished by Scruggs - the latter showcasing his talents early on. It is a powerful opening statement despite the strange little intro which preceded it - and Machine Head feel as venomous as ever. Those preferring something a bit groovier will find a lot to like in Unbound, though, a song which straddles the thrash and groove line a bit more closely. The opening guitar riffing is intense and fast-paced, but there are more mid-paced moments here - particularly during large chunks of the verses which are built around southern-friend guitar slides and monolithic power chords. The verses are multi-part, though, and do speed up as the chorus is approached - moving to a thrashier sound with a more pronounced chug. The chorus, again, is cleaner, though, with Flynn actually soaring vocally - which is a contrast to the harsh vocal-adjacent sound he uses during the song's groovier moments. In fact, there is a lot of vocal variety from Flynn throughout the whole song - with a death metal-adjacent style, a thrashier approach, and his chorus cleans, nicely backed by MacEachern, all adding character. Outsider opens with a simplified rendition of its chorus, which Flynn singing clean against a cold and synthy backing - before the song launches proper, where it takes on a somewhat groovy, mid-paced approach with a slight industrial edge. Machine Head have often thrown in synths and more modern effects to give their songs an edge, but that side of their sound is more prominent here - particularly during the verses which have occasional techy additions, whilst Flynn's vocal patterns and delivery feels very early 2000s. The chorus is much smoother, though, although later renditions are fuller than how the song opened. Flynn and MacEachern's vocals swirl around to add a cleaner side to the song - and the poppier melodies are very memorable, contrasting to the barked approach of the rest of the song.
Not Long for This World is the first song here to slow things down quite significantly - and it feels like something of a ballad compared to what has been heard so far on the album. Machine Head have often included downbeat, grungy songs on their albums - but I feel that this side of their songwriting has improved a lot in recent years, with the last album really benefitting from this approach. I was initially a bit sceptical of this song, though, but over repeated listens I have felt that the melodies have shone through the murk - with Flynn delivering an emotional vocal throughout, whilst synths and guitar leads help to elevate the song further. There are still riffs here, and moments of the track do feel heavier - but even these parts still feel restrained compared to much of the rest of the album. They help to give the song a dynamic feel, and the chorus sees backing harsh vocals adding character behind the soaring clean hook, but generally this is a song which revels in its murk - with synth melodies adding to the colder guitars and a lengthy instrumental section sees interweaving guitar leads from Flynn and Scruggs replacing a traditional guitar solo. The band ups the pace significantly again on the thrashy These Scars Won't Define Us - a song which feels like a true anthem. It is likely to become a live favourite going forward thanks to its pit-ready riffs, strident, hooky verses, and a chorus which will see fists in the air and crowds shouting along. A version of this song was released in advance of the album with guests vocals from members of Lacuna Coil, In Flames, and Unearth, who Machine Head were touring with at the time, but this version features Flynn singing alone - and that is probably fitting given the overall sound of the album. It perhaps also features Scruggs' best guitar solo on the album. It is a really explosive and fast-paced lead guitar moment which remains hooky despite the speed at which he plays - and it adds to the song's overall melodic approach despite the intensity of the riffing throughout. The instrumental Dustmaker follows, and it provides a bit of a mid-album break thanks to some programmed drum beats, distant guitar drones, and cold synths creating something of an atmospheric feel. Spoken word lines later weave in and out of these synth pulses - and the song acts as a nice bridge between the anthemic These Scars Won't Define Us and the similarly memorable Bonescraper. There are a number of songs here which seem to have been written purely to be hooky and memorable - and this mid-paced anthem really feels like one example of such. It taps into the groovier side of the band's writing - with mid-paced and angular riffing dominating. There is little of the band's thrash side here, with chugging riffing setting a nice headbanging pace - whilst slight industrial additions help to flesh things out. It feels like the song was written around its chorus, though, which is a very hooky one with wordless vocal melodies, and anthemic feel thanks to Flynn's vocal performance, and a bigger synth presence despite plenty of guitar crunch.
Addicted to Pain then returns to a much more intense sound, and it is another song which treads the line between thrash and groove nicely. There are some really fast moments here, particularly during the song's opening and the instrumental hooks which resurface throughout - but the verses feel a bit groovier, with some more percussive drumming from Alston which speeds up as the chorus is approached. As is typical here, though, the chorus is pretty hooky. It is another with big clean vocals from Flynn and supporting harmonies from MacEachern - with the pair singing in a smoother manner against some guitars and synths to contrast with the intense riffing of the rest of the song. It is a song which is very typical of the album's core sound, then. Bleeding Me Dry opens slowly, with programmed drums and cold synths, but the song is not another ballad - and it soon kicks off proper with a really mechanical riff that has a Fear Factory-esque vibe. This is probably the song where the band's industrial side shines through the most, then, and it mixes heavier and quieter moments together to create a varied sound. Despite some slower moments, where Flynn sings clean against a sparse backing, the song as a whole never really feels like a ballad - as so much of it remains heavy. The verses are slow-burning, then, but the chorus is packed full of tougher grooves and a gruffer vocal performance - and there are some instrumental sections which are packed full of heavy riffs, alongside another dual-guitar moment which adds a lot of melody. Shards of Shattered Dreams returns to a thrashier sound overall, and it is the album's last heavy moment. Despite the thrash pace throughout much of the song, it does feel somewhat groovy and industrial, though, so it is a song which includes all of Machine Head's sides in one track - whilst holding together well. Flynn's barked vocals hark back to the early 2000s, with those rapped rhythms which Machine Head have often made use of returning - whilst bleeping guitar noises and Flynn's own chaotic guitar solo adding to the song's overall pace and heaviness. The chorus is a bit cleaner, then, but it still retains a fair amount of heaviness - meaning that the song is less overtly hooky than some of the other efforts here. The album then comes to a close with Scorn, the album's second and final ballad. There is little metal at all here, until the later moments, with Flynn's emotional vocals sitting against a background of synths, chiming guitar melodies, and genuine strings. He might not have the biggest range as a clean singer, but he can deliver an emotional performance when he needs to - and the chorus here does soar surprisingly well, with MacEachern adding some subtle harmonies to fill out the sound. Guitar leads add to the song as it moves along, and there are a few heavier riffs thrown in towards the end - with the final verse and chorus feeling tougher despite the overall tone being retained. It ends the album on a downbeat, but worthy, note and, overall, I have found a lot to like on this album despite being initially disappointed. It is not as epic and inventive as the last album, but as an exercise in concise and anthemic songwriting Flynn and the rest of the band have largely succeeded. There are some future live favourites here for sure - and the riffing, production, and hooks are as vital as ever.
The album was released on 25th April 2025 via Nuclear Blast Records. Below is the band's promotional video for Unbound.
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