Machine Head – Unatoned

Written by on 25-07-2025 at 22:28.

To prepare for this review, I first listened a few times to the previous album by Machine Head, Of Kingdom and Crown from 2022. Then I grabbed my review of it. In retrospect, I may have been a tad too generous with my 80 points back then: in 2025 it strikes me that singer/guitarist/bandleader Robb Flynn displays his anger a bit too pathetically while spitting all over his microphone. Since the new album follows in the footsteps of the previous one, it could very well be that three years from now I’ll see my writing differently than I do now.

That continued line is already evident in the artwork and the way the songs are written. About the latter: everything in uppercase, with a slash through the o. UNATØNED then. But just like in 2022, we won’t go along with that nonsense. After a little intro, Unatoned opens with the excellent Atomic Revelations (including those filthy, sexy groove parts that only Flynn seems to be able to write) and the wonderful Unbound: a typically grooving Machine Head thrash stomper that’s going to turn pits and venues upside down. ‘You’ll never tear us down/Never you’ll wear the crown’: goddammit, it’s an instant Machine Head classic. Fine guitar work too by Flynn and new force Reece Scruggs who, with a past in Havok and a present in Monolith, can definitely be trusted with the job.

Outsider constantly has hopping me on two legs: during the clean sung and musically accessible parts I keep thinking ‘what a shit song’, but then that typical Machine Head sauce comes over it, the tempo picks up and Flynn throws his throat into the fight and I’m hooked again. That isn’t the case with Not Long for This World. A dreadful song. Tedious, whiny, uninteresting. From the first notes you can already hear this isn’t going to work, and that’s confirmed during the full three minutes and fifty-five seconds. Trash. Exactly the kind of song where you wonder if Flynn hasn’t surrounded himself with too many yes-men who don’t dare to criticize.

Successor These Scars Won’t Define Us is better, mainly because it’s faster. The alternative metal that’s always lurking with Machine Head gains too much power here at the expense of real man-metal. Dustmaker is a floating little instrumental with some sound effects that really won’t make anyone happy, and then the positive balance after the first three songs (besides the intro) is completely back to zero three tracks later and the band has to start over convincing the listener.

That works somewhat with Bonescraper, which is clearly made with a sing-along concert audience in mind. With a song titled Addicted to Pain you basically can’t go wrong, and that doesn’t happen here either: this track is somewhat reminiscent of Now We Die from Bloodstone & Diamonds (secretly still the last truly good Machine Head album). Slipknot could easily have made Bleeding Me Dry and that’s annoying, because if I want to hear Slipknot then I’ll listen to Slipknot and right now I have Machine Head on. Calm verses, a punchy chorus and fine guitar work but nothing particularly great. That’s this song summarized in twelve words.

So, is there still hope for Unatoned? Yes, because Shards of Shattered Dreams is finally Machine Head at full force again. Soon after, with Scorn it becomes clear this is going to be a power ballad in Machine Head style, and that can easily go wrong. Luckily, that’s not the case now. In fact, smiling, I realize that that old madman Flynn (he’ll already be 58 in July) has once again managed to craft a strong closer, allowing this album to end with a passing grade.

Compared to Of Kingdom and Crown, Unatoned has both better and worse songs and that should result in a similar final score. Still, a few points get deducted because this newcomer ultimately doesn’t take Machine Head any further. And oh yes, the previous album already wasn’t very long, but with a runtime of less than 42 minutes this is the shortest Machine Head album ever. That does make me fear once again for the future of this band.

Score:

75/100

Label:

Nuclear Blast Records, 2025

Tracklisting:

  1. Landscape of Thorns
  2. Atomic Revelations
  3. Unbound
  4. Outsider
  5. Not Long for this World
  6. These Scars Won’t Define Us
  7. Dustmaker
  8. Bonescraper
  9. Addicted to Pain
  10. Bleeding Me Dry
  11. Shards of Shattered Dreams
  12. Scorn

Line-up:

  • Robb Flynn – Vocals, guitars
  • Reece Scruggs – Guitars
  • Jared MacEachern – Bass
  • Matt Alston – Drums

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