Machine Head was, has been, and always be a musical chameleon. That’s not even a sign ‘o the times kind of adapting (Save for the more Nu-Metal tendencies of 1999’s The Burning Red) but more a need to constantly evolve and enhance the Bay Area Thrash and Metal new school hybrid sound the band has always had at its’ core. There will never be another Burn My Eyes sans the live in-studio redux a few years back. There will never be another The More Things Change or The Blackening and most definitely, not another Catharsis. And that’s okay! Because no one (we think) really wants that anyway. So it should come as no surprise that with their 11th LP, UNATØNED, MH look to flip the script on their ever changing story once again.
“LANDSCAPE ØF THØRNS” is more a mood setting than a proper intro with barely 30 seconds of vibes before the beastly “ATØMIC REVELATIØNS” opens up the floodgates for some classic Machine Head Shreddy Metal as Robb Flynn alternates between his signature melodic croon and that uncanny gruff bark. Honestly, “UNBØUND” is a pretty standard Machine Head “single” as far as those things go in this day and age and that works just fine here with a flurry of noise from drummer Matt Alston and bassist Jared MacEachern with Flynn’s and Reece Scruggs’ riffs letting loose in a way that only fits the MH sound while “ØUTSIDER” is the first to really highlight the evolution of what UNATØNED is all about featuring a start/stop ferocity, Flynn’s vocal gallop, and choral-style chorus.
“NØT LØNG FØR THIS WØRLD” hearkens back to the sprawling Machine Head epics of old but condensed with Flynn’s broad vocal passages alongside his and Scruggs’ guitar runs making this one unforgettable modern MH masterpiece. Another previously released one is the guest-filled gargantuan called “THESE SCARS WØN’T DEFINE US” featuring all the vocalists from Machine Head’s now in-progress headlining run (Unearth’s Trevor Phipps, In Flames’ Anders Fridén, and Lacuna Coil’s Andrea Ferro and Cristina Scabbia) that’s a bonafide anthem and one that’s sure to be a hit for fans when played during the tour.
“DUSTMAKER” is a moody instrumental interlude while “BØNESCRAPER” keeps the anthem action happening and the closest thing that Machine Fucking Head has had to a bonafide catchy ass single with a little bit of that NOTHING MORE-style Hard Rawkedness yet put through the MH blender. Oh, you ‘Head cases want your favorite Bay Area ragers to straight up shred some more? Well, “ADDICTED TØ PAIN” is for you with a blistering behemoth of riffage and pummeling rhythm section precision as Flynn roars through the verses and choruses spewing some soon-to-be crowd favorite sing-a-long moments.
“BLEEDING ME DRY” is a moody epic with guitars going off like sirens while “SHARDS ØF SHATTERED DREAMS” begins with a bombastic spurt of Flynn’s signature guitar wails as Alston slams those sticks in a way that brings to mind some of Chris Kontos’ finest moments. “SCØRN” has the monumental task of closing Machine Head’s monumental 11th full-length and it does so effortlessly in a flurry of haunting guitar lines and piano-driven melodies.
UNATØNED arrives on April 25th through Nuclear Blast Records with pre-orders available in a variety of options when you head here. For more from Machine Head, including when they come to your town with Lacuna Coil, In Flames, and (Our) hometown heavies Unearth in tow (That package hits Boston’s House Of Blues right after release date on April 26th), hit the interwebs by clicking here, here or here.