It’s been three years since Machine Head dropped Of Kingdom And Crown – a well-received set that saw the band realigning their core sound with more contemporary trappings. Since then, the band have toured heavily in support of that album (including a stand-out set at last year’s Download festival), allowing the new line up to bed in, with UNATØNED marking the recording debut of guitarist Reece Scruggs and drummer Matt Alston. However, with Machine Head leaning even more heavily on elements of nu metal, hip hop, and electronica, the results are patchy to say the least, with too many moments leaving the listener wondering exactly where the band were hoping to go over the course of the album.
UNATØNED opens with eerie Landscape Of Thorns, a short and fairly pointless soundscape that would effectively set the scene for the explosive Atomic Revelations, were it not for the brief snippet of piano that opens that track, killing off any potential impact. Once the track does kick in, however, it’s delivered with typical brio, Robb Flynn spitting out the lyrics like a man possessed as he unleashes the sort of riff that saw The Blackening become everyone’s favourite album. Unfortunately, rather than stay the course, it gives way to a powerfully melodic chorus which, while something of an earworm, lessens the overall power of the track.
If the opening is a little underwhelming, UNBØUND finds the band assaulting the central riff with malicious glee. Fortunately, the clean vocals are kept to a minimum here, allowing just a little light amidst the towering riffs rather than dominating the chorus. In contrast, the richly textured introduction to Outsider finds Machine Head burnishing an industrial-tinged monster prone to schizophrenic shifts in mood as Robb roars, “let the new era begin!” Drawing inspiration from the likes of In This Moment, it finds synths playing a far more prominent role, with the imaginative Not Long For This World doubling down on this approach. A multi-faceted piece of music that finds the band flexing their creative muscles, only a rather weak fade slightly detracts from its overall impact. Rounding out the first half of the album is a slightly rejigged version of These Scars Won’t Define Us, which features vocal contributions from Machine Head’s US touring party – Anders Friden (In Flames), Andrea Ferro and Christina Scabbia (Lacuna Coil), and Trevor Phipps (unearth). An ensemble piece, it recalls Roadrunner’s 20th anniversary album, and it stands out as an album highlight.
Opening the second half, the sinister trip-hop of Dustmaker finds Machine Head indulging their eclectic tastes but this short instrumental is not really given anything to do – serving more as a curtain-raiser for BØNESCRAPER than existing as a standalone piece. Once again, however, little thought seems to have gone into the sequencing of the album and BØNESCRAPER’s melodic opening, while independently effective, creates too much space when taken in conjunction with Dustmaker’s lengthy fade. Otherwise, it’s a strikingly contemporary anthem, likely divisive among fans, that captures the band dabbling in BMTH’s sonic territory and doing a pretty damn good job of it. Catchy and heavy in equal measure, it feels like it could have sat on the unfairly maligned Catharsis, and even its detractors will be hard pressed to avoid singing along when the band play it live.
Machine Head return to more typical fare with Addicted To Pain – all pummelling drums and thrashing, harmonic-washed guitars, harking back to the much maligned The Burning Red in the process. With occasional EDM flourishes seeping into the production, it’s unfortunately undone by a Trivium-light chorus that just can’t quite make the landing. It’s followed by Bleeding Me Dry, the first track to stretch beyond the four-minute mark and one that recalls nothing so much as Korn’s Skrillex collaboration with stabbing riffs and electronica neatly coalescing throughout. With the album nearing its end, the short, sharp Shards Of Shattered Dreams eschews the futuristic trappings that largely dominate the album’s second half, although the decision to once again offset the rage with a soaring, melodic chorus may frustrate some. It leaves Scorn to close out this endlessly changeable album on a sombre slow-burning note, the track largely feeling like it belongs to a different album altogether.
Overall, UNATØNED is a frustrating listen. There are some great moments scattered across the album, but all too often the band seem uncertain of what to do with the freedom of the studio, incorporating electronic moments because they can, rather than because it serves the song. Arguably, it is the more unexpected moments such as Not Long For This World that work best in this context, simply because they feel more suited to the ultra-modern production style the band chose to adopt. Elsewhere, tracks like Dustmaker add little to the album and generally feel out of place. Ultimately, while it’s good to hear a band exploring different influences, UNATØNED just feels a little too scattershot. There are still plenty of moments to enjoy, and the heavier hitters will surely go off when the band hit the stage, but it’s one of Machine Head’s weaker offerings lacking both the cohesion and power of their best efforts. 7/10
