UNATØNED
Artist: Machine Head
Genre: Thrash Metal
Record Label: Nuclear Blast Records
Release Date: 25 April 2025
With one of the biggest years in the band’s career about to unfold, Machine Head have unveiled their new studio album, UNATØNED. With the band set to headline Bloodstock Festival this summer, they’ll be hoping to build momentum with an album that resonates strongly with their diehard fanbase.
The album opens with the atmospheric instrumental LANDSCAPE ØF THØRNS, which quickly transitions into ATØMIC REVELATIØNS—an unrelenting thrash assault on the senses! Showcasing the band’s ability to mix hard-hitting verses with softer, cleaner choruses, the song instantly brings a sense of familiarity to their previous work. UNBØUND has already had time to breathe as one of the album’s singles, and fans seem to love its heavy, unrelenting energy. With Matt Alston laying down a commanding beat on drums, the track almost forces your brain to headbang along.
ØUTSIDER opens with Robb Flynn’s clean, harmonised vocals before launching into a full-throttle metal attack. It’s a commanding entry that highlights the band’s versatility, just before NØT LØNG FØR THIS WØRLD arrives as a more measured and calculated piece. It feels like every Machine Head album nowadays includes that one track designed for crowd sing-alongs, and this is clearly that moment on UNATØNED.
Picking the pace back up, THESE SCARS WØN’T DEFINE US is a mosh pit anthem. Dominant riffs from Robb and Reece Scruggs make it feel emphatic and wild. Then comes the eerie, transitional track DUSTMAKER, providing a brief but eerie interlude. The pause is swiftly shattered by the headbanger’s anthem BØNESCRAPER. Jared MacEachern’s beefy bassline combined with Matt’s marching-like drumming leaves listeners with no choice but to move along to the beat. Refusing to let up, ADDICTED TØ PAIN keeps the tempo high and the aggression in Robb’s vocals alive and well.
Starting off surprisingly light, BLEEDING ME DRY might have fans expecting a more sombre experience. However, the track quickly erupts with distorted guitars and harmonics. As a whole, it’s a more effects-driven piece from Machine Head, and it wouldn’t be surprising if this one divides opinion among fans.
The penultimate track, SHARDS ØF SHATTERED DREAMS, returns to a more familiar sound and boasts one of the album’s most memorable choruses. There’s something special about this song—it’s almost surprising it wasn’t released as a single.
Closing the album is SCØRN, revealing a more vulnerable side of the band and sending the listener off in deep reflection. This clean, emotionally charged track offers a final moment of introspection in an album packed with powerful messaging.Overall, UNATØNED is yet another stellar release from Machine Head. The band continues to grow stronger with each passing year, and this album will no doubt rank high among fan favorites. Now, it’s just a matter of time to see how these songs translate to the band’s explosive live performances.