Machine Head's Unatoned: A Journey of Evolution and Experimentation
Teenager, heavily reliant on meth and daily alcohol consumption, found solace in songs by Slayer and Exodus; Robb Flynn aims to produce Machine Head's shortest album yet, hoping the quick four-minute tracks will leave a lasting impression.
Machine Head, the band fronted by the only original member, Robb Flynn, has released their latest album, Unatoned. This release, a testament to the band's 30-plus years of recording and touring, showcases a blend of the band's trademark sounds and new experimental approaches.
The writing process for Unatoned was a mix of long and short development periods. Some songs took up to four months to perfect, while others came together quickly. Flynn, known for his belief in first-take magic, wrote parts for the album during the tour cycle for Of Kingdom and Crown in various hotels, including small towns.
Flynn defied convention on Unatoned by applying time-tested elements in new ways, retaining the band's core sound while experimenting with a range of musical and vocal approaches. He followed three strict rules: every track had to be under four minutes long, they all required at least one key change, and the final chorus in every song had to be different than the ones before it.
The guitar parts for the last two Machine Head albums, including Unatoned, were primarily recorded in Flynn's current home studio. Reece Scruggs, the new guitarist for Machine Head, recorded his leads towards the end of the writing session for Unatoned. Scruggs' solos are flashier and more complex than Flynn's, providing a striking contrast.
Unatoned is a lean, mean killing machine, being the band's shortest record. It includes heavier songs like Atomic Revelations, Outsider, These Scars Won't Define Us, and Unbound, as well as less metallic tracks such as Not Long For This World, Dustmaker, and Bleeding Me Dry. The most unconventional song on the album, Scorn, is a gloomy, keyboard-driven elegy that downplays guitar fury in favor of atmospherics and soaring vocals.
For Scorn, Flynn collaborated with record producer Joel Wanasek to create a song that attempts to combine Machine Head's heaviness with the style of Coldplay or Elton John. The producer who worked together with Flynn on the album "Unto the Locust" by Machine Head is not explicitly mentioned in the available search results.
Flynn records as he writes and then hands the tracks to Colin Richardson to be mixed. His intention when writing songs is to provide a therapeutic release for those who need it. Machine Head's dedication to constantly evolving has kept them at the top of their game musically and commercially.
Unatoned is out now via Nuclear Blast. With its unique blend of familiar sounds and fresh experimentation, it promises to be a significant addition to Machine Head's discography.
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