Machine Head – UnatØNed Review

By Dr. A.N. Grier

If you take a step back—maybe a big one—Machine Head’s career is a rollercoaster ride through hell. And not always in a good way. After getting off to a good start and dropping two of their best records, dark clouds began to gather. The Burning Red rain came down on our heads, and the floods of the Supercharger drove torrents of radio-friendly, rap-metal destruction through the streets. Yet, they overcame and rebuilt, marching Through the Ashes of Empires and, “Clenching the Fists of Dissent,” putting The Blackening on “From This Day” forever. Or so we thought. After riding Unto the Locust, they arrived at a village where they purchased Bloodstone & Diamonds. But they were fake bullshit and the band got pissed. So they decided to unleash a Catharsis on diamond sellers everywhere. But they became “Volatile,” “Psychotic” “Bastards.” Plus, their Goodwill “Triple Beam” broke. So, two of their members left to look for wenches and beer while the others pushed on. ØF KingdØM and CrØWn, these two would not give up—even when all hoped they would. They pushed on, feeling their sins should remain UnatØNed, regardless of what anyone thinks. Someone find me a fucking priest!

While this year’s UnatØNed continues the stupid trend set by ØF KingdØM and CrØWn, using o’s with a stroke in their song titles, that previous album was a step up (though not by much) from Catharsis. While Catharsis was a vicious attack on the band’s fanbase, ØF KingdØM and CrØWn proved the band still had new ideas to put on tape. They also somehow convinced the mighty Vogg to contribute to the album’s guitar harmonies and dueling solos. They probably promised him wenches and beer. While the boat has not been set right since The Blackening, there was at least some positivity in the outcome. Without a concept or direction to drive UnatØNed, we are subject to twelve tracks and an hour of music written for Spotify playlists. Outside of the useless opener, the sad boi closer, and the stupid, mid-album instrumental, you can expect the verse-chorus-verse-chorus-dosomethingboring-chorus approach this time around. So, let’s get this over with.

After thirty seconds of pure boredom, “AtØMic RevelatiØNs” finally charges out of the gates in a surprising way. Not only is it one of the heaviest songs the band has penned in the last decade, but it actually got my air guitar going. It also uses a low, clean vocal approach with backing support to build this melodic beauty. Another bruiser that surfaces above the rest is “BØNescraper.” Though it uses those odd oooo’s from ØF KingdØM and CrØWn’s “My Hands Are Empty,” it has a crushing charge that builds up to the chorus nicely—even if said chorus sounds like Fozzy. You’ll also get a chuckle from the classic “Let freedom ring with a shotgun” vocal approach, but this time it’s, “Love is a loaded gun.” The award for most radio-friendly goes to “ØUtsider.” This annoying track is so undeniably catchy that it makes me both loathe and vehemently hate myself for liking it.

Now, let’s get to the part we all knew was coming. “Addicted tØ Pain” has to be one of the most boring tracks the band has released in a long time. It goes absolutely nowhere during its three-minute runtime and uses half-assed Trivium riffs for inspiration. It also contains some of the most cringeworthy lyrics on the album.1 The follow-up track, “Bleeding Me Dry,” is another that lacks any real soul. While the clean vocals swim sweetly through the effects-infused atmosphere, the rest of the song pounds away with outdated, early-2000s chuggery. This song also includes those death growls they’ve been experimenting with that, to this day, still don’t work. Lastly, I don’t even know what the fuck “Shards ØF Shattered Dreams” is trying to do. The chorus is a melodic delight that would shine higher if it wasn’t contemplating suicide as the out-of-place “speed” licks surround it. The worst part is that all these songs exist on the album’s backside, completely draining it of life.

With solid cuts in the front and lazy ones in the back, UnatØNed is an unbalanced mish-mash of singles and filler pieces. I hate to say it, and no one wants to hear it, but UnatØNed would have been a decent EP. Thankfully, this new record is better than Catharsis. I’m not sure I can survive another review like that again. For those who like the newer sound of Machine Head and stand confused as shows when they play “Davidian,” UnatØNed is probably for you. For those of us who walk out thirty seconds into “Crashing Around You,” it’s best to stay clear.

Rating: 2.0/5.0
DR: 5 | Format Reviewed: 256 kb/s mp3
Label: Nuclear Blast Records
Websites: machinehead1.com | facebook.com/machinehead
Releases Worldwide: April 25th, 2025

#20 #2025 #AmericanMetal #Apr25 #Fozzy #GrooveMetal #MachineHead #NuclearBlast #Review #Reviews #Trivium #UnatØNed

Epica – Aspiral Review

By Kenstrosity

Since their founding in 2002, Epica garnered my everlasting adoration as my absolute favorite symphonic metal band, followed by other household names like Nightwish and After Forever. However, unlike the overwhelming majority of their ilk, Epica’s music bares sharper teeth, maintains a stronger connection to the greater pantheon of metal and its more extreme fringes, and remains to this day the most consistent in quality album to album. Few symphonic bands celebrating over 20 years of uninterrupted activity exhibit these characteristics. Consequently, my anticipation for Aspiral soars in my trust that Epica could never let me down, grounded by a great anxiety that one day, they just might.

The sigh of relief I let out after my first spin of Aspiral could be heard around the world. Brimming with drama, loaded with hooks, and laser-focused on delivering passionate, energetic songs, Epica’s ninth opus sees every member of this remarkably stable1 Dutch sextet operating in rare form. Running for bang-on one hour, Aspiral follows the classic Epica blueprint: epic, opulent symphonic metal informed by prog and power, and grazed across the cheek by death’s bony phalanges. However, new accoutrements and novel structures showcase a group exploring the boundaries of their sound with a gentle growth indicative of a collective eager to play and learn. While this never leaves any of these 11 songs unrecognizable as an Epica piece by any means, these admittedly light risks allow Aspiral to shine as a late career highlight.

Aspiral, first and foremost, is a triumph of performance in music. As the world already knows, lead siren Simone Simons is a powerhouse, her voice only getting better with time (“Obsidian Heart,” “Apparition,” “The Grand Saga of Existence—A New Age Dawns Part IX”). However, a delightful surprise, Mark Jansen’s immediately recognizable growl and scream rips across the record with a palpable presence and rabid tone (“Metanoia—A New Age Dawns Part XIII,” “Eye of the Storm,” “The Grand Saga of Existence”). Ariën van Weesenbeek’s incredible drumming steals the show all over the place, too, whether in the service of creating additional interest inside breakdowns and riffs (“Arcana”); by driving transitions smoothly between faster freakouts and slower spells (“T.I.M.E.,” “Apparition”); or when manifesting a groovy beat that all but guarantees remembrance (“Obsidian Heart,” “Fight to Survive—The Overview Effect,” “Apparition”). Thankfully, Mark Jansen’s and Isaac Delahaye’s axework keeps up, injecting oodles of fun leads and riffs (“Cross the Divide,” “Darkness Dies in Light—A New Age Dawns Part VII”) and quite a number of killer solos (“Apparition,” “Eye of the Storm”). Even Rob van der Loo’s bass guitar gets to shine a bit more, too, though he’s still a bit difficult to spot sometimes—a clear point of improvement for future records. And of course, Coen Janssen’s orchestrations need no introduction, but his gorgeous choirs in particular make a huge impression this time around (“T.I.M.E.”).

Of course, all of those performances would mean nothing without great songs in which to showcase them. Thankfully, Aspiral is loaded with pieces that live rent-free in my head. Hits like “Cross the Divide,” “Arcana,” the VOLA-esque “Obsidian Heart,” “Apparition,” the energetic “Eye of the Storm,” and beautiful penultimate epic “The Grand Saga of Existence” compete viciously for top spot as the album progresses—to the point that I always feel I’m giving the wrong answer when I call any one of them my favorite. Moreover, despite Aspiral’s adventurous and exuberant spirit, the whole feels cohesive, well-conceived, and smartly arranged. Even instrumental moments that threaten to derail my attention, like the initially questionable breakdowns in “Arcana” and “Fight to Survive,” get scooped right up by Mark’s and Isaac’s clever leads, Ariën’s kit wizardry, and Coen’s uplifting orchestrations. This, in turn, creates a dynamic experience that evokes a range of actions and reactions, logical progressions of story, and thoughtful decorations which make repeat spins valuable to invested listeners.

There’s so much more I can say about Aspiral, but as I continue to overwrite, I want to leave with a couple of notes. Firstly, while it occupies an ideal placement in the tracklist, delicate closer “Aspiral” might be the one song that meanders too long, creating a spot of bloat at the tail end. Secondly, I was hoping to hear more of the extremity that Epica unexpectedly unleashed on “Human Devastation” from their The Alchemy Project EP. I recognize that it was a one-off collaboration, but I do hear little hints of its beastly spirit in places here, and I crave more of it now that I know that Epica are willing to engage with it. Finally, Aspiral, flaws and all, made it impossible for me to go back to previous records as a point of comparison, because its pull is just too strong. Every impulse to pick up something else instead resulted in withdrawals, followed by yet another ravenous draught of Aspiral.2 If that’s not the making of a Great record, I don’t know what is.

Rating: Great!
DR: N/A | Format Reviewed: Stream [Stop This!]
Label: Nuclear Blast
Websites: epica.nl | facebook.com/epica
Releases Worldwide: April 11th, 2025

#2025 #40 #AfterForever #Apr25 #Aspiral #DutchMetal #Epica #Nightwish #NuclearBlast #PowerMetal #ProgressiveDeathMetal #ProgressiveMetal #Review #Reviews #SymphonicMetal #VOLA

Record(s) o’ the Month – August 2024

By Angry Metal Guy

August of 2024 was a pretty good month. First, it marked my return from the Injured Reserve, where I’d been nursing a high ego sprain and nagging executive dysfunction issues. These aren’t perfectly fixed, but being back on the field has shown beyond a doubt that I’m still a force to be reckoned with. Second, August of 2024 was a particularly fecund month for potential Records o’ the Month. This surprised me.

I couldn’t remember August being a particularly productive month historically and as I went back through the archive, that seems sort of true. Between 2012—when the RotM was started—and 2023, the hit rate for August Record(s) o’ the Month landing on my Top 10(ish) list for the year is 73%. Only once has an August record reached the top spot—that would be Pale Communion—with Sophicide hitting #2 in 2012 and Lör’s In Forgotten Sleep getting a #3 spot in 2017. Turisas’ controversial Turisas2013 was a runner-up in August of 2013 and ended up at #5, while the actual winner—Witherscape’s excellent The Inheritance—took the #10 spot on that list. 2020 saw Havukruunu ending up at #7, and Crypta’s Shades of Sorrow took #9 last year. The rest is a sea of -ishes and honorable mentions: Cattle Decapitation (2015), Dialith and Eternal Storm (2019), and Pain of Salvation in 2020.

And in 2024? How many of these babies will follow me to the end of the year? I’ve got an inkling, but I’m curious to see what you think.1

Dawn Treader’s Bloom & Decay—out August 24th from Liminal Dread Productions [Bandcamp]—is one of the biggest surprises of 2024 so far. The ‘one-man black metal project’ is a minefield of absolutely terrible music that I tend to avoid at all costs. Yet the sophomore record from London’s Ross Connell is an album notable for its pathos, rich composition, and artistry. What makes Blood & Decay remarkable is how it draws inspiration from—and comparisons to—revered bands like Agalloch, Alcest, and Panopticon without falling into the common pitfalls. Typically, such comparisons raise concerns about excessive reverb, overly long songs, and toothless riffs. Yet Connell subverts these expectations by creating a dynamic, storytelling experience filled with emotional peaks and valleys, masterfully blending black metal’s rawness with atmospheric beauty. Connell’s addition of his own vocals for the first time elevates the project. His powerful delivery—and powerful use of samples—transforms each song into a vivid emotional journey. As Itchymenace gushed in his review: “Dawn Treader’s Bloom & Decay not only contains amazing songs that celebrate the highs and lows of the human experience, it also sounds great.” A surprisingly easy choice for Record o’ the Month.

Fleshgod Apocalypse // Opera [August 23rd, 2024 | Nuclear Blast Records | Bandcamp] — Fleshgod Apocalypse’s Opera, their first album since 2019’s Veleno, has marked a significant evolution for the band. Drawing from the Opéra Lyrique style, the album features soprano Veronica Bordacchini voicing characters like life, death, and hope, while her vocals have brought fresh dynamics to the band’s symphonic death metal sound. With a more streamlined, melodic approach, Opera leans into catchier, poppier elements without losing its technical edge. Songs like “I Can Never Die” and “Matricide 8.21” highlight this shift, adding emotional depth through Bordacchini’s diverse performances. Though some longtime fans may miss the more grand operatic and technical side—Opera is not King—the album is still a genuine triumph. Opera blends new ideas with the band’s established identity, creating a fresh, cohesive record that accomplishes both a stylistic shift and adds another great record to Fleshgod’s already well-respected oeuvre. As I vigorously exclaimed and defended in the comments, “Opera is simultaneously and undeniably fun, heady, and technically impressive.”

Amiensus // Reclamation Pt. II [August 30th, 2024 | M-Theory Audio | Bandcamp] — Amiensus’s Reclamation Pt. II, the companion to Pt. I released earlier this year, has marked a standout achievement in progressive melodic black metal. The album blends melancholic melodicism, blackened fury, and progressive elements to create a dynamic and cathartic experience. With tracks like “Sólfarið” and “Acquiescence,” Pt. II offers invigorating and emotionally charged compositions, Amiensus skillfully balances moments of atmospheric beauty with powerful black metal. While initially, Reclamation seemed disjointed in places, the album’s intricate songs and layered instrumentation grow with each listen, presenting some of the band’s most versatile material to date. Despite some production issues, the album features elite composition and great songs like “Orb of Vanishing Light.” Reclamation Pt. II stands as Amiensus’s current “magnum opus”—in tandem with its predecessor—and a highlight of the year’s metal releases. As Kenstrosity opined, “Reclamation Pt. II is a more energetic, smartly edited, and exquisitely arranged work that blooms brighter the longer I live with it.” That’s a fancy way of saying that it’s a grower.

#2024 #Amiensus #Aug24 #BlackMetal #Blog #BloomDecay #DawnTreader #DeathMetal #FleshgodApocalypse #LiminalDreadProductions #MTheoryAudio #NuclearBlast #Opera #ReclamationPtII #RecordOfTheMonth #RecordSOTheMonth #RotM #Veleno