Back catalogue: Metal

Review: Unatoned (stylized as UNATONED) serves as the 11th full-length from Oakland, California groove metal titans Machine Head and marks their first effort to feature drummer Matt Alston and lead guitarist Reece Scruggs (with the latter replacing Decapitated axeman Wac?aw Kie?tyka aka Vogg who worked with the band on 2022's Of Kingdom & Crown). First announced through lead single 'These Scars Won't Define Us'; a self-described "Wu Tang Clan-level thrash collaboration" featuring guest vocals from members of In Flames, Lacuna Coil and Unearth, who will all support the band across their 2025 North American tour in support of the project, the addition of secondary single 'Unbound' showcases mastermind Rob Flynn's knack for marrying venomous heft to anthemic structures, whilst the air of brevity compared to some of their previously far lengthier compositions is indicative of a much more instantaneous sonic delivery (or gut-punch) this time around.

Review: Perth based Aussie progressive metalcore outfit Make Them Suffer return with their follow up to 2020's venomous yet audacious How To Survive A Funeral. Their fifth full-length and first to feature newly enlisted keyboardist Alex Reade, who stepped in to replace Booka Nile following his departure in 2022, serves as a self-titled declaration of intent, fusing almost every sonic maelstrom the band have weathered to this point. Elements of blackened death metal from their earliest formation clash with the djent-inflected prog deathcore grooves that have now become their sonic staple, while swathes of symphonic death metal motifs underpin the frenetic breakdowns with ethereal keys. Having left Rise to sign with SharpTone Records to deliver their most cohesive and definitive statement yet, it appears the suffering may have only just begun.

Review: The somewhat surprising return and attempt at redemption from the industrial metal shock-rocker Marilyn Manson has been a bold pill to swallow, with the once iconic provocateur seeking to avoid the many allegations and numerous controversies he has garnered over the last decade. Attending rehab and becoming fully sober over the past few years has seen dramatic weight loss, a notably more lowkey public demeanour and a newly signed record deal with Nuclear Blast (having been dropped by Loma Vista not long after 2020's We Are Chaos) turn a few heads, simultaneously cautious and curious as to the authenticity of this humble arc. With lawsuits recently thrown out, the court of public opinion appears to be the only form of due process that shall occur, leaving it to individual listeners to make up their mind as to the merit of the artist as a person. As to the art itself, One Assassination Under God: Chapter 1 is the 12th album to adorn the name Marilyn Manson, and it's his best since 2000's Holy Wood. Tapping Chelsea Wolfe collaborator/producer Tyler Bates to oversee the entire project has helped to create a generational bridge between how out of sync Manson himself had become with his own artistic strengths and audience desire, and Bates' insider knowledge as a younger fan first, collaborator second. Together they rediscover the core industrialist menace, gothic romanticism and hedonistic nihilism that kept listeners hooked after the initial shock of aesthetic would cease, but for the first time in decades, it feels earnest and earned rather than forced. Boasting Antichrist Superstar style buzzsaw synths and chug-heavy breakdowns on cuts such as 'Nod If You Understand', while the self-deprecating admission of using drugs to hide behind monstrous flaws on the gloomy balladry of 'As Sick As The Secrets Within' harks back to the most fragile moments of Mechanical Albums. Be it a cynical cashgrab or attempt to regain fan adoration, or the genuine musings of a tortured artist finally learning to face his own demons head on, there's simply no denying that this is Manson at his most potent, intimate and focused, begging the question of how different of a career trajectory and latter day output might we have had if the man had learned to look inward long before hitting the bottom.

Review: Argentinian crowds are probably the most exciting to play to in the world. And Marilyn Manson at this time had just released his Trent Reznor-produced masterpiece LP Antichrist Superstar and was at the peak of his game, so to say a ticket to this show at the Velez Sarsfield stadium in Buenos Aires was hot property is an understatement. This is about as good as heavy metal rock n' roll gets and not many will come close to the thrills that a 90s Marilyn Manson show brought. The setlist is monumental, with singles from Antichrist Superstar such as industrial metal banger 'The Beautiful People' and 'Tourniquet', which sounds like the blueprint to the nu-metal boom that was to come, among the highlights. Unusually for a live album, it's taut, with the track list limited to 11 songs, but this is for good reason. In a moment of Spinal Tap-esque horror, shortly after the final track you hear on the album, the band's drummer Ginger Fish received an electric shock whilst playing and the show ended abruptly. Putting his body on the line like that to deliver this blistering set is an heroic deed and it's a fantastic consolation to have this show fossilised onto vinyl.