The Unbroken – Human Crown
Like the beating of a war drum, “Suffering in Silence” comes barreling out of the speakers at maximum volume in The Unbroken’s new record Human Crown and relentlessly pounds away at us for the duration of the track without hesitation.
There’s a lot of muscle in this prime cut of heavy metal thunder, but don’t think for a minute that it’s the only song of its kind of Human Crown – far from it. In this debut EP from The Unbroken, metal aesthetics are returned to the blue collar mantle that once spawned the genre’s most iconic tunes while also getting a much-needed sonic upgrade from behind the soundboard.
For all of the machismo that Human Crown has to offer, there’s some really strong lyricism in the record’s most stirring songs. The title track and “Nothing Left to Sell” are probably the most engaging of all the songs here from a vocal perspective, and while they’re not lacking in the standard bombast that most of us demand out of a good metal composition, they’re certainly not riddled with unnecessary indulgences best left out of a recording session altogether. The Unbroken don’t appear to have any interest in over the top theatrics, but their progressive bend is something that I would like to hear them experiment more with in an LP.
As previously mentioned, Human Crown boasts a terrifically modern production quality that remains strong from “Stuck in Your Way” all the way through to “Nothing Left to Sell,” and other than a few grainy moments in “I Never Forget” (which actually serve the track quite well), the detailed textures of the instrumentation are never muddied in the mix. It’s probably not as forceful a sound as we would get in a live performance, but in terms of brawniness, The Unbroken’s first extended play is really as tough as they come.
All of the songs on this record have a unique personality, and despite their sharing the same metallic components from a cosmetic point of view, there are a lot of moments where Human Crown feels more like a sampler disc than a proper EP. Their complex material is definitely where they shine the brightest, and there’s enough continuity here for us to believe that The Unbroken have an album in them, but that’s the point – this is a band that has outgrown the developmental rookie stage. Metalheads are ready for an LP full of sophisticated songs like the title track, and this group is more than ready to give us one.
I only just recently heard about The Unbroken, but I’m very eager to blast more of their material as they grow into the sound that they’ve fashioned for themselves in Human Crown. There’s mad potential in all five of the songs that are contained here, and if the band is able to hone their skills in the songwriter’s room moving forward, my gut tells me that we’re soon going to be treated to some really beefy, forward-thinking heavy metal worthy of a generation that demands a lot more out of their artists than any to come before them.
If you enjoyed a preview of Human Crown by The Unbroken, check out their official website by clicking here. Give them a like on Facebook by clicking here & a follow on Twitter by clicking here. Most importantly, pick up your copy of Human Crown on Bandcamp by clicking here.
