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ELLEFSON-SOTO
Unbreakable

Rat Pak (2025)
Rating: 5.5/10

Like a lot of hard rock / heavy metal album covers over the last few decades, Unbreakable is very generic and would probably get overlooked if it wasn’t for the team behind it. Featuring the talents of former Megadeth bassist David Ellefson and Jeff Scott Soto, the voice on Yngwie J. Malmsteen’s first two albums as well as featuring for several other bands, including Journey, Talisman, Axel Rudi Pell, Soto, W.E.T. and Steel Dragon, Unbreakable is the second opus from the duo.

Ellefson and Soto are joined by sticksman Paolo Caridi and axe-wielder Andy Martongelli for what is a solid if somewhat patchy outing. I say this simply because, and you may disagree, some tracks just grate on the nerves due to the overcooked modern production.

The title track is a prime example of how contemporary gloss can negatively affect songs, transforming them into soulless constructions. Soto remains a potent force at the helm. In fact, in spite of his power and presence, he remains one of the most underrated vocalists in the genre. Ellefson’s bass provides a hard spine throughout, but when the chorus hits I’m left as cold as the grave. That’s not to say the song isn’t catchy and heavy, it’s both, but maybe as I get older I’m less appreciative of such modern dynamics.

‘Shout’, for all of its brooding riffage, heads in the same direction of too much gloss. While I understand that band’s seek a solid production and a mix that highlights each individual instrument, there’s just too much ice here which subdues the fire within. But anyway, there are still some very good songs on this platter. ‘Poison Tears’ features some gnarly bass from Ellefson and there’s a genuine grit in the riffs as Laura Guldemond (Burning Witches) lends her pipes as guest vocalist.

‘Ghosts’ begins in majestic fashion; the guitar sounds expansive, building slowly in tandem with the timely threads of the drums. It’s a fantastic instrumental with shred heavy segments and shades of darkness. In contrast, ‘Vengeance’ (featuring guest vocals from former Judas Priest singer Tim “Ripper” Owens) rumbles from its gut, steadily thunderous as it unravels. ‘Snakes And Bastards’ does inject some vim, albeit in an Americanised punk style which I find irritating.

Oddly, there are times when this album sits between modern Mötley Crüe and, say, Alter Bridge. There are genuine attempts at oomph (‘Soab’) and there’s no denying the wealth of musical talent on display. Even so, nigh on every track builds to the same flat middle of the road gloss fest. ‘Hate You, Hate Me’ is relatively dull where again the fires sound like a wet blanket has been cast over them. ‘It’s Over (When I Say It’s Over)’ showcase Ellefson’s skills as a bassist, but I’m almost dreading the chorus coming and it’s exactly as I predict, soaring yet uninspiring and lyrically dull.

It could be argued that a majority of the lyrics on board are lifeless and predictable, and sadly ‘The Day We Built Rome’ fails to differ even with its cocksure groove. To be brutally honest, Unbreakable is the sort of album that could belong to any generic hard rock band from 2000 onwards.

Neil Arnold

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