{"id":105304,"date":"2025-08-15T00:00:56","date_gmt":"2025-08-14T23:00:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/?p=105304"},"modified":"2025-09-02T13:32:36","modified_gmt":"2025-09-02T12:32:36","slug":"album-review-ellefson-soto-unbreakable","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/album-review-ellefson-soto-unbreakable\/","title":{"rendered":"ELLEFSON-SOTO – Unbreakable (2025) | Album \/ EP Reviews @ Metal Forces Magazine"},"content":{"rendered":"

ELLEFSON-SOTO
\nUnbreakable<\/strong><\/span>
\n\"\"
\nRat Pak (2025)<\/span>
\nRating: 5.5\/10<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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Like a lot of hard rock \/ heavy metal album covers over the last few decades, Unbreakable<\/em> is very generic and would probably get overlooked if it wasn\u2019t for the team behind it. Featuring the talents of former Megadeth<\/a> bassist David Ellefson and Jeff Scott Soto, the voice on Yngwie J. Malmsteen\u2019s 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<\/em> is the second opus from the duo.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s bass provides a hard spine throughout, but when the chorus hits I\u2019m left as cold as the grave. That\u2019s not to say the song isn\u2019t catchy and heavy, it\u2019s both, but maybe as I get older I\u2019m less appreciative of such modern dynamics.<\/p>\n

\u2018Shout\u2019, for all of its brooding riffage, heads in the same direction of too much gloss. While I understand that band\u2019s seek a solid production and a mix that highlights each individual instrument, there\u2019s just too much ice here which subdues the fire within. But anyway, there are still some very good songs on this platter. \u2018Poison Tears\u2019 features some gnarly bass from Ellefson and there\u2019s a genuine grit in the riffs as Laura Guldemond (Burning Witches) lends her pipes as guest vocalist.<\/p>\n

\u2018Ghosts\u2019 begins in majestic fashion; the guitar sounds expansive, building slowly in tandem with the timely threads of the drums. It\u2019s a fantastic instrumental with shred heavy segments and shades of darkness. In contrast, \u2018Vengeance\u2019 (featuring guest vocals from former Judas Priest singer Tim \u201cRipper\u201d Owens) rumbles from its gut, steadily thunderous as it unravels. \u2018Snakes And Bastards\u2019 does inject some vim, albeit in an Americanised punk style which I find irritating.<\/p>\n

Oddly, there are times when this album sits between modern M\u00f6tley Cr\u00fce and, say, Alter Bridge. There are genuine attempts at oomph (\u2018Soab\u2019) and there\u2019s 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. \u2018Hate You, Hate Me\u2019 is relatively dull where again the fires sound like a wet blanket has been cast over them. \u2018It\u2019s Over (When I Say It\u2019s Over)\u2019 showcase Ellefson\u2019s skills as a bassist, but I\u2019m almost dreading the chorus coming and it\u2019s exactly as I predict, soaring yet uninspiring and lyrically dull.<\/p>\n

It could be argued that a majority of the lyrics on board are lifeless and predictable, and sadly \u2018The Day We Built Rome\u2019 fails to differ even with its cocksure groove. To be brutally honest, Unbreakable<\/em> is the sort of album that could belong to any generic hard rock band from 2000 onwards.<\/p>\n

Neil Arnold<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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\u2019t for the team behind it. Featuring the talents of former Megadeth bassist David Ellefson and Jeff Scott Soto, the voice […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,5958],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-105304","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-album-ep-reviews","category-ellefson-soto"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105304","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=105304"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105304\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":105305,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105304\/revisions\/105305"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=105304"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=105304"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=105304"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}