Incubus

For those who have delved into the Incubus back catalogue, the Cali five-piece remain one of the most intriguing acts of the nu-metal era. A group of musos that drew from a deeper pool of influences than their peers, they’ve been oft-misunderstood over a career that’s seen them transition from funk-metal upstarts to alt-progateers and, more recently, mature soft-rockers. Guitarist Mike Einziger has been touting 8, the band’s first full-length in six years, as “not mellow” and, at least initially, he has a point. Opener No Fun recalls their

Morning View- era Mesa/Boogie bombast, while Nimble Bastard is full-throttle if generic. But all too quickly, 8 descends into the trap that plagued 2011’s If Not Now,

When?: a glut of sluggish mid-tempo chord workouts, which retain a slick production courtesy of Skrillex, but lack a distinct six-string identity. For a guitarist with such an idiosyncratic style, you’d hope for something more indelible.

In its closing moments, the band pick up the slack, with Surveillance’s murderous riff channelling Tom Morello, while atmospheric instrumental Make No Sound In

The Digital Forest and the fast-paced Throw Out The Map are other high points. Although Incubus’s latest isn’t quite a return to form, it’s certainly not a hateful 8. Michael Astley-Brown download NoFun