MACHINE HEAD

Of Kingdom And Crown (Nuclear Blast/Imperium)

California groove metal combo Machine Head’s 10th studio album Of Kingdom And Crown is a conceptual conundrum. Inspired by the Japanese anime series Attack On Titan, it tells the story of two rivals and has heavy themes such as love, murder, suicide and radicalisation. The album is bookended by two strong tracks – Slaughter The Martyr, with its European symph-rock overtones, and the lyrically poetic Arrow In Words From The Sky – but what lies between is nothing out of the ordinary; even spoken sections like Overdose add little interest.

Though musically, there is the occasional flash of brilliance from Machine Head – and a fair amount of shredded guitaring – the album falls short vocally. Robb Flynn isn’t a strong singer by metal standards, and here his unclean vocals sound half-hearted, forced and often unnecessary. Of Kingdom And Crown aims high, but many tracks are generic and samey, and overall this album feels disjointed and jumpy.

words LYNDA NASH