This fifth album by the Los Angeles group from the arty end of the nu-metal mob debuted at number one here last week. That faithful local following will also be well pleased with their tour dates here at the end of March. It was abit held up in the works, what with the band suing Sony to be released from their contract and the label countersuing for albums owed - Incubus sales are in the seven million-plus bracket.
They settled and it would seem like business as usual, on a set which shows frontman Brandon Boyd has been doing some deep thinking about the state of the world - he starts on Megalomaniac ranting at celebrity culture. Energy-wise, it's a rockin' good start, as is the title track straight afterwards. But all too soon the balance of the 14 songs start folding into one another. Instrumentally, they're a cut above the usual nu-metal sloggers. But that means the tricky arrangements do seem to be compensating for song power, and that's not helped by Boyd's ability to hold the same angst-pained note for longer than is strictly necessary. That they are a more imaginative band than many of their peers doesn't really make this album any more interesting
