INCUBUS - Light Grenades Review

OK, so I usually don't do this, as I am fairly adamant about my goal to only listen to albums on or after their release date, but I got my hands on a pre-release copy of Incubus' new CD, Light Grenades, and I couldn't help myself to pop that sucker in and and give it a good listen. Now, I have been a fan of Incubus for a long time. After hearing about them through a good friend, I became nearly obsessed with Make Yourself, their third full-legnth release. From then on it was a growing appreciation for their entire library of works (with the exception of Fungus Amongus, as I was not a huge fan of that record, as funky as it may be), with my favorite Incubus album landing squarely on their latest release, A Crow Left Of The Murder....full text Incubus is back,and although this album is much anticipated by fans, there is also a varying level of skepticism that comes with mentioning it. Being that thier previous effort, "A Crow Left Of The Murder", wasn't so well received by their fans, I think that everyone is curious as to what this band will do next. On to the album......full text Calabasas-bred Incubus has grown into a band that continues to challenge and evolve without sacrificing massive appeal, and their sixth studio effort fulfills the promise. Brandon Boyd's smooth voice floats over lighter tracks like "Earth to Bella Pts. 1 & 2," while he deftly powers the heavier "Light Grenades." Mike Einzinger turns in an amazing batch of guitar work that grabs attention. On the track "Diamonds and Coal," a perfect line sums up five guys who started out with a few rough edges and grew into true artists: "Give us time to shine, even diamonds start as coal."...full text