Machine Head
Bloodstone & Diamonds

Predictably, Flynn & Co. did not begin to reinvent the wheel and went further along the path begun back in 2007 on the landmark The Blackening. "Bloodstone & Diamonds" sounds even more epic than its predecessors. There were even more large-scale tracks (basically, the length of the songs was 6-8 minutes). Symphonic inserts (the band had already used this idea on "Unto The Locust") add pomposity to the songs, along with the Flynn pair solo parts traditional for the band’s latest albums. -Demel - this gave a really impressive result, and therefore the current release sounds really magnificent. But just the pursuit of scope and became the main problem of work. Nevertheless, after the genius "The Blackening", "Unto The Locust" was already manned weaker, and the new disc of the Californians, in turn, is weaker than the 2011 album. Compositions are mostly protracted, therefore difficult to perceive. They are remembered fragmentarily. "In Comes The Flood" fell in love with a chic soloist, Night Of Long Knives and Game Over - cool refrains. The mystical ballad "Sail Into The Black" completely disappointed. The eight-minute epic is not close to such masterpieces from the portfolio of the team as "The Darkness Within". Another disappointment is the "Ghosts Will Haunt My Bones" built on a guitar loser. The song is made by analogy with "Be Still and Know" from the previous album. The second half of the disc, with the exception of the aforementioned “Game Over” and, to a lesser extent, “Take Me Through The Fire,” is generally a complete failure. A couple of miserable militants, an indistinct instrumental, and Flynn's melancholy meditation in Damage Inside. Finally, about the good. Nevertheless, the work pleased the chic “odkrivashka” “Now We Die”, probably the only song with a strong opening riff and a strong single “Killers & Kings”. Rob Flynn sang at the proper level. His vocals are still the same emotional and original. That, however, is all positive. After getting to know Bloodstone & Diamons, it seemed that Flynn had wandered too far along the path of experimentation, so he got lost there. The album has overkill with many components. Including, with solo parts. So I was sick of closer to the finale of the disc from the grandiose gash of a guitar duet. But quality riffs are clearly not enough for work. What has become the hallmark of the group over the years of its existence has been drowned in experiments.