While Machine Head’s last album, 2011’s Unto the Locust, divided opinion in a way that 2007’s globe-conquering The Blackening manifestly didn’t, there is still a strong sense that Robb Flynn’s crew are a band with a ferocious wind in their sails. Bloodstone & Diamonds sounds quite unlike anything else happening in metal right now – both a testament to Flynn’s unique vision and a timely reminder that making heavy music that resonates on both visceral and emotional levels is not quite as straightforward as certain factions would have us believe. When Machine Head are at their most explosive, most notably on bellicose opener Now We Die and Game Over’s rampaging tornado of vitriol, they emanate a power and intensity that few bands from any generation can match. But it’s the subtle details and dynamic textures of songs like brooding funeral dirge Sail Into the Black and despairing socio-political diatribe In Comes the Flood that truly set the band apart from their contemporaries. Striking an exquisite balance between brute force, insistent melody and bold experimentation, this is the finest mainstream metal album of 2014 by a huge margin. • The Playlist: metal
