Following the mainstream radio success the release of 2001's Morning View, California rock outfit Incubus responded with a heavy-handed reinvention on their fifth album, A Crow Left of the Murder, a move that surprised fans new and old. Now, nearly two years later, the band continues to evolve, continuing to mature lyrically and amp up their rock sound, though still drawing influences from the likes of poppier tracks like "Warning" and "Nice To Know You" on their new album, Light Grenades.

Since their last album, Incubus has undergone a subtle change of face, replacing former bassist Dirk Lance with Ben Kenney and taking some time to explore creative opportunities outside the band. However, the sound of their latest effort proves the band is hardly on the decline, with the guitar and "new" bass driving them from start to finish.

Light Grenades commences in a trippy fashion with the stirring vocals of Brandon Boyd echoing over the sonic waves provided by DJ Kilmore. The track begins as a subdued chant, interrupted only by intervals of techno blips and whirs before building momentum and crescendoing seamlessly into the first bars of "A Kiss To Send Us Off." After a dissonant beginning, "Kiss…" builds into a crashing blend of guitars and drums reminiscent of "Megalomaniac," a track from A Crow Left of the Murder. The song runs the gamut, from booming hard-rock to lighter rhythms, with Boyd's vocals coming full circle as he belts out the chorus in syncopated rhythms over the blaring melody before dropping down to a breathing tone.

Incubus hits a high note on "Dig." The band doesn't take any sound over the top; instead, they simply allow the psychedelic melody to flow effortlessly throughout. Boyd's vocals are in top form in this track about how everyone has a person in his life who is able to see the good in him, no matter how dire the circumstances: "Dig me up from under what is covering/ The better part of me/ Sing this song!/ Remind me that we'll always have each other/ When everyone else is gone."

The disc's title track is a bit too much to handle, sending listeners into sensory overload from the gritty introductory solo onward. The band attempts harder sound, boosting the amp over the thunderous din of the drums, with Boyd screeching and yelling his lungs out, but instead ends up with a muddled pile that annoyingly beats listeners in the head for two-and-a-half minutes.

By tracks eight and nine, "Oil and Water" and "Diamonds And Coal," respectively, Incubus seems to have come into their own, toning down the overpowering backing for a bit and delivering infectious melodies. The band creates unique harmonies in each chorus of "Oil and Water," subtly building up to the end. The track also features a catchy drumbeat that is sure to have listeners toe-tapping or air-banding right along with the band. Likewise, "Diamonds and Coal" plays it cool as it details the time needed to create a harmonious relationship because of personal differences, with Boyd periodically breaking into a high-pitched "coo" as he croons: "Give it time girl, the fire feels divine/ The sweetest things, they burn before they shine/ We think too much/ Even diamonds start as coal."

The band carries this momentum on through the album's close, faltering ever so slightly with a drawn-out, screeching guitar solo just after the three-minute mark of "Pendulous Threads." Incubus, however, comes through in the end with a handclap-driven, pulsing rhythm, before fading into the soothing second portion of "Earth to Bella."

Part refreshing, part thunderous and explosive, Light Grenades shines through as an impressive effort from Incubus.

Grade: 3.5 out of 5