The US is a volatile place at the minute. Between the constant debate on gun control seemingly reaching a standstill and Donald Trump currently being inexplicably close to presidency, the country is seemingly hanging by a thread. And on the face of it, Stuck Mojo seem to be using this to their advantage on new album ‘Here Come The Infidels’. Provocation seems to be the aim here, given tracks like ‘Rape Whistle’ and ‘The Business Of Hate’. Compared to the waves of dime-a-dozen radio metal they often find themselves lumped in with, they do a fair job.

In no way does ‘Here Come The Infidels’ set the new standard for politicized metal, but there’s at least a sense of awareness here. There’s a genuine anger felt on the likes of ‘Verbal Combat’, and with a guitar tone that’s more Pantera than Puddle Of Mudd, it conveys such a frustration well. And compared to the usual standard of this sort of thing where ‘tact’ and ‘subtlety’ are essentially foreign words, it’s a welcome improvement.

Of course compared to music that’s a lot more socially accepted, Stuck Mojo don’t stand a chance. Robby J. Fonts’ won’t be worrying Kendrick Lamar in terms of political rap considering how clumsy he can be, especially on the godawful grind of ‘Destroyer’, and even with the small bit of bite it has, that can’t mask just how base the whole thing sounds.

But at the end of the day, at least Stuck Mojo are trying, and they do manage to stand out to some degree. As much as it wants to be, ‘Here Come The Infidels’ isn’t the most mentally stimulating listen, but for some big, broad metal that’s not quite as dumb as its colleagues, Stuck Mojo haven’t done that bad of a job.

3/5

‘Here Come The Infidels’ by Stuck Mojo is out now on Stuck Mojo Music.

Stuck Mojo links: Facebook|Twitter

Words by Luke Nuttall (@nuttall_luke)