...Like Clockwork

this album has the recipe for being great, but something is missing and annoyingly enough, I struggle with pointing it out.

"…Like Clockwork", is built around a precise, heavy and hypnotic foundation. the guitars are dry and technical, weaving tight, looping patterns that occasionally erupt into more emotional solos, while the bass is thick and pulsing, anchoring the songs with a steady and deliberate momentum. the result is a controlled, cinematic groove that’s dark and almost operatic, which is pushed further by subtle keys, and Homme’s vocals adding tension and introspection, but like I said originally, it loses me somewhere. by the end, the intensity edges towards oversaturation, and even though it has some of my favourite and the debatably strongest songs from the album, I really struggle to connect with them in any meaningful way, the music passing by instead of causing a response. I can't quite understand why even after multiple listens, but maybe it's something that'll click in the future.