Metal Music Manual

The veteran rap-rock unit's fifth studio long-player and the follow-up to 2015's Day of the Dead, the aptly named Five delivers an eclectic sonic slap that draws from a wide array of influences. Like its predecessor, the 14-track set can go from gritty to velvety at the drop of a needle, with hood-centric (as in Los Angeles) party anthems like "Riot" and "California Dreaming" (definitely not a Mamas & the Papas cover) simmering alongside languid reggae-folk jams ("Ghost Beach") and brooding, "Lose Yourself"-era Eminem-inspired beatdowns. That penchant for experimentation, as well as a flair for pop craftsmanship, is what sets Hollywood Undead apart from some of their contemporaries – for every seedy barrel roll into nu-metal malevolence – "Renegade" is a bona fide street peeler – there's a slick blast of buttery radio fodder like "Nobody's Watching."