From bursting onto the scene with 2004’s Employment all the way to Ricky Wilson’s admission that he was out of his depth when confronted with a challenging Daniel Avery record on 6 Music’s roundtable recently, Kaiser Chiefs have never been a band that have specialised in subtlety. But with frontman Wilson enjoying somewhat of a Voice-fuelled renaissance at the moment and promising to reclaim the ‘anger’ that had been lost somewhere along the Kaisers’ rocky path, do they deliver on what is arguably their most eagerly-anticipated since the ‘difficult’ second album?

Wilson is said to have exited a triumphant homecoming gig at Elland Road in 2008, bemoaning the fact that they didn’t receive the critical acclaim that their fellow Yorkshiremen Arctic Monkeys did. They have often been accused of playing it a little safe, particularly with their most recent releases, and it’s perhaps that constant yearning for bigger success which has actually held them back. The curiously-titled Education, Education, Education and War frustrates and impresses in equal measure.

Kicking off with a standard fare Kaisers’ tune, ‘The Factory Gates’, you immediately get the sense that, despite all the hype, they might just be slipping straight back into their comfort zone, perhaps understandably looking to capitalise on the mainstream popularity of Wilson with a punchy, thrashy stomp through oft-crossed territory. But ‘Coming Home’ has the sound of a band who are fresh, who are rejuvenated and who are ready to take on the world once more. It’s a stadium rock anthem that wouldn’t feel out of place in a Kings of Leon or U2 setlist, and makes for a refreshing change from their often tiresome middle-of-the-road indie rock.

The anger spoken of by Wilson rears its head on ‘Misery Company’, which has to rank as one of the band’s finest moments. It spits and seethes its way along, backed by a snarling riff and a cackling chorus. It’s a glorious stomp through the heaviest stuff ever exhibited by the band. Sadly, three songs in it’s probably the highlight of an album that soon sees the band retreating back into their shell.

‘Education, Education, Education and War’ soon starts to feel more like a tired slog through old ground. Seemingly unable to permanently tear themselves away from their downtrodden sound of old, they clamber and stumble through four or five old Kaiser Chiefs standards. Standard song structures, standard lyrics, standard guitar lines…it’s all hugely disappointing after the promise of ‘Coming Home’ and ‘Misery Company’.

And despite sombre closing track ‘Roses’ briefly threatening to revive this dying record, sadly it’s too little, too late. Wilson’s move to reality TV at the risk of indie credentials was undoubtedly brave, but the same cannot be said of this record. Kaiser Chiefs are stuck in the mud and generally lacking the subtlety to break free of their constraints, constantly slipping back into stereotypes they carved out themselves. They’re Coming Home alright – back to the comfortable indie rock home they’ve always been in. And while that may be OK for some old and some newfound fans, Wilson is unlikely to gain the critical acclaim that he seeks with this release.