Flashback - Systematic

It's that time again, kids: FLASHBACK!  If you missed Systematic, you missed a thing.  Stupid Tim Narducci and his leaving to form the "band" Spiralarms (which was mediocre and went nowhere, mainly because Mr. Narducci is only greatness when he's with the guys in Systematic) ruined everything, but you have two albums to love - now go back and love 'em.  It's Systematic - CRANK IT!

Isis

Ok kids, just so no one's confused, today's band Isis is NOT the terrorist organization, it's a band.  An awesome band.  Isis was what I term a semi-instrumental band, with many of their tracks having vocals secondary to almost pleasant, even relaxing music-scapes or more as an additional instrument than as a primary structural point.  Progressive, psychedelic, stoner - call it what you will, just CRANK IT!

Otep

Alright kids, today it's Otep, featuring the most metal woman EVER - Otep Shamaya.  I think we'll go back to the first record, Sevas Tra, to really get the full effect.  I was gonna say some more about transparently messed-up childhoods and personal therapy, but there's only one way to really get the picture - CRANK IT!

KFC

Ok kids, if you're members of the Pantera legion and you're interested in a similar-sounding band, you may like Killing For Christ.  Now, be advised: (1) this is not a Christian band any more than Lamb of God is; (2) I am in no way claiming KFC (yeh, KFC) is as good a band as Cowboys/
Vulgar-era Pantera - what band would be?; and (3) lyrically, these guys are something of a one-string banjo - listen to two or three tracks and you'll begin to detect a theme.  Anyway, enough said - CRANK IT!

Love the cover art - Jesus laying down suppressing fire might be a Jesus I could get on board with.

Bolt Thrower

Ok kids, it's Bolt Thrower today - British old-school death metal.  Of interest to those of you who are ladies (and those of you who are not), Bolt Thrower has had Jo Bench representin' on bass since it started in 1986; to me, this shows that there have always been bands that aren't skeptical/excited to see a woman bass player show up to audition, but rather relieved to have the vital bass position filled with a competent player when they hear one.  And if, somehow, even this comment is sexist, then I just don't know what to do.  On an unrelated note, a bolt thrower is a type of medieval siege engine, and every Bolt Thrower song is about Warhammer.  If you don't know what that is, it means you're not a gaming nerd; I assure you, this will have no effect on your enjoyment of the band.  If you do know what Warhammer is, that does NOT mean there is something wrong with you; on the contrary: it means you have found your tribe.  CRANK IT!

Flashback - Apartment 26

It's that time again, kids: FLASHBACK!  If you missed Biff Butler's jazz-metal outfit (no, really - it's both jazz and metal) Apartment 26, you missed a thing.  Before you say anything about the video, yes they look like whatever the British version of a douche is (a wanker?); it matters not.  Get the duct tape out, fix up the stuff in the room that you broke last time, and CRANK IT!

The Absence

Alright kids, I'm kinda on a melodic death metal kick lately, so that means you're on it with me; try it - all yer friends are doin' it!  It's The Absence today, an absolutely KILLER band out of Tampa, Florida, and my new favorite thing - CRANK IT!

P.S.:  There's so much guitar footage in this video, you can almost learn to play the whole song - SWEET!

BONUS!

At the request of one of my fourteen or so readers, I have agonized and compiled a list of the ten best heavy metal albums OF ALL TIME.  Now, before you look at the list, please allow me to make some things clear: a) these are in NO PARTICULAR ORDER - I couldn't do that to any of 'em, and my choosing criteria are mine alone to know; b) I know that most if not all of you will immediately be incensed that I have left out one or two (or ten) albums you feel deserve to be on here - it was hard enough just whittling my list down to ten - that equates to a prime reason for you to comment on the post - leave me some comments, you lazy humps; c) I did try to have an eleventh selection so I could make a "These go to 11" crack, but my number eleven just didn't belong on here; d) as with all such things, tomorrow I'll smack my forehead with my palm when I think of the one album I completely forgot that just HAS to be on here - that's just motivation to do a sequel; and e) the most important thing about this list is, if you aren't familiar with one of these bands or albums, go listen to it - it is awesome or it wouldn't be on here.  And now <kick drum roll> . . . . THE TEN GREATEST HEAVY METAL ALBUMS OF ALL TIME!

-Anthrax              "Sound Of White Noise"
-Faith No More     "The Real Thing"
-Megadeth           "Countdown To Extinction"
-Sybreed             "Slave Design"
-Fight                  "War Of Words"
-Gojira                 "L'Enfant Sauvage"
-Samael              "Ceremony Of Opposites"
-Himsa                "Summon In Thunder"
-Sylosis               "Edge Of the Earth"
-Byzantine           "Byzantine"

Thanks to Sean for the request - keep 'em comin' - comments make the blog better for everyone.

Parasite Inc.

Put your diapers on, kids - you're about to crap your pants!  Parasite Inc is everything I love in modern heavy metal: they're fast while they're heavy, they're simultaneously technical and groove-heavy, their lyrics are fatalistic at the same time their music is exhilarating, and as if that wasn't enough, they're GERMAN!  But don't take my word for it - it's "The Pulse of the Dead" - CRANK IT!

Carcass

So, there once was a British death metal band called Carcass that, after ten-ish years of slogging it out, made the best career decision of its life when it hired guitarist Michael Amott (whom you may know would later leave to co-found Arch Enemy.) Amott would help Carcass find its musical footing in a hybrid style that we now call melodic death metal. Essentially, this means that, while the singer is still performing death metal, everybody else is playing music you actually want to listen to, like thrash or classic metal. Even though Amott moved on to help establish the Gothenburg style in Sweden, Carcass never looked back. Sort of. They were inactive for 17 years, but then: Surgical Steel! It's Carcass - CRANK IT!

Flashback - Fight!

It's that time again, kids: FLASHBACK!  Ok, so if you have been paying attention, you know that I am a huge Rob Halford fan.  As I have mentioned before, Judas Priest of course craps better bands than Iron Maiden, but even the man by himself is a force of nature.  After his initial departure from Priest, Mr. Halford formed the impossibly-awesome band Fight, which produced two full-length albums before disbanding so that Rob could pursue projects like Two, with Trent Reznor, and Halford, which still operates when Judas Priest is not touring.  I can tell you from personal experience that Fight destroyed live, but I submit that you really can experience the raw feeling of the band from its studio recordings (in addition to various live stuff that Rob's label, Metal God, has released over the years.)  As usual, I urge you to explore the records, as they are loaded with great music, but to get you started, it's "Nailed to the Gun" - CRANK IT!

Fireball Ministry

Ok kids, so if Lemmy and Ozzy had a kid, what would it sound like?  It would sound like Fireball Ministry (excellent name), and apparently it would have a badass Amazon rhythm guitarist called Emily Burton.  My only regret is that it does not still have the legendary Janice Tanaka on bass.  Also, it would completely kick ass live, but don't take my word for it - go see 'em, and be sure to wear your special hat that keeps your head from blowing up.  It's "Flatline" today - get your leather jackets on and CRANK IT!

Samael

So, Switzerland.  I can't say I spend much more time thinking that metal bands come out of Switzerland than I do thinking they come out of France; nevertheless, some of the best and most interesting metal bands come from that very place.  Legendary proto-death metal band Celtic Frost is from Switzerland, as is easily one of the best metal bands ever, Sybreed, whom I have posted before - definitely check THOSE guys out.  Today's offering from the land of neutrality, mountains, clocks, and chocolate is the ever-reinventing juggernaut that is Samael.  I thought just for perspective I would post something from Samael's early black metal days and something from the very-different later album Reign of Light (that's right: you get not one, but TWO tracks today - I'm just magnanimous like that); each is excellent, but I hope you will also be able to appreciate the kind of talent it takes to actually change the sound of your band this radically while maintaining its level of quality, thus remaining relevant over the course of more than twenty years.  Here are "Baphomet's Throne" and "In'ch Allah" - CRANK 'EM!

Austrian Death Machine

Ok kids, today just for fun, it's Austrian Death Machine.  All of ADM's lyrics are about bits of Schwarzenegger films - get it?  Austrian Death Machine?  Regardless, it rawks - it's "Get To The Choppa" - CRANK IT!

Flashback - Alice In Chains (yes, that Alice In Chains)

It's that time again already, kids: FLASHBACK!  Today I'd like us to remember, or learn for the first time as the case may be, that Alice in Chains wasn't really a grunge band (just listen to "Them Bones" or "What the Hell Have I"), even though it came from the same place at the same time as some of grunge's heavy hitters.  The band's first album, Facelift, is one of the single greatest heavy albums ever recorded.  If you've only heard "Man In the Box" from that one, you've missed out - go back and listen to the whole thing.  Here - you can start with "It Ain't Like That" and go from there - CRANK IT!

Hell Promise

Alright kids, under the heading of "Sorry to do it to ya", it's a great band gone before its time: Hell Promise.  The band was the personal creation of ex-Himsa guitarist Brian Johnson, and only operated from 2001 to 2007, but during that time release an EP called Slaughter the Heartless and punishing full-length album called Aim for Hell.  Here's "The New Black Death" - CRANK IT!

Hell Promise "The New Black Death"

Exhumed

Alright kids, batten down the hatches - it's my new favorite thing today - Exhumed!  Is it thrash?  Is it death metal?  Or at about 2:00 in, does it actually reveal itself to be prog metal hidden in clever packaging?  You decide.  Get ready to break stuff (but also sometimes think, apparently) and CRANK IT!

GZR

Alright kids, today's offering is a tangent that I have enjoyed for many years, but of which you may be completely unaware.  GZR is Geezer Butler's band when he is not actively engaged in Black Sabbath or producing for young metal bands.  Although the GZR lineup for the first album, Plastic Planet, was my favorite by virtue of having Fear Factory's Burton Bell on vocals, I like that Geezer chose Clark Brown for the albums going forward because he has a completely different-sounding voice and way of singing.  (For a fun bonus today, I'll throw you one of each.)  GZR's sound varies between super heavy (especially on Plastic Planet) and moodily atmospheric, and its lyrical content, written almost single-handedly by the Geez, jumps between politically searing and science fiction conspiracy-obsessed.  The reason I am inspired to post some GZR today is that the first GZR album in ten years has been announced for release early next year.  Anyway, medium story short, here are two GZR tracks, one full-on metal and political with Burton Bell from the Plastic Planet record, and one more atmospheric and science-fictiony with Clark Brown from Black Science (one of the best titles for an album ever.)  I hope at least one or two of you find something you like here - I like it, so you should, too.  DO WHAT I SAY!  LOVE WHAT I LOVE!  AND CRANK IT!

FLASHBACK - Grip, Inc.

How time flies, kids: FLASHBACK!  So, it would be over-charitable to say that I have never liked Slayer; however, Dave Lombardo's band Grip Inc. was a completely different animal (and is again, but more on that in a minute.)  With political lyrical content focusing on the horrors of the real world, Grip took both Slayer fans and groove metal fans by storm.  The band appeared to come to an end with the October 2008 death of singer Gus Chambers, but ADDave and crew have since made several appearances as Grip Inc. with Casey Chaos on the mic.  Try "Rusty Nail" from the Nemesis album; you won't be sorry.

Emmure

Ok kids, it's Emmure today.  CRANK IT!

Phoenix/Nebulin

Ok kids, today it's Phoenix/Nebulin (yes, that whole thing is their name.)  Now, this is a still-regional band out of Miami that I like, and while their music runs the spectrum from full-on goth to metal, it certainly feels to me like they belong on here, mainly because I think some of you will really dig 'em.  If you do dig 'em, or you don't dig 'em, or you think I've gone soft and wanna kick me in the balls, I wanna hear about it, so leave comments.  Whatever else you do, CRANK IT!

On a side note, the singer, Phoenix Doval, was not the singer of Half-Cocked, but she sure sounds like her.  Half-Cocked was a very cool band.  Just sayin'.

Unearth

Ho-lee crap, kids - it's Unearth today: seven strings worth of hurricane-force metalcore destruction. Enough said - it's "My Will Be Done" - CRANK IT!

Flashback - L7

Times flies, kids: FLASHBACK!  In the fifties, "L7" was a slang term used to indicate that a person was "square", which meant straitlaced and uncool, the term coming from the act of touching the thumb of each of one's hands to the forefinger of each of the other's hands to form a square shape.  (Try it a couple of ways, and you'll see the "L7.")  Anyway, the band L7 was the opposite of uncool; it was METAL.  I mean, the ladies' music was actually kinda punk/grunge, but it was also so heavy that it falls pretty squarely into at least the stoner category.  But of course, it speaks for itself: let's go with "Freak Magnet" today - CRANK IT!

Sylosis

Alright kids, I've been saving this one for a while; if I doled out all the choicest stuff at the beginning, I wouldn't have much of a blog, now would I?  British metalcore outfit Sylosis is the truly great thing that I eventually discovered to replace Himsa, the single greatest metalcore band ever to exist, after the members of that band chose to call it quits while they were still at their peak.  While Sylosis differs somewhat from Himsa in style - less punch and anthem, more darkness and storytelling - the elements are all still there: hardcore vocals, thrash and classic-metal playing, and big, thunderous tracks held together just enough by theme and style to be identifiable, but not so much to be yet more failed theme albums.  Now, I've had a tough time deciding which tracks to give you, so you need to do what what I always want you to: explore beyond what I've posted here; these guys have a great deal to offer.  With that said, I still felt I needed to give you two today: "Empyreal", which I feel demonstrates a wide range of what they boys have to offer, and one of my personal favorite conceits, the breakdown-heavy "Altered States of Consciousness."  CRANK EM!

Gothminister

It's Gothminister today - CRANK IT!

COC

Alright kids, it's Corrosion of Conformity today.  Where to begin?  Are they excellent at thrash?  Yes.  Are they greats of the stoner tradition?  Ayep.  Have they equal mastery over acoustic ballads and southern hard rock?  Undoubtedly.  Obviously, you'll want to explore for yourself, but here's a taste to wet your whistle - it's "Vote With a Bullet" - CRANK IT!

Flashback - Souls At Zero

Improbably, it's that time again - FLASHBACK!  Today we remember an excellent band that just never could get its due - Souls At Zero.  Now, some of you may remember an earlier band called Wrathchild America; Souls at Zero was exactly the same guys, but whatever happened between the last Wrathchild album 3-D and the self-titled Souls At Zero record, it was angry-making.  The snarkiness and thrash of "No Deposit, No Return" and "Surrounded By Idiots" were replaced by the cynicism and sludge of tracks like "Grey World" and "Thrown Down."  I had the privilege of seeing them play once - the privilege.  Remind me sometime and I'll tell you about it.  Anyway, here's the soundtrack of rebirth: it's Souls At Zero - CRANK IT!

Mastodon

Watch out, kids - it's Mastodon today.  This is new stuff from the Once More 'Round The Sun EP - it's "High Road" - CRANK IT!

Be'Lakor

Excellent stuff today, kids.  Australian band Be'Lakor is typically classified as "melodic death metal." If you actually listen, though, you'll hear that not only is the singer the only guy performing death metal, the other guys are playing thrash, classic-style metal, and even epic Queen-style hard rock, AND the only keyboard work is on an actual piano, rather than some synth crap.  I've been diggin' on it pretty hard for a couple of weeks; give it chance - I think you'll hear what I hear.  Let's go with "Sanguinary" from the Stone's Reach album.  It's Be'Lakor - CRANK IT! - don't make me come over there and do it for you.

Malefice

Ok kids, it's British metalcore outfit Malefice today.  For my liking, Malefice is at about the punk edge of metalcore, but I think you'll find that these guys' primal nature is perfect for - yep, you guessed it: jumpin' around breakin' stuff.  Also, I love the guitar split on the intro lick of this particular track.  To see what I'm talking about, watch the first five seconds of the video; you'll see that the two guitarists split the lick between them when it could easily have been played by one of them - it's great showmanship for a live performance, the kind of thing that is easy to forget to do.  It's "Archtect of Your Own Demise" - CRANK IT!

Flashback - Type O Negative

Time flies, kids: FLASHBACK!  At first glance, Type O Negative was a goth band, and certainly it fulfilled that role; however, a little digging in the Type O catalogue reveals that, like the Misfits, the band was every bit as true to its metal, punk, and classic rock influences as it was to its gothic pedigree.  Also, perhaps paradoxically, the Drab Four were never afraid to poke fun at themselves tongue-in-cheek style (listen to "We Hate Everyone", "My Girlfriend's Girlfriend", or their cover of "Angry Inch").  Anyway, it's Black No. 1 (I couldn't resist) - CRANK IT!  And Peter Steele, wherever you are, may you find the peace in death that you never could in life.

Volbeat

Ok kids, today it's one of the cooler bands there is - Danish rockabilly metal outfit Volbeat.  Now, I know you're thinking of Rev. Horton Heat or something, but I'm not talking about rockabilly, or rockabilly punk, or rastabilly skank; I mean rockabilly METAL, and I don't understand how they do it so seamlessly any more than you do.  It doesn't matter how they do it - they do, and they are KILLER live - like, sell-plasma-to-go-see-'em good.  It's Still Counting - CRANK IT!

Skold

Alright kids, if you thought last week's track was made for breakin' stuff, get out the duct tape.  Sweden's Tim Skold has been associated with Shotgun Messiah, KMFDM, and Marilyn Manson, but his own work puts them all to shame.  Get out the baseball bats and dynamite - the track is actually called Chaos - CRANK IT!

Bury Your Dead

Alright kids, time to break stuff: it's Bury Your Dead today - CRANK IT!

Flashback - Drain STH

Alright kids, improbably, it's that time again already: FLASHBACK!  So I said a few weeks ago that I could count the all-female metal bands that are worth listening to on one hand... well, as I'm thinking about it, I'm running out of fingers.  I remembered a Swedish band that I used to listen to (it's been defunct for quite a few years, but most of its members have moved on to good things.)  Drain STH was a super cool band, and made up of Scandinavian ladies whom I must also say are very tall and attractive to boot.  DO NOT LET THAT FOOL YOU - they killed it.  It's Black - CRANK IT!

Anthrax

Alright kids, DO NOT mistake today's track for a flashback.  Instead, file this one under "Bands That Couldn't Possibly Still Be Operating At The Level They Are, But Are"; it's Anthrax today, from their latest album Worship Music, complete with the impossibly-TRIUMPHANT return of Joey Belledonna on the mike.  There's no way a man should be able to be a better singer than the last time he was with the band twenty years ago, right?  I mean, time catches up with everyone, doesn't it?  You be the judge.  It's new Anthrax today, and they haven't lost a step - CRANK IT!

Electric Wizard

Ok kids, so at least once, I've mentioned in passing the "heaviest band in the universe" without mentioning its name.  Have you discovered it on your own yet?  Well, if you like stoner metal or doom metal, then it should be fairly easy for you to get on board with British doom masters Electric Wizard, described as the heaviest band in the universe (although fans of The Melvins may disagree.)  Stoner metal and doom metal are part of the same family, with stoner metal being broader, covering your more rocking outfits like Monster Magnet and Fu Manchu, and doom metal being heavier and sludgier, containing your Black Sabbath and your The Sword (yeh, I saw what I wrote there - I stand by my grammar.)  Two words of warning: (1) Electric Wizard tracks can be loooong, as evidenced by today's selection, and (2) if there truly is such a thing as a brown tone, these guys know how to make it, so put on your diapers.  Also, say you love it, say you hate it, tell me why I'm wrong, tell me what band's better, but for Pete's sake, click the comments button and leave me some comments! It's "Dopethrone" - CRANK IT!

Unicorn Sighting - Seven

Ok kids, so, back in December I posted a video by Byzantine (still one of my favorite things.)  That day I talked some smack about the rarity of finding a progressive metal band that has the curious feature of being enjoyable to listen to, and I mentioned that Byzantine was actually the second such mythical creature I had uncovered.  There is a band out of Illinois simply called Seven.  They're necessarily not very mainstream, and they have a new record called End of the Circle; as you'll hear, they deserve success, so tell your friends (that is, if somehow you have friends who don't already read this blog every week.)  Seven is an impossibly awesome band.  That's enough words; put on your diapers and CRANK IT, kids - it's The Burning, from the previous record, Cymatics - you're welcome.

Flashback - Faith No More

Well, well, well, kids; it's that time again - FLASHBACK!  As I predicted many years ago (many of you will have to take my word for it, but I did), Faith No More has gone down in history as and will continue to be a major influence on heavy rock bands of all kinds.  The San Francisco band, the historic lineup of which was made up of a white rapper, a thrash guitarist, a new wave bassist, a classically-trained pianist, and a reggae drummer, disposed of the idea of rules and just made the music that came to them.  And badass, it was.  Go back and discover them, and for Pete's sake, leave me some comments on this here blog!  Oh yeh, and CRANK IT!

(02/14/15 Update: Faith No More has a new single, a new album on the way, and is ON TOUR - we live in astonishing times.)

(05/18/15 Update: The "Sol Invictus" album has been released, and it is AWESOME - like, I am in awe of it - get it.) 

Gojira

Alright kids, it's Gojira today.  I have to admit, I don't go round expecting cool bands to come out of the country of France, but not only is extreme-metal outfit Gojira cool, it is AWESOME; whatever the cool part of France is, these guys are from it.  Maybe it's like they say: if you leave monkeys with typewriters long enough, they'll produce a Shakespearean sonnet; if you leave angry Frenchmen with guitars long enough they'll become BAD-ASS.  As always, I encourage you to listen to more than just the track I post here, but especially today; somehow, Gojira is able to express a strange sort of melancholia using the extreme metal aesthetic.  I hope you find in it what I have.   Here's L'Enfant Sauvage - CRANK IT!

Bloodsimple

Ok kids, under the heading of "sorry to do it to ya" (although, I will still occasionally do it to ya anyway), it's a band that only made two albums and is no longer together.  Also, remember that I always post what I think is the artist's second-best track so that you'll go and listen to more.  It's Bloodsimple today - get out some stuff to jump around and break, and CRANK IT!

Dozer

Ok kids, it's Swedish stoner outfit Dozer today - CRANK IT!

Flashback - Judas Priest

Alright kids, it's that time again: FLASHBACK!  It's Judas Priest today.  Now, I want to make my position (and, frankly, the truth) crystal clear here:  Judas Priest craps better bands than Iron Maiden.  You are welcome to try to make some feeble argument in the opposite direction, but you will look like a fool.  Because if you do, you are a fool.  A FOOL!  With no ear and no talent.  You know why?  That's right:  better writing, better guitarists by half, a better singer by a mile, songs about serial murder, robots, insanity, riding motorcycles, and Breakin' the Law, instead of dungeons and dragons, leather instead of pastel-colored spandex, and ROCKING.  It's Painkiller - CRANK IT!

Eisbrecher

Alright, kids, it's one of my favorite bands today, German outfit Eisbrecher.  Eisbrecher means "icebreaker"; think "ship that smashes up icebergs," not "clever line that may or may not help me chat up strangers at parties."  The difference will be clear once you CRANK IT!

Skindred

Reggae metal whaaaah?!  That's right kids, reggae metal.  It's Skindred today, one of the better live bands you'll see - period.  CRANK IT against dee powah!

Ghost!

Nail up your crucifixes, kids - it's Ghost!  If you're squeamish about infernal lyrical content and/or 60s-metal influences worn proudly on the sleeves of creepy stage get-ups, then cover your ears when you CRANK IT, 'cause they ain't afraid of that stuff in Sweden!

UPDATE 08/29/15:  The new Ghost album Meliora is THA BOMB - BUY IT!

Flashback - Monster Magnet

Well kids, it's that time again: FLASHBACK!  Now, I want each of you to put on your special hat that keeps your head from blowing up, then CRANK IT!  It's Monster Magnet.  (And don't say I didn't warn you about the head-blow-upping.)

Himsa

Alright kids, it's Himsa today, the single greatest metalcore band ever to exist, now and for all time, the band that defined the style, the mark against which all other punks who call themselves metalcore are to be measured.  Now, different people use the term "metalcore" to refer to different things.  I'm gonna tell you what I call metalcore, then you can think what you want.  For me, metalcore is (besides the greatest music ever created) anything that is thrash instrumentation with hardcore vocals.  There are other great metalcore bands, bands that I love to listen to, at least a couple of which I will post here in the future, and I am thankful for them, since Himsa called it quits after three phenomenal albums while they were still THE BEST EVER.  Also, some of you will not get this at first, but I want you to hang in there until about 1:49, when the true genius of Himsa will begin to shine through to you; it is the anthemic, empowering nature of their music that really causes them to stand above the rest.  Also, the video's just fun.  Here's how it's done - it's Big Timber - CRANK IT!

Sevendust

Ok, kids, it is high time that fans of Killswitch Engage become enlightened, and it happens today; as metal bands with soul singers go, it is time for the world to wake up and realize that Killswitch is but a shadow and that Sevendust has always been the sun.  It even kinda says so in the name of the latest record "Black Out the Sun" (or at least, it serves my purpose to say that it does.)  It's Faithless, from the latest record - CRANK IT!

Imperative Reaction

Welcome back, kids.  Today, we're going to grow a little by fiddling with what we call "metal."  Especially at the borders of a musical style, how we classify that style depends on the set of elements that fits the description of each classification in each of our minds.  Now, I know how much you like it when I ramble on, but the gist is that we learn to like a broader range by choosing to.  So, what are the elements of metal?  Heavy bass lines?  Dynamic choruses and dark lyrics?  Breakdowns?  I'd like you to listen to today's selection (at an obscene volume), going in already thinking of it as metal.  I think you're going to like not being hemmed in; if not, sue me.  No, don't sue me.  It's Imperative Reaction - CRANK IT!

Flashback - Pentagram

Holy crap, kids, it's that time again: FLASHBACK!  So, the other night I watched an uplifting (weird in this context, I realize) documentary called Last Days Here, about Bobby Liebling, the singer of the doom/stoner band Pentagram since its inception in 1971.  Without going into too much detail (and because you should watch the film yourself), a guy accidentally uncovers the 1985 Pentagram album "Relentless" in a record store, listens to it, feels the lightning bolt, and, when he looks to see if the band still exists, discovers that it has existed off and on through the decades because of Liebling's talent, but that he is a smack addict living in his parents' basement within driving distance; this guy then goes and meets Bobby, and realizes that inside this shell is still the guy who sings on the records, the guy who still creates and wants to live, and helps him get his act together with a new band, album, and tour.  A lot more happens, but the point is, if you're into Black Sabbath or Electric Wizard or ROCKING, put on a diaper and listen to Pentagram (because you'll crap yer pants - do I have to explain that?) - here's "Sign of the Wolf" - CRANK IT!

Kittie

Ok kids, so just for fun, see if you need more than one hand's worth of fingers to count the non-cover band all-female metal groups that are worth listening to; off the top of my head, it's pretty much just L7 and Kittie - CRANK IT!

The Sword

Ok kids, I'm sorry to post this so late in the day; I was on the road home today, but I promise I didn't forget about you.  Anyway, I do a fairly brisk business in listening to stoner metal, and along with the great ones, Black Sabbath, and the heaviest band in the universe, whose name I will not disclose to the uninitiated just yet, The Sword is what's up.  It's Arrows in the Dark - CRANK IT!

UPDATE 8/29/15:  The new album High Country is The Sword's best work to date - BUY IT.