Technical and multifaceted extreme metal is sometimes hard to digest on the first (or even 15th listen). We can't count the number of times we were fairly unimpressed by something, and then six months later that record wound up on our year-end top 10 list. In fact, many of our all-time favorite records are ones we initially had trouble grasping. Fortunately, experimental and progressive Norwegian band, Enslaved, are streaming their new album, Vertebrae, for fans a full month before it hits shelves in the U.S. on Octover 28.

To be honest, Enslaved probably weren't thinking of us Yanks when they set up a streaming link with the folks over at Terrorizer.com,. The disc actually comes out in Europe in about a week, but their oversight is our gain. We've got no idea if the link will still be up after the end of the month, but it's there now. Click "more" to check it out. Read more...

When it comes to The Human Abstract, just forget about labels. These guys are much more shredders or prog-rockers. most of all, they're really strong songwriters. The band's new album, Midheaven, abounds with technical musicianship, memorable hooks and emotional vocals that'll keep you thinking long after you've stopped listening.

"It's a concept album, and therefore within the analogy of each song, tells an overall story," says singer Nathan Ells. "[It's] the oldest story of all mankind -- one of unforeseen devastation,
overcoming all obstacles to recover from the setbacks, only to self-destruct our own society in the end."

This week, "Headbangers Ball" will debut the video for the first single, "Procession of the Fates." Click more to find out more from Ells and watch the Internet premiere. Read more...