It's a pretty good time for metal. This week, you'll find Shadows Fall's first new studio album in three years, as well as some premo emo metal from the drummer of Underoath and the screamers in Poison the Well. And let's not forget Black Sabbath: The Dio Years, which features three new songs from the only other Sabbath singer that matters.
Shadows Fall — Threads of Life (Atlantic) Okay, here's the question. Will Shadows Fall's ascension from the minor leagues to the majors make them pennant champions or will they be lost in the shuffle? It's too early to say, but they've sure delivered the album that could make them the next Lamb of God. Threads of Life is heavy, immediate and packed with the kind of infectious hooks that echo in your head, even as you sleep. Songs like "Redemption," "Stormwinds" and "The Great Colapse" are less derivative than those of most new American metal bands and they're just as endebted to thrashers like Testament and Exodus as they are to Scandinavians such as At the Gates and In Flames. Seek refuge from the heat in the comfort of the Shadows.
All out War — Assassins in the House of God (Victory) Hardcore metal that combines the minor-key guitar violence of Slayer with the pummeling screamscapes of Sick of it All. The band's fifth release should further help unite fans of hardcore and thrash metal without ever resorting to melodic, sing-songy choruses.
The Almost — Southern Weather (Victory) A more rock-based side project from Underoath drummer Aaron Gillespie, The Almost combines jangly emo guitars, ripping riffs, strained vocal yowls and some pretty irresistible melodies that should appeal equally to fans of Fall Out Boy and Underoath.
American Head Charge — Can't Stop the Machine (Nitrus) The band's third album is a surging mix of metal, alt-rock and industrial music that proves there is still life after nu-metal. Tracks like "JSYK Wired all Wrong" and "Take What I've Taken" could help return the band to the public eye following a few years in limbo.
Black Sabbath — Black Sabbath: The Dio Years (Rhino) For years, Ozzy Osbourne has been the focal point of Black Sabbath. Now it's Ronnie James Dio's turn. In the ‘80s, Dio replaced Ozzy in the band after the Ozzman was fired, and played on three killer albums before drifting into the mist. Black Sabbath: The Dio Years compiles the best of the Dio Sabbath era and features three new songs that fit in well with the rest of their catalog. In case you're still not sold, have a flashcard. Devil horns now, please. http://www.rhino.com/flashcards/blacksabbath/
Poison the Well — Versions (Ferret) Screamo metal fans, this is the album you've been waiting four years for. Following a puzzling stint on Atlantic Records, Versions marks Poison the Well's return to an indie label and a resurrection of the fury and craft that defined them on their debut album, 2002's Tear From the Red. Now mosh and cry.
Static-X — Cannibal (Warner Bros.) This industrial metal band has flirted with various styles including nu-metal, technical metal and hard rock, but with their sixth album, Cannibal, the group has return to the short, sharp shocks and simple arrangements of their 1999 debut, Wisconsin Death Trip, and with crushing results.
Saxon — The Inner Sanctum (SPV/Steamhammer) One of the forefathers of the new wave of British heavy metal, Saxon simply refuse to go away. Their new album, The Inner Sanctum is packed with dramatic arrangements, galloping rhythms and fist-in-sky choruses that'll make you swear 1981 never ended.
