The Cave Soundtrack

(Lakeshore)
By Scott Hefflon

Roadrunner is helping out with this, but before you groan, only the cream of the crop are here, and their slew of overrated opening bands aren’t snuck in (unless that’s who Vext, Burning Bridges, and Egypt Central are): This is what’s hot, like it or not. Like the Headbanger’s Ball series (also assisted by Roadrunner), you can now play all these bands back to back, pick your faves, and realize who’s a fashion band and who deserve every word of praise they get. (Actually, there’s no real fashion band here: These range from “pretty good, but kinda dumb and straight-forward” to the best of the best, at least in America [and Canada].)

Bands showing what they’ve got: Killswitch Engage, Nightwish, Atreyu, Ill Nino, Shadows Fall, Trivium, Lacuna Coil, Open Hand, Bleeding Through, Diecast, Strapping Young Lad, Bury Your Dead, It Dies Today, Mastodon, Vext, Burning Bridges, Egypt Central, Devilinside, and Canderia.