Machine Head experienced a renaissance with the 2007 thrashterpiece The Blackening, and after a long wait, Unto The Locust picks up right where they left off.
Why anyone would abandon a ska-punk band named Bob and the Sagets will remain an eternal mystery. Members joined with some other dudes to form The Menzingers.
Iced Earth picked up Into Eternity screamer Stu Block for this album after the (second) departure of Matt Barlow. Like Ripper Owens, Block is a great fit.
Don’t let the term “neo-shoegaze” fool you. The Bay Area crew will lower your blood pressure in the best way possible with the Cocteau Twins-like hum of “Hide.”
As I Lay Dying has outlasted and outshone nearly all of their peers. Their bulletproof formula of sharp riffs and intermittent clean vocals is on display here.