Dark Ages was a supremely confident slice of sludge metal. Perhaps emboldened by the praise it received, the band gets little adventurous on Lovelessness.
Metalcore stalwarts As I Lay Dying make good, sometimes not great, melodic metal. Their catalog feels a little clogged with solid rather than stellar material.
Room to breathe, subtle and singable leads, impressive (but not showoff) rhythm and bass and drumming (numerous fills to make Mastodon fans nod appreciatively).