New Music: Leprous - Coal

Album Score: 9/10

Yes, Leprous is still known for being “Ihsahn’s backing band.” But if it keeps this up, that’s going to change in a hurry. With its fourth album, the Norwegian quintet has created something truly its own, perhaps comparable to acts like Opeth and Enslaved, but bursting with fresh intensity throughout. There are moments that challenge you to wrap your head around exactly what’s going on, and equally numerous times that you’ll be swept away by anthemic choruses. Opener “Foe” revolves around a 5/4 time signature broken into 3+2 as the instruments run circles around each other and refuse to settle into a groove; the second half of “Chronic,” however, does the heavy lifting you as singer Einar Soldberg intones, “Stars, they lie where we can’t see them...” over and over, sharp guitar lines building behind him, the sound growing in intensity despite an ever-slowing tempo. Many of the songs contain a balance of styles as the band toys with the line between being soothing and stimulating.

Metal Scenes: Finland

Key Release: Once (2004)

Nightwish

You know you’ve made it when people are lining up to write movies to your soundtrack. Perhaps Finland's most famous metal band, Nightwish has crossed over into the mainstream with its keyboard-driven power metal, often accompanied by a full orchestra. Long-time vocalist Tarja Turnunen was fired in 2007 – though not before an extremely emotional and bombastic final concert that became the End of an Era DVD – and new singer Annette Olzon has taken the band in a more mainstream direction with increased commercial success. The backbone of the band has always been keyboardist and songwriter Tuomas Holopainen, who also handles the symphonic accompaniments. Nightwish’s most recent effort, Imaginaerum, is set to be released as a feature film later this year.

Artist Highlight: Agalloch

Key Release: The Mantle (2002)

Crossover metal is all the rage these days: progressive jazz-fusion, melodic post-hardcore, symphonic tech-death – just throw a bunch of genres in a blender and see what you get. But before all the stylistic absurdity, Agalloch made a name for themselves by putting some beauty in the most extreme of genres – black metal. Founded in Portland, Oregon in 1995 by multi-instrumentalist John Haughm, the band has become one of the most popular “extreme” acts in the United States thanks to its gripping storytelling and widely appreciable sound. In its four full-length albums, Agalloch has explored a wide spectrum with Scandanavian-style black metal at one end and lush acoustic folk arrangements at the other. 2002’s The Mantle proved a breakthrough effort, tipping the scales in favor of clean vocals and dreamy guitar interludes and saving the caustic peaks for the most emotionally gripping moments.

Artist Highlight: Giant Squid

Key Release: The Ichthyologist (2009)

With some bands, you know exactly what you're going to get each time out. They sit in your comfort zone and make you feel happy and at home. Then there's Giant Squid, San Francisco's most wonderfully bizarre progressive metal group. The band began as an indie-rock outfit with Monster in the Creek, hit us with their first full-length -- the contemplative, doomy Metridium Fields -- and then threw the playbook out the window on their stupefying follow-up, The Ichthyologist. Attempting to pin Giant Squid’s sound down is an exercise in futility, but much like its namesake, it’s generally dark, massive, and mysterious.

Metal Scenes: Atlanta / Savannah, Georgia

Mastodon

Key Release: Leviathan (2004)

From its thunderous debut Remission through 2009’s psychedelic journey Crack the Skye, Mastodon has reinvented itself with each of five stellar LP’s. The band's most recent effort, The Hunter, netted it a second Grammy Nomination and “Album of the Year” awards from prominent magazines Kerrang, Metal Hammer, Rock Sound, Classic Rock, and The Times.

New Music: The Ocean - Pelagial

Album Rating: 10/10

In the wake of The Ocean’s polarizing duo Heliocentric and Anthropocentric, its next album was bound to be a make-or-break affair. Pelagial arrives on the heels of two and half years of hand-wringing, lukewarm positivity, and general bewilderment over its immediate predecessors. After Precambrian (2007) capitalized on The Ocean’s ability to meld atmospheric and brutal songwriting to critical acclaim, bandleader Robin Staps broke up the Collective in favor of a stable lineup. It turned out some growing pains were in order: 2010’s Heliocentric showcased new singer Loic Rossetti’s dynamic voice, but often subjected its audience to awkward lyrical concepts and ballads that hung their new singer out to dry. Seven months later, Anthropocentric showcased a tighter and heavier sound , but otherwise did little to dissuade the trepidation of many fans. With Pelagial, those fears about the Ocean’s future can finally be laid to rest.