18. Black Tusk - Set The Dial
Black Tusk show up at 18, a band that have started to emerge in popularity in the past 2 or 3 years. They are a well oiled team of 3 who put out pummeling sludge anthems about Satan, the world ending, and everything unholy. They're also a band I decided to try out because of my John Baizley rule which is: If a band had John Baizley do the artwork for their album, then it's a 95% guarantee that they kick major ass. I'm telling you it hasn't failed me yet. Black Tusk's 3 members handle guitar, bass guitar, and drums individually, but join forces to add a shit load of variety to vocals. The fact that they add these the distinct layers of vocals provide for interesting dynamics, and they've got the tunes to back up any doubts people might have. Set The Dial is their most recent effort from 2011, but it is their strongest effort yet. I mentioned that they're a sludge metal band, and guitar is sludgy as molasses, bass is kind of a counteract to the sludgy tones, and the drummer is reminisent of a brann dailor fan, all the while providing his own flash. A great thing about this band is that after awhile of pummeling songs that work out your ears, they provide a break, with slow, ambient like songs that crescendo leading into another set of pummelation(yes, pummelation) so it's very easy to go through the album in one sitting, and a great one to come back to. So if you're a fan of Mastodon, Baroness, Kylesa and/or Crowbar, you should really check these guys out, it's completely worth your while
Favorite Tracks: Bring Me Darkness, Mass Devotion, Set the Dial to Your Doom, This Time Is Divine, Growing Horns, Crossroads & Thunder