After spending a few years lost in the nu-metal wilderness, influential groove metal act Machine Head took steps towards the light with Through the Ashes of Empires. They fully achieved forgiveness with 2007’s The Blackening. Epic begins to describe it — Robb Flynn and his cohorts fold together influences from progressive metal, thrash, and even the sweetly-sung choruses of the recently-ascendant metalcore movement into a stunning collection of complex, multi-part songs that never feel their length. From opening gut punch “Clenching the Fists of Dissent” to spitting-mad rebuttal “Aesthetics of Hate” to the rabid “Wolves,” it’s a true love letter to metal and all the emotional catharsis it’s capable of providing.

– Jeff Treppel