Three Inches of Blood

“Advance and Vanquish” (Roadrunner)

Compare to: Iron Maiden, Metalucifer, Megadeth

Canada — friendly people, hockey, maple syrup and a host of other things symbolize our friendly neighbor to the north.

Though the list may be extensive, it’s doubtful too many people will say heavy metal.

Perhaps that is why Canadian metal outfit Three Inches of Blood has been able to take metal audiences by storm and make a name for itself so quietly.

After inking a deal with one of the largest metal labels, Roadrunner, earlier this year, it’s fair to say that people expected a lot from the band. Now that its newest album “Advance and Vanquish” has hit stores, it is safe to say the band has risen to the challenge. In the process, it has put out one of, if not the best, metal albums of 2004.

The best way to describe Three Inches of Blood would be to label it as sort of a modern power-metal band, but in a good way.

The band plays straight-up heavy metal reminiscent of metal’s glory days. Each song is filled with high-pitched wails, plenty of guitar solos and lyrics that are better suited for an adventure novel or a dungeons and dragons adventure.

The fantasy-influenced lyrics, which include themes of fighting orcs and ruthless tyrants, give the band an almost comical edge that actually makes listening to the album fun and interesting. The album’s tales of conquest and battle are more than attempts to recreate the glory days of heavy metal. The band actually adds its own touches to the style instead of simply trying to replicate metal royalty such as Dio or Judas Priest.

One of the best additions is the group’s use of two vocalists. One has a more contemporary metal growl that complements the piercing screaming of the other.

“Advance and Vanquish” is a nearly flawless album that perfectly blends elements of old school metal and modern heavy metal. This is one for the kids who never cut their hair and still lament over the breakup of Saxon.

— Dante Sacomani

Strung Out

“Exile in Oblivion” (Fat Wreck Chords)

Compare to: Fenix TX, Boy Sets Fire, Finch

After seven albums, Strung Out has proven itself in the world of anti-MTV punk.

The follow-up to the band’s first quasi-mainstream album, 2002’s “An American Paradox,” the eighth album, “Exile in Oblivion,” is rife with clean, melodic singing perched atop metalized punk guitar and pulsating drum beats.

Strung Out is not just another band riding the current wave of post-punk, Iron Maiden riffs. This SoCal quintet has been tooling around with this concept since the band’s inception in 1992, and even though it seems as if every band in the Western Hemisphere is now copying this sound, “Exile in Oblivion” is quite an anomaly within this genre in that it is sans radio-polished fluff.

Not to say that every song on the album is of the head-banging ilk. Many songs, like “Angeldust” and “Anna Lee,” seem to be teetering on the edge of mainstream. But, since it seems illogical that any band on Fat Wreck Chords could ever sell out, one needn’t worry about pop culture pilfering this band.

Although Strung Out isn’t above singing about failed relationships on “Exile in Oblivion,” it pulls off this clich‚ in a “totally destroy everything she owns” kind of way, instead of the usual “crying into a gallon of Ben and Jerry’s” way the Backstreet Boys used to promote.

The album starts off a little slow, but the band quickly steps on the gas. “Exile in Oblivion” gets better and better as it moves forward, and the last three songs — “Scarlet,” “Swan Dive” and “The Misanthropic Principle” — are the three gems of the album, with melodic choruses set apart by pounding, vociferous guitar solos.

“Exile in Oblivion” could be a great find for those who revel in that warm, fuzzy feeling of owning an obscure album from an obscure band without having to deal with the extremely hardcore, screaming, indecipherable sound a lot of truly underground music has.

— Andrew Shafer

Nasum

“Shift” (Relapse)

Compare to: Gadget, Catheter, Pig Destroyer

Most extreme metal bands continue to flog the same dying horse, grunting sophomoric lyrics derived from B-grade horror movies as they batter you senseless with indecipherably fast, brutal music.

Sweden’s Nasum, however, is an entirely different yet no less ferocious beast. Incorporating an ear-murdering mix of hardcore and grind with socially conscious lyrics, Nasum shows on its fourth album “Shift” that brains and brawn can co-exist in the oftentimes ridiculous world of heavy metal.

On “Shift,” Nasum continues to tackle real-life issues in the tradition of politically and socially conscious metal bands such as Napalm Death and Megadeth. “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Scar” is a chilling tale of domestic violence, while “Fight Terror with Terror” is a harsh indictment of the Bush administration’s actions in the war against terrorism.

Coated in a thick and grimy production, “Shift” is a relentlessly paced, uncompromising album that crushes everything its path. Vocalist Mieszko Talarczyk barks and growls like a rabid pitbull that has been starved for weeks and jabbed repeatedly with sharp objects as he and newcomer guitarist Urban Skytt thrash away at their instruments as if the fate of the free world depends on it.

As a unit, the band sounds tighter than ever, honing each song into a violently precise musical smartbomb.

Unlike many grindcore bands, Nasum continues to develop a varied and thoughtful approach to the genre. Whether firing off the 32-second “No Paradise for the Damned” or locking into a slow and pummeling groove on “Wrath,” the fact that “Shift” doesn’t turn into a mind-numbing blur of speed and brutality attests to the band’s progression as musicians.

Combining a furious musical assault with a penetrating verbal attack, Nasum proves with “Shift” that heavy metal doesn’t have to be the work of leather-clad Neanderthals.

— Joshua Haun

Saint Etienne

“Travel Edition 1990-2005” (Sub Pop)

Compare to: Stereolab, Frou Frou, Air

Every so often, Americans need refreshment from the typical ultra-remixed club music — one that allows clubgoers to escape the sweaty pool of techno-laced hip-hop and candy pop and delve into something a little more diverse.

Welcome Saint Etienne, a band that has been around since 1990 when its first single, a cover of Neil Young’s “Only Love Can Break Your Heart,” was released.

And now, almost 15 years later, the trio of Bob Stanley, Pete Wiggs and Sarah Cracknell is reminiscing a career that unveiled an effervescent union of ’60s British pop, electronically charged dance beats and witty indie rock.

“Travel Edition 1990-2005” is not only a collection of the band’s singles; it pulls highlights from all six of the band’s albums, past tracks released only in the U.K. and two previously unreleased pieces.

“Only Love Can Break Your Heart” quickly changes the mood, showing off the band’s true colors. The throbbing techno beat is spiked with playful synths and Cracknell’s sophisticated and stylish vocals. Dance floor hits like “Hug My Soul” and “Nothing Can Stop Us Now” further illustrate the lush sound of Saint Etienne.

Constantly on the upbeat side, the band never stops to catch its breath. Only on the moderately less energetic tracks “Heart Failed (In the Back of a Taxi)” and “How We Used to Live” can a listener validate that the band is taking it down a notch. Even then, Cracknell evokes her mysterious charm and lures audiences into the music with her ethereal voice and clever lyrics.

Saint Etienne makes excellent use of its technology, incorporating just enough to flicker a giddy first reaction without overshadowing the equally important elements of the band.

Nevertheless, Saint Etienne knows what it takes to stand out among the throngs of Europop acts: stylish compositions and vocals.

— Katie Piepel