7) High on Fire, Luminiferous (eOne)
Matt Pike and his rhythm section in High on Fire don’t reinvent the wheel on their 7th album, but it’s a goddamned good wheel that doesn’t need reinventing. Like Motorhead on better speed, the trio continue to churn out metal that’s like Black Sabbath on hyperspeed. Now that Matt Pike is clean(er), he’s started to become more of a conspiracy theorist than he’s ever been, which somehow just makes the lyrics he barks out just that much more glorious and unhinged. And there are some variations on the typical HoF theme, like “The Cave,” where Pike actually sings and the tempo slows down. But album opener “The Black Plot” is the best song the band have written since “Snakes for the Divine.”
Key track: “The Black Plot”
6) Baroness, Purple (Abraxan Hymns)
Is it cheating to pick an album that technically isn’t out yet? I don’t think so, since it will be out in 2015. We’ve had the album at work for a while (being press has its advantages), and it’s the most focused and song-driven album the band have put out yet. Streamlining Yellow and Green into one album and taking some of the aggression from The Red Album, and featuring amazing production from Dave Fridmann (those drums!), this should take the band to the next level that they were robbed of following their bus accident three years ago.
Key track: “Morningstar”
5) Intronaut, The Direction of Last Things (Century Media)
Intronaut have been pretty weird for years now. Proggy at times, jazzy at others, and always metal, their fifth album is their most realized. Parts of songs in the past have been amazing, but from beginning to end, this rips. Not sure whether it’s Devin Townsend’s mixing that helped make this my favorite album they put out, or their over the top video for “Fast Worms,” which in my opinion is the best song they’ve written to date.
Key track: “Fast Worms”
4) Clutch, Psychic Warfare (Weathermaker)
Over 20 years into their career, Clutch just released the best-selling album yet. In a world where physical CD sales are slowing down if your name isn’t Adele, these guys are just getting more popular, and they’re one of the few bands in their position to decide not to release the album on streaming services. A successor to Earth Rocker, the new album shares its DNA of upbeat, ass-shaking rock and roll and Neil Fallon’s surrealist lyrics. Are Clutch getting better with age? Maybe, but they’re also getting more successful without selling out in any way.
Key track: Firebirds”
