36 Crazyfists

Somewhere between a less complicated version of Voivod, a poppier version of Deftones and a more metallic Coheed and Cambria sits Portland-based 36 Crazyfists. Transplanted from their native Alaska, their 11-track sophomore disc is a musical love letter to the land of the midnight sun. Vocalist Brock Lindow’s tortured howls and screams hauntingly accent the prog-tinged chug-metal groove of his bandmates as he recalls life in what we can only imagine to be one of the most desolate and depressing living environments on earth (think about it — year-round winter, nights without darkness and days without light? No thanks). But if it inspires decent music, who are we to judge?