Skull Fist

Hitting their stride at the perfect moment, Toronto, ON-based falsetto metal brigade Skull Fist issue a debut independent album right when their brand of screeching not-thrash-but-really-fast-New Wave Of British Heavy Metal is hot. Honestly though, that's really only amongst kids too young to remember how dudes like Don Dorkken and pre-Cowboys From Hell Pantera were entirely unlike Maiden and actually wound up seeming more like Def Leppard or Mötley Crüe when they were young and almost cool. That said, like their hometown brethren Cauldron, these boys and girl offer more to the leather-studded plate than many of their contemporaries. Foregoing vocals that King Diamond would struggle to hit, the quartet are sincere, more than capable and grounded in some serious shredding. Galloping beats, shit-hot solos and an incredibly advanced sense of structure/melody ensure Heavier Than Metal has more balls than one might initially give it credit for.