Willie’s rundown actually has a few great titles we never fully reviewed, plus a little PS with honorable mentions and non-Metal favorites.

Rating: 4.5/5
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Where the second wave of black metal was evil, Satanic, and all about the supernatural, WITTR have spearheaded a movement which spreads its roots deep into the soil of our planet. Be it through sound, lyrical content, or art, this third wave can be summed up with one word: organic.

In many ways, Vermont seems like it would be a breeding ground for pagan black metal; the green mountains, ice cold winters, and expansive forests are prime territory. Though native spirits are rare, it made so much sense for Wolves in the Throne Room to play here on their current tour.

Wolves in the Throne Room are first-rate third-wave black metal. Just as Scandinavia was itself intrinsic to the genre’s original sounds, the Pacific Northwest U.S. gives spirit to these American luminaries.

Rating: 2.5/5
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No band exemplifies the desire to tinker around with black metal more than Avignon’s Peste Noire. But on their latest effort, “L’Ordure à l’État Pur”, the egotism has reached heights beyond what may be considered an enjoyable climb.

Rating: 4.5/5
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Over the course of the last decade, no band has constructed a sound as meticulously unique as the mighty YOB. They have landed in the strange middle ground between Burning Witch and Electric Wizard, all while sounding absolutely nothing like either of those bands.

Rating: 4.5/5
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While the most Strapping-esque release in the Devin Townsend Project’s four-album series, Deconstruction is a deranged mess (I mean this in a very, very good way) which should be distanced from everything Devin has previously done. If this album doesn’t prove to you that metal is one of the most ductile genres — that is, when in the right hands, and Townsend’s hands are certainly “right” — then I have no idea what will.

Rating: 5/5
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If you are strictly a metalhead, I cannot recommend this album to you. However, if you have a more open mind to stuff that lacks any and all aggression, I would, at the very least, give this record a chance. After all, I like it enough to give it my first 5/5 of 2011. Don’t be surprised if it ends up high on my year-end list.

Rating: 4.5/5
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In most cases, Red Fang actually nails the sound of the band they’re impersonating better than the bands themselves. This is what made their self-titled debut so great and what makes “Murder the Mountains” even better.

Rating: 4.5/5
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A Dragged into Sunlight listening experience is akin to watching a Coen Brothers film: you can never tell where they’ll take you next, and will surprise you every time.