7) The Dillinger Escape Plan, One of Us Is The Killer (Sumerian)

The Dillinger Escape Plan is one of those bands that you either love or you can’t stand. Much like Converge, their music features layer upon layer of frenetic, often-dissonant instrumentation that can be unpalatable to some (I’ve used it to annoy my parents on a few occasions, they complain it makes them anxious).  But, One of Us is the Killer seems to showcase a different side of the band, without sacrificing the signature aspects of their sound and the intensity that their fans love. For me this is showcased best on the track “Crossburner”.  As a whole, the record is a strong followup to 2010’s Option Paralysis and should be more accessible to a wider audience and help to propel them to play bigger stages and better tours.

6) Tesseract. Altered State (Century Media)

As the first full-length from the band with new vocalist, Ashe O’Hara, there were certainly high hopes  for this release, and Altered State seems to have not only met, but also exceeded them. The record is probably the catchiest of those on this list, with soaring vocal harmonies that are very memorable, backed by impressive guitar work and syncopated drumming.  Yes this is one of a few “djent” bands on this list, but I assure you, Tesseract and the others that follow each bring their own unique flavor in their execution of this style. “Nocturne” and “Singularity” are good examples of the level of musicianship on this album.

5) The Black Dahlia Murder, Everblack (Metal Blade)

Seeing these guys on Warped Tour this year was way beyond cool, and so was this record.  Yes, it was arguably not that big of a change from past records, aside from guitar riffs that were perhaps just slightly more intricate and face-melting.  But that’s o.k., there aren’t a lot of bands that sound anything like TBDM, so why fix something that isn’t broken?  The biggest change of course was more of a lineup one, with veteran skinsman Shannon Lucas replaced by the talented Alan Cassidy. The switch isn’t extremely noticeable, Cassidy is plenty capable of assuming aspects of Lucas’s aggressive and fast style, but does seem to add flourishes of his own that make the drums on this record a bit more interesting, relying less on the blast beats that are a staple of prior TBDM records.  With lyrics that are just as dark, twisted, and awesome as one might hope for on one, it’s hard to find anything negative to say about Everblack.