In many cases, heavy metal is manifested as either a phase one went through in junior high school or one that some unfortunate souls never grew out of, but if you dig below the surface, you will find that some of the most adventurous music around is being made under that dark mantle. One of the area’s finest practitioners, Thou recently caught the attention of the acclaimed Southern Lord label, and in October played showcases with Sunn 0))) at the Knitting Factory in New York and the Unitarian Church in Philadelphia. Peasant contains Thou’s epic-length “An Age Imprisoned,” which sounds as if a song is thrashing like a dinosaur in a tar pit. “Burning Black Coals and Dark Memories” follows a contemplative path from melancholy to despair. Thou crafts elegant, complex, sometimes difficult music that reaps many rewards if you brave the dark road leading up to it. noladiy.org/thou
Essential Tracks: “Burning Black Coals and Dark Memories,” “The Work Ethic Myth”
Recommended if you like: Sunn 0))), Black Sabbath, darkness
