Metal bands have long been preoccupied with war imagery, but as Strapping Young Lad's SYL and Lamb of God's As the Palaces Burn show, that doesn't necessarily translate to them being pro-war. In a tradition dating back to Black Sabbath's "War Pigs," these albums survey the current political situation by addressing classic feelings of fear, hopelessness, and distrust of authority.

SYL is Strapping Young Lad's first album in six years. The reason for the delay is that their balding, glasses-wearing frontman, Devin Townsend, had announced he was quitting metal because he didn't feel angry enough to play it anymore. Reinspired by the events of you-know-when, he and his band have come up with a monster of an album that transcends their reputation as zany metal virtuosos with a self-deflating sense of humor (exemplified by album titles such as No Sleep Till Bedtime). Honestly, what they're doing here isn't really my kind of metal, owing to the glistening-under-the-surface keyboards and the compacted, industrial-tinged production that is a step away from something like Slipknot's. I like it anyway, though, because of the band's incredibly impassioned performance. They come at you 100 miles an hour with all sorts of crazy riffs, complex drumming, and screaming vocals, yet their songs remain memorable, with a triumphant old-school metal vibe worthy of Ronnie James Dio. Three years ago I would've said that's a bad thing, but you live and learn.

Lamb of God are no slouches, either. Produced by Townsend, As the Palaces Burn takes aim at both the warmongering right – "Blood Junkie" is a direct indictment of the Bushes – and the complacency of the media-spoon-fed masses. "In such a world as this does one dare to think for himself?" they ask on "My Redemption, Your Demise." Musically, the band combine the heavyweight grooves of Slayer and Sepultura with the regimented, mathematical rhythms of Sweden's Meshuggah and the dark, anxious melodies of another Swedish band, At the Gates. Despite the far-flung inspirations, they've boiled it all down to their own hard-as-hell metal alloy, and they deliver it all with a distinctive Southern-accented swagger (they're from Richmond, Va., after all). Like SYL, As the Palaces Burn will show up on a lot of metal magazines' year-end best-of lists, but in case the apocalypse strikes before then, you can also catch both of these bands live around these here parts.

Strapping Young Lad play Wed/30, Edge, Palo Alto. (650) 289-0222. Lamb of God perform Sun/4, Pound S.F., S.F. (415) 826-9202. (Will York)

Freeform
Condensed (Finest Filets 1997-2002) (Nonplace)

Simon Pyke has been releasing music as Freeform on respected but somewhat obscure labels like Quartermass, Skam, and Worm Interface for more than five years and has continuously refined his approach. For Condensed, Nonplace mastermind Burnt Friedman picks and chooses from Pyke's past, editing, remastering, and "condensing" tracks to create a mix that illustrates the development of a relentlessly inventive composer.

One could easily toss Pyke into the IDM camp, but that would ignore his excursions into dub, techno, and ambient – forays that typify his willingness to expand electronic music beyond the constraints of genre. Check "Phu Quoc," which pairs squealing electric guitars and a warbling, processed vocal with stuttering breakbeats that sound like a skipping CD. While this track from the excellent album Audiotourism: Vietnam and China (Quartermass) has enough of a groove to at least reference the dance floor, the majority of Condensed, even with Friedman's editing, seems designed more for listening than for breaking a sweat. From the refracted synths and plosive blips on "Foil" to the clicking percussion and liquid bounce of "Spandoe," each track's sonic dialogue rewards an attentive audience.

One sour note: Friedman's attempts at making this a mix album by linking some of the tracks together. Though his actual edits of the songs are commendable, more than a few artlessly jarring transitions left me wishing for a more straightforward compilation of Freeform's refreshingly ambitious music. (Peter Nicholson)

Tim Bluhm
The Soft Adventure EP/Colts (California Recordings)
M. War
Transfiguration of Vincent (Merge)

Is it our breath? Why is it that now-and-again northern California singer-songwriters such as Tim Bluhm and M. Ward have to hightail it out of the area to produce some of their finest work? The strength of The Soft Adventure EP/Colts and Transfiguration of Vincent might say something about our lack of appreciation for this region's many talented locals.

To get very unscientific with it, Bluhm probably has gotten a bum rap over the years by hepcats dismissive of his former band, Mother Hips. But if the tastemakers just got over the group's awful name, they'd find some likable, quietly ambitious folk rock, ready to slot in between Beachwood Sparks and the Waxwings – primarily thanks to Bluhm. It's not too late to come around. This disc includes an EP's worth of newer numbers and a "lost album," Colts. After spending some time following the sun and surf in his van, Bluhm comfortably settles into a graceful country rock groove, occasionally venturing, like Ward, into a spacious, sparsely decorated junkyard of odd sounds familiar to Wilco and Sparklehorse listeners. No matter, just drop your tired snap judgments and listen up to this unsung cosmic cowboy.