Brujeria, Mextremist Hits! They're not really Mexican drug dealers, but this incognito side project fooled a lot of people, including yours truly, early on. Heavy, blasphemous, and deeply funny at the same time.

Düreforsög, Engine Machine Sleek, confident art rock from a band of Danish youngsters who are often compared to Wire and This Heat. They're no snotty record-collector-rock band, though, and they've got a flair for gigantic melodies (see "Nothing at All") that separates them from many others attempting this genre.

Flattbush, Smash the Octopus Virtuoso modern grindcore as played by Maoist Filipino emigrants living in SoCal. With bands like the Locust and Daughters making grindcore safe for cool kids, it's nice to see these guys – one of whom manages a Burger King – reclaim the genre for the underdogs of the world.

Kultur Shock, Kultur-Diktatura The unlikely meeting of gypsy folk music and modern alternative metal – and it actually sounds good. The heavy parts are legitimately heavy, the horns are manic and constantly on the money, and the vocals rule too.

W.Y.