Album Of The Week: Black Tusk Set The Dial

From where I'm sitting, the best heavy metal in the world is being made in the American Southeast, by heavily bearded and tattooed bands who know just what to do with a fuzz-pedal. Mastodon, who have been drifting toward watery prog lately, are probably nonetheless patron saints of this great little wave. Kylesa and Baroness, from Savannah, and Torche, from Miami, are linchpins. Last year, Kylesa released the furious Spiral Shadow, a truly righteous combination of skyward hooks and merciless pummel that probably stands as my favorite metal record of the past few years. This year, Arkansas bashers Rwake got close to it with Rest, an album of guttural 12-minute suites that was my favorite 2011 metal album until this week. Now, that title belongs to another Savannah band, one with plenty of connections to the other bands from this region. Black Tusk have just released their new one Set The Dial, and it is awesome.