DEVILS OF BELGRADE

Interesting instrumental metal bands are about as rare as a hot chick at a Star Trek convention, and ones that flat-out kick ass are so scarce as to become legendary almost just for existing. From the stoner-tinged riffing of KARMA TO BURN to the tech-metal wizardry of ELECTRO QUARTERSTAFF, having the balls to pull off amazing metal without benefit of a singer is a celebrated, if exceedingly rare, talent. And these bands seem to appear in the most backwater-y places — rural West Virginia and the wilds of western Canada, in the above cases. Could it be the relative isolation that allows them to follow their own muse with less pressure to fit into a scene?

Indianapolis, Indiana metallers DEVILS OF BELGRADE aren't entirely instrumental — they bellow on one track — but after hearing the unbelievably awesome opener "Swirling Frozen Doom", you won't care if they ever turn on their vocal mikes. They're an interesting animal — they could play with MASTODON or MEGADETH, but aren't much like either. They're skilled at some greasy grooves, but lay prog-metal riffing over those and add a little hint of technicality to keep things interesting without turning the whole thing into a science experiment. The resulting mix of hooky, horns-in-the-air rock and impressive classic metal grandeur is simply jaw-dropping.

Just delve into the aforementioned "Swirling Frozen Doom", in which melodies careen off each other and an insistent rhythm section turns the song into an anthemic call to arms. "Phantom Skull" starts off thrashy and slides into a slippery midtempo groove with a fluid, emotional, slightly flashy solo — think Chris Poland's solo work with a bit more '80s thrash vibe and you'll be somewhere in the vicinity, at least until the band changes gears again. These guys are masters of their instruments, and play like it, but they write so well, and make it look so easy, that it takes a while to realize you're being serenaded by evil geniuses. No one's beating you over the head with shredding virtuosity, because they're too busy rocking out, but this band runs circles around most of what's called "prog metal" without even trying.

DEVILS OF BELGRADE are way the hell too good to be this obscure — someone needs to get this band on a label and on the road. Their mix of the progressive and the populist hits the heart and the brain with equal intensity, and anyone who doesn't like "Tracks of the Cloven Hoof" just doesn't like metal, plain and simple.