Avenged Sevenfold go further down the rabbit hole with an innovative set of progressive metal epics rooted in existential crisis.

Depth and dimension rule the turbulent group improv in "Were You There" before the album closes on a tender, reverent read of "Precious Lord," wherein in each player -- save for the frenetic Taylor -- engages in harmonic blues conversation. Here, the Red Lily Quintet underscores Jackson's import as a visionary and prophet. The approach to her music combines those qualities of the historic past with the power and drama of contemporary life with all its victories and struggles.

Blue Eclipse is fully realized, a 12-track, groove-intensive set that's so smooth and delicious it's a top candidate for the summer soundtrack of 2024.

Bullion's additions to this specific library of sounds are fresh and individualized, making Affection a soft world of its own, and one that merits frequent return visits and continued exploration.

Normal Isn't is focused and polished, going for the jugular on every single track -- both musically and lyrically -- leaving no room for ambiguity. They're pissed and anxious, with a fear that's turned to desperation on lyrical highlights such as "The Quiet Parts," "Thrust," and "A Public Stoning."

Between the Joe Jackson snarl of "Pay No Mind" and the Beatlesque punk riffing of "Little Strange," there's a satisfying balance of smart pop songcraft and rugged power that suggests he's found the sweet spot.

Time has only made Elverum's music more transcendent, and anyone who loves the Microphones or Mount Eerie will find the album's fresh yet timeless perspective on it a fascinating and moving listen.

It's a swaggering, sexy, shake-your-ass, greasy, deep roots record.

Being both ear shattering and spine tingling at once, this is Fugazi at their "musical" best.

Somber and smart, Decoration Day also manages to kick like a mule, and if isn't quite a masterpiece along the lines of Southern Rock Opera, it's strong enough to suggest the Drive By Truckers have another masterpiece in them.

If Showtime isn't the equal artistic success of Boy in da Corner, it's slightly superior, stunning for the facts that it arrives so swiftly after the debut and is far from a retread.

An undoubtedly reactive work, this is undiluted and progressive nonetheless.

What it all comes down to is that Dig!!! Lazarus Dig!!! is a Bad Seeds record that ups the ante once again.

The comprehensive nature changes our perception of an event we all thought we already knew.

Angel Tears in Sunlight, her final album, continues in the same expansive, unconstrained mode as her earlier work but explores different tonal realms.

Within the context of a playlist, any one of a dozen songs here could bridge '50s bop to '60s MPB, or '70s art rock to '80s boogie, or '90s neo-soul to 2000s dubstep. Equally remarkable is that none of it seems devised. It's like these musicians simply radiate the stuff.

It is, quite frankly, Isbell's best solo album thus far.

The tape sources are all official: The Copenhagen gig is remastered from a state radio broadcast and the other two concerts are from producers' archives, making this historic set among the most essential in the Bootleg Series.

These are wild, protean hard rock songs rooted in psychedelic folk and delivered with Green Man-worthy gusto. What's not to love?

It's a lot of samey-sounding material to wade through just to find a slightly different version of "Mississippi." While the remix is instructive, offering insight into Dylan's intentions and making Time Out of Mind seem less like an outlier in his discography, this set is ultimately for the hardcore heads, who don't mind hearing minute variations on familiar themes.

Seventeen discs may be an enormous undertaking, and admittedly some of the road is rocky, but the journey Harry Nilsson takes on The RCA Albums Collection is distinctive and thrilling, whether it's heard for the first or 40th time.

With membership that includes guitarists, string players, multiple percussionists, instrumentalist-vocalists, a woodwindist, and a brass specialist. their sophomore album, caroline 2, is at least as intoxicating as previous releases. Paradoxically exciting and narcotic at the same time.

The album is spacious and remarkably constructed, with hidden compartments built for secret sounds that seem to unlock with repeated listenings. Easily Le Bon's most involved, risky, and satisfying material up until this point.

The Drive-By Truckers are the best, smartest, and most soulful hard rock band to emerge in a very long time.

In looking to capture the ugliness of humanity and parse through the despair that slithers malevolently in its wake, Daughters have crafted their most vital outing to date.

Every bit as creative and trippy as L'Rain's first two albums, I Killed Your Dog has some of the artist's most relatable lyrics, and cuts closer to the bone.

Forfolks is as welcoming as it is musically adventurous. Void of production or virtuosic solo excesses, it allows the listener inside the guitarist's soundworld for an instinctively guided, infectiously listenable tour.

Feel Flows moves the microscope over to one of the group's more interesting and quietly transformative phases, a curious time when their hopes to remain culturally relevant lived alongside some of their most inspired songwriting moments, and an earnest desire to grow artistically.