Necromancing the Stone - Jewel of the Vile

When I read this band's name I was all geared up to hate everything about them...then I pushed play. Call it a guilty pleasure if you must, but this shit rips so fucking hard. It scratches my itch for riff-driven NWOBHM in a BIG way, and the vocals are the perfect mix of bravado and croon. Necromancing the Stone are a "super group," featuring Jeff Loomis (Nevermore), James Malone (Arsis), Bart Williams (The Black Dhalia Murder), and Jeramie Kling (Ribspreader), in addition to vocalist John Williams (not that one) and guitarist Justin Wood. So, yeah, their name is a pretty obvious and lame pun–but this album is super fun. Don't we deserve some fun?

Hails y'all