"I am alive/But I am dispossessed/Can you help me?/Give it to me," Kevomatic sings fiercely on "The Swede." That kind of introspection shows how the face of the genre has changed since Megadeth's "Peace Sells, But Who's Buying?" of 10 years ago. In fact, "metal" hardly seems appropriate for the new bands, like Otis, who have been helping to restore faith in the form by eschewing the cliché'd, Satan-spewing lyrics and melodrama while keeping everything that makes the genre powerful.

-- Mike Piantigini

(Otis play the Phoenix/WFNX Best Music Poll showcase Tuesday, April 16, at Mama Kin.)