13 Faces

Two things distinguish 13 Faces from the internationally acclaimed metal-crossover bands like it: The Cleveland quartet hasn't signed paperwork attaching it to a big label's PR machine (yet). And 13 Faces is better than most of those who have. The band's full-length debut, These Bloody Hands, pulses with all the bloodletting power of the high-body-count video games the band plays when not designing the most aggressive hardcore it can imagine.

The Faces' brute power and technical proficiency unfold as a steady assault of scabrous bass, boundless grind riffs, and diesel-powered drumming. Rob Runt's deep roars arrive in three-minute bursts, his range hovering tolerably between the vocal stylings of Cookie Monster and Slipknot's Corey Taylor. Surprisingly dense with hooks, the songs tend toward pit-ready revelations of rage, in tunes like the title track, "Everything Hates," and "Waiting for Death." 13 Faces is Cleveland's answer to Hatebreed; but even if it had the backing to land on Ozzfest, it'd be too heavy to fit in.