On the subject of metal being alive and well with different genres pushing the sound in a thousand different directions..........some you'll love, some you'll hate. I think all this stuff is freaking awesome. Shrug.

LunarSea-Beside the Driver Power Metal with melo-death overtones

Nightwish-Planet Hell Operatic/Symphonic Metal The woman's vocals are pretty awesome.

Paeredoks-La Cerveza Mas Fina ambient trance/djent All songs instrumental.

Cynic-Evolutionary Sleeper Very jazz inspired jam metal.

Arsis-Face of My Innocence Melodic Death Metal

Textures-Awake 90's rock grunge with djent. Great combo!

Scale the Summit-Age of Tides Trance/Math Metal Progressive. All songs instrumental.

Born of Osiris-Now Arise Math Metal/Djent core. Tosin Abasi of Animals As Leaders was their guitarist on tour

Eluveitie-Calling the Rain Melodic Folk Death. Just plain awesome!

iwrestledabearonce-Tastes Like Kevin Bacon Grindcore combined with everything from jazz, to pop, to bluegrass, to lounge music. This song, for example, has an interlude that sounds like something The Cranberries would have written. Seriuosly. How do you classify a band like this? This girl's voice is also amazing.

So there ya go. All metal, all good, all different.