Cancer Bats bridge hardcore, punk and metal, vacillating from ominous, deep-rutted breakdowns to spiky torrents of scratchy guitar, while singer Liam Cormier goes from feral-but-decipherable growls to speak-singing in the manner of Henry Rollins. The tempos aren't fast but they hit hard, and the band effectively uses dynamics to shape its songs. They followed 2008's Juno-nominated second album, Hail Destroyer, with the more massive Bears, Mayors, Scraps & Bones, which successfully captures the concussive power and preternatural tightness of their live shows, thanks in part to new bassist and backing vocalist Jaye Schwarzer. —Chris Parker