Let's say you're a young Spanish band that likes folk music, prog rock and death metal. Could you fuse that into a seamless sound that can carry through an entire album? Probably not. But then, you're not Xhamain.

Xhamain Na Alma (Suspiria Records)

Hailing from Vigo, Xhamain seems to speak/sing in what might be its native Galician. I don't know enough about all that to say for sure, but this isn't Spanish, exactly. Doesn't matter much to me. I'm focused a lot more on the music.

There are plenty of death metal moments, but they're usually expressed within more of a power metal feel. There's a keyboard line that sounds like synthesized bagpipes that drops in and out at seemingly random times. And the vocals are both melodic and grunty, whispered and shouted. The dynamic and sonic range of this band is stunning.

And the songs work. For all of the disparate elements and ideas that meander in and out, these songs have strong bones and don't wander from their center. The window dressing is just that, even if some of those elements are more tapestries than flimsy drapes. This is one of the most ambitious albums I've heard in ages, and every last bit hits home. This one sets the ears on fire.

Jon Worley