Track of the Day: 'Underwear Bomb'

Math metal is a very stern-faced subgenre. Generally, the virtuoso guitarists relish putting together chords and tunings that tie aspiring guitarists in knots. And the time signatures confuse just about everyone. Well, what we have here is an example of how to have fun while also staking your claim to technical superiority. Loincloth is an instrumental three-piece from the Raleigh, North Carolina/Richmond, Virginia region. For the last decade, they have been more rumor than band; a 7"-single here, a track on a compilation there. We finally have a full serving of Loincloth, and while the album's title (Iron Balls of Steel) would amuse Beavis and Butt-head to no end, boy does it sounds like these guys are having fun. This is crisp, complicated, technical metal, but with genuine riffs and less noodling than you might expect. Heavy, yes, but with a welcome touch of smirk.

On iTunes: Loincloth/"UnderwearBomb"