Capping Machine Head’s uneven first decade, their 2004 album Through the Ashes of Empires resembled the return of the prodigal son. After starting as hard-hitting metal purists, the Oakland, California-based quartet detoured disastrously into nü metal, nearly broke up, then returned to thrash glory on their most recent record. The Blackening simply takes the paint-peeling sound of Ashes and adds even more, creating a head-banging epic of the type unseen since Metallica’s …And Justice for All. The semi-philosophical lyrics in these long songs would be more impressive if they didn’t seem cribbed from comic books, but the best bits are golden, as when “Aesthetics of Hate” cuts from screaming guitars to an ominously whispered, “May the hands of God strike them down.” Without oversize hooks, calls for biblical vengeance just sound silly.

Download: “Halo,” “Aesthetics of Hate”