Welcome to the rock history class you actually want to take! In this blistering 56th installment, Mike and Michael balance pure speed and thunderous riffs with raw emotional weight as they journey from the golden era of thrash to one of history's most heartbreaking ballads.

The Art of Discovery highlights three groundbreaking independent acts carving out brilliant spaces in the underground metal scene:

• The crushing, aggressive metalcore soundscapes of Of Malice
• Arizona's vicious, high-octane heavy metal force Vertebraeker
• The intensely emotional, relentless metalcore outfit Motherwell hailing from Connecticut

From there, we brace ourselves for our main feature: an extensive, track-by-track dissection  ...