Moon Tooth Crux Review: The Best Prog-Metal Album You Haven't Heard (+ Rubble Bucket)

Episode 2 of Verse Chorus Verse — David and Sven swap two albums from opposite ends of the indie spectrum and review them honestly.First: Rubble Bucket's Survival Sounds (2014). A Brooklyn brass-and-synth indie band whose lead singer Anna Calvi wrote most of this album while battling cancer and recovering from a bad breakup — context that reframes every lyric. David gives a track-by-track breakdown covering On the Ground, Carousel Ride, Rewind, Major Roxy (his favorite), and more. Sounds like Cold War Kids meets Arcade Fire with Oingo Boingo horns. 8/10 fixie bikes.Then: Moon Tooth's Crux (2019). Prog-metal from Long Island produced by Mark Morton (Lamb of God) and Machine (Clutch, Fallout Boy). Nick Lee's guitar work is the headline — tasteful, intelligent solos with real note choices — and Ray Marte's drumming across Trust, Omega Days, and Rhythm and Roar is unreal. This is the road trip metal album that could play on mainstream rock radio if the world was paying attention. 9/10.Two underrated albums, two music nerds, one great conversation about production, brass sections, and why not every song needs vocals.