New Mexico

New Mexico:

Leeches of Lore

CITY: Albuquerque
SONGS THAT GOT US: "The Zarn," "The Worms"
MYSPACE ADDRESS: myspace.com/leechesoflore
RECORD LABEL: Meteor City/Flying Midget

WHY THEM? Dropping the proverbial needle on a LOL track will probably have you checking the settings on your time machine — heavy riffage aside, this desert-scorched trio make music full of such glottal screams, fuzzed leads, and hot organ fury that it's hard to believe it was made post-1974. A little bit of Sabbath is in there, sure, but a healthy dollop of Uriah Heep and a shake or three of Kansas never hurt anybody — at least when the jams are this tight.

BONUS BIT The band definitely has a predilection for odd animal imagery: they have normal beasts populating tunes like "Cougar Vs. Bear" and "Pig Scrapings" — but then things get strange with "Machrochelys Temminckii," the Latin term for the alligator snapping turtle.

New York

New Jersey