Jucifer

The guitarist grimace has been well documented. Photographers the world over have captured that pursed expression so often seen on the faces of guitarists, as if they're experiencing orgasm through a vise grip. Drummers, though, have not gotten their due since the 1978 death of Keith Moon. However, since Jucifer formed in 1995, the Athens, Georgia couple has charted a trajectory that may reverse this trend.

Not that howling guitarist Amber Valentine isn't striking in her own right. But drummer Ed Livengood, playing like a Muppet on crank, continually draws attention as he hammers his drum kit like a flailing octopus with a flip-top head. Between them, they produce a barrage of sweltering, sludgy rock in the tradition passed from Black Sabbath to the Melvins to Kyuss. Jucifer is monolithic, from its stage packed with amps to its psychedelic snarl. Picture that.