Thanks Bob,
I think that there is some fantastically interesting stuff going on in metal these days.
My faves of late are Sunn 0))), sometimes referred to as sludge metal. Their new album is fabulous. Super slow, no lightning riffs here. And a major workout for any system's lower end.
Also a big fan of a band called Baroness from Georgia. Lil bit of a Southern flavor, and a great set of songs.