Since it's Fourth of July Week, I wanted to showcase some of the most badass American Metal bands spanning the last three decades.*

* Disclaimer: If you're planning on asking, "Where's Metallica?" or "I don't see (fill in the blank with your BFF's thrash/metal crossover from 1992)", I'd like to point out that this isn't some kind of VH1 "Best American Metal" countdown. No, sir. I just wanted to play two hours of great music that just so happens to hail from the muthafuckin' USA! USA! USA!

1. Lamb of God | Vigil | As the Palaces Burn
2. Death | Empty Words | Symbolic
3. High On Fire | Cyclopian Scape | Death Is This Communion
4. Dying Fetus | The Blood of Power | Reign Supreme (Deluxe Version)
5. Obituary | Turned Inside Out | Cause of Death
6. Nile | Tribunal of the Dead | At the Gate of Sethu
7. HELLYEAH | War In Me | War In Me - Single
8. Testament | True American Hate | True American Hate - Single
9. Megadeth | Devil's Island | Peace Sells But Who's Buying? (Remastered) - Single
10. Slayer | Black Magic | Show No Mercy
11. Municipal Waste | The Fatal Feast | The Fatal Feast
12. Manowar | Fast Taker | Battle Hymns
13. The Dillinger Escape Plan | Good Neighbor | Option Paralysis
14. Mastodon | Slickleg | Call of the Mastodon
15. The Locust | Scavenger, Invader | New Erections
16. Shrinebuilder | Science of Anger | Shrinebuilder
17. Pantera | Cowboys from Hell | Cowboys from Hell
18. Down | Never Try | III - Over the Under
19. Karp | Lorch-Miller | Suplex
20. Old Man Gloom | Common Species | No
21. The Sword | Freya | Age of Winters
22. Danzig | Dirty Black Summer | Danzig III - How the Gods Kill

xo Jody