Viking's Choice: Dust Moth, 'Lift'

Seattle's Dust Moth scans metal: Thick riffs rumble in and out of heavy atmospheres, with sludgy guitar, melodic bass way out front, and muscular drumming that swings like a thumping heart. Its pedigree scans as metal, too, as the band features guitarist Ryan Frederiksen (These Arms Are Snakes, Narrows) and Giza's rhythm section (bassist Steve Becker and drummer Justin Rodda).

But atop it all resides Irene Barber (XVIII Eyes), who not only provides Gothic keyboard drones, but also injects some soul into Dust Moth's doom. On the band's promising debut album, Scale, her world-weary and captivating voice gives the grandiose "Lift" some mystery, sounding something like Denali's Maura Davis fronting the band Isis.

Scale comes out July 22 on The Mylene Sheath.