Amidst all the Christmas cheer, I've been feeling the need for something ... brutal. As the days disappear while my task list remains unchanged, I need something intense and powerful to accompany me on my hectic holiday death march. Today, that thing is Nineteen A.D.D., a Denver band that comes off like a slightly more proggy, instrumental version of Mastodon, which is pretty damn cool (and brutal). Its crunchy, aggro riffage has been keeping me from going nuts as Christmas closes in on me. If you, too, need a fix of brutality to keep yourself semi-sane for the next few days until this madness ends, I suggest visiting Nineteen A.D.D.'s website and embracing the not-so-soothing metal madness with the embedded player there. -- Cory Casciato