Crackerbash, "Bad Karma"
I know we've had Crackerbash on here before, but by way of reminder, they're a forgotten punk/power pop band out of Portland who were active for just a little while in the early 90s, producing a very good album and outstanding EP, along with a few singles. Then, right as the music scene in the Pacific Northwest blew up, they disappeared. Like fellow Portland band Pond, their stuff stands out by having more of a melodic sense than some of the more dour bands of that time and place.
Baroness, "Twinkler"
By the time Baroness reached their third album, Yellow & Green, they had pretty much moved past being a metal band and had just gone to prog. Still clearly a rock record, but wandering from idea to idea rather than staying put in one place. It's not a particularly coherent record, which is the fate of most double records, but definitely interesting. Baroness wouldn't really get the chance to further develop the ideas and direction of this record, though, as a near-fatal bus crash would lead to the departure of half of the band, and the remaining members would carry things in a different direction on their next record.
Farside, "Save It For The Children"
Farside were normally pretty melodic punk, but apparently could lay down the hardcore when they felt like it, even if it's tongue-in-cheek.
The Dillinger Escape Plan, "4th Grade Dropout"
From hardcore to "mathcore", which the Dillinger Escape Plan more or less created with this record, Calculating Infinity. Marrying the breakneck speed of hardcore to the complexity and twists of math rock, the Dillinger Escape Plan blazed their own trail. On the way, they inspired a bunch of bands to continually try and top each other with their technical ability and ferocity.
Booker T. & the MGs, "Lonely Avenue"
And, let's just cool it down, y'all.