The leadoff track from Royal Thunder’s breakthrough 2015 album Crooked Doors. What is a “breakthrough” album anyway? Do we mean it critically? Artistically? There’s room for debate when defining a “breakthrough” in these slippery senses. Just pick the band’s earliest album that you like the best, call it the “breakthrough,” call it a day. Our highlighted track “Time Machine” captures the metal/hard rock/postrock synthesis, plus killer vocals, that makes the Atlanta band a head turner. Extra points for the eerie, downtempo bridge that builds up into a killer finish. Via Relapse Records.

Stream, share, buy to your heart’s content.