The best metal band in town should be the one that goes at it full force. It should be unrelenting in its approach, bombarding you sonically and disturbing you emotionally. It should pour its blood, sweat and tears into its every release — pardon the cliché, but we're going somewhere with this. St. Louis' Fister fulfills each of these requirements and then some. Its "Bronsonic" metal is played at eardrum-shattering volumes. Its lyrics deal in brutality, ranging from the prehistoric to the post-apocalyptic. And its blood is in its releases — specifically, in its May 2012 release entitled Violence, for which the band members each had their blood drawn and mixed into the ink used to screen the liner notes. Never mind the sweat and tears we mentioned earlier; the blood alone is metal enough. Just don't forget to wear protective surgical gloves when purchasing merch.