You can’t keep good scum down. A mere 21 years after its last album, Denton’s beloved punk/metal quintet Brutal Juice belches up Welcome to the Panopticon, a distinctive mélange of fantastical indulgence and political commentary. Prog-rock tendencies more feel than form, the band blasts through the heavy melodicism of “Children of the Python” and “Southern Strategy” with a dose of maturity but no less weighty than in its glory years. The Juice saves its hardest assaults for the dead-eyed pound of “Dominic” and socially conscious rage of “Facedown Takedown,” but even those boast surprising tunefulness. The juice may be brutal, but it’s tasty. (Sat. 18, BD Riley’s, 11pm)
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This article appears in March 17 • 2017.

