Before you do anything else, read this week's music lead—a pro/con piece about the Sword, who are opening for Metallica tonight at KeyArena. In this corner is Jeff Kirby, who loves the band... in the other corner Shane Mehling, who hates 'em... FIGHT!

Also tonight, should metal not be your thing...

Dub Trio, Black Cobra, Middle Class Rut, Witchburn
(El Corazón) Brooklyn's Dub Trio answer in the affirmative the question: Can musicians throw devil horns while clutching a bong and still be taken seriously? They wield brawny metallic rock and dub with equal fervor, like a less velocity-obsessed Bad Brains. The group's dexterous, mercurial drummer, Joe Tomino, used to play with insane flamboyance in a Cleveland jazztronica band called Birth; with Dub Trio he's a bit more reined in, but you can hear his inventiveness straining at this unit's more structured approach. Dub Trio's albums on ROIR and Ipecac feature sporadic flashes of dub brilliance and much solid, undazzling metal. But live, reportedly, they're awesome. DAVE SEGAL

Wu-Tang Clan
(Showbox Sodo) What can be said of Wu-Tang Clan that I, myself, have not already said repeatedly, vigorously, and with hyperbolic abandon in this very publication? They are the greatest band of all time, a group of staggeringly dominant collective talents with—when properly aligned—an unparalleled ability to make real the fever dreams of their creative mania. Last year's controversially squabbled-over 8 Diagrams was not as epochally devastating as their first two records, but it was an excellently executed and creatively restless effort, and bore the happy traces of venerable artists still wholly engaged and alive in their work. This being the first official "8 Diagrams Tour" (the Clan's last outing was RZA-less and composed entirely of older songs), it could, one hopes, present a group-unified reappraisal of the album. SAM MICKENS

Mad Rad, White Fang, Man Party
(Funhouse) Despite the suggestive band name, Man Party is neither an all-male flesh flick nor the latest night from the promoters behind Comeback!—although uninhibited dancing seems almost certain to break out tonight. The ingredients are all familiar—fat synthesizer sounds, robot vocals, phased guitars, loping beats—yet this Seattle quartet's knack for catchy tunes and spacey arrangements sets them apart. On their self-released five-song EP The Tiger Game, these four dudes nail rudimentary pleasure centers with more accuracy than Ratatat and fewer bells and whistles than Daft Punk. They also show more than passing familiarity with (and a willingness to pervert) classic-rock clichés. Live, expect something sweatier and raunchy from Man Party. KURT B. REIGHLEY

Hear Man Party music via MySpace.

And, as always, find more fun in our full online listings!