30 Days Song Challenge: Week 3

day 15 - a song that describes you

“Am I I” – Dark Tranquillity. This is a song that looks inwardly, questioning the roles and purpose one has in this world. It’s not so much that I’m a constantly conflicted person. I just wondering what I all means as I struggle to find my place.

day 16 - a song that you used to love but now hate

“It’s Been Awhile” – Staind. I’ve lost all feeling for Staind’s radio-engineered brand of depressing rock. I first discovered one of their songs on a sampler CD and bought Dysfunction. It was dark and heavy, that style of so-called nu-metal that bands were developing. And I followed Staind’s sound to the radio, but after a while the sounds became stale.

day 17 - a song that you hear often on the radio

The what now? Radio...? Sorry, I try to listen to the radio once and while. Honestly, it doesn’t do anything for me. There’s no metal on the radio, especially in New England. I don’t mind listening to good classic rock station, but they tend to play the same hit songs. I’m pretty sure bands like Pink Floyd, Rush, Black Sabbath, etc wrote more than 3 or 4 songs. Fortunately, satellite radio offers a lot more choices and provides a place for music that isn’t on the Billboard Top 10.

day 18 - a song that you wish you heard on the radio

“Black Soul Choir” – DevilDriver. Possibly one of more catchy tracks from DevilDriver, this 16 Horsepower cover stomps and swaggers to Dez Farfara’s throat wrenching snarl. You can’t help bouncing your head along to the sinister groove. Honestly, I’d just like to hear any DevilDriver on the radio… a guy’s allowed to dream, right?

day 19 - a song from your favorite album

“Judith” – A Perfect Circle. A tenacious track from 1999’s Mer De Noms about the perils of blind faith and the justification of your own beliefs. The song captures the dirty angst in guitarist Billy Howerdel’s slide guitar and the raw emotion of singer Maynard James Keenan. This stands out as one of their best tracks and offers a perfect counterpoint to the melancholy despair of tracks like “3 Libras” and “Brena.”

day 20 - a song that you listen to when you’re angry

“Boom!” – System Of A Down. This song always ramps me up. The perfect thing to listen to when you’re already pissed off. This song is about the flagrant injustices forced on the people of this earth by those few who hold all the power. The video was filmed during a day of peace marches around the world. The message here is simple – we demand peace!

day 21 - a song that you listen to when you’re happy

“Holographic Universe” – Scar Symmetry. When you’re happy and you know it listen to Swedish death metal. I love the prog elements in Scar Symmetry’s ferocious sound, especially the 9+ minute “Holographic Universe” with its death growls, rapid thrash riffs, and spacey synths.

A Perfect Circle's "Judith":



Next week is the last week for the 30 Days Song Challenge.

Best Metal Ever

The other day I came across a list of the 50 best metal songs of all time. Naturally I had to check it out, but I knew deep down that it would probably fall short of my expectations. Metallica’s Master of Puppets was hailed as the greatest metal tune ever. That’s a respectable start, but soon things would fall apart with far too many nods to the same bands, disregard for progressive metal, and an alarming blind spot for music made in the last 20 years.

Lists like this are always troublesome because you’ll never get a bunch of metal heads to agree to anything, much less the best bands and songs. I think that speaks to the diversity of the genre. There are many sub-classifications of metal: death, black, doom, progressive, melodic, speed, thrash, and so on. Music is the sum of its parts. As different musicians take influences from their varied backgrounds, new flavors are born. I mean, what is metal? What makes something the most metal? Good grooves, ripping guitar solos, deep and powerful vocals? Any song that starts a crazy moshpit with just the opening riff is definitely metal. But ultimately the definition of metal belongs to the bands and the fans – as it should be.

Without a doubt the titans of early metal were bands like Black Sabbath, Rainbow, and Judas Priest. Then came the thrash metal icons like Metallica and Slayer. Even so, it’s hard to believe that in a list of the 50 greatest metal songs only 20 different bands would be represented. Metal runs much deeper than that. Unlike sports or politics it’s not actually dominated by a handful of successful acts. And as all music has evolved over that last several decades, metal has continued to grow and stretch beyond conventional expectations. It’s a shame that a list of metal neglects modern progressive metal or the boundary bending trailblazers that combined death growls with epic, clean vocals.

I could make my own list of the best metal songs, but as you can see it would be futile. Instead, I’m going to shed some light on the bands that most lists will overlook. Looking for some of the best metal? Here’s my top 5 in no particular order:

1. Opeth – Swedish death metal pioneering progression with heavy riffs, shifting vocals, and epic compositions. 

2. Pantera – I’m not sure how anyone could make a list of metal songs without Pantera. Vulgar Display of Power; Cowboys From Hell; Reinventing The Steel… enough said.


Check out the video for Pantera's Cemetery Gates: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVMvART9kb8

3. Dark Tranquillity – DT has influenced just about every band that dares to mix death growls with clean vocals amid bludgeoning riffs.

4. Neurosis – deep, dark metal that twists and turns back on itself. Every listen turns up something new that you hadn’t heard before.

5. Anthrax – When you hear about the big four, they’re talking about Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth, and Anthrax. These Jersey boys consistently churn out the best thrash metal ever made. Get caught in a mosh! 






This is rock. This is life. What are you listening to?