On every Metallica album since Ride The Lightning, there has been at least one song that is a bit of an outlier. Now, this song is not always the heaviest track, instead it’s the one that raises your curiosity and shows a different side of the band. Going through the band’s catalog you have songs like “Fade To Black,” “Sanitarium,” “Bleeding Me,” “Halo On Fire” and a few others I could mention. The new Metallica album, 72 Seasons has one for damn sure with “Inamorata.” This track is absolutely one hell of an end of album song but, it’s also one of Metallica’s more epic tracks in a long time. The new album is quite a killer one and this track is the icing on the cake! Take a listen to this gem!
For the past few weeks I’ve been on a big kick of listening to the Pixies. In my deep dive into their catalog, I’ve come to the conclusion many others have as well that Doolittle is one hell of an album and highly influential to so many bands. There really is something special about this album. One day in the near future I will put it all into words but, for right now I just want to focus on the absolute perfection of the final song on the album and that is “Gouge Away.” Every time I hear this song, I don’t want it to end. Sometimes I wish it had a 10 minute solo in the middle of it just because this song is so damn great. Interestingly this song is based on the story of Samson and Delilah. Some think Frank Black is referencing his relationship with bassist Kim Deal, as Frank represents Samson and Kim, Delilah. Other’s think it has to do with heroin addiction. Either way, this song is one hell of a gem and ends Doolittle in perfect fashion. Cheers to the Pixies and their absolute classic album, Doolittle!
One of my favorite albums of 2022 was Centershift’s A Different Shade Of Color. It’s one of those albums (notice how I said ALBUM) that takes you on quite the journey musically, lyrically and tells a pretty potent story. The way the album flows, gets into the nitty gritty of life and all its trials and tribulations. I have a few favorites off the album but, there is one song in particular that I’ve had a deep affinity for and that is the closing track, “Fade Away.” Through the darkness of this song and the lyrics, you find a sense of hope and light within that connects on a deeper level. “Fade Away” is one of those songs that will sit with you and make you contemplate life and how you can get through the moments that can tend to keep you down. The visualizer for this song is absolutely stunning and it takes the song to another dimension as you are captivated by the way the music, lyrics, melody and visuals encompass everything. Enjoy this!
Earlier this year I was introduced to the band Turbid North and their absolutely fantastic album, The Decline. It’s one of those albums that the more you listen to it you find all these really cool nuances to it and it makes each listen another journey all on its own. Ever since I was little, I’ve had this thing where I fully immerse myself in an album with headphones on and just let it take me places. Turbid North’s The Decline is one of those perfect headphone albums. There are so many songs on this album that have left a lasting impression on me and I will get to that in a future article but, at this moment in time (pun totally not intended), the song that I want to delve into a bit more is the final song on the album, “Time.” This song packs one hell of a walloping punch. At one moment you get lost in the ambience and fog of post metal and then like a punch to the face it goes off into a ferocious wall of heavy metal and grind. I love when songs and bands embrace all that they are inspired by and deliver a song/album that is all encompassing. “Time” is one hell of a song and way to end the album. I might be a little late to the Turbid North party but, there is no doubt in my mind that this album deserves to be shared and showcased among the best of 2023!
Radiohead’s OK Computer is an absolute masterpiece! We already know that. If you’ve never heard the album, you must be living under a rock or in a deep hole. It’s truly one of those albums that will be talked about for centuries. I’m sure you’ve all heard “Paranoid Android” and “Karma Police” as those two have been radio staples for years. There is a specific track on the album that I’d like to highlight and that is the final song on the album, “The Tourist.” This song, every single time I hear it, puts me in this fun trance that takes me away from where I am for a few minutes and I get so immersed in this song. The way it’s written has this “space” to it where the notes, chords, drums, synths, vocals, all hit you in these really interesting moments. There’s something else about “The Tourist” that I have always loved and that while the song has a delicate feel to it, there is a heaviness to the emotional pull that grabs you. Thom Yorke has even said about “The Tourist” “That song was written to me from me, saying, ‘Idiot, slow down.’ Because at that point, I needed to. So that was the only resolution there could be: to slow down.” Which when you think about where Radiohead was at in their career at this point makes a lot of sense. Also, one more thing that I love to do with this song is as it ends, is have Kid A cued up and that little dig at the end of “The Tourist” flows ever so perfectly into “Everything In Its Right Place. Give that a fun try when you get the chance, it’s quite the trippy little nuance!
Slayer’s Seasons In The Abyss is my favorite album of theirs. As much as I love Reign In Blood, there is just something more intriguing about Seasons. There’s a complexity to this album and also a different vibe than their other albums. From the moment “War Ensemble” starts all the way through to the closing title track “Seasons In The Abyss” there’s no denying that this album is beyond impactful. The title track is quite a departure. It’s a slowed down song with Tom Araya almost singing. The lyrics too are a bit different as well since Tom Araya wrote them and not Jeff Hanneman or Kerry King. This album is a classic through and through. Even though Reign gets all the rah rah acclaim, I still think Seasons is better.
One of my all time favorite bands is Failure. Ever since I was a kid and heard them (pretty sure it was Magnified that I heard), I was sold. Then comes 1996 and they release one of my all time favorite albums in Fantastic Planet. For over 20 years, this album has yet to leave my rotation. It’s a perfect album and one that has gone on to influence and inspire countless other bands and artists. In a way, Fantastic Planet is the new equivalent to the first album by The Velvet Underground. Anyways, I could go on and on about the awesomeness of this record. Instead let’s focus on how great of a song “Daylight” is to end the album. Clocking in at 6 minutes long, this song is epic and one of those songs that makes you want to start the album all over again. The way the music starts and builds creates this amazing tension that finally explodes at the end. “Daylight” is an absolute essential song to listen to on how to close out an album properly. Everything about this song is stunnging from the way Ken, Greg and Kellii all play off each other, the production, the lyrics and melody and to top it off the tones, oh the tones! Bottle those tones and sell them!
Failure- Daylight:
Failure- Daylight (Live at The El Rey- Reunion Show, 2014):
The first Metallica album I ever heard was And Justice For All and from that point I was hooked. I was only 4 at the time but, it all made so much sense to me. Throughout the years of me listening to the album, I’ve come to love certain songs a ton. One of which is “Dyers Eve.” The songs lyrics is a rant from Hetfield to his parents and it’s such a poignant rant too. Musically, this song rips. It’s a “thrashterpiece” of epic proportions. Interestingly too, this song was debuted live in 2004, sixteen years after it was recorded, at a show in Los Angeles during the bands 2004 Madly In Anger With The World Tour. Also, as an album closer, what a way to end it on.
There are certain songs by my favorite bands that I can’t help but listen to on a constant basis. Some of those songs are played at perfect times of the day or night. On such song that I’ve loved since the day I first heard it is “Nothing In Return (Walk Away)” by Down off their album Down III: Over The Under. This song is epic and beautiful. There’s something so powerful about this song that it gives me chills each and every time. The vocals by Philip H. Anselmo on this song are superb. I have had the opportunity to hear this song live a couple times and it’s been one of the highlights of those Down shows. This is not only one of my all time favorite Down songs, it’s one of my favorite songs ever. As an album closer too, this is just perfect. It’s one of those songs too that when it’s over, you want to start it all over again. What a majestic song!
The album Rated R by Queens Of The Stone Age is impeccably extraordinary. I still remember hearing this album in the summer of 2000. It was the perfect album for that time and has remained a favorite of mine for many years. One of the things I remember most about the first time I heard this album was the closing song “I Think I Lost My Headache.” The trip of this album is quite a journey that, when you get to this song, it really encapsulates it. Songs like this especially one albums such as Rated R, make a pretty fun and interesting statement.
Queens Of The Stone Age- I Think I Lost My Headache:
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