Thursday, April 5, 2012

Expose Your Pose : Second Run

Wonderful turnout on the post below. Here's my second run in the interest of science.

1. Starts with sound effects akin to some Carpenter film. Then immediately when the riff comes in, it's Aspid off of their only album 'Extravastation'. I think this is the opening song, named something something in Russian. Excellent techno-thrash, recently re-released. Very worth anyone's time if they're into weird metal. I love their vocals and their guitar sound. Snarly thrash vocals go well with Slavic languages. The left-field augmented scale guitar solos in this fusion-ish guitar tone go over the savagery beautifully. The bassist couples everything the guitarists play like he's in Coroner. Super-tight playing all around, no fat, no dud riffs, good structure. The musicianship here is easily below their full ability. I theorize all Russian metal musicians were effectively slumming it from their proper State-sanctioned classical music gigs, at least up and until the fall of the Soviet Union. The playing here has this air of effortlessness similar to Watchtower on "Control and Resistance".

2. Machinegun riff. Double bass. Bolt Thrower "Promises and LIES." The song's 'Entrenched', off of "Those Once Loyal", their best, and last album. How can a band so old pull off such a strong final record? I don't expect them to top this, I really don't expect them to put out any more records after it, frankly. Some people call this death metal, I don't hear it in there anymore, it's just very linear, very muscular Heavy Metal. The core melodic ideas and riffs could be found in the repertoire of a NWOBHM band, really. It's just the execution that is idiosyncratic (and so often copied!). It's impossible for this music to not induce some physical reaction for this listener, but since my cat is in my lap, in lieu of headbanging, I tapped the double pass patterns on the desk with my fingers. Metal (the polite way).

3. Oh, oh, this is a very distinctive guitar tone! And the riff is... am I listening to Bolt Thrower back to back here? Great slow intro. Is this off of "For Victory"? Hm, the verse riff doesn't sound like Bolt Thrower though. The harmonization is totally their style. And then it ended! I am at a loss if it's not Bolt Thrower.

I checked, it was "For War", off of For Victory. Kind of got lucky there. Good thing for Bolt Thrower than that their style's so distinctive even on their instrumentals.

4. Mayfair. Nobody else has a voice like this. This is off of "Fastest Trip to Cybertown", their last record, and the one I listen to less. This is honestly an indie rock track, something like R.E.M. would write, only with a more active bass line - remnants of progressive metal are difficult to shake off. It's catchy and melancholic, but it lacks that edge that makes Mayfair's first two albums some of the best progressive metal there's ever been. There's many bands that play indie rock like this or better than this, I mean. Nobody's ever made anything like "Behind" as far as I've found. I checked the song name and it's "Waterproof".

5. One of these horrible mid-to-fast party rock n' roll Manowar songs. I might figure out which but there's absolutely nothing here for me. I can list the Manowar songs I adore from memory (Battle Hymns, Mountains, Secret of Steel, March for Revenge, Hail to England, Gayanna, Gloves of Metal, Each Dawn I Die) and if it ain't in there, I am bound to hate it, not just feel indifferent to it. Something about "the Night" is what Adam's going on about on this song, it could be about motorcycles. It's post Kings of Metal, I can tell from the involved guitar solo. But it sucks. "Return of the Warlord", off of Hell on Wheels live, from 1997. I am deleting this. Good drumming at least.

6. Oh, oh, I know this. This'll be easy. Probably Greek. Wait, no. Is this the Burzum instrumental off of 'Det Som Engang Var'? So it is. This one shows mr. Vikerness had a good ear for more traditional types of harmony. It's quite pretty in a way. And thinking it was Greek metal makes some sense because this guitar tone was used by pretty much all the early Greek black metal bands (it's shitty in an endearing way) and because the mid-tempo melancholic feel Burzum's got going here is pretty much Mode A for Varathron, Rotting Christ et al. From here to In The Woods... it's a small leap. And from there to proper Peaceville doom/death it's just another. I like this middle ground between the premier romantic metal genres.

7. Immediately recognizable as Nevermore, off of their 'In Memory' EP. After 'Politics of Ecstasy', easily their best work. Not the best song in there though. The song's called "Matricide", I know the lyric. It's a weird composition, Loomis and company hadn't gotten a handle on how exactly to write coherently. The changes are awkward, it's even got an embarrassing kind of 'rock' vibe to it. And the vocal line on top is just bizarre. Dane had a big problem with finding suitable vocal lines for Loomis' songs since the beginning and it really didn't get better with time. He's ultimately a lyrical vocalist, best suited for music that behaves, harmonically (hi, Sanctuary!). The nightmarish industrialized metal that Loomis would get involved with didn't leave much space for someone with Dane's talents. Mr. Tate from Queensryche would have found something smart to sing over this stuff. 

The end of this song is prime Nevermore though, their next two albums can be seen in that guitar matrix phrase and the revolving phrases on top. And the change from it back to the chorus is hilarious. I still like this but I don't know if it's just nostalgia talking. That I remember a girl I was after at the time when I was listening to this a lot says it's probably the latter. And talking about girls and songs about girls, read the lyrics to the same titled song off of 'Im Memory'. Stalker anthem if there ever was one.

8. Is Winamp trying to make me cry? This is Secrecy - "The One to Adore". Ultimate teenage anxiety & nostalgia metal. Their albums are called ART IN MOTION and RAGING ROMANCE, for christ's sake. This band is amazing. There's absolutely nothing sub-par in these two albums (and even the demo "Like Burning One's Boat", it's even a bit thrashier if you'd like to see the connection between thrash-thrash, techno-thrash and then proper progressive metal). Every song is stellar. No filler. Such a range of emotion covered. So many atypical guitar ideas, and yet not to the detriment of catchiness. Superb engineering. More bands should study what Secrecy achieved here. Then again, perhaps not. There really is no other entity in metal that makes me feel like this, best keep it, uh, secret.

9. A drumkit is falling down the stairs. Seagulls through a guitar amplifier. Piano enters. Is this Zeuhl? No idea. I give up. It's very beautiful though and deserves more listens. Turns out it was "Friends of Dean Martinez", the same titled track off of "A Place in the Sun". I listen to "Random Harvest" and "In The Shadow of Your Smile" and love them, so this is an easy error on my part to rectify.

10. Haunting double-tracked vocals, their notes slightly incongruous. Damien Youth? If it's not him off of the one cassette I've downloaded, I don't know what it is. It's very beautiful and I want to listen to the whole thing. Indeed, "Hunger Circle" off of "Festival of Death". But I couldn't remember that's what the record's called, so that's a point lost. This music deserves an examination or ten by people more equipped than I, though. It's not Heavy Metal but it's equally intense and sometimes disturbing, but it's also other things, less blatant. If anyone can suggest where to go from this, be it to other Damien Youth material or other similar artists, I've got some space inside me for a little more like this. 

7/10 this time, lucky guess aside.

28 comments:

  1. "but it lacks that edge that makes Mayfair's first two albums some of the best progressive metal there's ever been"

    So the second one is good too? I have Beyond on CD and it's indeed some of the best progressive metal I have ever heard. They got such distinctive ideas going on in that album!

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  2. I'll take this challenge again too.

    1. The classical intro makes me think of Disney's "fantasia". Now come the heavy guitars. Kind of upbeat and rocking riff. The vocals come in and the singer sounds kind of arrogant to me. This could be Vanden Plas. They always leave me the impression that they want to rock stadions and become "prog" metal superstars. Song is probably Father. At least that's what the guy keeps repeating in the chorus.

    Vanden Plas - Father

    2. Starts with kind of buzzy and fuzzy yet heavy guitar and bass. What. Whispering black metal vocals. Could this be something from those Beherit demo tapes? I checked and it was

    Beherit - Thou Angel of the Gods

    ...from Drawing Down the Moon.

    3. Ok this is definitely Death Metal. Oh shit this is hard. This could be anything. My guess is Immolation.

    Disincarnate - Stench Of Paradise Burning

    I need to give this album more listens. I recall "Monarch of the Sleeping Marches" being particularily great track.

    4. Soounds like upbeat yet thrashy heavy metal. Singer is doing thrash/punk vocals. My bet is that this song does not repressent this band's music that well.

    Sepultura - A Hora E A Vez Do Cabelo Nascer

    Hah! A bonus track from Beneath the Remains CD. It's actually a cover song so yeah I was kind of right with my suspicions. The original is brazilian psychedelic rock tune.

    5. Nice heavy riffing. I realise now that my headphones are pretty crappy. Hmmmm VERY familiar vocalist. This is epic doom. This is Memory Garden. Something from "Tides". Everytime I hear these vocals I want to sing I AM THE RULER OF EVERYTHING! THE MASTER OF ALL!

    Memory Garden - A New Dawn

    6. Un-fucking-mistakable. It's Lordian Guard! This could be something from the b-side of the first album. I know this song but it's name escapes me. Come and see... the end of man... the prophets... they have spoken... The judgement day is now at hand.. BEHOLD THE PALE HORSE RIDES! Ah so it's Behold A Pale Horse from Sinners In The Hands Of An Angry God.

    Lordian Guard - Behold A Pale Horse

    7. Chaotic speed metal but I can't mistake these vocals. The band is Living Death. The song.. well that's a harder one.

    Living Death - Eisbein (Mit Sanerkrant)

    8. Kind of atmospheric metal with female vocals. This is Atrox and the song's from Contentum album but I don't recall it's name.

    Atrox - Serenity

    9. This has to be US Metal. Enchanter? Oh shit, I don't got a clue.

    Hexx - No Escape

    10. This is black metal. Gnarly vocals, constant blasting.. Melodic yet heavy and fast guitars. I'm not really sure about this one. Winamp clearly does not love me today. Why can't I get something easier? Something I listen to A LOT! There's occational clean singing too.. What the hell is this? I like this song. It's got some nice technical changes and all.

    Melechesh - Wardjinn

    Melechesh again! I should've guessed it from the semi-oriental lead melodies. Maybe winamp is telling me I have to get more familiar with Djinn or just delete it.

    Didn't do that well. Maybe I have too much stuff waiting for "proper listens" but there was some bad luck too. For example I never listen to that bonus track from Beneath the Remains but the album is one of my favourites from Sepultura's discography. I guess I also have too much stuff waiting for some "proper listens".

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  3. Second one's right in the middle: it still has progressive metal lunacy, but it also is starting to go in the indie rock direction. But the good songs on it are so good. And it's just blue melancholy throughout.

    I suggest deleting bonus tracks anyway! Also from the same Hexx record, listen to the opening track "terror" http://youtu.be/nj6M-klgQNI . I keep this record around just for this cut, more or less. Perfect, haunting US metal.

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  4. I will spare you all the non-metal suffle interventions…
    1. Too easy. Warlord, soliloquy
    2. Protest the Hero, something from ‘Scurrilous’ (because it is their only album that I have listened to), but I don’t know the name of the song
    3. This feels like Gojira. Gojira it is, something from ‘The way of all flesh’ (again, because it is their only album that i have listened to) but I don’t remember the name of the song
    4. Guitars yes, but not too metal. What is this? Damn, the Alex Lifeson album, Victor…
    5. Oh yeah, Diamond Head “three hours to goooooo, and it’s time to playyyy”. Diamond lights.
    6. This is obviously something that I didn’t have the time (or didn’t really care) to listen to. It sounds like Thin Lizzy. What is this? (The Sword, warp riders). Mmmmm. I must give them a chance again.
    7. Again something that I haven’t really listened to. An eastern mode flavor. ‘Disengaaaaage’. One moment the vocals are heavy, the next they are more light. Break with acoustic guitars. Paradise lost? Yes, in the break it is obvious. Man, I need to listen to this album. How is it possible to listen to those vocals for 20 seconds and NOT recognize Lost? (Paradise lost – I remain). Growing older has disadvantages…
    8. Ohhh King Diamond… This La Roque solo… From Abigail. The Family Ghost…
    9. Bass and keys all over the place. Weird timings. This is so weird. How have I not listened to this more? I give up. (now the suffle makes fun of me. AGAIN Lifeson – Don’t care).
    10. From the bass line I could spot Ghost. There is no way I can remember EVEN ONE of their song titles though (Con clavi con Dio).
    Well I could spot three of them easily (band, album, song) and four of them not so easily (band, album but NOT song). And then there was Lifeson and The Sword, where even if I could hear the whole album I wouldn’t find them (not entirely true, listening to Lifeson soloing it could open up my eyes…). General outcome: as I grow older it is getting harder to remember song titles. But in most cases, listening to something new, I don’t even CARE to remember them. Even from my most beloved bands. Middle age and stuff….

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  5. Loaded up the hardrive. I'ma do 15 instead of 10. This shouldn't be easy. 3,2,1...

    1. Orchestral strumming. Mallets. Peter Green era Fleetwood? Sounds like ginger baker on the kit. Clapton playing slide. It is Ginger Baker. It's Cream. Something off Disraeli Gears. I used to have this photo of one of the Les Rallizes Denudes dudes wearing a t-shirt that said ONLY CREAM CLAPTON IS REAL.

    2. Sounds like Superchrist. It's not. That's not Chris Black. Ha ha. It's Pentagram. Some tune off Last Rites. I guess "Treat Me RIght."

    3. Drums. Sounds like electronic drums. Processed. Coil? Ah, no... Sounds like Proclamation but it aint. No idea. Ha ha. It's BLOOD. "Impulse to Destroy." Wah wah wah....

    4. Jesus. Diamond Head. Again. "Am I Evil."

    5. Cowbell/hi-hat combo. "Dance the Night Away," VH. The first time I ever saw someone puke on the beach from shotgunning beers, this song was playing. I was 11 years old.

    6. Guitar... it's Greg Ginn. Black Flag. Something early. "I've Heard it All Before." Bill Stevenson or Robo on drums? Fuckin A. Love both those guys.

    7. Thrash! It's Hirax. Something off Raging Violence. I love this shit.

    8. Twisted. "Run for Your Life" off Under the Blade. Easy.

    9. Priest. "Tyrant" off Sad Wings...

    10. BAM. "Dementia," Manilla Road from THE DELUGE.

    11. Sabbath... It's ah... "Falling Off the Edge of The World" from Mob Rules, a rec I've listened to about a billion times. Iommi's riff @ 2:06.... !

    12. Melvins. That's Dale. Everyone else tries to play like him but they never sound the same. Something off Eggnog. Don't know the title. It's the shortest one though.

    13. "Outlaw," Riot. Reale's riff is the shit. From Fire Down Under. Great record.

    14. "And the Cradle Will Rock," VH. Never get tired of it. Don't blame me. One to go...

    15. Runaways? Sounds like 'em... Nope. That's Paul Stanley. KISS. Don't know the song or record. *Looks* It's "Comin' Home" off Hotter than Hell.

    14 outta 15 kids...

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  6. I might try this on Monday, as that's when I'll have time, but I'm pretty sure I'll be able to recognize everything immediately because I don't have a lot of music on my hard drive.

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  7. I feel like playing again, because I'm dealing with the downsides of a relationship and I need a distraction that isn't homework.

    1. Synths. Guitars. King Diamond. Oh, this is off "The Eye". Easy. The only real trouble with King Diamond might be recognizing the album, but this one is "The Eye of the Witch" and that solved the question fairly quickly. Goddamn, Andy LaRocque is the fucking man. The solo is just so good.

    I needed to restart, because from here my iPod literally played the same mix as last time. So that's 1/1 so far, and let's keep playing.

    2. Rotting Christ. Mid-later period Rotting Christ. I'm gonna guess off of Sleep of the Angels. Wrong! It's off of Genesis. It's Quintessence. Well, I don't mind it, but then again I don't mind the cheesiness of later-period Rotting Christ. I saw them live last year when I was drunk, it was pretty fun. I almost went home with some goth chick, but I'm kinda glad I didn't.

    3. Melodies, but interesting ones. Warm production. Really cool beat. I don't know what this is, but I'll need to relisten to it. Fuuuuuck, I should know this, but I can't for the life of me figure it out. It's instrumental.

    Karma to Burn - Forty-One, off of Appalachian Incantation. I remember being a bit disappointed by this one. Maybe I should give it another chance.

    4. Venom - Witching Hour. Best fucking dudes.

    5. Cheesy synths playing in only one ear bud. Morbid Angel, off of Formulas Fatal to the Flesh? Nah, Emperor, an intro track on the Wrath of the Tyrant/ST comp they put out. I'm not gonna hate myself for not getting this.

    6. IDM/Glitch. Venetian Snares, but what album? You know those artists you listen to, and you love the experience, but then you don't do it again? I'm going to guess this is off of Winter in the Belly of a Snake, could be off the Detrimentalist. Oh hey, I got lucky, it's off of Winter. Win!

    7. FUCKING METAL, DUDE! I literally have never listened to this before. It's good, though. Great songwriting, killer vocals.

    Crimson Glory - Lady of Winter, off of Transcendence. Okay, I've listened to their first album and it wasn't my thing. I'm going to listen to this one, though. This is fucking awesome.

    8. Long intro. I've never listened to this before. It's Mrs. Victoria, by Warlord. I wish I had more time to listen to music.

    9. Doom. Good. Once the vocals start, I'll know who this is. Warning, Watching From a Distance. Okay, you know what? This is REALLY not what I need to listen to right now. I mean, I want to, but goddamn, son! I need something upbeat and kick-ass, not moping. "Bridges". Boo-yah! Alright, moving on before I slit my wrists. I'll have to revisit this album when I don't feel like shit, though. I've listened to it a couple times, then I listened to 40 Watt Sun's album. I found that one a bit exhausting to listen to, and I guess as a result I also stopped listening to Warning.

    10. Yeah, something like this. Fu Manchu, off of The Action is Go. Can't tell you which song, but whatever. Grendel, Snowman. Yeah, that's what I suspected.

    11. My iPod loves me. This is Uriah Heep, off of one of my favourite albums ever, Demons & Wizards. Traveller in Time. Fuck it, I'm listening to this album again afterwards. THIS, THIS fucking album, THIS is what I fucking need. I'm happy just listening to this.

    Fuck it, I'm gonna go out for a run while listening to Uriah Heep. Shit's alright (we're still together, just... sad) and I'm going to stop being a moping idiot. I need to listen to my compilations more, there's good stuff on there. I might do so tonight. I'll have a lot of time to myself, so it's basically the perfect opportunity.

    TOODALOO, MOTHERFUCKERS!

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  8. I also played again! Redemption!

    1. Watchtower- instruments of random murder.
    What are the chances?? the same song this round too, got it right off the bat this time!

    2. It's Sigh, That is obvious instantly. Not sure of the album though, have a few of theirs which I have been meaning to listen through. (Sigh-inked in blood)

    3. Marduk from Those of the Unlight, don't know the song name. Before they went braindead with blastbeats, quite good. nice album cover too.

    4. Ballad...Don't recoqnize this singer sounds too rocky. Finally some riffs.Sounds pretty average (Proud - Fire breaks the dawn). Again, I have too much early swedish metal, might just delete this.

    5. Orphaned Land - The kiss of babylon. I love Mabool...and Sahara, their other albums have a few good bits but feel disjointed.

    6. 80's Metal with perhaps a bit too hard rock in it. Pretty sure it's 220-volt (yep!) Main reason because I have this is because they're from my hometown, and the song 'Sauron' from their first single is fantastic!

    7. This time it's heavy Load for Real!(might for right off Death or glory) Wonderful guitars, great album. How could I misstake 220 volt for this?

    8. Heavy Hetal with a groove. Made me think of celtic frost, lead Guitar has a slight middle-eastern sound, I like it. No clue what band it is though. (Antichrist - Necropolis)

    9. This is techno-thrash AND from Helms mixtape, I recognize it and I like it, but I can't put a name on it. Medieval Death ( makes mental note to investigate later)

    10. Bloodbath, good riffing. Diversive band, but they play solid Death Metal on their debut. Bloodbath - you cry

    Less Doom this time around. I did much better too. Since I mainly use spotify these days I first tried adding my playlist to the mixed, but that turned out to be much to easy. So harddrive it was.

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  9. Also checked out some of the Manowar songs (haven't listened much to them since I was younger and then it was mostly newer stuff). Was incredibly awed with Mountains. How Nice to hear Adams sing about something that isn't warriors, steel, motorcycles, or his own band AND without overdoing it! Great stuff!

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  10. Alex_P, best of luck with relationship woes. If there's one thing that always surprises me when I'm in a relationship that has soured, it's the capacity for mending - if both parties want to mend. I've felt at time 'there can never be a time we'll be honestly happy together again after this, it's ruined'. And then it's not, life just goes on and wounds heal. Good luck. Uriah Heap it is for me today then!

    Mecha, I can't believe there's a death metal song called 'you cry'.

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  11. And you're right, there isn't. I mixed up ''so you die'' and ''Cry my name'' in my head. Somehow I saw it working in the context of 'you cry...when I bury you alive' or something. The song was Cry my Name.

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  12. I spent some hours deleting and organising my audio this morning so I thought it's time to take this test for the third and final time (for now at least). Here's how I did.

    1. I recognised the band right away from the samples. It's OSI and the song is The New Math from their first album.

    OSI - The New Math (What He Said)

    2. Not very good sound quality and somewhat generic heavy metal riffing but the singer's not too bad. My guess is that this is north american mid 80's metal. Occationally great vocal melodies. Meh, can't tell what this is.

    Siren - A Place In Time

    3. I'd recognise this anywhere! "We're living in our units and one thing we can do is work for a life without a fate". Yes! This is Helloween's 'Guardians' from Walls of Jericho and it just might be my favourite Helloween song! GUARDIANDS OF OUR LIVES PROTECT SECURITY! THEY TURN THE KEY AND THEY STEP IN CONTROLLING YOU AND ME!...... PUPPETS ON A STRING! PUPPETS ON A STRING!

    4. Another easy one. This is something from the Saint Vitus debut. I HAVE HOLES INSTEAD OF EYES! Yeah it is Zombie Hunger.

    Saint Vitus - Zombie Hunger

    5. Unmistakable voice. David DeFeis. This is one of those Virgin Steele ballads. Probably from one of their 80's albums.

    Virgin Steele - Where Are You Running To

    6. Clean guitar. Melancholic. Singer with an accent. This is doom metal band I think but that's as far as I can go.

    Forsaken - The Lord Sayeth

    7. Beautiful acoustic guitar and some soft keys. The mood is very calm and then.. Then come the heavy guitar and it's immediately clear to me that the band is Rush. The song's even one of my favourites but for the love of god I can't name it. Horrible blackout. CI-TI-'SSSS FULL OF HATRED, FEAR AND LIES! Aaargh what's the name of this?!? I have to check. Embarrassing...

    Rush - A Farewell to Kings

    8. Starts with haunting bass line. Then some dark guitars. Nice drumming. Changes. This is hard. Let's wait for the vocals.. Or is this an instrumental? Fast drumming and wailing guitar solos.. Then a nice midtempo part with choppy thrash riffing. Then again full speed ahead. Shit, I don't have a clue. Could this be Koma (instrumental technical thrash from Russia)?

    Obliveon - Access To The Acropolis

    What a nice surprise! Last time I listened 'From This Day Forward' I wasn't too impressed. I thought it lacked some personality but I still kept this rip around because I kind of like the technical half-thrash they did later on and wanted to give this another chance in the future. At least this instrumental worked better than I remembered.

    9. Easy. This is Tang Dynasty and the song is 'Internationale'. It's a chinese heavy metal version of the famous communist anthem song 'The Internationale' (originally L'Internationale). Arise ye workers (starvelings) from your slumbers! "Arise ye prisoners of want! For reason in revolt now thunders and at last ends the age of cant." :D

    Tang Dynasty - Internationale

    10. Starts with voice sample. A man talking about terrorists. Then some thrashy riffing. This is soooo familiar. Toxik? Fucking ace playing! Yup this is Toxik and the song is Spontaneous. My favourite song from the band actually. Brings back some memories from the last summer. I love the pre-chorus! These lies are old, it's obvious. ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS! And though it seems we're oblivious, the time is here for us to act before...."

    Overall I think I did a little better this time. I recognised most of the bands and got 5 songs out of 10 right.

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  13. I'm enjoying these write-ups. No idea who Tang Dynasty are. And there's a Russian techno-thrash band called Koma? Must investigate. And yes on Obliveon, they're a band where you gain a lot by listening to 2-3 songs at the most on each sitting because though their stuff is samey, some songs are much better than others.

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  14. Correction: Koma isn't instrumental. They were one of those bands who wanted to play raging death/thrash and techno-thrash at the same time. But I know there was a band that played techno-thrash instrumentals. I just can't recall it's name.

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  15. I did check out Koma. I've yet to hear a hybrid of savage death/thrash and techno-thrash that works. Tech-death bores me to tears usually. But perhaps other Koma records are better.

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  16. I realized there is more music than I thought on my hard drive that I haven't listened to much or at all. My wife has been putting music on here, too, it seems. Must I count that stuff as part of this exercise?

    1. Meat Puppets - "Lamp" from Golden Lies. This couldn't be easier to identify. I've listened to this track (and the album) probably a few hundred times, as I had it in my car pretty consistently while I was commuting to University to work on my Computer Science degree. Very simple track, the usual modern Meat Puppets with their streamlined strummed guitar, simple bass, and straightforward drums and then just put a bunch of improvised noise guitar solos on top of the whole track.

    2. String quartet. Gotta be Paul McCartney from Working Classical. Not sure which track, but its most likely an earlier McCartney song arranged for string quartet. I've probably never heard the original song.

    It's "Calico Skies."

    3. Alicia Keys - "Teenage Love Affair" from As I Am. Song that's on my computer because of the horizon-broadening that occurred as a result of my relationship with my wife. Pretty standard R&B song, nothing too interesting in a high art sense going on here at all.

    4. Second movement to a classical symphony, probably either Mozart or Haydn, though I can't verify this as the track is labeled "Track 2." Oh! There's a minor mode mixture. I think it's from Haydn's "Surprise" symphony, though I don't know the number.

    Checking on YouTube. Yes, nailed it. Haydn. Symphony No. 94, "Surprise," 2nd movement, Andante.

    No, I can't identify the orchestra or the conductor. Are you crazy?

    5. Apocalyptica - Female vocalist singing in German. I think it's called "Hope," not sure. More song based Apocalyptica, not the version of the band that interests me most, but it's a well crafted song. I know it's from Reflections.

    No, not "Hope," it's a bonus track called "Seemann," a Rammstein cover. No wonder I couldn't identify it. At least I got the album.

    6. Gentle solo piano. Obviously Matt Glickstein from his one album Piano Moods. I never knew any of the track names, so no hope there. Identifying the artist here was easy, as he was the only other Music Composition major in my class my first time through school.

    The title is "At Long Last."

    7. Another string quartet from McCartney's Working Classical. No idea about the name of the track, but again it's an earlier one of his songs rearranged for string quartet.

    "The Lovely Linda." I should have been able to guess the title from the extremely short length.

    Out of 1906 tracks, I got two from the same album. ???

    8. King Crimson - "Into the Frying Pan" from the ConstruKction of Light. This couldn't be easier to identify. Is there anything more distinctive than this?

    9. Cafe Tacuba - "Tengo Todo." Song is here because of my wife. What's the album called? Sino? Not sure. I'll check later.

    Yes, it's called Sino.

    10. Ambient synth strings and sparse drums. Oh! There's a reverse guitar. I thought for sure this was from the soundtrack to City of Angels, maybe Peter Gabriel, but now I think it might be Robert Fripp? It doesn't really sound like him, though. Possibly from Birdy. I think this is Peter Gabriel. I'm gonna say it's from Birdy.

    Yes, it's "At Night," first track from Birdy. Peter Gabriel. Never knew the track names. Can't do anything about that.

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  17. 1. something classical, folksy piano, light hearted pastoral vibe, changes into a more dramatic autumnal violin bit, no idea. Check and it's JS Bach, sonata in B minor for violin and harp

    2. i recognize this, haha, Bob Dylan "Isis" off the Desire al-boom

    3. acoustic bluesy folk solo guitar, proficient technique but not flashy, makes me feel there will be words coming, decent fidelity of recording, tender fragile male voice, dunno. Check and it's Elizabeth Cotten "when i get home". haha "tender male voice" !

    4. Pappo's Blues, something from the 90's or later, my uncle just gave me a data disc with all his albums on mp3. this stuff is cheesy, his first couple rec's have some killer stuff though. Check and it's "Ruta 66" (ha!) off Caso Cerrado

    5. an opera, so either Schoenberg or Wagner....definitely Wagner from "Tristan und Isolde".

    6. "She Came and She Touched Me" by Townes Van Zandt from album Our Mother the Mountain

    7. whooosh, black hole, bells, now something recognizable, Dengue fever? no, ahhhh vocals come in and it's Woven Hand from the self titled. "Story and Pictures"? Check and my guess is confirmed.

    8. jazz, bebop, lowish fidelity, smokin piano, Charlie Parker? Haha I fail, Bud Powell "Borderick" from The Scene Changes

    9. funky breakbeat, i smell some heavy 70's roach wafting in momentarily, ohhhhhh yeaaaaaah haha there's the fuzzfried riff, and it's fred fuckin cole on vocals so Zipper!!!! love this sheeit. no idea what the title could be. check and it's "Let it Freeze". sings it more like "let it frays"

    10. ancient blues, definitely off a compilation, gotta check and it's Eddie Miller "Good Jelly Blues" off the Ride Daddy Ride comp

    11. Death "Where Do We Go From Here"...For The Whole World To See. Yes

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  18. Not a single piece of metal?

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  19. Haha yeah, maybe I shouldn't be posting here after all! ;) My pose was exposed! Now playing: Night of the Unborn. Never noticed how bizarre and haphazard this warbly guitar hero intro is. But they correct course promptly.

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  20. Of course you should continue posting. It's just interesting.

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  21. By the way, I'm glad you mentioned Aspid, because I checked them out, and I'm really loving that record. You're right about the guitar and the vocals. They're great.

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  22. "I can list the Manowar songs I adore from memory (Battle Hymns, Mountains, Secret of Steel, March for Revenge, Hail to England, Gayanna, Gloves of Metal, Each Dawn I Die) and if it ain't in there, I am bound to hate it, not just feel indifferent to it."

    I'm curious, what's wrong with Gates of Valhalla, Hatred and Revelation (Death's Angel)? I understand disliking Warlord from Into Glory Ride but rest of the album is pretty stellar and thematically samey.

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  23. I especially hate 'Hatred'. Just a disjointed, stupid piece of music with nothing to recommend it. Gates of Valhalla's alright, I do agree. I am not annoyed by it. Revelation, I dig the lyric and Adams performance, but the music is even sparser than usual for Manowar. It's really a series of crescendos without any MEAT to the music. Which is how you could describe some of the Manowar songs I do like. Which is why there is just love/hate for them from me. Because when they work, they work against all odds. When they don't, they're just intolearbly empty and a waste of time to listen to.

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  26. at the time i removed comments as Linus, i had been listening to a song i listed. Inclined, by Wolf Spider. it was one in rotation mentally and physically for a good month, thereabouts. having listed it in playing this game, i was concerned with work colleagues and management tracking my anger displays back to its lyrics and my interaction with the meta art of HM.

    mad and paraniod does not fit my job requirements. nor does it make me comfortable in my own skin. i've had more than a few interviews with management re: upward mobility in our company and discipline for inappropriate behavior. i believe in making stands for one's ethics. appropriately is a manner i've been expanding. additionally:

    We are so inclined to tell these funny lies, stupid lies
    Lies exhaust your mind, filling you with fear, turning mad

    I have killed truths myself
    Some of them killed me in turn

    Cheated for my tender heart
    Nurtured with the kindest evil
    I am clad in truthful lies
    Falling face down on the drivel

    Every second many mouths repeating lies to make them true
    I'm alive, but is it me?
    Is this my face? - I cannot see!

    You really cannot live without lies, pretty lies
    Without them it's poison, a madhouse of thin cards, playing cards!
    (Inclined lyric)

    i very much like the responsibility attached in:
    I have killed truths myself
    Some of them killed me in turn

    i can get quite a bit of weight from considering this song's meaning in my life game.

    yet, another dilemma; the energy it takes to extract weight (ie; meaningfulness, beauty, value) from HM leaves less of me for trajectory to present goals. Rewind, (perspective flip) ah, it's sculpting the self.

    the proximity to Art loved and the appropriate distance from it, for me, is a thorny gap.

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