Friday, June 20, 2014

Transition (to) Metal

Summers give us a lot of free time, even if we end up doing an internship. I’ve seen a lot of people whining about how they end up getting bored in their free time. One of the easiest and fun ways to get rid of this is to explore music. If you’re tired of listening to whatever your playlist has, its the best time to start trying something new- different bands, styles and genres.

This particular post will help you get started with metal music, something that is widely regarded as noisy/trashy and meaningless. Sure, it is louder than other genres but I can guarantee that there are a ton of brilliant metal songs out there. I’ll pick 4 songs that you must try if you aren’t into metal, in order to get started.

1. One - Metallica (Thrash Metal)
This song is about a soldier who gets mutilated in a war. This track perfectly highlights his predicament- starting off with some beautiful melodic guitar work and slowly progressing into classic, aggressive thrash-mania. Try paying attention to the lyrics, they are beautiful.


2. Tears Don’t Fall - Bullet For My Valentine (Metalcore)
I’ve even seen hardcore pop fans headbang to this beautiful composition by BFMV. The opening riff is quite catchy and will, in all probability, get you hooked to the song. The clean vocal parts are neatly done and go well with the backing screams.


3. A Martian Winter - Angel Vivaldi (InstruMetal)
Guitar virtuoso Angel Vivaldi hasn’t come up with a better track yet- A Martian Winter guarantees 4 minutes of exquisite guitar work and some insane tapping. The tune which forms the backbone of the song might sound like some song picked off a romantic bollywood album. But the way Vivaldi uses the riff in this song is magical!  


4. Hallowed Be Thy Name - Iron Maiden (Heavy Metal)
This is British heavy metal at its best. This song is widely regarded as a heavy metal classic and one of the best tracks that Maiden have produced. Do check out Cradle of Filth’s cover of this song if you happen to like this one.


5. Pull Me Under - Dream Theatre (Progressive Metal)
Yes, you’ve probably heard about this band because of Mike Portnoy. Some catchy riffs along with brilliant guitar and synth solos makes this song totally worth trying! This song might just get you into DT’s older stuff.

6. Physical Education - Animals as Leaders (Progressive Metal/Djent)
Prog metal legends AAL have done one hell of a job in creating this groovy masterpiece, full of mesmerizing riffs. The 8 string guitars give this song a very unique feel, perfectly complimenting the ethereal atmosphere that they have managed to create here.  
- Sahil Vaidya