My Favorite Metal Albums For Different Situations and Settings

I'll own up to it...I have a problem with complete silence.  Whether I'm hanging out in my apartment, driving in my car, or working out at the gym, I always have to listen to music. The only time I DON'T feel compelled to listen to music is when I'm in the company of others.

I don't exactly know why I can't handle silence. On the obvious side of things, I'm just a humongous fan of music. However, I also experience a lot of "noise" in my head (as in, a rapid-paced cycling through various barely-connected thoughts) when I'm not focusing on one subject or idea, so I think music helps me concentrate and filter out this "noise".

Through constantly listening to music, I've found that there are perfect combinations of bands and/or subgenres of Metal with different situations and settings.

Thus, in this post, I am going to divulge my favorite albums/sub-genres for different situations and settings. The situations and settings will start out with more general, daily activities and then will get more specific.

Exercise

Bro, do you even RIFF?!?!  There is no FUCKING way that I am going to the gym without a fair amount of Metal on my iPod.  I'll always remember listening to "Reign in Blood" by Slayer while I was on the treadmill and feeling like I was a viking running into battle. I am not joking when I say that I felt a surge of adrenaline pumping through me at that moment. Runner's high? Could have been. Metal high? DEFINITELY.

It's actually really hard to narrow it down, but I would probably say "City", by Strapping Young Lad is the my favorite Metal workout album.  Nearly the entire album is fast-paced, intense, and over-the-top in every sense. I try to time it so I'm doing cardio for all of the faster songs at the beginning of the album, and then lifting for the slower tracks towards the end.  Or, if my workout is longer than 39 minutes and 22 seconds (it usually is, bro), I just put that shit on repeat...bro.

Driving

It really depends on when and where I'm going and for what purpose, but there is nothing that compares to listening to select albums/tracks by Isis and Cult of Luna while driving on the highway at night. And yes, "Somewhere Along The Highway" by Cult of Luna is usually my go-to in this situation. The relative silence and desolate sameness of the highway at night is really isolating in a sense, and for this reason, the often minimalistic and spacy sounds of bands like Isis and Cult of Luna is a perfect way to both somehow embrace and transcend that isolation at the same time.

Sex

None...

Now, admittedly, I once had sex to the song "The Last with Pagan Blood" by Amon Amarth...on repeat. And I'll never forget the story of our friend (who shall remain nameless) having anal sex with his hardcore Catholic girlfriend (they have long since broken up) while listening to Dying Fetus.

But, really? Is there any Metal that is "sexy"? None, in my humble opinion.

A long time ago, Wulf and I had a discussion based on this premise: "Is there any music less sexy than Metal?" The conclusion was that Noise Music (a la Whitehouse or Merzbow) was the only music less sexy than Metal. 

If you want to put on some brutal, guttural Death Metal or some kvlt Black Metal while doing the dirty, be my guest. But I will personally be putting on some chill baby-making electronic music, thank you very much.  My Bloody Valentine is also great for the sideways hokey-pokey.


Pre-gaming and Partying

Back in the good 'ol days (circa 2004-2008), we would throw Metal parties where everyone would dress in their most grim Metal getup, drink the cheapest of beers, and listen to Metal all through the night - corpse paint REQUIRED.  Seeing as how the majority of our friends are/were not Metalheads, this was a rather rare occurrence.

During these parties, there were SO many good Classic Metal and Thrash Metal albums that my friends and I threw on for some good 'ol fashioned Metal Party Madness™, that it's hard to pick one.  With that being the case, I'm going to come out of left field a little bit and say 'God Luck and Good Speed' by Weedeater was often a go-to party album for us in the latter part of the good 'ol days era.  This is partly because Weedeater would often tour through our hometown.  Not to be outdone by "Dixie" Dave, my friends and I would often get batshit-crazy drunk at their shows. My favorite memory of getting fucked up with Weedeater involved me jumping on stage and pouring PBR down Wulf's throat. The one time that I failed to attend a Weedeater show, my friends that went said that "Dixie" Dave set a bucket on stage for him to puke into. Good times.


Hiking

Damn, this is hard.  If I were more of a fan of Pagan/Folk Metal, I would most certainly go with something in that sub-genre.  It kind of depends on what mood I'm in, but I would probably say my go-to is Wolves in the Throne Room.  Stereotypical, I know, but listening to WITTR is practically a fucking pagan ritual in of itself.  Combine that with being alone in the woods, and you're basically transcending consciousness or whatever.


Cleaning

It's no secret that I'm not a fan of cleaning. I am certainly not the dirtiest person, but cleaning is usually on the bottom of my list of things to do. When I clean, I want to get it done as quickly as possible. For this reason, I've found that Math/Noisecore is fucking amazing for cleaning. It kind of makes sense too: Math/Noisecore is the aural equivalent of taking meth, and I'll be damned if methheads aren't amazing cleaners. It's all in the details!


Cooking


To be honest, I don't often listen to Metal when I cook. However, I can't get the idea of listening to Power Metal while cooking out of my head and I don't really know why. Is cooking really that epic? Maybe. Maybe because I just associate both fine cuisine and Power Metal with Europe. Who knows? Anyway, I'll raise my spatula to that.


When You've Had Just the Shittiest Day and Nothing Seems to Have Gone Right

For me, it's usually not one large thing that goes wrong (thankfully), but a series of really small things (thankfully...?). Unfortunately, I'm the type of person where it takes me a while to isolate these small things in my mind, and sort of laugh them off and remove them as barriers to having at least an average day.

On days like this, there is no better release than listening to KC Hardcore Overlords, Coalesce. For me, their later material has the perfect balance of groove and punch, noisy and chaotic, to really get out all of that negative energy built up from all of those small things going wrong.

I remember one time in junior high absolutely cranking "cowards.com" by Coalesce and stomping around my room while raging on a pillow. I can't quite recall what I was so angry about, but listening to Coalesce seemed to help out quite a bit.


When You're Momentarily Very Angry About Something

I know what you're thinking, but I really don't have much of anger problem. But just like everyone else, I will sometimes get very frustrated or angry about something relatively small (e.g. I just spilled coffee everywhere, my jacket zipper will NOT.FUCKING.ZIP.UP.) for a just a moment before I realize how ridiculous it is that I'm getting angry about something so small and I laugh at myself. But a number of small things like this can create a bad day for me, as previously mentioned. As illogical and possibly counter-productive as it might sound, listening to a band that is ludicrously angry is usually a great way to quell my momentary anger.

You probably knew what was coming with this one: Grindcore. 

I can think of only two or three times in the last few years where I was explosively angry about something for more than a moment. That's usually just solved the way my Dad always did: wait until you're relatively isolated (or as isolated as you can be) and just yell a lot until you're not angry anymore. Or listen to Grindcore. Whatever works.


That Sort of Existential Shame that Comes With a Massive Hangover

God, these mornings, afternoons, and (God forbid) early evenings are the absolute worst, and they are 80% of the reason why I don't drink nearly as much or as often as I used to.

Let's set the scene: you were out until 5:00 a.m. drinking, and then you wake up at noon. You've slept off your drunkenness, so there's no way that your brain can now hold off the coming onslaught of questions like, "What am I doing with my life?" "Why do I keep doing this to myself and expect a different outcome? Isn't that the definition of insanity?" "Is anything important?" "Is anything meaningful"?

It really just depends on how much further down the rabbit hole you want to go. I personally will start feeling anxious if I start listening to really depressing, somber metal like DSBM or most Doom Metal.

For these days, if I'm listening to any Metal at all, it has to be something unapologetically happy and/or triumphant. Something like the Kings of Metal, MANOWAR.

Manowar will lead you through the existential cesspool of your hangover to the glorious light.

*****

As you may very well be able to ascertain, there is an endless amount of situations and settings that call for different Metal bands and/or sub-genres. 

What are some of your favorite combinations?

Mark of the Beast top 10 of 2013

So here's the only top 10 in the world of metal that actually matters, and to think 99% of metalheads won't even see it... shame. 2013 was a fun year. As far as the top 10 goes, the top 2 are top-notch material while the rest are merely awesome. There's been better years but what can ya do?! I'm not gonna put a youtube for every single album because you're perfectly capable of doing that and it gets kind of annoying trying to scroll through 10 youtubes. On with the show!

10. Dark Tranquility - Construct

What's up DT! In case you lost these guys in the fray over the years, this album is actually really good. I grew up on melodic metal like In Flames and DT, but instead of going down the path of suck like In Flames did with age, DT has remained consistently good. And I don't know if it's studio magic or what but holy shit does Mikael Stanne's voice sound good at 39. It's actually the best I've heard it, clean harmonic singing as well as strong as ever screams. Kudos to him because if you've ever heard Anders Frieden lately... ugh. Really good effort by these guys, and that makes me happy.

9. Thyrfing - De Ödeslösa

Thyrfing came back from the dead much to my delight with this one. This has actually been a good year for band resurrections, more on that later. This is actually their best album since they abandoned my beloved synth-heavy viking metal sound :( The acoustic guitar that they employ throughout this album really works and is an unexpected element from them. It still has that plodding Thyrfing style and gives me joy that they're still around making music.

8. Gorguts - Colored Sands

I imagine when the current lineup of Gorguts got together in hopes of making their first album in 12 years, they had one question on their minds: Will a new album be good enough to make Mark of the Beast's top 10?  Well congratulation boys, you made the right decision! Sometimes risks just pay off, and this album is a great representation of that. This album is too complex for my brain to process, but if you like intriguing, chaotic, technical, mind-rumbling music, you'll enjoy this one.

7.  Inquisition - Obscure Verses for the Multiverse

RAISE THE CHALLICE! RAISE THE CHALLICE! RAISE THE CHALLICE! These are words I repeat with a horrifying scowl upon my corpse-painted face every day because of this fuckin album. One of my life philosophies that I try to live by every day is that there's nothing wrong with black metal done right. These guys have the added benefit of being just over the top and ridiculous about it. There's so many quality black metal moments in this thing. If you think about it, this is our modern day Burzum, Darkthrone, etc. These guys are keeping the dream alive in the 2010's! I recommend taking a night off, pouring some cosmopolitans and just blasting this album while headbanging and scowling to your heart's content. It's good for the soul.

6. Heathen Foray - Inner Force

Think of these guys as a cross between Ensiferum and the almighty Thronar!! I can't have Thronar anymore so these fill that need nicely. This is their second effort and they really did a good job at refining their sound for some awesome songs. If you like feeling good while thinking about the days of viking past, and enjoy some outstanding guitar work in the process, please check this album out. The following song has everything you need in a viking metal song honestly. Well done sirs!


5. Amon Amarth - Deceiver of the Gods

Speaking of viking metal, there's these guys. Now as much as I love me some vikings, I never really got too into Amon Amarth. I think maybe I've been too focused on pretty bands with lots of instruments, trying to expand my mind too much while listening to some guy scream about Odin's hammer or socket wrench or something. But Amon Amarth brings me back down to Earth and makes me realize that sometimes all you need are some crushing viking melodies to make you feel good. These songs have caught my attention more than their past albums, and with songs like Under Seige you just can't help but headbang god damnit.

4. Peste Noire - Peste Noire

It's the return of La PN! One of the best things about listening to a Peste Noire album for the first time is I genuinely have no idea what to expect at any given second of any song. Blast beats, speed picking, guttural vocals, accordion, hurdy gurdy, acoustic guitar, chickens clucking, techno beats, some weird fucking horn, anything goes with Famine. It's really unlike any other metal experience. Everything from the vocals to the music to the atmosphere is just completely bizarre, while still giving you that black metal goodness you need to make it through the day. One thing I like about this particular La PN album is there are some seriously crushing parts in some of the songs, something I've not seen from them yet, and I really like it. The only reason why this album isn't vying for #1 is the ridiculous production. I know it's Famine, and that's part of their charm, but at 5 albums into their career they don't need to record on one of these anymore:

 

3. Falkenbach - Asa

Here's another band, like Amon Amarth, that I like but never really got into. But this album just does something for me. I think 6 albums in, Vratyas has really found his stride, and he has laid it all out in this half folk, half metal album. It sounds similar to the other albums but I think the clean vocals and acoustic guitar have really hit their mark with this one. There's just so much passion in his voice, and cmon the olde style English and Icelandic mix that he uses just adds to it. I tend to gaze out over the horizon while listening to this album for the full effect. If you're a fan of folk music, check this out and you'll be pleased. There's not even that much screaming in it for the normal people yay!

2. Written in Torment - Bellum Omnium Contra Omnes

Written in Torment? Oh sweet is that a new Deathcore band bro? Go kill yourself. This is some black metal right here son. If you don't have this album yet, go get it now! This is a one-man band of pure solidified grim. I would describe Written in Torment as a faster black metal version of Arghoslent with a hint of Dissection. Basically what Leviathan said here was "I'm going to work on my guitar work until you're literally forced to like this shit."  This is just black metal done right I keep saying it. It makes you feel good about yourself and life in general, not something that's easy to accomplish while singing about Satan burning down the mortal world. The guitar work is just relentless and combines black metal riffage with complex arpeggios. And that palm mute riff shit he does at 1:10 in A Pig Hung in Golgotha.. I don't even know. Listen now!

1.  Summoning - Old Mornings Dawn

And that brings us to the grand champion of 2013, hell yes it's Summoning! The last time Summoning came out with an album (Oath Bound) I was playing Oblivion in my $175 a month apartment with that in the background, and loving every second of it. It brings me back to simpler days. Basically the deal with Summoning is this: if you played RPG video games and/or D&D, you will appreciate this music. If you didn't you probably wonder what the big deal is. Well I played hella Final Fantasy, Ogre Tactics, Shining Force, Magestorm, so when I heard this album was coming, boy was I excited. But I really didn't anticipate the emotions that this album would invoke inside me. When I got the album, I must've listened to the title track about 50 times in a row, just loving every second of it. Old Mornings Dawn is why I listen to metal, to achieve that feeling of pure bliss via music that only metal has been able to provide me. I just had a huge smile on my face while listening through this thing. The atmosphere, the epicness! It just really made an impression on me and I knew this was going to be my #1. I really hope these guys make at least one more, even if I have to wait 7 more years. Just look at these guys and tell me they don't make some real shit:

It's albums like this that will make me eternally happy. I will say that this album was a little more wide-ranging than their previous ones, going from fantasy to dark to inspirational to solemn. I don't know if that makes any sense but I really love what they did for this one. J.R. Tolkein himself would be proud. So thank you Summoning for bestowing us all this great gift of metal! Mark of the Beast out.