Embracing Life's Impermanence, One Reflection at a Time
Friday Morning Playlist – 10/18/24
So it’s been a while since I have done one of these, so let’s get back to it. So, anyone who has read my playlist blogs before knows the drill. The first 10 songs of your playlist with no skipping no matter how embarrassing or obscure it is because we all have out guilty pleasures when it comes to music because life it too short to take everything too seriously so lets have so lets have some fun with this.
So this was definitely a guilty pleasure for sure even though I don’t speak a word of Swedish, but anyone who knows the title knows it is a cover song from the great Adele. I know what you’re thinking. Why would a born metal head like Adele. First off, I’m a born music addict but my roots were in the metal and punk categories, and as I got older, I tend to find good musicians and vocalists in a wide variety of genres. I came across this one when watching the second season of The Umbrella Academy when the Swedish brothers have a viking funeral after one of the brothers steps on a land mine or trip wire and explodes then I did I deep dive in the soundtracks on spotify and found this gem. It’s definitely a good one.
I’ve probably seen Gwar live more than any band. Once, I saw them twice in one year in 2012 when they played in San Francisco and Santa Cruz at the beginning and end of that year and every time they were in tour on tour it was always a blood-soaked good time. Metal Metal Land was when Gwar let their imagination run wild when it came to the lyrics writing. It is a very humorous and energetic song with a ripping guitar solo with the story of a fictitious planet that is the ultimate heavy metal utopia. https://youtu.be/wrIvFkYrPkY?si=dGn1WOlvYm5QBCl2Gojira was always a powerhouse of a band, but unfortunately, I was late to the party on these hidden gems. When I started doing my research on these guys, it was a few years ago. One of my best friends who I commented to work with always had them in his playlist and it was around the time this record Magma had been released and I listened to Octane almost every day and this song came up quite often throughout the day.
Ill Niño was part of the nu-metal revolution in the early 2000s. The first 2 records were the bands milestone and is what put them on the map. The 3rd record, I wasn’t really a big fan off because the music was a bit lighter and not as heavy as the other 2. Out of all the 13 tracks there were about 4 that I dug in the entire record and this being one of them. I was also a big fan of Hatebreed so when I knew Jamey Jasta did guest vocal I was stoked, and he did not disappoint.
Patient Number 9 was a powerhouse of a record from the great OzzMan. The record consisted of many great guitarists that Ozz has worked with throughout his career and the last appearance from the great Jeff Beck before his passing in January 2023. This is one of the more bluesy tracks Ozz has recorded, short and sweet, but none the less but still great.
Faint was a big hit for Linkin Park back in 2003 and 2004. Meteora was also a smash hit from their successor Hybrid Theory. Faint wasn’t really a favorite of mine, but I can appreciate the fact that a lot of people do. Track is filled with the type of energy that would make you get up and go and start your day whether you were getting up and ready for work and starting your workout at the gym.
Comedy on. Anyone who grew up in the 90s and who watched Beavis and Butthead knows this song even though it was originally really in 1980. Still to this day, a heavy metal classic. https://youtu.be/L397TWLwrUU?si=hh-GG2L62nuzr-IPNOFX are known for their persona of not taking anything too seriously, and they have made a career from that philosophy for 40 years. This particular little number tells the story about the S&M clubs in Japan, also as seen in their short-lived TV show, Backstage Passport where it documented all the punk rock mayhem in other countries and it is spectacular! https://youtu.be/iecKgMIIRDk?si=YNAa89sClYo8_YHJL7, also known as the “tampon tossers.” Are probably one of the most influential all female punk rock groups that came out of the 90s. These girls were not afraid to go as raw as they wanted in their music. From tracks from the melodic pretend that We’re dead to ultra fast track, fast and freighting, monster gives that balance that this band had some ferocity. Still this day, the band still plays live gigs. I can’t say with the original lineup because I don’t know, but props either way for still playing live gigs https://youtu.be/2s9Lg2HiyRY?si=hUvoQuLk2u0y9FYW
I first heard of Celldweller from the soundtrack to the video game Dead Rising. I like the unique style of that time when many bands were experimenting with merging of techno and heavy metal. It was a unique blend at that time. Some bands pulled it off and so failed to find their place. Long story short, Celldweller does the job very well. The perfect balance. https://youtu.be/y5yw3yMfP5E?si=0_bnAX68UtTrcimE
Reaper's Reflections 