Song of the Day: Opeth - The Lotus Eater

     It's been almost a month of songs of the day now, and I have yet to do an Opeth song. Shame! Odds are you don't need me to tell you how awesome Opeth is, so I won't waste a lot of time and energy trying to convince you of said awesomeness, but if you don't know Opeth... seriously, what's wrong with you? Have you been living under a rock for the last 20 years or something? Stop reading this right now and click play already, OK?

     Your song for today is "The Lotus Eater" from Opeth's phenomenal 2008 album Watershed. This was such a great album that I could really recommend the whole thing, one song a day, for a week, but I'll settle for having you listen to this thoroughly badass track from it. If the demented metal circus break at about 5:45 doesn't get you going, you're a stronger man than I.

Song of the Day: Mandroid Echostar - Kingdom and the Crown

     We're back in the present today, and I've got yet another recently-discovered band to share with you. I found Mandroid Echostar (yes, that's their name) at the same time that I found Intervals (they're going on tour together this fall), and both bands are proggy outfits based in southern Ontario (go Canada!). But while Intervals is heavier, instrumental (for the moment, anyways) and kinda djenty, Mandroid Echostar sounds like Coheed and Cambria if the latter leaned away from proggy punky pop-rock and towards proggy metal. Vocalist Michael Ciccia even resembles Coheed and Cambria's Claudio Sanchez a little. But make no mistake -- these guys aren't just Co&Ca copycats, and I think they're definitely worth a listen.

     As such, today's song is "Kingdom and the Crown", the lead track from Mandroid Echostar's self-titled first EP, which you can download from the band's bandcamp FOR FREE! So if you like the song, check out the rest of the EP and let me know what you think.

Song of the Day: Marilyn Manson - The Speed of Pain

     We're stuck in the past for one more day today before we set out for more modern metal tomorrow, and I think I'm going to slow things down, change the mood up a bit.  When Marilyn Manson's Mechanical Animals came out in 1998, that CD didn't leave our stereo systems and discmen for a while. Even now, I can put it on and genuinely appreciate it, rather than just digging it nostalgically. There were a bunch of cool songs on it, but for today I'm picking a song with a not-exactly-metal vibe.

     Today's song is "The Speed of Pain" by Marilyn Manson. It's a bit of a slow-burner, but its spacey, psychedelic, Pink Floyd feel is worth the build-up. If you know Mechanical Animals, this'll take you right back, and if you don't, this'll help you get acquainted.

Song of the Day: Nothingface - Goldtooth

     Due to the great expense involved in operating the Wayback Machine, we'll be hanging out in the past for at least another day whilst raising funds for the journey back to 2012. In the meantime, you get to hear another great song from back in the day, by another great band that my friends and I listened to a fair amount of. Like Sevendust, Nothingface were in their heyday roughly concurrently with nu-metal, but also like Sevendust I've always thought of Nothingface as more of a straight up metal band. In fact, if anything I'd say Sevendust was the more nu-metally of the two, although that's really neither here nor there. Bottom line, Nothingface was awesome.

     Today's song is "Goldtooth", the opening track from Nothingface's 1998 An Audio Guide to Everyday Atrocity (which is a pretty fucking cool album title, if you ask me). Put it on and prepare to be assaulted. Matt Holt's arrogant, aggressive delivery of the line "feel your cunt dripping, it all smells the same" is worth the price of admission on its own.

Song of the Day: Sevendust - Black

     Won't you step into the Wayback Machine with me for today's song? Well, not way way back, just back to my time in high school. One of the better bands to get big around the time of nu-metal (though they weren't necessarily quite a nu-metal band themselves) was Sevendust. My friends and I listened to lots of Sevendust, and while they had a lot of great songs back then ("Denial", "Waffle", and "Bender" come immediately to mind), I think our favourite was -- and still is -- today's song.

     Your song today is "Black" by Sevendust, off of their 1997 self-titled debut. Put it on and bask in the nostalgia.

Song of the Day: Intervals - Sonar

     I've got some cool Canuck instrumetal for you today. I just recently discovered today's band, Intervals, and downloaded their debut EP The Space Between. I've only had the chance for a couple of listens, but so far I'm digging it: djenty, headbanging grooves, some good leadwork, a couple of nice (and audible, thank the gods!) basslines, and some solid drumming courtesy of Anup Sastry of Skyharbor (among other things). There's even some electronic-style manipulation and ambient-ish stuff, and the whole package amounts to something that makes me very excited for the new material that their Facebook page tells me will soon be in the works.

     Your song today is "Sonar" by Intervals. Check it out.

Song of the Day: Between the Buried and Me - Telos

     Once again, today's song picked itself. If you're a metal fan, you probably already know by now that death-tech-prog-everything  gurus Between the Buried and Me have finished working on their new album, The Parallax II: Future Sequence, a conceptual sequel to last year's The Parallax: Hypersleep Dialogues EP. Future Sequence is due out on October 9th, and I'm stoked, but I don't have to wait that long to hear some new stuff, and neither do you.

     The song of the day for today is "Telos" by Between the Buried and Me, and it's the first song released off of Future Sequence (though at more than nine minutes long I don't know if it can be considered the first "single"). It's epic, it's all over the place, and it's exactly the calibre of awesomeness you'd expect from Between the Buried and Me. Have a listen and mark your calendars.

Song of the Day: Animals as Leaders - An Infinite Regression

     Today's song aims to correct a mistake that's been bugging me for months (literally, more than one month). Way back in May when I put together the Instrametal list, there was one band that I shamefully forgot to include on the list, even though I had very much intended to. That band is Animals as Leaders, and led by Tosin Abasi's seven- and eight-string guitar acrobatics they are definitely worth checking out, and more than worthy of inclusion in a list of cool instrametal acts.

     So as an act of penance (and an all around act of awesomeness) your song for today is "An Infinite Regression" by Animals as Leaders. It's the opening track from their second LP, 2011's Weightless, as it's also a good example of the slightly off-kilter, guitar-driven instramental madness that Animals as Leaders are capable of. See what you think and let me know.

Song of the Day: 7 Horns 7 Eyes - Delusions

     I've got another new band for you today, and they're one of those acts that definitely has a bright future in metal. I'm a big fan of British metal label Basick Records, so when I see a band like 7 Horns 7 Eyes hyped so thoroughly on their website and their Facebook*, and I then read that Jeff Loomis guests on their debut album, well I've got to at least check that shit out. And I'm glad I did.

     Your song today is "Delusions" from this year's Throes of Absolution by 7 Horns 7 Eyes. The whole album is pretty damn solid, so why this song? Simple: the guitar solo in the middle. Shreddy and technical but still tasteful and soulful, the perfect culmination of what this slow burner of a song has hitherto been building towards. Have a listen, and if you're suitably tickled, try something else off the album. You'll be glad you did too.

*A kind of hype to be taken with a certain grain of salt, of course, as Basick are trying to sell records too...

Song of the Day: Numbers - Figured You Forgot

     I've got some tasty new stuff for you today. I was just reading some reviews the other day over on good ol' Heavy Blog... Is Heavy, and I came across a pretty positive one for a self-titled debut EP from an act called Numbers out of Seattle. Now, much of what I listen to sometimes blurs genre lines and defies easy description, and Numbers is no exception. Heavy and aggressive, melodic, technical, catchy, infused with elements of electronica and metal and... well, I really shouldn't even try to get into it, as Tentaclesworth over at Heavy Blog does a better job than I could (check his review of the EP here). Suffice to say, it's pretty crazy, pretty cool, and definitely pretty fucking interesting.

     Today's song is "Figured You Forgot" by Numbers. Listen with an open mind and you might just fall in love. And yes, the song is a little late today, but no, I didn't forget, no matter what you figured...

Song of the Day: Arsis - Closer to Cold

     I've got something a little heavier for you today. When I was in the process of getting into heavier and more out-there metal a few years ago, starting to add full-on death and tech metal type stuff to my collection of melodic metal and metalcore, Arsis was among the bands that really showed me that Death metal with a capital D isn't just blast beats and cookie monster growls, that it can be melodic and hooky while still being fast, technical, and generally fucking heavy. They're not my favourite or anything, but they do have some really cool songs, like the one I've chosen for today.

     Today's song is "Closer to Cold" by Arsis, from 2010's Starve for the Devil. Take a bite and let me know what you think.

Song of the Day: Mastodon - Iron Tusk

     Today I find myself in a bit of a similar situation to yesterday, in the sense that the band I've chosen for today's song, Mastodon, has so many great tracks that could serve as part of the soundtrack for your day. But my method for choosing is a little different today: instead of leaving selection in the hands of the gods, I decided (as it seems I often do) to take a trip down memory lane by picking the song that served as my introduction to Mastodon.

     Today's song is Mastodon's "Iron Tusk", from 2004's epic Leviathan, and its relentless pummeling is what hooked me on Mastodon way back when. Climb aboard the Pequod and subject yourself to the onslaught without delay.

Song of the Day: Refused - The Deadly Rhythm

     Are you now or were you ever into emo, screamo, post-hardcore, metalcore...anything with "core" appended to the end of it, really? Basically, have you been into any heavy music in the last ten to fifteen years? Then you owe at least a little something to Swedish band Refused, and in particular to their 1998 classic The Shape of Punk to Come. So classic is this album that I can think of at least a half a dozen songs, off the top of my head, without even looking at a track list, that could be songs of the day. I picked this one.

     Your song for today is "The Deadly Rhythm" by Refused. Like I said, I could have chosen others, but this one came up on my shuffle the other day and stuck with me for a bit, so why not it? Are Refused fucking dead? You be the judge.

Song of the Day: Trivium - The Crusade

     Today's song comes from new school thrashers Trivium. If you ask me, Trivium's recent efforts have gotten increasingly mundane, increasingly run-of-the-mill -- their last couple albums aren't bad, they're just not great -- but when their second disc Ascendancy came out in 2005, I was way into them. Their follow-up, 2006's The Crusade,  didn't have that certain something and leaned a little far in the 80's direction for many, but it did spawn today's song.

     Your song today is the title track from The Crusade, an epic instrumental that ended up being my favourite off the whole album. The song's riffs might not be assembled with the most finesse (more stitched together at times) but boy, what a handful of riffs! Crank it up and pick your favourite.

Song of the Day: Baroness - A Horse Called Golgotha

     Today's song practically picked itself for me. I don't know if you know Baroness, but these Mastodony metallers from Georgia are set to release their third album (or would it be their third and fourth albums?) of crunchy metal goodness. Following in the tradition of freshman Red and sophomore Blue albums, the latest from Baroness is a polychromatic double album entitled Yellow & Green, and it comes out today. So the choice was easy: today's song had to be a Baroness song. But which one? There again, the choice was easy: good song + wacky video = song of the day.

     Your song for today is "A Horse Called Golgotha" from Baroness' second LP, Blue. If you're a Baroness fan, put this one on to hold you over until you've got the new album, and if you're not, put this one on and become a convert.

What You Should Be Listening To - Tesseract

    Today I’m back with another installment of What You Should Be Listening To, with a band that is one of my favourites right now. They’re funky, they’re heavy, they’re really just all around awesome. They’re Tesseract, and you should be listening to them.

Song of the Day: Darkest Hour - With a Thousand Words to Say But One

     Today we've got a song from one of my favourite bands. I've been a big fan of Darkest Hour for years now, since 2003's Hidden Hands of a Sadist Nation, but it was 2005's Undoing Ruin that really cemented Darkest Hour in the hearts and minds of metal fans, myself included. Just as Hidden Hands opens with an ass-kicking barn-burner ("The Sadist Nation"), Undoing Ruin likewise has a really great opening song, which you can use to open your day (OK, your mid-afternoon...).

     Your song today is "With a Thousand Words to Say But One" by Darkest Hour. And as a bonus, this album is so good that if you're fortunate enough to own a copy, I hereby implore you to simply put today's song on and then simply sit back and enjoy. Either way, if today's song doesn't get you going, you should perhaps watch out for rag-tag groups of survivors combing your area for supplies, because you may in fact be dead and just walking around with the rest of us.

Song of the Day: Meshuggah - Bleed

     Does your afternoon require a dose of something super heavy? I've got just the thing for you. I've written about Meshuggah before, and even recommended this very song to you, but maybe you weren't paying or attention. Or maybe you were lazy that day and didn't go do any of your assigned homework. Or maybe you're just new to the party and weren't around like a month and a half, two months ago. Whatever the case may be, today you get to make amends.

     Your song for today is "Bleed" by Meshuggah, off of 2008's obZen. Put it on, turn it up, and be prepared for a sonic assault that I can only describe as "relentless". You've been warned.
(Also, please note that while there is a video for this song, it's an edit rather than the album version, so I've gone with the full on, longer version here.)

Song of the Day, July 14: The Devil Wears Prada - Anatomy

     Yeah, yeah, I know, you song is late today. My excuse? Zombies attacked my house, and it's taken me this long to get to a computer. The very same zombies, incidentally, that inspired The Devil Wears Prada's 2010 Zombie EP. But don't worry, you'll fare better than I did because you'll have today's song to defend yourself with. Believe me, there's enough power in the intro riff to this one to chop a zombie in half like the chainsaw that opens the song.

     Your song today*, for your safety, is "Anatomy" by The Devil Wears Prada. Start stockpiling food and ammunition now, because the zombies are on their way.

* Or yesterday, fuck off.

Song of the Day: The Safety Fire - Huge Hammers

     Today I've got some new stuff for you, even for me. In other words, even I am just discovering British metal band The Safety Fire, so we get to share the new band experience together today. I just picked up The Safety Fire's first full length disc, Grind the Ocean, the other day, based largely on hearing today's song a while ago.  After my initial listen to about half the album on my way home from work this morning, I'd describe The Safety Fire as an above-average metal/metalcore band with some djenty leanings and flashes of Protest the Hero and Between the Buried and Me. The potential to grow on me is definitely there. I'll have to finish up with it and give it a few more listens before I really make up my mind.

     In the meantime, you can enjoy your song for today, Grind the Ocean's first single and video "Huge Hammers". It's a pretty good song, and so far it seems like a decent indicator of what the Safety Fire is all about. Let me know what you think, and I'll see you tomorrow.

Song of the Day: Cynic - Evolutionary Sleeper

     Recently I've been getting pretty into Cynic, who I'd never even heard of until maybe six months ago but who apparently are death-prog legends whose sound has mutated and evolved into something I'm not really even going to try and describe*. I'll only say that Cynic is a bit like Tool, if only in the sense that Cynic is also comprised of a group of phenomenally talented musicians pushing the limits of their craft

     To give you just the smallest taste of Cynic, your song for today is "Evolutionary Sleeper", from 2008's Traced in Air. It's a cool song, and kind of a middle ground in Cynic's catalogue, a stepping stone track if you will, showing what Cynic sounded like in the middle of their journey from death metal to... wherever the fuck they are now. Hope you like it.

* Well not right now anyways. Cynic will definitely be the subject of a What You Should Be Listening To at some time or another. Whenever I get around to it. Stay tuned.

Song of the Day: The Dillinger Escape Plan - Gold Teeth on a Bum

     Today we're going to go a little weird and wild. I'm not a huge Dillinger Escape Plan fan, but it seems the further I get into techy, progressive metal, the better I'm able to understand bands like this. Of course it doesn't hurt that The Dillinger Escape Plan have gotten at least somewhat more accessible over the years (and not in the "radio-friendly, watered-down" kind of way, just the "not-a-constant-mindfuck" kind of way). Their most recent album, Option Paralysis, might be their most accessible yet, with a bunch of really good songs on it, including this one.

     Your song for today is "Gold Teeth on a Bum" by The Dillinger Escape Plan. Enjoy.

Song of the Day: Pantera - Walk

     By some strange bit of serendipity, Pantera's totally fucking awesome Vulgar Display of Power has been presenting itself to me a fair amount lately, like the shuffle gods of the universe are trying to tell me something. I've seen it referred to online this week, I'm re-reading an old article in Revolver about its recording, and it's come up on my mp3 player's random album setting, so perhaps it's best to placate said gods already.

     Today's song is "Walk" by Pantera. Put it on and bask in the vulgar display of power. We miss ya, Dime.

Song of the Day: Sylosis - Empyreal

    We're going to stay metal with today's song, while at the same time harkening back to the most recent What You Should Be Listening To post. In honour of some camping I did over the weekend, and just in case you didn't check them out when I told you to the first time, today's song is "Empyreal" by Sylosis. This one's for you, Nick.

Song of the Day: Metallica - Battery

    Guten tag, everyone. Today I felt it would be nice to finally have some metal in the Song of the Day. In keeping with yesterday's summery theme, I've picked another good song to turn up loud with some good friends and good brews, and it also just so happens to be an album opener so that you can conveniently just put this song on and then let it ride. Tasty.

    The song of the day today is mother fucking "Battery" by Metallica. Horns up, bottoms up, friends.

Song of the Day: The Smashing Pumpkins - Cherub Rock

     Day 3 here, with a bit of a palate-cleanser for those of you who aren't the biggest Rush fans. When I was in high school, and even in university, this song always felt like summer (this album, really, but especially with the kick-off from this song), and since I'm off for some camping with the gang this evening, what better way to give a summer excursion a good kick-off?

     Your song of the day today is "Cherub Rock" by The Smashing Pumpkins. Where ever you might be today, put it on, crank it up, and enjoy some summer.*

* Unless you're in a different hemisphere. If you're in, say Australia, happy winter guys! Crank some Pumpkins anyways.

Song of the Day: Rush - Tom Sawyer

     Song of the Day, day 2, and today's going to be kind of a sequel to yesterday (you'll get it in a second). I am indeed Canadian, and since I didn't start Song of the Day until after Canada Day, today's going to be a Canada Day song. But unlike yesterday's "4th of July" for the 4th of July, I know of no songs about or entitled Canada Day, metal or otherwise, so it's going to have to just be a song by a Canadian band. Now I know some of you are going to decry my choice, largely because of Geddy Lee's voice, but I don't care.

     Today's song is "Tom Sawyer" by Rush. Yeah, it's not the most metal song, but even if you don't like Geddy you can't deny the incredible musicianship regularly displayed by all three members of the prog-tastic entity that is Rush. So Happy (belated) Canada Day everyone, and enjoy.

Song of the Day: Soundgarden - 4th of July

     Today I'm going to start something a little different. As you've probably noticed, it can take me a long time to write one of these here Loud Noises posts, depending on what's going on in my life at any given time, and what it is I'm writing about. But sometimes I just want to make a quick post so that you, dear reader, will have something to brighten up (and maybe metal up) your day. Sure, I started Loud Noises as a soapbox for me to express my thoughts and opinions about cool music, metal and otherwise, but I also started Loud Noises so that I would have the chance to turn other people -- you, for example -- on to the music I'm passionate about. To that end, today is the first day of Song of the Day*, a feature of Loud Noises in which I'm going to to recommend one new song each and every day for one year. Yup. A lofty goal? Or a trivial undertaking? I don't know, but I'm going to try it out and see how it fits.

     To start things off, I've got something sort of inspired by yesterday being Independence Day for our neighbours to the south. So even though I'm not an American, your song of the day for the fifth of July is Soundgarden's "4th of July". It's a really cool song off of 1994's Superunknown, and it's also one that I think is maybe a little underrated, even among Soundgarden fans. So have a listen, and I'll see you tomorrow.

* Yes, it's not the best name. I know. Suggestions?

Free Randy Blythe!

     Seriously, Czech Republic. What the fuck?

     So I'm traversing the internet the other day, minding my own business, when scrolling through my Facebook newsfeed I see a post from Darkest Hour sending their love out to Lamb of God and Company in the wake of vocalist Randy Blythe's arrest for manslaughter (!) in the Czech Republic.

     Say what?

     I've got a few other posts in the works, but all of that has to go on the back burner for a second because I would tremendously fucking remiss if I didn't comment on what has to be one of the biggest stories in metal right now.

     First off, the facts as far as I know them, with credit and thanks for the info going to the good people over at Metal Sucks (here's the link I've been following, in case you'd rather read it from someone other than me). The situation stands thus: Lamb of God was in the Czech Republic this week, specifically in Prague for a show, when Randy Blythe was arrested on charges of manslaughter connected to a concert in May of 2010. At this concert, a fan apparently leapt on stage (repeatedly, according to a statement from Lamb of God's publicist) and became engaged in some kind of physical altercation with Randy, which ended with Randy pushing the fan off the stage and back into the crowd where he hit his head. This fan later died from his injuries. Randy was taken into custody on either Wednesday or Thursday, but was released on bail yesterday (June 30), and will be in Prague until at least tomorrow (July 2).

     Let me preface the following by saying that if Randy is guilty of something, he should be held accountable. Money, fame, being from a different country, even being the lead singer for an internationally renowned metal band --  none of these things should protect a person from culpability for their actions, especially if those actions are illegal, or worse, lead to the injury or death of another person. As much as I love Lamb of God, if authorities in Prague have evidence that can prove Randy  responsible for this fan's death, then unfortunately Randy should be made to face the music*.

     That said, there are a few things about this story/situation that give rise to my reaction from above (serisouly Czech Republic, what the fuck?), the first of which being the timing of the whole thing. I admit my complete ignorance of Czech laws, meaning I have no idea whether or not there might be some sort of statute of limitations on a crime like manslaughter, but I would think that if there was any evidence at all to suggest Randy's being more than superficially responsible, it would not take two years to bring charges against him. I realize police investigations don't happen overnight, and that various forms of evidence take time to assemble and analyze, but come on. This incident  occurred at a show, presumably in full view of hundreds or even thousands of witnesses, with footage from the show supposedly being up on Youtube, and yet it would seem that authorities have needed two years to build enough of a case again Randy?

     Again, I profess legal ignorance; maybe the wheels of justice simply turn slowly. But the fact that this happened at a metal show brings me to my second point: this happened at a metal show. Metal shows are inherently dangerous. Hell,  any concert where people are crammed together, hot and sweaty, possibly crowdsurfing, possibly with a few beers in them, can get a little rowdy, and as a result attendance at any big concert, not just a metal show, can carry with it a certain level of bodily risk. Now take into account the fact that metal can be an aggressive, high energy style of music, and you have a situation in which any reasonable-minded person realizes there is at least the potential for injury. Anyone who tells you otherwise has clearly never been to a metal show.

     To say that you take your life in your own hands when you attend a metal show would of course be overly dramatic, but there is a kernel of truth there. You as an autonomous attendee do have a measure of control over your own safety at a concert. If you don't want to risk being dropped (or having your wallet, shoes, etc, stolen...), you don't go crowdsurfing. Simple. If you don't want to get slammed by that scary-looking guy in the circle pit, you hang back more toward the edge of the crowd. And if you aren't prepared to jump off the stage and into the crowd, or be "helped" off by security, with all the ensuing risks to your safety that leaving a stage in such a manner entails, you don't fucking climb onstage in the first place. Again, simple, no?

     But let's leave that responsibility on the part of the fan aside for now and move to the other thing I want to comment on, the responsibility Randy and the other guys in Lamb of God have for their safety. Every metal fan worth his or her salt knows that on December 8, 2004, Dimebag Darrell was shot and killed by a fan at a Damageplan show in Columbus, Ohio. Now I'm not saying this Czech fan had any ill intentions whatsoever, or that he even had the appearance of having any, but then I wasn't there. I don't know how threatened Randy or anyone else felt or didn't feel, and while it is terrible that this situation ended with the death of the fan, I would like to think that if Randy, or any member of any band, felt threatened by a fan, they should have at least some recourse to defend themselves other than politely asking said fan to vacate the stage in a timely fashion. This seems like a case where this recourse, maybe a shove and a "back the fuck up, buddy" might simply have led to the accidental death of the fan in question, which I suppose is why these are charges of manslaughter and not murder. I guess from where I sit there's just something not quite right about looking to assign blame for a tragic accident at an inherently (somewhat) dangerous recreational event more than two years after the fact

     OK, rant over. I'll close by saying that I just hope this situation gets resolved quickly and fairly. If Randy is guilty of something, he should be held responsible, and if he's not, let him get back on the fucking road already.

     And now back to your regularly scheduled programming.








* I'm sorry, I couldn't help myself.