Song of the Day: As I Lay Dying - Meaning in Tragedy

     My friends and I used to be big fans of As I Lay Dying. We haven't been as enthusiastic about their last couple of albums because they're definitely a band that has "found their sound" and seems content to rest on their admittedly heavy laurels. But their first couple of albums were apparently just what the doctor ordered when they came out, with Shadows Are Security being a real classic, and the album that made the band.

Song of the Day: Glassjaw - Tip Your Bartender

     Glassjaw is a bit like Guns and Roses. How, you ask? Well, it's been ten years since their last full length, the stupidly awesome Worship and Tribute, and we're all still waiting for the follow-up that has supposedly been in the works off and on for years. Of course the difference is that Glassjaw have at least put out a couple of EPs worth of new material in that time, if only in limited release. Hopefully my comparing them to Guns and Roses will somehow speed things along.

Song of the Day: Avenged Sevenfold - Darkness Surrounding

     Today's song requires a little bit of a walk, but I promise I'll make it as quick and painless as possible. At work this summer, we've been listening to a lot of Sirius satellite radio. Mainly it's been Alt Nation, I'm pretty much the only metal enthusiast where I work, but the past couple of weeks there's been some Octane in the mix. Among the bands I've heard on there lately that I used to listen to but don't really follow anymore is Avenged Sevenfold. But Octane plays their newer stuff, and I was always a fan of their first couple of albums. True to form, today you're getting the song that first alerted me to the existence of Avenged Sevenfold.

Song of the Day: Tool - Aenema

     So I was going through my playlist, looking for a song for today, when it occurred to me: I've been at this Song of the Day thing for going on two months now and I've yet to do a Tool song. Shame! Time to set things right!

Heavy TO Pit Report - Part 2: The Rest

     I told you I'd be back with more thoughts about my trip to day 2 of Heavy TO, and you know I wouldn't lie to you, so here I am! In no particular order, here are my ramblings about everything I didn't cover last time around:

Song of the Day: Mudvayne - Internal Primates Forever

     Once again it's Monday, time to get back to work and back to metal. Today's one of those days when I just let my playlist's shuffling do the choosing for me*, and I for one think it came up with something good. It's been a while since I've listened to any Mudvayne, but they're another one of those bands that I listened to a ton of in high school and university, back when I was still forging the penchant for metal that I have today. As with anything from one's youth, some bands I listened to back then don't stand up as well as others, but Mudvayne isn't one of them. I haven't heard much off of their last couple of discs, but the ones I've got and used to crank can still hold their own alongside more modern stuff.

Song of the Day: The Sound of Animals Fighting - The Ocean and The Sun

     It's Sunday (still, for a little bit at least) which means your song for today is going to be a little bit laid-back, a little less metal. Today's choice struck me as a bit of a no-brainer, given the whole "weekend-chill-vibe" thing, since I haven't even ever mentioned this band yet and they're definitely worth mentioning. The Sound of Animals Fighting was a super-group of sorts, counting members of Finch, Rx Bandits, Chiodos, and Circa Survive among its alumni, though the band has disbanded since the release of its third and final album in 2008. Still, the three album catalogue they produced is pretty interesting and definitely worth checking out.