Metal Monday #7

My external harddrive passed away a week or two ago after many years of service. Interestingly, another harddrive which I had backed the majority of my stuff up on had stopped working roughly a year ago, which left me in a bit of a predicament. By a miraculous coincidence, the data on the latter HD has been managed to be salvaged which means that though some of my stuff is unaccounted for, the majority of it has been saved. Honestly, I would probably have killed myself if all my music got deleted. Anyway, enough with the chit-chat, lets get to the point:

The first track to be posted is by Chimaira and it is taken from their album The Impossibility Of Reason. The track itself is one of their more underappreciated efforts, Cleansation. Out of all the bands under the banner of the New Wave of American Heavy Metal, Chimaira have to be my favourite, because simply put, there is no band like them. They're able to combine some of the heaviest and most brutal riffs with vocals which are not only appropriate to the music being played but that often adapt to fit the style which the band is conveying. The track Cleansation is no different. It has one of the most storming openings I've ever heard, with drum and guitar patterns that refuse to harmonise with eachother, instead approaching the track with their own individual methodology that plays off eachother. Another notable aspect of this song is the almost eastern vibe the guitar gives off at around the 2:30 mark which builds up to the shredding solo, with Mark Hunter's impenetrable and enigmatic vocals providing a much-needed layer over the top. Their name, in particular, is perhaps one of the most fitting parts of the band as they are named after a creature from Greek mythology, the Chimera, a fire-breathing monster. The reason why this is so befitting is because their music to some extent corresponds with this mythological beast due to the sheer power and competency of the band as a whole. Cleansation is a good demonstration of this dynamism and proficiency.

Chimaira - Cleansation

Secondly we have Derek Sherinian's Day Of The Dead. You may or may not know Sherinian depending on whether you're a fan of keyboardists or not. If you are, there is a good chance you're a fan of his already due to the volume of accomplishments he has made throughout his career. If not, allow me to introduce him: Derek Sherinian has to be one of the most dynamic and technically proficient keyboardists in the business, playing with a vast aggregation of artists, ranging from the likes of Kiss to Alice In Chains. On a more progressive front, he has also played with Dream Theater and is the founder of the band Planet X, who to an extent serve as a influence to his own solo work. Day Of The Dead is a good example of this significance because it plays upon the blueprint created by Planet X. This blueprint stems from the relentless nature with which they became attributed. Sherinian doesn't play it down either, citing the reason for the formation of Planet X as a band who "played their instruments so fiercely, that they would strike fear in the hearts of all musicians". His solo work builds upon this manifesto, with some of the most skullcrushing and downright grinding riffs to ever feature on solo material of this type. Listening to the track Day Of The Dead itself, it is hard to believe that it is taken from the solo album of a keyboardist, as there is heavy emphasis on the guitar work from the outset. It is only when you take a closer listen that you realize that a lot of this supposed guitar work is actually achieved through different settings on his equipment. There are many notable collaborations on his albums with guitarists and drummers but much of what you originally perceive as being from a guitar isn't actually so, which demonstrates just how versatile and creative Sherinian is. Day Of The Dead is one of those songs it is difficult not to like because although it is a little on the long side, there is enough material in it to sustain multiple listens.

Derek Sherinian - Day Of The Dead

The middle track of todays post is System Of A Down's P.L.U.C.K, taken from their self-titled album. Unless you've been living in a cave for your entire life, there is no doubt that you've heard of System Of A Down, especially their multiplatinum record Toxicity. In the early 2000s, there were few metal bands who could evoke such critical and commercial acclaim internationally, yet although they are on a hiatus, in more recent times they appear to have lost their touch. In spite of being perhaps the most iconic member of the band, their lead singer Serj Tankian has taken more of a backseat in recent productions. Instead, guitarist/backing vocalist Daron Malakian took more of a hands-on approach with the band, singing in many of their tracks, despite not being the greatest singer in the world, and as a result, they lost some of the impact they originally had. I'm not saying Serj Tankian was excluded but he most definitely played less of a part in the overall structure of the band and as a result they became less and less an original and contemporary band with a valid message to put across. This is the reason I have chosen to go with P.L.U.C.K over their newer material. It embodies the ideals and stylistic traits on which the band was founded and although their self-titled album doesn't quite hit the pinnacles of Toxicity, it is still a great album in its own right because of songs like Soil, War? and of course P.L.U.C.K.

System Of A Down - P.L.U.C.K.

The fourth track to be posted is by a band who I'm surprised haven't been featured in this weekly segment yet; Devin Townsend's sideproject, Strapping Young Lad. The track to be featured is Love? from their Alien album. An interesting bit of trivia regarding this album is that in order to prepare for recording it, Townsend stopped taking medication prescribed to him in order to treat his bipolar disorder. He described the reasons behind this in a statement saying that "I think that as an artist, in order for me to get to the next plateau, I kind of feel the need to explore things and sometimes that exploration leads you to places that are a little crazy," concluding that "Alien was no exception with that." The track Love? is prominent for two reasons. Firstly, its video is heavily inspired by the Evil Dead franchise, and secondly it has an extremely accessible opening riff. It was chosen as the lead single from the album due to a possibility of commercial metal appeal though I think that is more to do with the other tracks on the album rather than Love? itself. I wouldn't say that this is the strongest of all the Strapping Young Lad tracks but it is a good example of what the band are capable of and that's why I chose it.

Strapping Young Lad - Love?

Lastly, we have Pantera's 5 Minutes Alone, a track which seems to constantly grow on me the more I listen to it. Maybe its the utterly compelling bass lick or it could be Phil Anselmo's imperative vocals, I honestly don't know. My only real complaint of Pantera as a band is that there tends to be a hell of a lot of filler on their albums as opposed to stone-cold classics such as Cowboys From Hell, Walk or even the featured track 5 Minutes Alone. Admittedly, the album which 5 Minutes Alone belongs to, Far Beyond Driven, isn't quite as bad for this as some of their previous albums but it makes you wonder exactly what they could have been had they spent more time crafting their material. This isn't a slight against the band, as they are one of the greatest metal bands of all time and obviously there were a lot of issues between the band members on the inside, but unfortunately we will never know exactly what the band were capable of due to the untimely murder of lead guitarist Dimebag Darrell. For now, you'll just have to be happy with one of the best breakdowns in metal history at just under the 4:00 mark.

Pantera - 5 Minutes Alone