January 2022 "The Gateway" Playlist - Metal Academy Radio

(Since this playlist has arrived but its thread wasn't created yet, I've done it myself. You're welcome, Saxy!)

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7aY7WjCGySb3Lb4x79Dk5T

01. Spiritbox - "Sun Killer" (from Eternal Blue)

02. Avatar - "New Land" (from Feathers & Flesh)

03. Fair To Midland - "A Loophole in Limbo" (from Arrows & Anchors)

04. Karnivool - "All It Takes" (from All It Takes)

05. Malrun - "Moving Into Fear" (from The Empty Frame)

06. TOOL - "Triad" (from Lateralus)

07. Bad Wolves - "On the Case" (from Dear Monsters)

08. Pist.On - "Suddenly Sober" (from Sell Out)

09. Gwar - "Saddam A GoGo" (from This Toilet Earth)

10. Temperance - "Save Me" (from Limitless)

11. Life of Agony - "This Time" (from The Complete Roadrunner Collection)

12. Bullet for My Valentine - "Rainbow Veins" (from Bullet for My Valentine)

13. Alice in Chains - "The One You Know" (from Rainier Fog)

14. Mordred - "Not for You" (from Volition)

15. Saliva - "800" (from Saliva)

16. Dir En Grey - "艶かしき安息、躊躇いに微笑み (NAMAMEKASHIKI ANSOKU, TAMERAI NI HOHOEMI)" (from THE MARROW OF A BONE)

17. Earshot - "Wait" (from Two)

18. Biohazard - "Tales from the Hard Side" (from State Of The World Address)

19. Moon Tooth - "Awe at All Angles" (from Crux)

20. Linkin Park - "Faint" (from Meteora)

21. American Head Charge - "Let All the World Believe" (from Tango Umbrella)

22. Psychostick - "Obey the Beard" (from IV: Revenge of the Vengeance)

23. Sweet Noise - "Dzisiaj mnie kochasz, jutro nienawidzisz" (from Czas ludzi cienia)

24. Machinae Supremacy - "Sid Icarus" (from Overworld)

25. Galactic Cowboys - "Ants" (from At the End of the Day)

26. Sleep Token - "Alkaline" (from This Place Will Become Your Tomb)

27. Chevelle - "Send the Pain Below" (from Wonder What's Next)

28. Type O Negative - "I Don't Wanna Be Me" (from Life Is Killing Me)

My thoughts on some tracks (sorry about most of the selected tracks being my own submissions):

Spiritbox - "Sun Killer" (from Eternal Blue)

5/5. The climatic opener of both the playlist and the album this was in breaks the dam and consumes you with crushing waves as Courtney LaPlante sings about her battle against depression ("I was born to break").

Avatar - "New Land" (from Feathers & Flesh)

4.5/5. I miss this awesome song! The lyrics are f***ing odd at times but still make some sense. The intro riffing might remind some of Motorhead's "Ace of Spades". I'm surprised this song hasn't been featured in Devil May Cry.

Bad Wolves - "On the Case" (from Dear Monsters)

4/5. This is where Bad Wolves get serious with their metal, unleashing groove riff punches and great screams. This bad-A song can really sink its teeth into the skin of your eardrums. Not the best alt-metal song, but a killer one.

Bullet for My Valentine - "Rainbow Veins" (from Bullet for My Valentine)

4.5/5. Changing the pace from the metalcore that dominates its album to a slight, JUST slight, alt-metal break, this one continues the monstrous groove, but with more clean singing than the unclean growls of the other songs there. This rhythmic tune emphasizes on waves of sorrow in the aftermath of a revolution, containing a melancholic chorus followed by a destructive bridge. You feelin' it now?

Dir En Grey - "艶かしき安息、躊躇いに微笑み (NAMAMEKASHIKI ANSOKU, TAMERAI NI HOHOEMI)"

5/5. One of the most awesome songs by Japanese alt-metal masters Dir En Grey! Beautiful gold! It starts soft with acoustic riffing similar to In Flames' The Jester Race, and then at the 4-minute mark, Kyo screams into a final chorus that's as heavy as In Flames' The Jester Race (the metal parts).

Linkin Park - "Faint" (from Meteora)

4.5/5. This mighty hit single is a sudden change of mood that can get you pumping and jumping. The drums are faster with nice guitar layers, though not reaching its strong point until the bridge. Great single!

Machinae Supremacy - "Sid Icarus" (from Overworld)

5/5. I love this band's music, both instrumentally and vocally, especially during my earlier epic metal taste (they're also considered power metal), and they have composed music for the computer game Jets n' Guns. They mix alt/power metal with 8-bit sounds similar to Nintendo-metalcore bands such as HORSE the Band and Sky Eats Airplane. Not everyone's a fan of the vocals, but I think they're unique to much of rock and metal. The song is based on the composition "Flight of the Toyota" used in Jets n' Guns that I've heard when playing the demo level. This kind of metal style the band calls "SID metal". They've also toured with melodeath bands Ensiferum and Children of Bodom.

Type O Negative - "I Don't Wanna Be Me" (from Life Is Killing Me)

4.5/5. This song I loved back when I was still in The Fallen, and I first heard of it when Trivium did a cover of the song. It is relatable for people who have lost a loved one. However, it could be foreshadowing of the passing of frontman Peter Steele. RIP... The ambient outro ends the playlist nicely though.

Think we'll find it is Life of Agony not "Life in Agony".

Think we'll find it is Life of Agony not "Life in Agony".

Whoops!