What Are the 10 Most Essential Gateway Songs?
I enjoyed the essential song exercise started by Saxy in The Infinite thread enough for me to do the same with the other clans, starting with my own. Feel free to join in, as long as you follow the rules like in Saxy's thread:
10 songs with any sort of affiliation with the clan.
NOT just the superior genre or subgenre, you can include any of them.
This is a general list for any metalhead, whether or not you have experience with the genres in the clan.
Here's mine (mostly based on importance, not favorites):
1. Linkin Park - "Numb"
2. System of a Down - "Chop Suey"
3. Alice in Chains - "Them Bones"
4. Rage Against the Machine - "Killing in the Name"
5. Tool - "Schism"
6. Slipknot - "Eyeless"
7. Deftones - "Change (in the House of Flies")
8. Faith No More - "Malpractice"
9. Korn - "Freak on a Leash"
10. Primus - "John the Fisherman"
Anyway.... here's my list:
01. Alice In Chains – “Would?” (from “Dirt”, 1992)
02. Faith No More – “Surprise! You’re Dead!” (from “The Real Thing”, 1989)
03. Deftones – “Change (In The House Of Flies)” (from “White Pony”, 2000)
04. Tool – “Schism” (from “Lateralus”, 2001)
05. Soundgarden – “Jesus Christ Pose” (from “Badmotorfinger”, 1991)
06. Katatonia – “My Twin” (from “The Great Cold Distance”, 2006)
07. Karnivool – “Synops” (from “Themata”, 2005)
08. Primus – “Spegetti Western” (from “Frizzle Fry”, 1990)
09. Loathe – “I Let It In & It Took Everything” (from “I Let It In & It Took Everything”, 2020)
10. System Of A Down – “Aerials” (from “Toxicity”, 2001)
Your list very much surprises me Andi. I had no idea that you had any affiliation with most of these bands/releases, let alone regard their songs as the absolute pinnacle of the clan. Or have I misunderstood what we're trying to achieve here? Aren't these threads supposed to showcase our personal tastes & what we each find to be the most appealing tracks from a clan rather than simply collating the popular opinion which would inevitably see us all posting the same list?
I thought we were trying to pick ten songs that whilst being appealing to us as individuals also gave a good flavour of the clan in question and not necessarily just a "my top ten (clan name) releases" list.
Anyway, The Gateway is another clan I only have a limited exposure to and an even smaller number of albums I actually enjoyed, but here goes:
1. Slipknot - "Vermillion" from "Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses)" ( 2004)
2. Faith No More - "Epic" from "The Real Thing" (1989)
3. Soundgarden – “Jesus Christ Pose” from “Badmotorfinger” (1991)
4. System of a Down - "Toxicity" from "Toxicity" (2001)
5. Rage Against the Machine - "Freedom" from "Rage Against the Machine" (1992)
6. Tool - "Schism" from "Lateralus" (2001)
7. Helmet - "In the Meantime" from "Meantime" (1992)
8. Drain S.T.H. - "Crack the Liar's Smile" from "Horror Wrestling" (1996)
9. Korn - "Freak On A Leash" from "Follow the Leader" (1998)
10. Alice in Chains - "The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here" from "The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here" (2013)
Your list very much surprises me Andi. I had no idea that you had any affiliation with most of these bands/releases, let alone regard their songs as the absolute pinnacle of the clan. Or have I misunderstood what we're trying to achieve here? Aren't these threads supposed to showcase our personal tastes & what we each find to be the most appealing tracks from a clan rather than simply collating the popular opinion which would inevitably see us all posting the same list?
This isn't really the "favorite songs" thread, Daniel, we're looking for the ESSENTIAL tracks, but of course, some of your favorite tracks can be essential too. I'm still kind of new to The Gateway, trying to make new discoveries to bands that might fit in with my current taste. Currently, it's not a lot, but I look forward to expanding that side further. You know this new online friend of mine who published his own EP as "Sharps & Dulls": https://metal.academy/forum/23/thread/402?page=1&#topic_9757 He likes alt-metal more than I currently do and would fit well in the Gateway if he joins this site. He has listened to most of the songs I chose for the list, and after giving those songs a listen, I now understand how important they are in letting this kind of music sweep the globe. So I've included them for the time being. If I was making my list based on favorites, I probably would've included something from bands like Katatonia and Karnivool, but for now my list is based on importance.
I read it as a list of tracks that you would play for someone to show them what it is that you personally love about the clan in question. I didn’t take any consideration into what’s important to other people. Otherwise I would think every list would have the big tunes like “Paranoid”, “Run To The Hills” & “Master of Puppets”.
I had already called out similar to this in the Guardians version of this thread (both threads I am convinced are nonsense btw). It's plagiarism of someone else's list right? This other person has told you what they listen to and all of a sudden they are essential listens?
Not exactly, Vinny. If someone makes a list and I copy most or all of it, then that would be plagiarism, but that's not my intent, and that other person never made any actual lists. Remember, "essential" doesn't always mean favorites. I've listened to the tracks I chosen, and while they don't fit the alt-metal taste direction I'm trying to take, I understand their importance and would recommend it to people who enjoy alt-metal more than I do at the moment. When I find some essential alt-metal I really enjoy during my Gateway search quest, they'll certainly be added in.
To be far Andi, I decided to make this challenge for the Infinite clan exclusively because it is such a vast environment that covers so much ground that it would seem almost impossible for someone new to approach it without some sort of curtailing to preferred preference. I have no problem with including personal bias/preferences into these types of lists; they could not exist without them. But trying to pull a full one-eighty from a subjective list (The Guardians) to a completely objective list (The Gateway) was not the original intention. That's the main reason why I included the addendum "They can be metal fans from other subgenres" to the rules. Not everyone gets "into" music the same way. Think of it more as a "how to get into ___", but from your point of experience. I think Sonny gets this and their list is proof of this. Some easily recognizable names with a couple of big hits from FNM, SOAD and Helmet, whilst also including deeper cuts from AiC, Slipknot and Soundgarden.
...Anyways, my list for this clan is incredibly easy to run out:
1. Alice in Chains - Rooster
2. Faith No More - Be Aggressive
3. Deftones - Diamond Eyes
4. System of a Down - B.Y.O.B.
5. Slipknot - Psychosocial
6. Linkin Park - Faint
7. Rage Against the Machine - Guerilla Radio
8. Helmet - Unsung
9. Karnivool - Mauseum
10. Living Colour - Cult of Personality