August 2022 "The Gateway" Playlist - Metal Academy Radio

(Thread posted with permission from Saxy)

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

Tracklisting:

01. Reliqa - "The Bearer of Bad News" (from The Bearer of Bad News)

02. Dorje - "Catalyst" (from Catalyst)

03. Floodgate - "Running With Sodden Legs" (from Penalty)

04. 36 Crazyfists - "Where Revenge Ends" (from Lanterns)

05. Pyogenesis - "Undead" (from Twinaleblood)

06. Evanescence - "Sweet Sacrifice" (from The Open Door)

07. Helmet - "Crashing Foreign Cars" (from Size Matters)

08. DIR EN GREY - "Beautiful Dirt" (from Withering to Death)

09. Clawfinger - "Don't Wake Me Up" (from Clawfinger)

10. Five Finger Death Punch - "Got Your Six" (from Got Your Six)

11. Giraffe Tongue Orchestra - "Crucifixion" (from Broken Lines)

12. Katatonia - "Buildings" (from Dead End Kings)

13. Spiritbox - "Rotoscope" (from Rotoscope) (song already in last month's playlist, but I'll let it slide this time)

14. Memphis May Fire - "Misery" (from Remade in Misery)

15. Yakui the Maid - "Guilt" (from Flock)

16. Motionless in White - "Scoring the End of the World" (from Scoring the End of the World)

17. The Butterfly Effect - "One Second of Insanity" (from Begins Here)

18. Lacuna Coil - "Kill the Light" (from Dark Adrenaline)

19. Nekrogoblikon - "Bones" (from The Fundamental Slimes and Humours)

20. While She Sleeps - "CALL OF THE VOID" (from SLEEPS SOCIETY)

21. Finger Eleven - "Awake and Dreaming" (from Tip)

Saxy, let me just say, you have done such as incredible job assembling this month's Gateway and Infinite playlists! This tracklisting has encouraged me to go through the entire playlist and find excellent tracks from bands I already listen to along with different bands in which some of them I feel up to trying some more songs from them. Well done, please keep it up! So let's get my track thought journey started:

Reliqa - "The Bearer of Bad News" (from The Bearer of Bad News)

4.5/5. This one's quite great, promising a more progressive future for alternative metal. Good killer technicality!

Dorje - "Catalyst" (from Catalyst)

4/5. Beautiful mixing here, with an intro groove that's like Alice in Chains' "Them Bones" on steroids.

Floodgate - "Running With Sodden Legs" (from Penalty)

3.5/5. In the year of Sepultura's Roots, 1996, Floodgate was active for one album. Pretty d*mn good, but I'm not into this stoner-ish style of alt-metal.

36 Crazyfists - "Where Revenge Ends" (from Lanterns)

4/5. 36 Crazyfists is one of my recent favorite alt-metalcore bands, and they've always stayed steady on their feet, even in soft ballads like this one. You can feel the deep soothing touch within your heart.

Pyogenesis - "Undead" (from Twinaleblood)

3.5/5. I haven't heard this band before, but I probably would've loved it better if I continued developing my initial alt-rock/metal interest 10 years ago.

Evanescence - "Sweet Sacrifice" (from The Open Door)

4/5. This is a heavy lamenting anthem showing how much a breakup can feel like freedom ("It's true we're all a little insane, but it's so clear now that I'm unchained").

Helmet - "Crashing Foreign Cars" (from Size Matters)

4.5/5. This is a nice song to love, especially after getting immersed in one of their earlier albums Strap It On. Many listeners might know this song as part of the soundtrack for Need for Speed Underground 2.

DIR EN GREY - "Beautiful Dirt" (from Withering to Death)

5/5. Man, for a song with the word "Beautiful" in the title, it's very aggressive the way I love it, especially the direct lyrics. If this band continues re-recording their songs, they should definitely do this one!

Clawfinger - "Don't Wake Me Up" (from Clawfinger)

4.5/5. I don't usually like rap-ish nu metal (except a bit of Linkin Park), but this one's an excellent tune to take you to mystifying dimensions. It has kind of an emo vibe here (the mood, not the genre).

Five Finger Death Punch - "Got Your Six" (from Got Your Six)

4/5. My brother has been a huge fan of 7FDP among other alt-metal bands. This shall encourage combat soldiers to fight their enemies and GET THEIR SIX! Another good song to love and fight for your rights.

Giraffe Tongue Orchestra - "Crucifixion" (from Broken Lines)

4.5/5. An amazing great track from a supergroup that includes guitarists Brent Hinds (Mastodon) and Ben Weinman (The Dillinger Escape Plan).

Katatonia - "Buildings" (from Dead End Kings)

4/5. I used to really love Katatonia and the vocals of Jonas Renkse before moving away from the more depressive metal styles. The brutal riff-drumming combo at around the one-minute mark is so f***ing good. I still love a few songs like this one from Katatonia and In Flames, kind of like when you break up from a girlfriend but remain friends. I just wish the song didn't have a bit of inconsistent cr*p.

Spiritbox - "Rotoscope" (from Rotoscope) (song already in last month's playlist, but I'll let it slide this time)

4.5/5. Spiritbox is back with a great hysterical alt-metalcore tune!

Memphis May Fire - "Misery" (from Remade in Misery)

5/5. One of only two tracks from Memphis May Fire's new album to not be a single (the other being "The Fight Within), and it's an underrated piece of greatness, with lyrics to love to bits! Has a bit of a vibe from Motionless in White, who also released a new album the same month. We'll get to a song from that album after this next one...

Yakui the Maid - "Guilt" (from Flock)

4.5/5. An odd digital-sounding instrumental, but I quite love this!

Motionless in White - "Scoring the End of the World" (from Scoring the End of the World)

5/5. One of my favorite songs from the brand-new Motionless in White, with amazing lyrics and melodies, plus a total headbanging breakdown! This can motivate listeners to look out for a possible apocalypse. While this song fits well for the Gateway playlist, I have another song from the album in the Sphere playlist, which I'll tell you over there. I guess Mick Gordon's instrumentation work could've been heavier, but it all comes out perfectly!

The Butterfly Effect - "One Second of Insanity" (from Begins Here)

4.5/5. A d*mn brilliant song that would be better suited for my brother's alt-metal/post-grunge taste, though it close to the Karnivool-like sound that I like. Either way, this is a killer and f***ing underrated tune!

Lacuna Coil - "Kill the Light" (from Dark Adrenaline)

4/5. Another insane yet lovable song. Enough said!

Nekrogoblikon - "Bones" (from The Fundamental Slimes and Humours)

4.5/5. There's a Goblikon in all of us, and I'm glad that my brother's enjoying this lately.

While She Sleeps - "CALL OF THE VOID" (from SLEEPS SOCIETY)

5/5. Probably the best and most epic part of its original album!

Finger Eleven - "Awake and Dreaming" (from Tip)

4.5/5. I love this nice beautiful song from the 90s, though it sounds closer to Our Lady Peace. Before this, I only knew this band from one of my brother's favorite songs, "Living in a Dream", which happened to be the final song in a rock music program from a channel that ended up discontinued shortly after. So this is a good way to end here...