February 2024 "The Gateway" Playlist - Metal Academy Radio

Sorry this is so last minute everyone, but the playlists for the Gateway and Infinite have been updated. Don't have much time, so here's the link and let me know your thoughts in the comments:

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7aY7WjCGySb3Lb4x79Dk5T?si=1a60d23620094441

Tracklisting:

1. Alter Bridge – Holiday (from Pawns & Kings)

2. Bad Wolves – It's You (2 Months) [feat. KILLBOY] (from Die About It)

3. BOI WHAT – Neon Tide (from Neon Tide)

4. Calva Louise – Feast is Over (from Over the Threshold)

5. Cane Hill – (The New) Jesus (from Smile)

6. Disbelief – Misery (from Worst Enemy)

7. Disciple – By God (from By God)

8. Disturbed – Down With the Sickness (from The Sickness)

9. Helmet – Driving Nowhere (from Aftertaste)

10. Infected Rain – Bi (from Ecdysis)

11. Mayfair – Schlage Mein Herz, Schlage... (from Schlage Mein Herz, Schlage...)

12. Metallica – Sweet Amber (from St. Anger)

13. Nita Strauss, Lzzy Hale – Through the Noise (from The Call of the Void)

14. Papa Roach – Devil (from F.E.A.R.)

15. Limp Bizkit – Rollin' (Air Raid Vehicle) (from Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water)

16. Sleep Token – Ascensionism (from Take Me Back to Eden)

17. Sonic Syndicate – Leave Me Alone (from We Rule the Night)

18. Sum 41 – Goddamn I'm Dead Again (from 13 Voices)

19. Twelve Foot Ninja – Over and Out (from Vengeance)

20. Utsu-P – HIKIZURI (from GALAPAGOS)

Here are my thoughts on some tracks:

Alter Bridge – Holiday (from Pawns & Kings)

5/5. Let's start this playlist with an awesome tune that's basically like a country song with an epic and metallic punch!

Bad Wolves – It's You (2 Months) [feat. KILLBOY] (from Die About It)

4.5/5. Now this one's interesting as h*ll! This song starts off with some trap-pop verses then rises into powerful metal choruses. Some bada** inspiration there!

BOI WHAT – Neon Tide (from Neon Tide)

4/5. Here's some more of this great music from Boi What and his AI voice filters of Plankton, Spongebob, and Karen, with guitars heating up like wildfire. Someone should make a Spongebob music video for this killer piece of Spongecore!

Calva Louise – Feast is Over (from Over the Threshold)

4.5/5. My brother is often on a search for music to feast his ears on, as well as my ears. This is another one of those songs he stumbled upon and added to his playlist. It basically like a pop tune gone as f***ing heavy as death/thrash metal! And I thought Maria Brink was the metal scream queen (she still is)...

Cane Hill – (The New) Jesus (from Smile)

5/5. Holy f***ing sh*t, now this is some fantastic nu metalcore! I need to keep up with discovering more awesome stuff like this.

Disbelief – Misery (from Worst Enemy)

4.5/5. This heavy track has a dynamic groove sound, especially in the chorus. The first verse will let you know what you're in for, "Hey you, place called earth! Let me explain to you who I am! I’m your worst nightmare!"

Disciple – By God (from By God)

4/5. "YEEEEEEEEEEEHAW!!!" That's the sound Christian cowboys getting ready for the ride of their lives to close the portals to Hell and praise God in this solid track.

Disturbed – Down With the Sickness (from The Sickness)

4/5. You know this as one of their most popular songs, starting with that killer opening riff and vocalist David Draiman's memed-to-death primal shriek of "OOH-WAH-AH-AH-AH". The song has been used in many films, TV shows, and video games. This is Disturbed's true anthem! My brother likes it too, but he skips its disturbing bridge which has Draiman roleplaying as a kid being attacked by his abusing mother and ultimately fighting back. I've heard more disturbing sh*t than that, so I can handle that just fine.

Limp Bizkit – Rollin' (Air Raid Vehicle) (from Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water)

4.5/5. Let's skip ahead a bit and start ROLLIN' ROLLIN' ROLLIN' ROLLIN'! My brother has been enjoying this band lately, though surprisingly he didn't start listening to them as early all those other bands he likes. The second verse is one of the best rap verses I've heard, much better lyrics than most other hip-hop lyrics out there.

Sleep Token – Ascensionism (from Take Me Back to Eden)

5/5. This one ascends through 7 minutes of sonic emotion. Melancholic piano and delicate vocals start things off before an atmospheric buildup. Then we switch to that electronic trap beat as Vessel takes on autotuned rap-ish singing that I would rather hear from him instead of T-Pain. Just listen to that personality! Things get tense as another verse builds, and finally, a heavy breakdown occurs, a little more touching piano, and then ground-pounding finale.

Sonic Syndicate – Leave Me Alone (from We Rule the Night)

5/5. PAIN's cover of this perfect epic song is what got me interested in Sonic Syndicate and loving them so much. This is one of my favorite Sonic Syndicate songs besides "Jack of Diamonds" which I'll talk about in the Revolution playlist. I'm definitely getting some Dead by April/Linkin Park vibes here, and that never disappoints me.

Sum 41 – Goddamn I'm Dead Again (from 13 Voices)

4.5/5. Desperate anger sears through this greatness. I saw the music video for this on MTV and it adds to the killer power of the song. My own scenario for this would be an epic battle between punks and metalheads in a mosh pit as the band performs, especially during a whole minute of Bullet for My Valentine gone DragonForce guitar soloing.

Twelve Foot Ninja – Over and Out (from Vengeance)

5/5. This jazzy standout, that might remind some of Faith No More, features Tatiana Shmayluk of Jinjer who's known as a beautiful beast of a vocalist in her band. Though her poppy cleans appear here rather than her unclean vocals. And I just wanna say thanks to Twelve Foot Ninja for blessing us with this music before their hiatus.

Utsu-P – HIKIZURI (from GALAPAGOS)

4.5/5. And here's an exciting piece of Vocaloid metal to end this playlist on a fun note!