October 2024 "The Gateway" Playlist - Alternative Metal Authority
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7aY7WjCGySb3Lb4x79Dk5T?si=b3182c49b4b74351
1. 24-7 Spyz – Tick, Tick, Tick (1991)
2. 40 Below Summer – Rain (2003)
3. Alesti, The World Alive – Disconnected (2021)
4. Blanket – Kaleidoscope (2024)
5. Drowning Pool – Snake Chamber (2016)
6. Ektomorf – Romungro (2000)
7. Falling In Reverse – Watch the World Burn (2024)
8. From Zero – My So Called Life (2003)
9. Future Palace – Ghost Chapter (2020)
10. Ice Nine Kills – Hunting Season (2022)
11. Last Crack – Squeeze It (2002)
12. Linkin Park – Runaway (2000)
13. Living Colour – Wall (1993)
14. Mushroomhead – We Don’t Care (2024)
15. Of Mice & Men – Pain (2016)
16. Primer 55 – Loose (2000)
17. Rvshvd, All That Remains – Proof (2024)
18. System of a Down – B.Y.O.B. (2005)
19. Unjust – Way Out (2004)
20. Viza – Viktor’s Sister (2011)
21. WARGASM (UK) – Salma Hayek (2022)
Here are my thoughts on some tracks:
Alesti, The World Alive – Disconnected (2021)
4.5/5. Let's start with a killer collaboration with an alt-metalcore band, between Norwegian metal producer Alesti and The Word Alive vocalist Telle Smith. I'm picking up some Hard Reset vibes here, even though this track came out a couple years before that The Word Alive album. The vocals are quite cool and practically make the song epic.
Falling In Reverse – Watch the World Burn (2024)
5/5. A true example of rap metal gone epic. The greatness of that song can practically compete with the Trivium one!
Ice Nine Kills – Hunting Season (2022)
4.5/5. Now this song is a legit contender for a video game-related album Ice Nine Kills should make next. Not just Player Unknown Battlegrounds, but also Call of Duty Zombies! It can almost compete with some of their greatest hits from the Silver Scream series. "SO WE'LL KILL SINGING!!!" Happy Halloween Month!
Last Crack – Squeeze It (2002)
4/5. They're really funkin' it up here, though too much for me to give it a crack.
Linkin Park – Runaway (2000)
4.5/5. More of the band's skyrocketing hooks appear in this highlight, where the primitive tune's melodies can probably get the song into alternative radio.
Living Colour – Wall (1993)
4/5. This one shows you all how this funky sound should really be done. As much as I enjoy Revolution bands from the electronicore of Enter Shikari to the mathcore of The Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza, I'm up for a bit of funky alt-metal once in a while.
Mushroomhead – We Don’t Care (2024)
4.5/5. This one aptly shows the band not caring about anything except their own thing. It's like they've taken a song from one of their 90s albums and made it much heavier. An instant classic!
Of Mice & Men – Pain (2016)
4/5. A total unclean crusher with lyrics about the pain of Carlile's Marfan syndrome, which he inherited from his late mother. "PAIN!!!! Every day that I awake, in my blood and through my veins, now there's nothing left that you can take away from me!"
Primer 55 – Loose (2000)
3.5/5. Primer 55 can cause some moshing action in the crowd similar to the catfight depicted in its original album's cover, all without stopping to breathe. Gen X can have some f***ing killer tracks, though there's more rap here than I can take.
Rvshvd, All That Remains – Proof (2024)
4/5. Another collaboration single, this one between Rvshvd and All That Remains. I thought it was going to be just a country rap song and I would've given it a "thumbs down to Hell" if it was, but it turned out to be something different and pretty good. Basically like one of All That Remains' ballads ("Just Tell Me Something" comes to my mind) but with a decent country twist of melodic sorrow. Nice potential as an alt-metal track!
System of a Down – B.Y.O.B. (2005)
4.5/5. Wrapping up my time in this playlist is an experimental alt-metal classic, launching into a thrashy intro followed by a blend of Iron Maiden-like verses and nu metal choruses. An epic diverse start to its original album, and the main reason why I became up to listening to Mezmerize, when my brother was listening to that song.