August 2025 "The Gateway" Playlist - Alternative Metal Authority

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7aY7WjCGySb3Lb4x79Dk5T?si=681956ec00f441fa

1. Alligatoah/Fred Durst – So Raus (2024)

2. Breaking Benjamin – Crawl (2009)

3. Burn Season – Any Harder (2011)

4. Code Orange – Grooming my Replacement

5. Dir En Grey – Ranunculus (2018)

6. Disturbed – The Vengeful One (2015)

7. Earthtone9 – Grind and Click (1999)

8. Falling in Reverse/Marilyn Manson – God is a Weapon (2025)

9. Fever 333 – Made An America (2018)

10. Gemini Syndrome – Stardust (2013)

11. House of Protection – Pulling Teeth (2024)

12. John 5 – Feisty Cadavers (2004)

13. Kitchen Knife Conspiracy – V8 Superpussy (2001)

14. Korn – Oildale (Leave Me Alone) (2010)

15. Limp Bizkit – My Generation (2000)

16. Machine Head – From This Day (1999)

17. Marty Feldman – Tornado of Souls (2008)

18. Memorrhage – Old Wave (2023)

19. Metallica – Frantic (2003)

20. Nonpoint – Chaos and Earthquakes (2018)

21. Raunchy – Nght Prty (2010)

22. Sinergia – Mujer Robusta (2015)

23. Sleep Token – Emergence (2025)

24. Slipknot – Duality (2004)

25. Staind – Lowest in Me (2023)

26. Tardigrade Inferno – Inferno Host (2016)

27. Waltari – Kill for Sport (2025)

Well, Saxy, as much as I appreciate all your work on the Gateway playlists, this one kind of threw me off. I mean, it starts off great and strong in like the first quarter of the playlist, but then it falls into... I really hate to say this, "mid" territory. Don't worry, it's not the fault of the songs nor your song choices (apart from not including my Linkin Park submission). It's just the matter of my mood, and with the majority of my track ratings being 3 stars or under, including my own submissions, it means I'm not as excited about The Gateway as I was earlier, and it doesn't give me enough motivation to continue listening to the playlists from this clan. Sorry about this. Again it's not your fault, just my mood. I still have one more round of track submissions planned for your September Gateway playlist though. In the meantime, here are my thoughts on some tracks from this month's playlist, including that strong first quarter:

Alligatoah/Fred Durst – So Raus (2024)

3.5/5. OK, this one's not too bad for me for a rap metal duet. Better lyrics than other tracks of the genre out there.

Breaking Benjamin – Crawl (2009)

4/5. For nearly half my life, this is one of my brother's favorite Breaking Benjamin tracks. I enjoy this one too, having some of the best lyrics in alt-rock/metal.

Burn Season – Any Harder (2011)

4.5/5. Oh wow, these vocals are so otherworldly! I really should recommend this to my bro for him to listen. Sadly, they split up after this album.

Code Orange – Grooming my Replacement (2023)

5/5. The only track in this playlist to receive a perfect 5-star rating from me. This is the closest the band has been to their savage past roots in a more industrial level. The distortion is Morgan's vocals makes him sound possessed, in this unique heavy production. I was wondering about whether or not I should include it in a Sphere playlist, but f*** it, it sounds brilliant here.

Dir En Grey – Ranunculus (2018)

4.5/5. I love this beautiful composition, continuing the melodic experimental alt-metal sound Dir En Grey has had since Vulgar. One of my favorites from this band! While I was a late bloomer when discovering this band in my early 20s in the early 2020s, better late than never. And it's so haunting without ever going deathly.

Disturbed – The Vengeful One (2015)

4/5. Another one of my brother's favorite tracks that I also enjoy. I can't really play guitar, but if I could, I would perform a cover of this song for his birthday or something.

Earthtone9 – Grind and Click (1999)

3.5/5. Pretty good, but a bit stretchy for a shorter song. Will the tone of the playlist be better?...

Falling in Reverse/Marilyn Manson – God is a Weapon (2025)

3/5. Unfortunately, no. As much as I'm one of the very few people to love Popular Monster, the more I listen to Falling in Reverse's collaboration with Marilyn Manson, the less it agrees with me. The chorus sounds epic, especially the final one, but everything else is a bit bland. Now I'm starting to feel the hate people have towards those two artists.

Fever 333 – Made An America (2018)

2.5/5. F***ing d*mn it, those lyrics are too immature for my standards, "They call it cleaning up the streets, We call HOMICIDE!" The chorus has some good points, but that's about it really.

Gemini Syndrome – Stardust (2013)

3/5. A decent song with just a couple things I like such as the guitarwork by Mike Salerno (RIP) and the bridge at over the two-minute mark.

Limp Bizkit – My Generation (2000)

2.5/5. If my brother can raise his horns to songs by this band, good for him. All I know is, the rap metal generation doesn't really fly for me.

Metallica – Frantic (2003)

2/5. Perhaps the lowest point of this playlist for me, or at least in the parts I'm commenting on. I'm not going to continue describing how bad this song and most of the other ones in St. Anger are. My thoughts are all in my review if you'd like to check it out.

Nonpoint – Chaos and Earthquakes (2018)

2.5/5. Good lyrics, but the music sounds too Rage Against the Machine-ish and comes out poorly.

Sleep Token – Emergence (2025)

3/5. My thoughts on the last two songs I've chosen to review are actually kind of a surprise, considering how much I've enjoyed these bands. For Sleep Token, the electropop side is a little too top-heavy, and not even Take Me Back to Eden had that kind of lack of balance in its songs. The heaviness is still there to some degree, but not enough. All in all, seems a little too tame and lame for me, a serious metalhead who is age 26, turning 27 in less than half a year.

Waltari – Kill for Sport (2025)

2.5/5. For Waltari, the heaviness starts off killer, but the vocals by Kärtsy Hatakka end up ruining everything. And I'm only just realizing this as I was giving this playlist a listen, making me wish I didn't submit this sh*t to the playlist. The alt-metal dream for me is dead....