I am not a musical snob. Not by any stretch. You won't hear me complaining (often) about how modern rock music does anything but rock or how gangsta rap is glorifying a lifestyle no one should be subject to or how Hannah Montana is the death of Western music made into flesh, sacrificed on a glittery altar of popularity and then resurrected in a perversion of my Christian beliefs to create the Ungodess of culture (I'm pretty sure she's just a normal 17-18 yo. girl who, in a way, should be amired for her enterpreneurship).
Why, yes, I have been reading
Chuck Wendig's blog. What of it?
Anyway, what I'm trying to say is that I'm not one of those people, who will ask you what are you listening to, scoff at it, and then tell you to listen to some real music like Arcade Fire (Arcade Fire is the resident snotty band right now, isn't it?). At most, when you ask me to recommend you something to listen, I will say this:
PUT ON SOME POWER FUCKING METAL AND LETS KICK IT, BITCH!
I will probably omit the "bitch" most times. I'm classy that way. And too small to take a punch.
If you're not listening to power metal, you are missing out. Power metal is the feel-good music that Norse deities listen to while riding demon-horses into the sun, wherein resides a depraved Ungoddess (who may or may not be Hannah Montana), waiting to fight them in the glorious Twilight battle of the ages.
It's the kind of music that picks you up no matter what you are doing. The speeding guitars fire you up, the pulsing drums give you a nice, simple, primeval sense of rhythm and the anthem-like choruses invite you to sing along, which always makes you feel better. Everybody likes to sing, and power metal choruses are usually easy enough for you not to mess up, no matter how bad your singing is. Believe me, mine is atrocious.
The lyrics are nothing to write home about... unless you live in the underground realms, in which case you may want to write Svetovid that the old tales of warriors and kings are being sung under the Unconquered Sun and Deathless Moon. Then again, he is Worldseer, the all knowing. While I will always complain about the triteness of modern day lyric writing, I will always have a soft spot for power metal lyrics, as they are not ashamed to glorify the old romantic ideas of loyalty, honour and other things Ivanhoe. Sure, these things are probably as easy to bash as all fairy tales, but they are just that: fairy tales about gods and demons, warriors and villains and about good triumphing over evil.
So go to YouTube, MySpace or wherever it is ou turn to when you want to check out an artist and look up Blind Guardian (especially Nightfall in the Middleearth), Gamma Ray (Land of the Free is a personal favourite), Hammerfall (just youtube "Heeding the Call". Do it!), Edguy (especially the early albums), Running Wild (it's pirate metal! What more do you need?), Helloween (this is actually my fav band of all time, going way beyond power metal)...
...or click the cut and check out the song that has lately caught my ear and WILL NOT LET GO.
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