This edition is written by Simon of Vosforis!
Simon has shared a theme Spotify Playlist. Below you can read a little blurb Simon has written about each track.
Metallica - Escape
I remember properly hearing Metallica for the first time somewhere in the mid-90s. Out of all the songs on Ride the Lightning, the lyrics for Escape had the greatest impact on me. It confirmed the alienation and isolation I was feeling, but that there was also strength and value in individualism and that the anger and confusion I was feeling with the world, as I was beginning to awaken as a young adolescent, were shared. I remember looking at the pictures of the band on the inside cover and consciously deciding that this was what I wanted to look like and how I wanted to live my life.
Iron Maiden - Killers
Around the same time, I was getting into Metallica, one of the first instruments I learnt to play was the bass guitar. My teacher at the time introduced me to Iron Maiden and from that point I spent countless hours in my bedroom teaching myself bass listening to Steve Harris and Cliff Burton. Steve’s bass parts on this track showed me that the bass could be a unique and contributing voice in a composition and that it could sound wilder and more unhinged than the guitar.
Deep Purple - Bloodsucker
Long before I discovered metal, there was Deep Purple. I remember asking my father what ‘heavy metal’ was. I don’t think he knew either, but he did know that he had some Deep Purple in his record collection. Soon after, ‘In Rock’ found its way into my life and somewhere around 95’ Deep Purple was on tour in South Africa I was fortunate enough to see them. This was the MKII line up just after Richie Blackmore had left. Richie Blackmore’s playing on this album opened my ears to guitar soloing, and of course Roger Glover’s bass penetrated my mind.
Nine Inch Nails - The Becoming
This album has so many great moments that it’s hard to pick one. I feel like The Becoming encapsulates a lot of the depression and anxiety I still feel to this day. The production is oppressive and relentless. The rhythms tell a story of its own as it modulates between tension and release. Finally, the melodies start out in a minor mode and Trent's vocals slowly introduce a flattened 5th which changes the key into a mode of harmonic minor. Such a smart song. So compelling, and something I always come back to when I want to think about how I can use rhythm to paint a musical scene.
Marilyn Manson - Cryptorchid
I heard Antichrist Superstar when it was first released, and I remember thinking it didn’t sound like anything I had ever heard or would ever hear again. Some of the most dark and heavy music committed to physical medium. I don’t feel like people fully appreciate how prominent the darkness is on the album. The Devil comes in many forms, and I think it’s a mistake for people to dismiss this album for being too mainstream. This particular song has so much going on rhythmically and musically as well as from a production point of view. Clearly it has Trent Reznor’s signature all over it. I still don’t understand how he managed to make synths and drum machines sound so organic and decayed.
Satyricon - A Moment of Clarity
I was aware of Satyricon around 98 after I had seen the music video for ‘Mother North’, but it wasn’t until I left school that a friend introduced me to ‘Rebel Extravaganza’ and I was able to spend some serious time with the music. I just thought the album had a very forward way of thinking in comparison to many of their peers at the time. Great songwriting and production. Very effective and moving. This song particularly has some unconventional moments and dynamics.
Dodheimsgard - Sonar Bliss
2001 was a bit of a wild year for me musically, not only had I been introduced to ‘Rebel Extravaganza’, but I heard ‘Grand Declaration of War’ Thorns and then finally ‘666 International’ In many ways to hearing Nine Inch Nails and Marilyn Manson for the first time, my ears were now finally open to new possibilities in black metal music. I remember hearing this song and just thinking: what the fuck?! It was twisted and chaotic and simultaneously very musical and very cool. Great band, and this wouldn’t be the last time that Vicotnik would open my ears and mind.
Code - The Cotton Optic
Around the peak of myspace popularity, I was browsing some of my favourite band’s profiles and each one had a section where favourite profiles could be pinned. Dodheismgard was no exception and along with Aura Noir, I found a band called Code. This song stood out most notably around the bridge section with the bass. It jumped right out at me, with its mischievous minor and diminished sounds dancing through my head. Instant fan. And of course, Vicotnik was to blame for some of this. Not to mention this would be my introduction to Andy in London years later, and then finally Adrian. Some of the most creative lyrics I had heard in a while!
Cradle of Filth - Malice Through the Looking Glass
Around 97 a friend on IRC sent me this song in MP3 format and it changed what I thought was possible in music. Everything about it was so over the top and extreme, and then of course when I finally saw promo pictures of the band, I decided that this was my new favourite band. Fundamentally, the band that got me into black metal. This album will always be special to me.
Arcturus - The Chaos Path
Around the same time, I discovered Cradle of Filth, I was introduced to Arcturus. Similarly, another friend on IRC sent me this song in MP3 and once again, what I thought was possible in metal music was pushed even further. Great album, and some amazing song writing and performances. A huge source of inspiration whenever I feel like I should just express something a little less conventional in a piece of music I’m working on.
Type O Negative - Love You to Death
Anyone who remembers the Windows 95 installation CD and Weezer, may also remember there was Type O Negative and the Blood video game installation CD. This was my first introduction to the band, and I was hooked. Pete’s voice was shockingly deep in compassion to a lot of what I was listening to at the time, and my inner bass player was thrilled by the idea of a bass player taking up so much sonic room in a song. ‘This guy plays with distortion and chorus on all the songs’, I used to tell anyone who would listen. Huge source of inspiration for how I approach my bass tone and song writing.
Devin Townsend - Bastard
I had previously discovered the video for Strapping Young Lad - Detox on Super Rock and I was made aware of this album through Metal Hammer magazine. I purchased it when the album came out and it was on heavy rotation throughout my final years of high school. This song has many great moments, but I will always associate this album with how depressed and alone I felt at the time, and how much more depressed this lush sounding album made me feel. Fond memories indeed.
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