Decade of last.fm scrobbling countdown:
49. Matt Uelmen (623 plays)
Top track (597 plays): Tristram, from Diablo (1996)
(This sample is the extended–and improved–version appearing in Diablo II.)
The Diablo series managed to evade me in its first two installments, and not for lack of effort on my part. A combination of a panophobic mother in the first instance and an outdated PC in the second restrained my computer gaming experience to Starcraft and Age of Empires. But that didn’t stop me from acquiring the soundtrack. I might have downloaded Tristram in mp3 format as early as 1997, when MIDI replicas were still a viable alternative. (The first mp3 I ever downloaded was Harvey Danger’s Flagpole Sitta. I actually remember this!) At any rate, it is my indisputable favorite song ever. Sorry …And Then There Was Silence. You’ll have to settle for indisputable second. I probably listened to Tristram thousands of times as a teenager before last.fm existed, and even in the past ten years it has drastically exceeded all other songs on my charts. (Compared to 597, my third most listened song is at a measly 255.)
I am not a huge Matt Uelmen fan overall. The numbers attest to that. But this song reaches a level of ambient perfection that has never been achieved before or since. I don’t have much to say about it, save that if you don’t like it I question your humanity. This is the only artist that has climbed his way into my top 50 based on a small selection of songs, let alone based on one single track.
Decade of last.fm scrobbling countdown:
50. Orchid (601 plays)
Top track (91 plays): Le Desordre C’est Moi, from Chaos Is Me (1999)
I always thought the first two tracks to Orchid’s debut album would make amazing final boss battle music for a video game. Maybe that’s a bit of a stretch, but I did first take an interest in screamo and related genres on a defunct video game forum that had awkwardly evolved into an informal music-sharing site. (The same one I met Arleigh and and pantsukudasai56 on.) A friend of mine there who would go on to become the vocalist for Mesa Verde was really getting into the genre around the same time that I was first exploring black metal, and we traded a lot of recommendations. It’s made the recent surge of screamo-black metal cross-over bands like Liturgy and Deafheaven peculiarly nostalgic for me.
Orchid was a short-lived but especially influential band in the scene, lasting from 1998 until 2002. Most of its members went on to form the really solid and entirely out of character rock band Panthers afterwards. I will be eternally amused that Jayson Green noticed my Orchid shirt at one of their gigs.
On May 16th, 2003, I entered an email address and password into a little known site called Audioscrobbler and clicked join. Having always derived an enormous kick from statistics, the novelty of being able to track everything I listen to seemed like the best idea on the entire internet. Ten years and approximately 180,000 songs later, that opinion hasn’t much changed. Most of you are probably familiar with what is now Last.fm, but I doubt as many have diligently kept up with it over the years. From my car cd player to everything I listen to at home, I’m willing to wager that a good 90% of the music I’ve enjoyed over the past decade has been accurately logged. This creates some pretty interesting possibilities. I’ll never know what I listened to most as a kid. Wishful thinking tells me Pearl Jam, Tool, Nirvana, and the Smashing Pumpkins would have topped that list. (Honesty admits with some embarrassment that Korn ranked just as high.) But I do know what I have listened to the most as an adult. It’s not biased speculation; it’s a fact.
Most of my entries here on Shattered Lens have dealt with either reviews of new albums or ramblings and investigations isolated to the fairly particular subgenres of folk, metal, and video game music that excite me most. While my last.fm charts reflect this, they are substantially more diverse. What I would like to do over the following two months is introduce some of you to a range of stellar bands and songs by allowing the numbers to speak for themselves. I intend to count down the top 50 bands I have listened to in the past decade and feature my most played track from each. I’ll start with the highest five bands that didn’t quite make the cut:
55. The Microphones (551 plays)
Top track (60 plays): The Moon, from The Glow, Pt. 2 (2001)
54. Amorphis (561 plays)
Top track (45 plays): Divinity, from Tuonela (1999)
53. In Flames (562 plays)
Top track (39 plays): Embody the Invisible, from Colony (1999)
52. Converge (585 plays)
Top track (87 plays): Concubine, from Jane Doe (2001)
51. Iron Maiden (600 plays)
Top track (52 plays): The Trooper, from Piece of Mind (1983)
Awhile back site editor pantsukudasai56 wrote that the term “epic” has been overused and lost all its meaning. Everything and everyone has been called epic when most do not truly deserved the label. He did say that if there was anything which truly deserved the label of being “epic” then it would be one of the longest running manga and anime series: Oda Eiichiro’s One Piece.
It’s from One Piece that the latest “AMV of the Day” comes from. To be even more specific it’s from one of the most epic story arcs in the series that the latest chosen AMV originates from: the Marineford Arc (aka Paramount War Arc). It’s a story arc that lasts as long as most anime series (30+ episodes) yet is just a fraction of the current total number of episodes already shown. No other piece of entertainment has had such a long-running success which it continues to this day.
Not much else to say other than watch why this series deserve the title of “epic”.
Anime: One Piece
Song: “Diamond Eyes (Boom-Lay Boom-Lay Boom)” by Shinedown
Today marks a sad day for the metal world as Jeff Hanneman, guitarist and founding member of the metal band Slayer, passed away at the age of 49.
He now joins other metal gods (Burton, Dimebag, Bonham and Dio just to name a few) who were taken too soon up in Valhalla where, I sincerely hope, they’re starting up a jam session to create the metal supergroup of supergroups.
To commemorate and memorialize Hanneman’s impact on the metal scene these past 30 or so years I’d like to share my favorite Slayer song: “Seasons In The Abyss”.
R.I.P. Jeff Hanneman…
“Lo there do I see my father, Lo there do I see my mother, my Sisters and my brothers , Lo there do I see the line of my people, back to the beginning. Lo, they do call me, they bid me take my place among them, in the halls of Valhalla, where the brave may live forever.”
Seasons In The Abyss
Razors edge Outlines the dead Incisions in my head Anticipation the stimulation To kill the exhilaration
(chorus:) [part 1] Close your eyes Look deep in your soul Step outside yourself And let your mind go Frozen eyes stare deep in your mind as you die
[part 2] Close your eyes And forget your name Step outside yourself And let your thoughts drain As you go insane… [go] insane
Innate seed To watch you bleed A demanding physical need Desecrated, eviscerated Time perpetuated
Close your eyes Look deep in your soul Step outside yourself And let your mind go Frozen eyes stare deep in your mind as you die
Close your eyes… and forget your name Step outside yourself… and let your thoughts drain As you go insane… [go] insane
Inert flesh A bloody tomb A decorative splatter brightens the room An execution a sadist ritual Mad intervals of mind residuals
Close your eyes Look deep in your soul Step outside yourself And let your mind go Frozen eyes stare deep in your mind as you die
Close your eyes… and forget your name Step outside yourself… and let your thoughts drain As you go insane… [go] insane
What else to follow up a guilty pleasure than with a classic southern rock song that I still consider one of the best examples of what made 70’s American Rock an equal of the huge British invasion that was currently happening in the US with mega bands like Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin and The Who. It’s this song from one of the preeminent Southern Rock groups of the 70’s, The Allman Brothers Band, that arrives as the latest “Song of the Day”.
“Midnight Rider” is a great Southern rock tune which successful melds not just blues guitar playing but country and gospel songwriting and vocalizing. It’s well-known for Greg Allman’s powerful vocals and Dicket Betts lead guitar work. Yet, I consider this song as reaching “one of the greatest” status because of the rhythm guitar (with an acoustic guitar no less) work by one of the greatest (call it hyperbole but I truly believe him to be one of the best ever) guitarists who ever picked up the instrument whether one’s genre of music was jazz, flamenco, rock, blues, metal, rock and everything in-between. Duane Allman’s acoustic guitar work makes this song what it is. It’s a rhythm that he sets which everyone else in the band orbits around with their own talent rising to meet it on equal footing.
For some people this song was first experienced as the opening track to Rob Zombie’s underappreciated “grindhouse road flick” The Devil’s Rejects. Others of more recent time probably heard it as part of the GEICO insurance company’s 2013 ad-campaign. It doesn’t matter where one has heard it. The more people who hears it and experiences just why this song continues to be a staple of what made 70’s American rock scene such a great one the better people will be for having heard it.
Long live, Duane Allman.
Midnight Rider
Well, I’ve got to run to keep from hidin’, And I’m bound to keep on ridin’. And I’ve got one more silver dollar, But I’m not gonna let ’em catch me, no, Not gonna let ’em catch the Midnight Rider.
And I don’t own the clothes I’m wearing, And the road goes on forever, And I’ve got one more silver dollar, But I’m not gonna let ’em catch me, no Not gonna let ’em catch the Midnight Rider.
And I’ve gone by the point of caring, Some old bed I’ll soon be sharing, And I’ve got one more silver dollar,
But I’m not gonna let ’em catch me, no Not gonna let ’em catch the Midnight Rider.
No, I’m not gonna let ’em catch me, no Not gonna let ’em catch the Midnight Rider.
No, I’m not gonna let ’em catch me, no Not gonna let ’em catch the Midnight Rider.
The latest “Song of the Day” comes courtesy of one of my favorite bands. Anyone who has been following this site and this recurring feature pretty much knows I speak of the awesome epicness of the German power metal band Blind Guardian. The song from their expansive discography I’ve chosen this time around is the song “Mirror, Mirror”.
This song combines two every epic things together: Power Metal + J.R.R. Tolkien’s Silmarillion = epic awesomeness.
The song itself and it’s lyrics tell of Turgon, King of the Noldor and second son of Fingolfin, brother to Fingon, Aredhel and Argon who builds the famed city of Gondolin during the First Age of Middle-Earth. The city was to be a safe haven for Turgon’s people who were in the midst of an age long war against the fallen Valar, Morgoth. It’s a song that tells of Turgon’s decision to build the city with assistance from the Valar and Lord of Water, Ulmo.
It speaks of the long road and desperation of Turgon to try and save the Noldor from the armies of Morgoth. It’s a tragic tale that hints at the ultimate fate of Turgon and Gondolin. A dream that ultimately will end in the ultimate betrayal from within.
I know that there are people who still thinks that metal is all about fast, loud, discordant guitar playing backed up by screaming and guttural sounds that pass off as singing, but Blind Guardian should dismiss such notion. There’s definitely nothing guttural about this song.
Mirror, Mirror
Far, far beyond the island We dwelt in shades of twilight Through dread and weary days Through grief and endless pain
It lies unknown The land of mine A hidden gate To save us from the shadow fall The lord of water spoke In the silence Words of wisdom I’ve seen the end of all Be aware the storm gets closer
Mirror Mirror on the wall True hope lies beyond the coast You’re a damned kind can’t you see That the winds will change Mirror Mirror on the wall True hope lies beyond the coast You’re a damned kind can’t you see That tomorrows bears insanity
Gone’s the wisdom Of a thousand years A world in fire and chains and fear Leads me to a place so far Deep down it lies my secret vision I better keep it safe
Shall I leave my friends alone Hidden in my twilight hall (I) know the world is lost in fire Sure there is no way to turn it Back to the old days Of bliss and cheerful laughter We’re lost in barren lands Caught in the running flames Alone How shall we leave the lost road Time’s getting short so follow me A leader’s task so clearly To find a path out of the dark
Mirror Mirror on the wall True hope lies beyond the coast You’re a damned kind can’t you see That the winds will change Mirror Mirror on the wall True hope lies beyond the coast You’re a damned kind can’t you see That the winds will change
Even though The storm calmed down The bitter end Is just a matter of time
Shall we dare the dragon Merciless he’s poisoning our hearts Our hearts
How shall we leave the lost road Time’s getting short so follow me A leader’s task so clearly To find a path out of the dark
Latest “AMV of the Day” is one that dodges any way to describe it.
“Affective Schoolgirls” is an amalgam of two very different styles of entertainment. Two styles that I’ve learned to enjoy and appreciate through the years. What this video has done is combine something akin to peanut butter and jelly. The slapstick comedy and slice of life anime series Nichijou provides the peanut butter while the song “Snüffel” by Equilibrium provides the jelly.
If one who watches this video thinks they have no idea what’s going on then they’ve come to an understanding of what Nichijou as an anime is all about. It is an anime series about chaos distilled. What better way to point this out than to pair it up with some German symphonic black metal.
The latest “AMV of the Day” pretty much was the hit of Sakura-Con 2013 a couple weeks back.
“RadioAkshun” by AMV creator IleaiAMVs won not just Best Technical, but won both Judges’ Best in Show and Audience Best in Show. It’s a rarity that an AMV in competition wins both Best in Show. AMV judges tend to vote on whats best in competition a little differently than the general public who watches the videos more as fans and not judging them on technical, artistic and creative merit. IleaiAMVs definitely earned her wins by creating one of the best AMVs I’ve seen.
Her work on this video uses scenes and sequences from the Rebuild of Evangelionanime films (three out with a fourth still forthcoming) and edits it around the Imagine Dragons song “Radioactive” and she does an excellent job. She doesn’t rely on flashy effects to make her video interesting and unique. She just does an impeccable job in timing the beats and tempo of the song with the appropriate scenes from the anime films. She also makes sure that she doesn’t just slapdash together the best scenes from the films. IleaiAMVs makes sure that each sequence fits not just the beats and tempo of the song but the lyrics as well. Best example of all three is early in the video when the character of Shinji takes a deep breath and then his Evangelion Unit exhales just as the singer in the song does the very same thing.
Latest “Song of the Day” comes courtesy of one of the Big 4 of thrash metal. I think anyone who is remotely a fan of metal music has heard of this song and whether it’s a favorite of theirs or consider it one of the best thrash metal songs out there there’s no denying that this song has more than earned all the praise heaped upon it.
This song has consistently been mentioned by metal aficionados everywhere to be one of the genres torchbearers. It has set a standard for the genre that many try to match and surpass and usually fail to do so. It’s a song that drives itself into ones brain and only gives the listener a brief respite in the song’s middle section which also happens to be an eargasm-inducing guitar solo.
What song do I speak of?
Well, if you’ve clicked on this post you already know since it’s in the title. But just in case you’re still confused as to the song. It’s Metallica’s greatest song: “Master of Puppets”.
Considered by the legendary Cliff Burton (may his great bass soul rest in peace in Valhalla) as his favorite song from the band’s third full-length album, “Master of Puppets” has become a staple of Metallica live performances worldwide. Even in their lost years under the guidance of Bob Rock this song was the light at the end of the tunnel that still brought out the band’s legion of fans.
The song also featured in one of the funniest scenes in one of my favorite comedy films of all-time: Old School.
But enough rambling…just sit back, grab yourself a glass of Jack and enjoy some epic thrash.
Master of Puppets
End of passion play, crumbling away
I’m your source of self-destruction
Veins that pump with fear, sucking darkest clear
Leading on your deaths’ construction
Taste me you will see
More is all you need
You’re dedicated to
How I’m killing you
Come crawling faster
Obey your master
Your life burns faster
Obey your master
Master
Master of puppets I’m pulling your strings
Twisting your mind and smashing your dreams
Blinded by me, you can’t see a thing
Just call my name, ’cause I’ll hear you scream
Master
Master
Just call my name, ’cause I’ll hear you scream
Master
Master
Needlework the way, never you betray
Life of death becoming clearer
Pain monopoly, ritual misery
Chop your breakfast on a mirror
Taste me you will see
More is all you need
You’re dedicated to
How I’m killing you
Come crawling faster
Obey your master
Your life burns faster
Obey your master
Master
Master of puppets I’m pulling your strings
Twisting your mind and smashing your dreams
Blinded by me, you can’t see a thing
Just call my name, ’cause I’ll hear you scream
Master
Master
Just call my name, ’cause I’ll hear you scream
Master
Master
Master, master, where’s the dreams that I’ve been after?
Master, master, you promised only lies
Laughter, laughter, all I hear or see is laughter
Laughter, laughter, laughing at my cries
Hell is worth all that, natural habitat
Just a rhyme without a reason
Never-ending maze, drift on numbered days
Now your life is out of season
I will occupy
I will help you die
I will run through you
Now I rule you too
Come crawling faster
Obey your master
Your life burns faster
Obey your master
Master
Master of puppets I’m pulling your strings
Twisting your mind and smashing your dreams
Blinded by me, you can’t see a thing
Just call my name, ’cause I’ll hear you scream
Master
Master
Just call my name, ’cause I’ll hear you scream
Master
Master
Through the Shattered Lens 