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Ultimate Playlist - Vol. 3; Steve Myles (Khuda)

7/15/2014

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Khuda, an instrumental stoner/doom/prog duo with members hailing from England and Finland, released their third album, Molasses Constricts The Clinostat, on June 10. Drummer Steve Myles checks in this week with his ultimate playlist, every bit as diverse as Khuda’s music itself.

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Harvey Milk – “I've Got a Love” (Special Wishes, 2006)

“Only got turned onto this fairly recently but the main hook is on repeat in my head a good 20% of the time. How they manage to get it to lazily trip over itself so consistently is a mystery to me.”

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Magnapinna – “Pretend to Convert” (Magna- pinna/Abracadabra Split, 2014)

“Best band in Leeds, infinite grooves, angular guitar work and lovely blokes to boot. This song in particular is amazing, the break and subsequent riff at just over halfway through is genius.”

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Meshuggah –“In Death - Is Life/In Death - Is Death” (Catch Thirtythree, 2005)

“Maybe it's cheating a little to list two songs but you can't really have one without the other. The first time I ‘got’ this was a real eye opener, it just didn't sound like anything else at the time, ignoring melody and dragging you face first into the rhythm. Think this album is responsible for a lot.”

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Four Tet – “Great Day (Madvillian Remix)” (Remixes, 2006)

“The original version of this track is incredible by its own rights, but this remix trumps it for me, lyrically poignant while still unassuming, possibly the only hip hop track to mention jalapeños (get it like a whooping when you holla at your seniors).”

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Converge – “Phoenix in Flight” (Jane Doe, 2001)

“One of my favourite albums, I must have listened to it on a weekly basis since it was released. This track is such a welcome break within the chaos. I love how disparate the production is.”

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Unsane - “Wind-shield” (Visqueen, 2007)

“Picking one Unsane track is a hard task. Visqueen, as an album, really nails it for me, though. It just sounds so full. I love how this track just drives straight forward, almost unremarkable, but really effective.”

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Funkadelic – “Maggot Brain” (Maggot Brain, 1971)

“Legend has it that this is what happens when you give a guy acid, tell him his mother has just died and ask him to play a solo. Not entirely sure if that's the truth but it is harrowing, mind melting and has stood up to the test of time like a trooper.”

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This Town Needs Guns – “Left Aligned” (13.0.0.0.0, 2013)

“13.0.0.0.0 is one of my favourite albums in recent years. The delicate noodling and intricate drumming all combine together to make something that is delicate yet cerebral.”

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Bird Eater - “Bovine Flesh Dance” (Utah, 2007)

“2:17 onwards kicks the fuck out of everyone.”

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Palehorse - “What Is Wrong with You People?” (Harm Starts Here, 2013)

“This band leaves me feeling fearful and elated in equal measure. I'm not really sure how to describe them; bludgeoning, brooding yet intelligent sludge. It's the musical equivalent of waking curled up in the fetal position in the bottom of a bin, slightly confused but reasonably sure you've just had the time of your life.”


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Ultimate Playlist - Vol. 2; Paul Bearer (Funeral Horse)

7/9/2014

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As Houston stoner metal outfit Funeral Horse prepares to release their 2nd EP in August,  Paul Bearer, singer and guitarist for the Texas trio checks in with his top-10 playlist. There’s plenty of variation here, but Bearer pays tribute to the masters with some Thin Lizzy, Priest and Sabbath. We’ll let it slide that he chose something off of Never Say Die!

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Thin Lizzy - "Emerald" (Jailbreak, 1976)

“The dual guitar play of Thin Lizzy influenced my decision to play music like no other group. This song has all the important ingredients for my playlist: it's heavy, it tells a great story and it has an ending that you want to keep going and going and going.”

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John Zorn / Masada - "Zenan" (Masada: Dalet, 1994)

“’Zenan’ stands out from the Masada catalogue for its intense drum breakdown. I love that trick and have written songs that use elements of it from time to time.”

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Motorhead - "One Track Mind" (Another Perfect Day, 1983)

“This song in particular stands out for its mid-tempo steady grind that never gets boring. The song pops in my head frequently when we're on tour during long stretches between cities.”

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Earth - "Seven Angels" (Earth 2 - Special Low Frequency Version, 1993)

“I heard Earth 2 the day it came out at Tower Records in Washington, DC. They had it playing over the store's system and it sounded like the world was about to come to a halt. I bought it and my girlfriend broke up with me on the subway ride home. Good times!”

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Godflesh - "Dead Head" (Streetcleaner, 1989)

“I love how this song ‘rocks’ while still being Godflesh. I wish Broadrick and Green had explored this territory a bit more as it's one of the best song Loop should have written.”

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Judas Priest - "Sinner" (Sin After Sin, 1977)

“This song stands out for its clever, sharp breaks, thick guitars and epic structure. Oh wait...that's a lot of Judas Priest songs from this era.”

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Black Sabbath - "Swinging the Chain" (Never Say Die!, 1978)

“That ending riff just fucking rocks. It's one of those, ‘man, I wish I had written that’ riffs.  The use of the blues harp was a wise choice. Just an outright gritty song!”

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Samhain - "Human Pony Girl" (Samhain III: November-Coming-Fire, 1986)

“The weird ‘production quality’ of the Samhain releases usually leaves me wanting more. But for this song...it works beautifully. It's murky with this driving beat that's hypnotic while Danzig's voice howls and barks out sinister things, drenched in reverb.”

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High on Fire - "Sons of Thunder" (Blessed Black Wings, 2005)

“Those drums man. Those massive drums! Every time I hear this song, I have a strong desire to go pillage and crush things. I admire how cinematic the song is...I can see it being used in a Conan movie without being campy.”

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Ennio Morricone - "The Ecstasy of Gold" (The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, 1966)

“The piece builds in a similar fashion as Ravel's ‘Bolero’, which I also admire. I've been wanting to create something that builds in a similar fashion with that kind of epic tension.”

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Honorable Mention:
Ride - "Grass- hopper" (Grasshopper, 1992)

“11 minutes later, I want to hear it again. 11 minutes after that, I want to hear it yet again. That is the mark of truly great song crafting.”

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Ultimate Playlist - Vol. 1; Doc (Below)

7/2/2014

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As an idea for a new column on The Blog of Doom, I thought it would be fun to ask some metal musicians to choose their ultimate 8-10 song playlist and provide a bit of commentary on each choice. First up is Doc, the drummer for Swedish doomsters Below, who just released their debut album Across The Dark River in April. Unsurpisingly, Doc’s list is heavy on Swedish bands and Mercyful Fate, a combination from which Below clearly get their sound. He does have a couple of curveballs in there, though.

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“Abigail” – King Diamond (Abigail, 1987)

“Absolutely amazing musicianship, riffs that blow you away and a haunting melody and atmosphere that make the boogeyman hide in the closet.”

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“Witches’ Dance” – Mercyful Fate (Time, 1994)

“The drumming on this song is amazing! It makes the easy parts sound interesting and the hard parts sound so easy. With tha,t add some great riffs and the voice of the "King" and you get pure gold!”

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“Samarithan” – Candlemass (Nightfall, 1987)

“Perhaps one of the most melodic Doom songs of all time. Such excellent storytelling and a heaviness to it that is just extreme.”

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“The River Dragon Has Come” – Nevermore (Dead Heart in a Dead World, 2000)

“How can you go wrong with Warrel Dane´s voice, along with the super heavy rhythmic riffs and the absolute pain in the melodies? Just excellent.”

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“Blackwater Park” – Opeth (Blackwater Park, 2001)

“This song has everything: really heavy riffs, dark passages, emotional dynamic parts, tricky technical parts. It´s like a rollercoaster through metal.”

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“Cold” – At The Gates (Slaughter of the Soul, 1995)

“You can pick any song off of this album, but the one that gives "Cold" the vote from me is the solo…Andy, you crazy man!”

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“Becoming” – Pantera (Far Beyond Driven, 1994)

“Vincent Paul Abbott and Dimebag Darrell Abbott, enough said? The groove to this song is one of the best ever. I still get blown away every time I hear it.”

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“Revolution Calling” – Queensrÿche (Operation: Mindcrime, 1988)

“This song has got some lyrical perfection. The voice of Geoff Tate suits the great riffs and melodies in a great way and, in my opinion, the extremely underrated Scott Rockenfield is excellent.”

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“Warpath” – Hypocrisy (Virus, 2005)

“Pure adrenaline! The aggression and frenzy of this song is just insane. And the scream in the beginning of the song is perfect.”

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“Orgasm Through Torture” – Cannibal Corpse (Vile, 1996)

“No playlist would be complete without a song about getting your penis ripped off and dipped in acid. I still remember the look on the teacher’s face in 8th grade when I entered the classroom in a Vile t-shirt, haha.”

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Honorable mention:

“Trapped Under Ground” – Below (Across The Dark River, 2014)

“It might be our own music, but I still love the feeling you get when the main riff starts after the intro!”


Editor’s Notes: I think we can all agree that Doc knocked this idea out of the park and I hope you readers enjoyed this list as much as I did. I’m going to try to make this a regular column here on The Blog of Doom. I’m interested in reader submissions as well as those from artists. Doom on. -JO
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