"VG Music" v. "Real Music"?!

After I wrote "DEVILS NEVER CRY (because they) NEVER SURRENDER!", I got to thinking, What are some other musicians/bands that have also contributed to video game music? Some other bands that come to mind are Crush40, Megadeth, Trent Reznor (of Nine Inch Nails fame), and Julien-K. I'm sure there are others that I'm not considering, but their names elude me at the moment. 

Crush40: They actually started off as under the name Sons of Angels, but eventually changed their name after the first Sonic Adventure. Most of their music was composed for the Sonic games, but some of their earlier work was devoted to NASCAR Arcade. 

This song, "Live & Learn," is from Sonic Adventure 2:

This next song, "Into The Wind," comes from their only full-length album, Crush40:

Megadeth: As any metalhead worth his lengthy locks knows, Megadeth's been in the metal game since the 80's, often focusing on contemporary socio-political issues (with some personal life-faith stories sprinkled in between). 

This song, "Sudden Death," was first featured in Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock as the one of the last songs, which was intentional (when you hear the song, you'll understand). This song was later featured in Megadeth's 13th album, Th1rt3en.

As for a song that reflects Megadeth outside of the gaming industry, it's hard to pick just one! Aside from obvious picks such as "Symphony of Destruction," "Hangar 18," "Holy Wars," "A Tout Le Monde," "Trust," "In My Darkest Hour," "Peace Sells," and so much more, I decided to put in an unconventional song, "502," a song about the fast life on the road.

   

Trent Reznor: When he's not working on material for Nine Inch Nails or How To Destroy Angels, Reznor works on composing music score for films (The Social Network) or video games (Quake, COD: Black Ops II). 

Since I'm not too familiar Reznor's work with film and gaming, I'll use a recent score, the Black Ops II main theme:

As for music outside of gaming, like Megadeth, it's difficult to pick just one. Just about every song from PHM or TDS is pretty good as some exceptional picks from With Teeth, Year Zero, The Slip, and even Ghosts I-IV, I'll pick a personal favorite from 1999's The Fragile, "Into the Void:"

Julien-K: Julien-K's one of those bands that you have to be "in the know" to know their music, you know? Similar, to Combichrist, Noisia, and Da Octopuss, Julien-K has good dance beats, fuzzy noises, and catchy hooks, which promises for a good time on the dance floor.

One of their earliest contributions, "This Machine," has been featured in Sonic Heroes, serving as the theme for Team Dark. Julien-K also has contributed to the music score of Michael Bay's iterations of the Transformers franchise.

As for a song outside of gaming and the filmscape, the featured song is "Futura (DTA Mix)," some other songs to listen to are "Death to Analog," "Kick the Bass," "Systeme de Sexe," "We're Here With You," "Spring Palms Reset," and "Nights of Future Past," among others. 

So, with all that's said and done, I just made another list of sorts (and I didn't realize it, until now). Maybe I should work on making more lists in general. Well, that's all for now! Until next time, my fellow readers! 

Pedal to the Metal!

Over the past few weeks, I've come across familiar faces that don't have an interest in metal (that is, the musical style, not the material itself). Which I can honestly relate since, when I was young (up until 15 or so), I, too, had some disdain for the musical style. For me growing up, I had made the connection that because you were a "metal head" (an aficionado for the music), you were likely to be dumb as a brick and perform miserably in school (and to some extent, life). Of course, this is a terrible overgeneralization and a logical fallacy. Then, when I was finally introduced to the style itself, it was all the screaming//growling and blast beats (the rapid-fire beating of the bass drums) that really turned me off. Now, after all these lengthy years, I'm a fan of the musical style (though, you'll never see me wear the "uniform" of a metal head, curiously enough). So, I thought to show off some of various styles of metal (keep in mind, I try to avoid the traditional elements of metal - I'm hoping to introduce new people to this awesome genre of music, not scare them away!) to those who may not be familiar with the music to begin with. Enjoy (didn't I say I'd choose a more lighthearted topic?)!

1) Blind Guardian (Progressive/Power/Speed/Symphonic Metal) - Journey Through the Dark - These guys are, for the most part, quite consistent over the years. Occasionally, there is a change in the line-up of the band, as well as incorporating (or removing) elements of their music (some are more symphonic and elaborate while other pieces of music are simple and direct). 

2) Therion (Symphonic/Power Metal) - Abraxas - They actually started off as a death metal band, but 1995's Theli allowed them to change their musical direction and heavily incorporate symphonic elements (as this song proves). Vovin, Lemuria (from which this song comes from), and Sirius B are, perhaps, their best works.

3) Nightwish (Symphonic/Power Metal)- The Siren - Their musical style becomes more and more elaborate with each forthcoming studio album. Like Therion, they too also incorporate symphonic elements (as well as exotic ones too - in Creek Mary's Blood from Once, the band uses actual Native American chants in their music!). The difference is that they only have the one female lead (where as Therion uses professional alto and soprano singers). With this song, pay extra attention to the electric violin. 

4) Trivium (Thrash Metal, Heavy Metal) - Shogun - Although there is some screaming here (sorry, guys!), I'd be a fool not to include one of metal's biggest bands in our modern time. Shogun is just about everybody's favorite from the band. These are a something special - with every new album released, they seem to be getting better and better (compare Ember to Inferno to Ascendancy, their first and second albums, respectively). This song is actually 11 min. long, not 10, but I couldn't find the full song, unfortunately.

5) Megadeth (Speed/Thrash/Heavy Metal) - The Scorpion - Constantly political, occasionally personal or spiritual, and sometimes humorous, Megadeth has stood the test of time (and constant changes in band members). I chose the Scorpion since this is more recent (2004), and the subject matter is the decline of society (which is always fun). Megadeth's 25+ years in the business has shown some of metal's greatest works (Peace Sells, Rust In Peace, and Countdown to Extinction), as well as embarrassments (Risk). 

6) Avenged Sevenfold (Thrash/Speed Metal, Metalcore) - The Wicked End - After Waking the Fallen and a subsequent surgery on M. Shadows (the frontman of the group), City of Evil is A7X's critically-acclaimed breakthrough album. The Wicked End is one of the few songs that is different and elaborate when compared to the rest of the album (there's even a Danny Elfman-inspired interlude in the middle of the song)

7) DragonForce (Speed Metal) - Once in a Lifetime - The best part about this band is that they incorporate all that is metal (the imagery, songwriting, and even keyboard solos) without really doing anything that could turn-off potential listeners. Often glorifying war, personal strife, and dragons (in a very medieval way), it's hard not to get sucked into the worlds they construct lyrically. Many a Warcraft player claim to listen to DragonForce before going on to raid dungeons. They're that good.

8) TYR (Folk Metal) - The Mare of my Night - These guys revolve their all their music exclusive to Nordic myth and folklore, so it's easy to get lost in the subject (or could bring intrigue if one is interested enough). Still, this doesn't take away from the fact that their musicianship stands out from other groups.

9) Danzig (Doom/Gloom Metal, Blues Rock) - End of Time - With Danzig, former The Misfits member Glenn Danzig offers a whole new musical landscape for us to immerse ourselves in. By slowing down the tempo, emphasizing melodies, and offering killer guitar solos, Danzig offers music that's dark, moody, and at times, damn sexy (She Rides comes to mind).

10) Rage Against the Machine (Rap Metal) - Know Your Enemy - Blending De La Rochas' rapid-fire spoken word with Morello's insane guitar work (the band even makes a point to say that ALL SOUNDS MADE BY GUITAR, BASS, DRUMS, AND VOCALS in most of their albums), RATM has achieved much success like no other politically-driven band before or after them. 

I'm quite aware that this simple list is essentially just the tip of the iceberg, since I'm certain that people will point out that I'm missing quite a bit of music (especially some of the more older material), but that's a chance I'm willing to take. Besides, I could always make up a second list for more metalicious music!