10 Non-Metal Songs That As A Metalhead You Need to Put In You
Come on.... live a little eh ?
Folks, I like to take the freshest ingredients of an article, pop them in a wok, toss in some meat of discussion and well-researched factology and then garnish with a little flavour-of-the-month spice, let it sizzle on a low heat until the juices are flowing and the olfactory arousing perfume of music journalism fills the house like fresh-baked cookies on a summer’s day.
But sometime, just sometimes, I like to go to the local Gas Station and get me some expired egg sandwiches wrestled from the local Racoon Mafia, pop them in a blender with the scrapings from the bathroom floor after a Brony convention has passed through and pour it into an unwashed bowl last used by the US Military Chemical Warfare Division for their famously unregulated Christmas party to offer up unto you my gastrointestinal-fondling feature which is : 10 non-Metal Songs that as a Metalhead you need to put in you.
So here is a decuple of non-metal tracks for your delectation. Just go in with an open mind and listen through. I don’t mind if you hate all of them or just some of them. But if I can turn you on to something new and different then all the better and I didn’t wrestle those Racoons for nothing.
LOWER THAN ATLANTIS – Here We Go
This alt-rock band from Watford, England have danced in-and-out of the near-metal genres for years. Part punk, part melodic rock, part post-hardcore. But it was this cut from their 2014 self-titled album that put them on the scene for me. Rock Sound hailed this as the “#1 Rock album of 2014” and it’s well deserved. That pounding, drop-C main groove is as close to the current slew of more commercial metal as you can find. It’s an absolute dance floor monster.
DON BROCO – Pretty
Another UK band, this time from Bedford, Don Broco started out at a lot more metal than you would expect and still have a more-than-obviously-inspired riff catalogue that would happily sit in a Novelists FR or Eskimo Callboy record. I’ve chosen Pretty here because a) it’s a fucking hilarious video and b) it’s a great example of how they shift between genres even on one track. But check out Thug Workout ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ReQ-1CFWe8 ) from 2009 where the metal influences are a little more on-point to see their heritage. They’re now one of the biggest alt-indie-rock bands in the world and I love their sound.
DEAD SARA – Weatherman
In the post-punk, alternative scene, US outfit Dead Sara are something of a legend. The raw power of vocalist Emily Armstrong, is something unique in hard rock, putting most metal vocalists to shame in anger and aggression. Siouxsie Medley writes some of the most anthemic bluesy-punk-rock guitar lines and the whole band knows how to craft a bad-ass song. The eponymous 2012 album this track is lifted from was joined in 2018 by the Temporary Things Taking Up Space EP – with their anthemic single Unamerican – which both sounds and looks stunning. I’ve hammered this band on my playlists. What’s not to love ? This is anarchistic rage, pure and simple. There is also a live studio version of this track which has some serious fucking balls ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fm-rwYJvhE )
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