Hi guys! I so much fun doing my first "top 5" last week, so I decided to try another one this week. This time, however, I'm doing a very different top 5. This top 5 will deal with the beyond, the supernatural, and the unknown. Without any other delays, here's my list of the top 5 Metaphysical metal songs.
What am I looking for in the songs on this list? Unlike my last top 5, the requirements are simply the following:
- The songs must deal with metaphysics in some way
- After I've listened to the song, I feel something that I can't quite explain, or I can't explain it in the right way
With that out of the way, let's look at the list. Hope you like it!
5) Dokken - Dream Warriors
We start off this list with...hair metal!?
As surprising as this choice is, it strangely fits. Despite producing some good albums, Dokken was a band that never really got the credit they deserved. What really put them on the map was this song, as it was included on the 3rd Nightmare On Elm Street soundtrack. Unlike the other songs, it's a little bit easier to explain what I felt, since the basic jest of the song is about fighting your nightmares, and not giving up the fight.
4) Katatonia - Palace of Frost & Dancing December
What's interesting about this spot on the list is that, despite it being a tie, the two songs go together (makes sense since they both came off of the same album). The two songs also complement each other: Palace of Frost is a heavy, melodic song, while Dancing December is a short, beautiful instrumental melody. The first song sounds like something you'd hear during the apocalypse, while the second sounds like the first noise you hear when you enter a wintery heaven. I would have put these two higher on this list, but what's stopping me is that I can kinda sort explain the first song, but the second one is much more difficult to grasp (despite what I said about it above).
3) Vintersorg - Till Fjälls (To The Mountains) (Translated Lyrics: ***)
Of all the bands on this list that have delved into the realm of metaphysics, none have done so, and with so much frequency, like Vintersorg. Formed in 1994, this Swedish metal band have song about more that metaphysics. They've also sung about fantasy, mythology, nature, and the cosmos as well. All of these subjects matters are prime sources for creating some very mystical sounding music, and Till Fjalls is no exception. Similar to my number 5 choice, Till Fjalls can be explained, but at the same time, there's something you're missing as you're explaining it.
2) Septic Flesh - Last Stop To Nowhere
Leave it to the Greeks to produce some of the blackest metal in the world, and leave it up to Septic Flesh to be the pinnacle of Greek metal. Although they aren't into metaphysics, the things they sing about (Greek history & mythology, paganism, satanism, the cosmos) often delve into the territory. Last Stop To Nowhere is interesting in that it can be explained, but at the same time makes you think. To sum it up, an unknown passenger is at a train station, waiting for the train (duh!) to come and take him to his destination. Here's the thing...where's he going!? Is he traveling into the abyss? Is he heading towards the heavens. You simply do not know, and that's what makes this song great!
1) Devin Townsend - Deadhead
Note, I am not talking about his time in Strapping Young Lad, but rather his solo career, which is incredible to say the least. Since the age of five, Devin has traversed all over the metal scene, and also managed to mark his territory into more softer music (look for the album Ghost to hear why). His career is all the more remarkable after he came to terms with his bipolar disorder, and continued to write music, which sometimes delved into his fractured psyche. Deadhead is simply an amazing song in a library of incredible songs. It encompasses so many sounds, and bombards you with so many feelings, you simply can't focus on one thing, and you have to just take it all in.
See you all next week. Until then, stay Otaku!
* The field of metaphysics is quite deep, and would take up too much space here. Click on the link below to get a good look at the subject:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metaphysics
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