MOTD - Chickenfoot: A Hard Rockin' Future

Mp3 Of The Day

Band/Artist: Chickenfoot
Song: Future In The Past
Album: Chickenfoot
Style: Hard Rock
country/location: United States
release: 2009



So I'm briefly interrupting the Jewish/Hanukah series to post something in honor of the New Year, New Decade, and the fact we're now in THE FUCKIN' FUTURE!!! HOLY SHIT WE'RE IN 2010 (Twenty Ten)!!! This song entitled "Future In The Past" fits with this theme quite nicely!

Anyways, this is one of the few times I've posted a mainstream/well known band haha. (ok more than a few hehe) They're not exactly the most "metal" of bands either, however they have a hard rockin' sound that I kinda lump into the metal umbrella (I'm like that!). So Joe Satriani, Chad Smith (of the Red Hot Chili Peppers), Sammy Hagar and Michael Anthony (of Van Halen) came together to form Chickenfoot, a fun band that combines a lot of the elements of their respective projects. In Chickenfoot's music you can hear Van Halen's bluesy, edgy and catchy hard rock, Joe Satriani's guitar wizardry (though he doesn't over do it), and Red Hot Chili Pepper's funk and groove. This band has got it all! This track is no exception in it's musical combinations, jumping from an introspective ballad/anthem to a funky hard rock groove to an almost middle eastern sounding passage and then back again (with pretty fluid transitions as well). I love it! It's nice to hear some good ol' hard rock done right! See what you think!

Chickenfoot - Future In The Past

MOTD - Black Landscapes: A Symphonic Black Metal National Anthem

Mp3 Of The Day

Band/Artist: Black Landscapes
Song: Hatikva
Album: Shred Them For They Might Escape...
Style: Melodic/Symphonic Black Metal
country/location: Herzliyah, Israel
release: 2004



Happy New Year folks! Sorry I've been so behind on my postings. Life is pleasantly busy! It's been a crazy year! Anyways, continuing with the Jewish/Hanukah theme, we have here a symphonic/melodic black metal project from Israel. A Zionist black metal band at that... Certainly different from the usual Satanic/anti-religious themes you usually find in black metal. This track is a metalized but sincere and honest version of "Hatikva" (The Hope), the national anthem of Israel. The original melody is kept intact with a choir of singers, as heavy guitars and full bodied keyboards provide a powerful and awesome accompaniment. The black metal elements aren't very prominent in this little piece, except for a loud black metal scream heard in the climax. It's a cool little gem!

Black Landscapes - Hatikva

MOTD - Wizzard of Oz: An obscure Swedish heavy metal song yields a Jewish surprise!

Mp3 Of The Day

Band/Artist: Wizzard Of Oz
Song: Losing Control
Album: Demo 82
Style: Heavy Metal
country/location: Sweden
release: 1982

So since I posted only one Hanukah song, I thought it was fair to post a couple more Hanukah related songs! Well, at least Jewish related songs hehe!

Anyways Wizzard of Oz is an old obscure heavy metal band from Sweden. Like most of the obscure bands I post (I like obscure old heavy metal bands sosumi!), there isn't much known about them other than a 3 song demo released sometime in 1982. Their music is pretty much your standard NWOBHM (New Wave of British Heavy Metal) inspired metal, rough and dirty guitars, a young sounding but aggressively gruff vocalist, a punk/rock feel and speed. This song is a cool track featuring riffs with a nice rockin' and sorta funky feel to them and a slower chill chorus about loosing control. Now you're probably thinking "this band sounds awesome, but Wren, what does it have to do with Hanukkah or Jews?" Not much really, except towards the end when the band breaks into an incredibly awesome speed metal rendition of Hava Nagila! It's unexpected and definitely makes this song even more fun! hehe. Anyways, happy very belated Hanukah!

Wizzard of Oz - Losing Control

MOTD - Gods Of Fire: Hanukkah Gone Metal!

Mp3 Of The Day

Band/Artist: Gods Of Fire
Song: Oh Hanukkah
Album: Hanukkah Gone Metal
Style: Traditional Heavy Metal
country/location: New York City, New York, US
release: 2009



(I was going to post this on the last night of Hanukah, but it didn't happen until today, so pretend it's still Chanukah!)

Happy Hanukkah fellow metalheads, Jews and regular folk alike! It is the last night of Festival of Lights, so this means that I have one chance to post a Hanukah related metal song before the 8 day holiday ends (lolz)! Consider this a Hanukah gift to you all!

I was overjoyed when I discovered that there was a heavy metal Hanukah album! Finally the Jews had holiday metal representation! New York based traditional heavy metalists Gods Of Fire took it upon themselves to release an awesomely done Hanukah Gone Metal album. With powerful soaring vocals, melodic but kick ass guitars, full bodied organs (the part that sold me on this band), and a driving rhythm, they transform hanukah songs (both original and traditional songs) into epic heavy metal anthems. "Oh Hanukah" has never sounded more glorious! The gods of metal and Hanukah would be equally pleased! Hopefully this will please you as well!

Gods Of Fire - Oh Hanukkah

MOTD - Ammit: Black/Thrash as it should be; raw, dirty, blasphemous

Mp3 Of The Day

Band/Artist: Ammit
Song: Sinner
Album: Hammer Of Darkness
Style: Black/Thrash Metal
country/location: Santiago, Chile
release: 2005

One of my favorite sub-sub genres of metal is black/thrash. That incredible combination of the darkness and dirtiness of black metal plus the speed, aggression and thrashiness of thrash is hard to resist for me. The band that I feel best signifies that crude mixture is Ammit. Hailing from Chile, they create some of the most filthy, blasphemous and gritty music that has graced my ears. The guitar tone is raw and crunchy, as well as slightly and awesomely out of tune. When played with a thrash sensibility, it sounds ugly, biting and sharp. The vocalist supplies a rough and truly hateful style, a weird combination of untrained singing, thrash shouting and black metal harshness. This style conveys the sinful Satanic and Occult lyrics and themes of Ammit's music in the most ugly way possible. The production is as raw as it gets, without sounding forced or unreal. Again, Ammit is a great example of a black/thrash metal band. This is how raw metal should sound!

Ammit - Sinner

MOTD - A Wren: A Wren discovers A Wren

Mp3 Of The Day

Band/Artist: A Wren
Song: (Blissfully) Frozen In Time
Album: A Wren
Style: Depressive Black Metal/Ambient
country/location: Saint Cloud, Minnesota, United States
release: 2009

Somewhere in Saint Cloud, Minnesota, a fellow known solely as A recorded a few instrumental depressive black metal songs. This person decided to name his project A Wren. Meanwhile, a metalhead by the name of Wren was tooling around on the internet, specifically looking up metal related things. He stumbled upon the myspace of A Wren and was flabbergasted that anyone would decide to name their band/project after his given name, even more shocked that it was a black metal project. (Wren supposed that this black metal avocation might be nature based and thus a depressive black metal band named after a bird might not seem so strange). In either way, it intrigued him enough to download this free collection of songs.

Anyways, Wren discovered that this A Wren was pretty good. Nothing fancy nor life changing, definitely a run-in-a-mill depressive black metal with thin fuzzy guitars, simple homecooked production, long drawn out semi-monotonous riffs, almost ambient passages, a few blast beat sections thrown in. A Wren had enough melody and change in their/his music to keep Wren's ears occupied despite the long lengths of the songs, going from fast tremolo playing to a slower picking style to a constant strumming to epic almost galloping riffs. Repeated listens seemed to suffer from the monotony however. Wren felt confident that others would enjoy A Wren's music, though many might be bored by this delivery. "Well check it out" Wren says.

A Wren - (Blissfully) Frozen In Time

MOTD - Devin Townsend: An Atmospheric Epic Metal Powerhouse

Mp3 Of The Day



Band/Artist: Devin Townsend Project
Song: Numbered!
Album: Addicted
Style: Progressive Metal/Rock
country/location: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
release: 2009

I know I know! I've posted Devin Townsend like two or three times before! It's not my fault that he's one of my favorite metal musicians, especially his progressive/atmospheric stuff! Also it's not my fault that he's released two great albums this year and I want to post something from one of those albums! (and want to cash in on all the Devin Townsend posting!)

This song "Numbered!" is one of my personal favorites. It comes off the Devin Townsend Project's second album Addicted which is what happens when the former skullet metal master combines the thick and heavy sounds of his Ziltoid album with the atmospheric, progressive and often pop-oriented attitude of his Ocean Machine/Infinity projects. The song morphs from an uber heavy thick guitared mammoth to a powerful introspective epic with an incredibly heartfelt (and damn catchy) chorus sung by Anneke van Giersbergen (ex-the Gathering) whose serenely powerful voice just feeds into the wall of atmospheric metal sound. Devin also flexes his vocal muscles in this track, going from a clean and simple delivery in the verses to an almost death scream during parts to a powerful operatic style (which I gotta say is used awesomely in this song). The production here is crystal clear which is not surprising for Devin is a master in the studio. Anyways, this song is definitely on my list of favorites of the year (I discovered it at a difficult moment of this year so it has some sentimental value as well). (the album is incredible as well!) Hope you enjoy it as well!

Devin Townsend Project - Numbered!