Here are your weekly album sales. Nothing, and I mean nothing from the past week is doing all that well. Big drop for At The Gates, but Slipknot is hanging strong.
Brendon Small is, once again, my hero. Although calling out Nicki Minaj is a fast-track to that title. Seriously, she’s an idiot. And I don’t plan on watching her video ‘inspired by Metalocalypse’.
DISCLAIMER: Due to the content of this post, ‘of’ will be spelled ‘ov’ throughout.
As you were all made aware, we’ve done away the Subgenre ov the Week concept and moved into The Horns Up Top 10. To recap, each week we’ll throw a new band at you that we feel quite highly about and give you 10 songs ov our choosing. Again, this is a list ov our 10 favorite songs from each band. Not to be mistaken for a ‘best-ov’ list. Well, kinda, but on a personal interest level.
So last week Dan kicked things off with a bang. And by “a bang,” I mean “Dan kicked things off with Iron Maiden.” I was gonna go in a completely different direction with my first Top 10… but then I said fuck that shit and have decided to kick off my Top 10 with what I consider the absolute best ov the best in my library. It’s the band I worship more than any other and I have appreciated everything they’ve released since the early ’90s. This can be none other than the immense Behemoth.
What can I really say, though? I mean for fuck’s sake, do you have any idea how hard it was for me to pick 10 songs from my Behemoth library? It’s an unfair game. I know there has been a recent bombardment ov Behemoth on this blog, but considering their recent activity–touring, album release, etc.–and just overall quality, it was inevitable that they’d make an appearance in this new segment. And I felt the need to make my first Top 10 count (pun intended? Sure).
I’m not going to destroy you with background info on Behemoth; by this point, all that should be well-known. And if it isn’t… well, this is about the music, not a history lesson. But I’ll also lose respect for you for not being familiar with these titans ov blackened death metal. So without further delay, here’s my list, a brief sentence or two on each track, and then the playlist itself. Enjoy. You inevitably will.
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10. “No Sympathy For Fools” (from Zos Kia Cultus(Here And Beyond), 2002)
Kicking things off with a bang, this song brings serious intensity start to finish. It’s angry, it’s heavy, it’s awesome. An often under-appreciated album, but this is certainly a memorable track.
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9. “Moonspell Rites” (from And The Forests Dream Eternally, 1994)
Reaching back in time for this one. These are the very roots of Behemoth. It made it’s way onto this list for the way the band’s thrown it into their live settings recently. Worth noting the change in Nergal’s vocal sound over the past 20 years.
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8. “Inner Sanctum” (from The Apostasy, 2007)
Had to include this on here. Very cool song off ov an album that really escalated my interest in Behemoth. Plus, Nergal sings? Kinda. More ov a change-of-pace track, but it’s had real staying power.
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7. “Slaves Shall Serve” (from Demigod, 2004)
The whole album is great, but this is definitely a live favorite. Absolutely needs to be in my Top 10. Absolutely ferocious track. It’s short and to the point, but god damn is it furious. It intimidates people.
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6. “Shemaforash” (from Evangelion, 2009)
Not a bad track on this album, despite the sound range it covers. This is the second track on the album and it definitely carries some weight. We’ll call this the start.
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5. “Lucifer” (from Evangelion, 2009)
And here’s the finish. Very atmospheric, slow tempo, layered track to close this album. Gives a solid idea ov the sound transgression over the course ov Evangelion.
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4. “Chant For Eschaton 2000” (from Satanica, 1999)
My favorite song on the album and my favorite song to see live. It simply produces a ton ov energy. Hard to believe it came out 15 years ago.
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3. “O Father O Satan O Sun!” (from The Satanist, 2014)
The Satanist contains nine tracks and honestly every one ov them could be on this list. This is the incredibly epic closer, which utilizes a symphonic sound previously untouched by Behemoth. And shit, they do it well. Dangerously catchy.
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2. “Slaying The Prophets Ov Isa” (from The Apostasy, 2007)
Arguably the heaviest song off ov a (relative) breakout album for Behemoth. And just wait until the song moves in the symphonic section about midway through. Seriously, just wait for it.
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1. “In The Absence Ov Light” (from The Satanist, 2014)
Definitely not a clearly defined No. 1, but as ov today, it edges out the others on my list. This is an unbelievable song. Starts heavy, slows to a very atmospheric crawl, and then gets fucking heavier. It’s layered, maintains a level of complexity, and frankly, deserves more credit. Nergal makes this track hit a new level.
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The Horns Up Top 10 on YouTube
(Because Spotify has neither The Apostasy nor Demigod. Because when Spotify actually does fuck up, it fucks up royally)
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There you have it, people. Enjoy the week ahead. A new list will be coming at you from Dan next week, but in the meantime, feel free to suggest future Top 10 bands in the comments section
Morning, metalheads. How’re the hangovers? Mercifully, after what felt like a full-day post-drinking headache yesterday, I’m in the clear on this fine Sunday. Some of you, of course, may not be so lucky, so maybe our newest Sunday Side-Splitter will help. This week, we’re going to revisit a classic rip job on one of the world’s most laughable power metal bands–DragonForce. Have a look at their guitar lesson parody video: “Herman Li is Cool.”
As (I hope) you could tell on your own, the video’s been dubbed over to add in both classic video game sounds and an air of shit-headedness (well, a bigger air than usual, at least) to DragonForce’s guitar lesson. My personal favorite: the “IT’SA ME!” at the very end of the video. Suffice it to say, thank fuck this band is no longer really a thing outside the metal world. Or, in most cases, within the metal world. Enjoy the video, and go get some bacon and eggs!
Long time no see, people. I’ve been occupied with the World Cup and drunken shenanigans at Market Square Day. I’ll spare you the details… for now. Let’s get caught up:
Maryland Deathfest 2014 wrapped up at the end of last night, and your co-hosts have returned (mostly) unscathed to share their thoughts with you! Give it a watch for our thoughts on Sunday’s performances from Gorguts, Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats and everyone in between! Also, Godzilla! We left early to go see his new movie and weigh in on that at the end. Check it out!
As a reminder, you can also access our MDF Mini-sodes and all other installments of Horns Up through the following:
iTunes (Or open up the iTunes Store and search for “Horns Up Metal Show”)
Nine Circles 