Stuck In My Skull 562 -- "Path to Decay"

Song: "Path to Decay" || Artist: Sirenia || http://youtu.be/ouZQ7rgAq-I ||

Comments: Hello everyone! Today I quite honestly have "Rainbow Road" stuck in head, as it was the last song I heard from my workout playlist this morning. When I jumped on YouTube to see what else I'd been listening to lately, this song was sitting under that 'Watch it Again' section, and I was surprised to realize I'd never blogged about it. This track has been kicking around my head for at least a few years now, and I had looked at it several times previously without realizing I hadn't written about it. Thankfully, I can finally rectify that unfortunate situation. Sirenia is a gothic/symphonic metal bound with a sound that strikes me as being somewhere between Sonata Arctica and Evanescence, and that's a pretty good endorsement in my book. This track in particular fits almost perfectly into my conceptions of the prototypical female-vocals pseudo-gothic metal track. It's got some solid vocals backed by chugging riffs and the easy pace of a band who knows they rock. Apparently the band has had some lineup changes since this song came out, and I confess that I'm not terribly familiar with their more recent work. As best I can tell from Wikipedia however, the band's vocalist and at least one of the guitarists hasn't changed since this song came out, so I have no doubt that Sirenia's sound will still remain excellent in more recent tracks. Give this song a listen, and don't forget to like us on Facebook!

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Stuck In My Skull 554 -- "Romanticide"

Song: "Romanticide" || Artist: Nightwish || http://youtu.be/zz_7OCCQlXs ||

Comments: Hello, everyone! Today I've decided to go with some pretty excellent metal. To head off any fan controversy at the pass, let me say this: There are two versions, and long-time die-hard fans are going to give me crap for posting this one. The song came off Nightwish's fifth album "Once" and had vocals by original vocalist Tarja Turunen. That version can be found here. This version is from the DVD "SHOWTIME, STORYTIME" -- a recording of Nightwish's live set at Wacken Open Air concert in 2013. This song, having come from a completely different era of Nightwish, feels vastly different than most of the band's more recent work. If I had to draw a comparison, I'd say it's closest in style to "Ghost River" off the most recent album "Imaginaerum," but the comparison is fairly weak. What I can say with confidence is this song is excellent. I've found myself fairly reserved about the decision to name Floor Jansen as the new vocalist, but this song (and the entire concert, for that matter) puts my mind at ease. My concerns about the overlap in vocal range between Floor and male singer Marco Hietala turned out to be largely unfounded, and the two of them really work well together. For good or for ill, Floor Jansen brings this towards the harder side of symphonic metal, and and this song really epitomizes the shift. It's a great song, so check it out! Have a good weekend, and don't forget to like us on Facebook!

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Stuck In My Skull 552 -- "Silent Waters"

Song: "Silent Waters" || Artist: Amorphis || http://youtu.be/tb2gjwq1WXg ||

Comments: Hello and happy Friday, everyone! For today I figured I'd step even further from electronica and talk metal. I ran into this song and band the other day clicking around YouTube, and ended up binge-listening to this band for a solid hour. Amorphis is a little heavier than I usually go for in a metal band, but I have to say that I really enjoy this Finnish group. This song in particular is pretty excellent, and to my ears has a tinge of drone-influenced guitars. Speaking of guitars, the lead guitarist of the group -- Esa Holopainen -- shares a last name with Nightwish founder and keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen, but as far as I can tell the two are not related. Metal is a small world, though, and according to Wikipedia, Nightwish member Marco Hietala contributed backing vocals at various points in the band's career. While the timelines overlap for this song, I don't hear Marco in it, and I suspect he isn't. Regardless of who made it, I really like this song. Give it a listen, and don't forget to like us on Facebook! Enjoy the weekend!

A final note: I'm giving some thought to redoing the website. What do you guys think? Keep the current look, or overhaul it? Let me know what you think!

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Stuck In My Skull 519 -- "Live for the Night"

Song: "Live for the Night" || Covering Artist: Cole Rolland || Original Artist: Krewella || http://youtu.be/0er1l4PfMdo ||

Comments: Good morning everyone! Today's entry is a pretty intense metal cover of Krewella's track "Live for the Night." I originally heard about this artist with Newt sent me a link to him, and I don't honestly remember if he linked me to this song or the cover of "Alive" that he's also done. Either way, they're both excellent, and props to Newt for letting me know. According to his youtube channel, this 20 year old Canadian prodigy is self-taught, which is impressive. One of the things I've really enjoyed about the explosive growth of youtube over the last several years is the proliferation of really good music talent, and this is an excellent case in point. Check it out!

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Stuck In My Skull 513 -- "Primo Victoria"

Song: "Primo Victoria" || Artist: Sabaton || http://youtu.be/IrJAwCBbnuc ||

Comments: Good morning everyone! Today's song is Sabaton's "Primo Victoria," accompanied by a surprisingly good fan-made video. I first heard this song years and years ago from my workout- and gaming-buddy, and got it stuck in my head yesterday as I was cranking my was through the single-player campaign of a World War II-based first person shooter. IT stayed with me into this morning and really made my run more interesting. If you can work out to metal, I highly recommend adding this song to your playlist. It's a pulse-pounding track full of guts and glory, and it'll make you run all the way to the finish. Enjoy!

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Stuck In My Skull 510 -- "Broken Wings" [Symphonic Metal Week IV]

Symphonic Metal Week IV || Song: "Broken Wings" || Artist: Evergrey || http://youtu.be/QmIv8jfVEwQ || 

Comments: Who knew moving could be so difficult! Today is the last day of Symphonic Metal Week IV, and I'm ashamed to admit I don't have time to write a complete entry at the moment. Check back later for more!

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Stuck In My Skull 508 -- "Equilibrium" [Symphonic Metal Week IV]

Symphonic Metal Week IV || Song: "Equilibrium" || Artist: Tristania || http://youtu.be/tBuineSYqoY ||

Comments: Hello everyone! Today's song is probably the most symphonic that the rest of the bands I have lined up for this week will get. Coming in somewhere between symphonic power and straight-up gothic metal (the wikipedia page for the band lists them as 'symphonic gothic metal), Tristania is an interesting sound. Like many bands in the genre, Tristania employs a male and a female vocalist both, but (at least in this song) has no grunting vocals. Instead, vocalists Mariangela Demurtas and Kjetil Nordhus play off each other to interweave sections of the song into one harmonious track. I have to say, I wasn't expecting the drone-inspired feel to this song, but I'm really enjoying it. The dark, keening undertones in the instrumentation really accent the mixed vocals and make this song sound both dark and amazing. Seriously, this is acoustic excellence at work. Give it a listen and make sure to come back tomorrow for more great music!

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Stuck In My Skull 483 -- "Stupify"

Song: "Stupify" || Artist: Disturbed || http://youtu.be/yy6ZHsM0U5Q ||

Comments: Good morning and happy Friday, folks! Today I'm going to switch it up a bit, and drop into some really cheesy metal. I do, in fact, have this song stuck in my head at the time of writing this, and I really have no idea why. It's cheesy as at get out, I'll be the first to admit. In that sense, Disturbed is a victim of their own success. Disturbed and Disturbed-like sounds are so ubiquitous that they've become trite. Despite that and the cheesiness of it, I still enjoy Disturbed. I mean, this song is years old and it (and many Disturbed) songs still get played regularly on my local metal station. It just goes to show, cheesy does not mean bad. Enjoy!

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Stuck In M Skull 479 -- "Jillian (I'd Give My Heart)"

Song: "Jillian (I'd Give My Heart)" || Artist: Within Temptation || http://youtu.be/IOYgWyZ4Qz8 ||

Comments: Good morning everyone, and welcome to Stuck In My Skull's last (regular) post for 2013. I'll probably write a retrospective later so I won't waste too much of your time getting all wishy-washy and sentimental here. Today's song popped into my head out of nowhere, and I'm quite honestly surprised that I never blogged about it before. Back in the good old/bad old days of people using playlist.com, I had a playlist of songs that would later shape my tastes in metal, slavishly copied from my first metal playlist on Pandora. If I'm not mistaken, this song was on it. It's symphonic metal at its finest, and I remember the vocals of Sharon den Adel blowing me away when I first heard them. Honestly, they still blow me away. Sharon is without a doubt one of the most talented and recognizable voices in symphonic metal. Give this song a listen, and it'll blow you away too. Enjoy, and have a happy New Year!

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Stuck In My Skull 462 -- "Valentine" [Symphonic Metal Week III]

Symphonic Metal Week III || Song: "Valentine" || Artist: Xandria || http://youtu.be/Rx9OoLwiAho ||

Comments: Good morning everyone! Sorry about the lack of posting last week. I was really, really sick (for the second time this cold season, no less!) and just couldn't manage to get anything done. To make up for it, I'm going to finish off Symphonic Metal Week III this week -- hopefully with a bonus post or two -- and post some entries from the one and only DJ Abso-Newt-ly. So hold on, folks, this week is gonna be a wild ride!
Speaking of wild rides, let's talk about Xandria. I'm going to head off the inevitable comparisons between vocalist Manuela Kraller and former Nightwish vocalist Tarja Turunen by paraphrasing a youtube comment. (Wait, what! Yes, really!) They're both female soprano singers with an operatic style providing vocals for a symphonic metal band. But they are not the same, and while every once in awhile an eerily-similar note creeps through, they generally don't even sound close. Moving on. Vocals aside, I really enjoy the sort of 'hard rock' guitar riffs I hear in the song, which is ever so slightly unusual for a symphonic metal band. And to head off the obligatory Nightwish comparisons I suspect are coming -- Xandria is much more guitar and drum focused, whereas Nightwish loves to play up the keyboards and symphonic instrumentation. Xandria isn't old Nightwish, but Xandria is amazing. Whether or not you liked old Nightwish, I think you'll like Xandria. Give it a listen!

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Stuck In My Skull 459 -- "Keelhauled"

Song: "Keelhauled" || Artist: Alestorm || http://youtu.be/ta-Z_psXODw ||

Comments: Ahoy, mateys! Today be Talk Like a Pirate Day! Unfortunately, my pirate is a bit rusty so I'm not going to attempt to write this entry in Pirate English right now, but if I have some spare time I might give it a shot later. In honor of TLAP Day, I present some vintage pirate metal -- Alestorm and their classic hit "Keelhauled." There's not much to say about "Keelhauled" and Alestorm that can't be heard in this track -- the lead singer is also rocking a keytar (which is amazing in and of itself, I love keytars), they dress like pirates, and are so cheesy that I find myself unable to dislike them. Alestorm is the funniest thing I've heard lately, and pretty catchy to boot. Check them out, and happy Talk Like a Pirate Day!

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Stuck In My Skull 455 --"I Died for You"

Song: "I Died for You" || Artist: Iced Earth || http://youtu.be/mUGuF8hpMQs ||

Comments: Good morning everyone, and wake up Riley! Sorry for the lack of post yesterday, but I was sick as heck and simply too tired. To make up for it, let's talk about this band. I'm fairly sure Iced Earth has never been featured on this blog, but thanks to my roommate, this song is firmly lodged in the interior of my skull and appears to be going nowhere. This song is an excellent combination of hard rock and heavy metal with the chugging riffs and roaring rhythms that are the best of both worlds, and the vocals of this song are epic. Seriously, I have no idea how this guy manages that sort of haunting tone, but it's just brilliant in the song. This is the first time I've really paid any attention to Iced Earth, but I can basically guarantee it won't be the last. Enjoy!

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Stuck In My Skull 453 -- "We Are The Others"

Song: "We Are The Others" || Artist: Delain || http://youtu.be/5lZGhh41W9k ||

Comments: Hello everyone, and happy Monday! I hope you all enjoyed DJ Abso-Newt-ly last week -- I know I did! Drop us a line on Facebook or comment on this post and tell us what you thought! So, let's talk about today's song. Delain is an excellent symphonic metal band hailing from the Netherlands, created by vocalist Charlotte Wessels and former Within Temptation keyboardist Martijn Westerholt. Delain is an excellent band, though I find they frequently tend to fall closer to progressive metal or even hard rock, which I think this song really shows. The title and the video is a tribute to Sophie Lancaster, who was murdered for being different, and the song really brings home a nice message about inclusion. But even if it wasn't about a subject near and dear to my heart, I would still love this song, because it's just that awesome. Delain is currently touring across the US with Kamelot, and you should definitely check them out. (See tour dates, here.) If nothing else, I saw Kamelot last year when they toured, and can guarantee that the strength of their performance alone is worth the (surprisingly reasonable) price of tickets. I'll be see Delain and Kamelot soon, and I feel quite confident that the show will be excellent.

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AMANDA-- METAL VERSION OF "SUIT AND TIE" by JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE

Good morning readers! While Chris continues his Zelda theme week, I'm going to be doing my own thing as usual. Earlier today while purusing on the internetz, I came across this metal version of Justin Timberlake's "Suit & Tie" via Buzzfeed. When I saw the headline, I assumed some metal group had covered the hit song. But it's even better. In the video below, Timberlake performs it live alongside a brass band, back-up singers, and, you guessed it, some guys on the electric guitar. This works suprisingly well and makes me wonder who came up with the idea. The original is great as is but you have to admit here it has an additional layer of brilliance. JT dancing to the solo at the end? Totally awesome! Having conquered pop and, most recently,  R&B, I'd personally love to see more of this experimentation/collaboration from him in the future. Take a listen and feel free to let us know what you think!

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Stuck In My Skull 440 -- "My Confession"

Song: "My Confession" || Artist: Kamelot feat. Eklipse || http://youtu.be/oSylbQEHhVo ||

Comments: Happy Thursday, and what a happy Thursday it is! I just discovered this video, and I am beyond pumped about this. I love this song, and I really wasn't expecting Kamelot to release another single off Silverthorne besides their first single, "Sacrimony." This song is excellent. Oddly, it starts with lyrics heard in another song on the album -- the intro song "Manus Dei." Can we say 'concept album?' Yes we can! And I most certainly love it. Once again, new-to-the-band vocalist Tommy Karevik proves he is more than capable of replacing long-time singer Roy Khan, and brings his own excellent style to the band. Also, he has stage presence that Roy Khan never did. His vocals fit perfectly with the instrumentation on this track, partially provided by an excellent string quarter called Eklipse. I'm honestly surprised that the song "Silverthorne" wasn't the next single from the album -- given the fact that it's the title track and all -- but this song is so masterfully arranged that I don't begrudge it the primacy. "My Confession" is a beautiful piece, and seeing this released as the next single/video really makes my day. Enjoy!

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Stuck In My Skull 437 -- "Never Enough"

Song: "Never Enough" || Artist: Epica || http://youtu.be/MJbIiGRPlnw ||

Comments: Good morning and happy Monday, folks! Coming off my all-too-short weekend, I can definitely agree with the sentiment of this song. But, no matter how hard I wish it wasn't over, the weekend has in fact come to an end, and now the week must begin. Thankfully, I've got this song stuck in my head to carry me through the dreaded Monday. In typical Epica fashion, this song is all about the interplay between Simone Simons' powerful voice and the rough, heavy sound of the guitars. Both of these sounds are complemented by the orchestral-style keyboards in the background, which puts the 'symphonic' in symphonic metal. Enjoy the song, and don't let Monday get you down!

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Stuck In My Skull 426 -- "Beautiful"

Song: "Beautiful" || Artist: P.O.D. || http://youtu.be/fX506PWT0dA ||

Comments: Good morning, everyone! I heard this song yesterday on the radio, and immediately knew that I had to post it here. I haven't heard a P.O.D. song since someone gave me "Youth of the Nation" about a million years ago. At this point, I have to wonder what they've been up to in the mean time, because this song is epic. Seriously, it's the right blend of calm piano and guitar and thrumming riffs. The lyrics are about as uplifiting as you can get without being P!nk's "F***ing Perfect," and I'm not sure how this song could get much better. If you're feeling down, just give this song a listen. Enjoy, and smile, okay?

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Stuck In My Skull 425 -- "Karma"

Song: "Karma" || Artist: Kamelot || http://youtu.be/Tjh0HEe22ys ||

Comments: Hello, everyone! Sorry for the missed post -- I was beyond exhausted, and I just asked Amanda to cover for me. So, for today's post, I figured it was high time to step back into some metal, and "Karma" is the perfect song to do it with. The title track off Kamelot's album of the same name, "Karma" is one of the songs that originally piqued my interest in Kamelot when I was first exploring metal. It is a masterful showcase of Roy Khan's magnificent voice and the instrumentation really brings out the more melodic side of Kamelot. Even if I weren't such a sucker for concept albums, I would be all over both this album in general and this track in particular, because it sounds amazing. Check it out!

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Stuck In My Skull 408 -- "Don't You Cry"

Song: "Don't You Cry" || Artist: Kamelot || http://youtu.be/crZ3OMS-fBU ||

Comments: Hello, everyone, and happy Monday! Or at least, try to have a happy Monday, because there's really no sense hating Monday just for the sake of it being Monday. Mondays happen, weekly, and if they didn't, then Tuesday would be the new Monday. Point is, wasting energy hating Monday is well, wasting energy.
Today's song was stuck in my head last night as I was trying to get some work done. I actually ended up listening to the album this track is from -- their fifth album Karma -- on repeat something like six or seven times. It's a great album, if you haven't heard it. It encompasses a well-executed range of tempos and levels of intensity, with some surprisingly pretty and quiet songs such as this one. The song "Ne Pleure Pas" is included on some releases of the album, and as best I can tell, seems to be the same song sung in French. Roy Khan was still the vocalist on this album, and his voice reminds me why I originally fell in love with Kamelot. (The fact the songs "Karma" and "Forever" are on this album also helps; They were among my first Kamelot songs I really listened to.) As far as the album goes, the notes on Wikipedia confirm my suspicions about this song's relation to "Ne Pleure Pas," and are pretty interesting. About the song itself, it's very pretty, and definitely worth a listen. Enjoy!

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Stuck In My Skull 400: Songs Revisited, Part I -- "Memento Mori"

Songs Revisited, Part 1 || Song: "Memento Mori" || Artist: "Kamelot" || http://youtu.be/Kymf6m4sVWM ||

    Album Version: http://youtu.be/Kymf6m4sVWM
    Live Version: http://youtu.be/JnYW1xeixAE
Comments: Hello, everyone, and welcome to the four hundredth entry of Stuck In My Skull! I first started this blog on July 16, 2011, and it's been quite a journey for me. This blog is nearly two years old, and I've loved every second of it. Throughout the last (nearly) two years, I've posted some of my favourite songs on this blog, and I confess, there are a few songs that I don't feel I really did justice at the time -- this week will be a week of Songs Revisited, so I can go back and really talk about those tracks that I slighted the first time. Way back in Entry 52, I posted the song "Memento Mori" for the first time. I said when I wrote that entry that I was using that song as filler, because I felt too sick to write anything else or find anything new. "Memento Mori" is one of my favourite songs of all time, and it deserves better than being a filler entry.

"Memento Mori" is the 12th and longest track on Kamelot's seventh studio album, The Black Halo. Released in 2005, The Black Halo is a concept album that finishes telling the story began in Kamelot's previous album Epica. Epica and The Black Halo are a rock-opera telling the story of the alchemist Ariel, whose story is losely based on Goethe's Faust. In "Memento Mori," Ariel's interplay with Mephisto is beautifully concluded in a three-voice ballad of eye-watering beauty, featuring then Kamelot vocalist Roy Khan voicing Ariel, Mari Youngblood (wife of Kamelot guitarist Thomas Youngblood) voicing Helena, and Dimmu Borgir vocalist Shagrath grunting the part of Mephisto. The song opens with a piano and vocal number at slow tempo, before the guitars and drums are introduced with an up-shift of the tempo as the action begins to unfold. As Ariel realizes his control of his own destiny, the song shifts between descending chords and mellow melodies, leading up to simultaneous introduction of Mari and Shagrath as Mephisto grunts and Helena sings in overlapping Latin, joining together on the line "memento mori." Ariel, in his last moments, rejects the evil of Mephisto. Helena intercedes and asks God to save him, and Mephisto loses his bet and is cast into hell as Ariel's soul ascends to heaven to be with Helena's. Finally, the action settles to a calm out-tro, mirroring the vocal and piano intro to the song. The last note hangs as someone (probably Helena) whispers "Ariel... Ariel... Ariel..." into the silence.

There are not words for how much I love this song. Seriously, this song moves me like few other tracks can. The album version is my favourite, but the live version (recorded in Belgrade, Serbia) is also excellent. It features a slightly faster tempo; a more prominent, chugging guitar; and the voice of Shagrath is far more prominent, with Helena's being either occulted or missing. The live version is slightly rougher yet more adrenaline-pumping, whereas the album version is a slightly calmer piece, and a refined and beautiful work. If you've never heard the song, you absolutely must check it out. Enjoy!

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