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 541 -- "Sensorium"

Song: "Cry for the Moon" || Artist: Epica || http://youtu.be/jxWHrHC2Qe4 ||

Comments: Hello and happy Friday, everyone! For today I figured I would switch things up and quit talking about EDM. Instead, I'd like to take today to talk about one of my favourite sounds in metal: Epica. Epica is seriously fantastic, and it kills me that I haven't had time to listen to their more recent albums in full yet. For the amount of time I spend listening to them, Epica is seriously underrepresented on this blog. Their live album "The Classical Conspiracy" is one of my go-to albums, whether I'm being productive, gaming, or just relaxing. This song is taken from Epica's first full-length studio album, "The Phantom Agony," which I was shocked to realize came out in 2003. Man, this song is old, but it's one of my favourites. Let me put this in context. In 2003, Nightwish still had Tarja Turunen as a vocalist and was between the albums "Century Child" and "Once." Kamelot had just kicked out it's sixth studio album, "Epica," the first of the two-part story of Ariel which they finished in "The Black Halo." Sonata Arctica was releasing it's third album. This song is old. But enough about that, let's talk about why it's good. For one, I can't get enough of the opening riff -- that combination of piano and guitar does amazing things for the song and works wonderfully with the strings. All of them set the stage for and completely drop off to sit the focus squarely on the opening verses of the lyrics, which are phenomenal in both writing and performance. The way Simone Simons vocals work both with and around the other instruments is far-and-away one of Epica's greatest strengths. When I say 'greatest strengths,' that could imply that there's some sort of corresponding weakness. If there is, I can't find it. I'm generally not even a fan of rough vocals, but the interplay of the rough and clean vocals in this song is absolutely perfect and I can't help but love it. When a song makes you truly enjoy something that you wouldn't otherwise care for, you know you've got a winner. Check it out, and don't forget to like us on Facebook! Have a great weekend!

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Stuck In My Skull 526 -- "Engraved Within"

Song: "Engraved Within" || Artist: Serentity || http://youtu.be/M2YCOSSLhK4 ||

Comments: Good morning! I know many of you -- myself included -- might be dragging on this Monday morning, so let's get the lead out together with this song. I found this track last week while listening to my metal station on Pandora. For the record, this is one of my oldest stations on that sight, spanning back multiple years -- at least three, I think. To put things in perspective, this station started not just before they gave unlimited usage back to free listeners, but before they instated the 40 hour cap in the first place. playlist.com was a thing when I made this station. What I'm trying to say is, it's old, and I've put an obscene amount of work into coercing the algorithm to play just the sort of symphonic metal I like. Pandora is built to randomly throw some songs into the rotation that are farther from the beaten path of any given channel in order to add diversity, and you can generally tell when that happens: You'll be listening without a care and suddenly, "Hello, this song is completely different." This is not an instance of that randomness, this fit perfectly into my station. How, then, have I never heard of Serenity before last week? I'll omit my very long discourse on why I think human DJs beat algorithms (you can see most of it in the guest entry I wrote about web radio for Melodic Music Project a bazillion years ago here). The point is, Pandora, why did you take so long to tell me about this band?! This song is excellent. It's got great vocals that remind me strongly of Seventh Wonder. Its instrumentation is nearly as strong as Epica's. As the youtube comments on this song point out, Serenity fills the same amazing niche as other greats like Dream Theatre, Symphony X, and Kamelot. Pandora, why did you take so long to play this? Go and listen to this, dear readers. If you like my taste in metal, you won't be disappointed.

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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 507 -- "A Rose for Epona" [Symphonic Metal Week IV]

Symphonic Metal Week IV || Song: "A Rose for Epona" || Eluveitie || http://youtu.be/_1lXdLus2WI || 

Comments: Hello everyone and welcome to Symphonic Metal Week IV! It's been awhile since I've had enough material to pound out five entries in a row, let alone a theme week, and boy have I missed it. Without further ado, let's jump right in! Today's entry comes to us from Eluveitie, a Swiss folk metal band with a penchant for singing in Gaulish, although this song is in English. And oh, those lyrics. Not only are the lyrics pretty awesome in their own right, lead vocalist Anna Murphy delivers them with one hell of a kick. It's difficult to describe exactly what quality she possesses that makes the vocals she delivers so powerful, but if I had to draw some sort of comparison, I'd say Anna Murphy sounds like a mixture of Tarja Turunen (first vocalist of Nightwish, known for insane operatic vocals) and Dolores O'Riordan (lead singer of The Cranberries, just go listen to "Zombie" if you don't remember what she sounds like). Even such a comparison really doesn't do her justice, but it'll just have to do. Behind her vocals are are some impressive low vocals delivered by bagpiper/whistler Chigral Glanzmann, which combine to create a 'beauty and the beast' contrast effect of impressive magnitude. I mean really, really impressive. I haven't seen a contrast that well done since I first heard Epica's combination of  Simone Simons and Mark Jansen. And yes, I just said that Eluveitie's grunt vocalist also plays bagpipes, whistles, and some instruments I've never even heard of. Eluveitie's lineup of folk instruments is mind-blowing and perfectly utilized. In one song, this band has completely sold me on folk metal. Well done, Eluveitie, well done. Check back tomorrow for the next entry!

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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 464 -- "Tempest" [Symphonic Metal Week III]

Symphonic Metal Week III || Song: "Tempest" || Artist: Adasteria || http://youtu.be/yfiJEmiyI5Q ||

Comments: Well, I'm pretty sure I'm just a really derpy blogger this week. I meant to write this entry yesterday and didn't get it written in time, so I decided I'd put both this entry and another one of Newt's up today. But when I got on blogger I realized that the entry I wrote Wednesday was still stuck in draft. So now that's been published, this is about to be published, and I'll be publishing one of Newt's later. What a day!

So let's talk about the music. I've heard of Adasteria from some of my more metal friends, but I've never really heard Adasteria prior to this. What I've heard, though, I am definitely liking. This song is eight minutes of awesome. Granted, I'm known to be a sucker for power ballads, but this song is so totally worth it. Chugging guitars and a double bass drum behind soaring female vocals and intricate instrumentation? Sign me up! Check it out, and check back later today for an entry from Newt!

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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 461 -- "Stand Up and Fight" [Symphonic Metal Week III]

Symphonic Metal Week III || Artist: Turisas || Song: "Stand Up and Fight" || http://youtu.be/7woW7DmnR0E ||

Comments: What happens when you mix vikings and violins? Turisas. Dear lord, where has this band been all my life? They are absolutely glorious, prancing about in facepaint and leathers like they just got back from pillaging a village somewhere. Their music is excellent, full of adrenaline-pumping double bassdrums and chugging riffs, contrasted with violin and accordion lines that really make the song work. I know next to nothing about this band, just what a quick glance at Wikipedia told me, but that will quickly change. I cannot get enough of this sound. Be careful where you watch this video -- you might need to go sack some cities afterwards.

Warning: Heads up all you arachnophobes out there -- this vid has a tarantula at a titch before 4:00.

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Stuck In My Skull 460 -- "Dragon's Grail" [Symphonic Metal Week III]

Symphonic Metal Week III || Artist: Nota Profana || Song: "Dragon's Grail" || http://youtu.be/ap1-k-hv0C8 ||

Comments: Good morning everyone! I am back, and pleased to announce that this week is a theme week! That's right, folks, this week I'm writing about awesome tracks you've never heard from the wonderful world of symphonic metal! Just to mix things up, I might also post some of DJ Abso-Newt-ly's posts he gave me this week, so I don't bore anyone.
To open this week, I've got a band out of Venezuela called Nota Profana. I'm not used to hearing symphonic (or really any) metal out of South America, but if Nota Profana is any indication, this continent is more than able to hold its own. Nota Profana definitely has all the elements of a traditional symphonic metal band -- excellent guitars, an epic double bass drum, and even a pretty awesome female vocalist -- paired with what appears to be some serious choral and symphonic elements. Basically, Nota Profana put metal into a symphony, and it sounds great. Check it out!

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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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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 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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ETC #76 "Creek Mary's Blood"

Song: "Creek Mary's Blood" ~ Artist: Nightwish

~ http://youtu.be/cJqWwt6d5-E ~

Comments: Hey, folks. It's almost the weekend. Wow, this week has gone quickly... Anyhow! This song begins out with slow and powerful vocalizations and then moves into a kind of majestic rhythm.  Before you know it the tempo has progressed into a head banging beauty. The song as a whole is lacking when it comes to lyrics, but honestly it doesn't need them. The use of electric guitar alone is enough to captivate the attention of the crowd and when you add in the striking drums and the intensity of the piano things come together wonderfully.  I have to admit that I'm a little bias towards the flute (?) instrumental in here, but I really do think that it adds a certain touch that helps it stand out from the other songs on the album. Because of the operatic sound of Tarja's voice and the little bit of foreign language in the song here are the lyrics/translation for your enjoyment. Side note: I really love this group and they are amazing live. I don't know why I don't use them more often, but this song got sat aside for a rainy day. (The irony here is that it is actually raining outside as I write this.) Happy listening!

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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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Stuck In My Skull 396 -- "The Human Stain"

Song: "The Human Stain" || Artist: Kamelot || http://youtu.be/4n3LobCY5HE ||

Comments: It's been awhile since I've posted anything by Kamelot, so I figured it would be a good day to come back to one of my favourite bands of all time. This song is excellent, one of the most prototypic examples of symphonic/prog metal I've yet encountered. The chugging guitars of the opening contrasts wonderfully with the delicate piano that follows, quickly blending into a blood-pumping, adrenaline-surging, head-banging cacophony of awesome. For some reason, I always confuse this track (which is from the Ghost Opera album) with "The Great Pandemonium", which is taken from the Poetry for the Poisoned album, and I'm really not sure why. Maybe I'll have to cover that song soon -- it's just as epic. Enjoy!

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Stuck In My Skull 353 -- "Last of the Wilds"

Song: "Last of the Wilds" || Artist: Nightwish || http://youtu.be/vouAtmE13vs ||

[youtube http://youtu.be/vouAtmE13vs]

Comments: So, I recently (Christmas) came into quite a bit of music. In addition, I recently turned on a radio and realized "Wow, I'm really behind on pop music!" So, between both of those factors, I will be sending you some new tunes soon. But for today, I beg your pardon, but I have to pass this song along. Nightwish is generally considered to be masters of symphonic metal, but they're also really good at putting together an instrumental track -- all of the symphonic and none of the metal. "Last of the Wilds" is the symphonic track from Nightwish's album Dark Passion Play. Enjoy!

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