Linkin Park - In The End (10/10)

 I took a quick break from posting reviews to deal with other stuff in my life. But I will compensate by reviewing two songs this week, with this being the first of them.

Before I started listening to metal, I mostly listened to rock from the 70s-90s, such as Queen. So I didn't expect to fall in love with a song with both rap and a really modern production. But this song is really just perfect. The lyrics are super relatable and meaningful, the vocals are powerful, and the instrumentation is simple yet effective.

But the thing that really makes this song stand out is the production. The use of electronic sounds, bit crusher and compressor effects, and the very picky use of delay is unlike anything that came before this song, and probably unlike anything that has come after it too.

Some who like more complicated or raw-sounding songs might say this song is too pop-like and simple to deserve a 10/10, but the simplicity really works, so that's the score I'm giving it.

Porcupine Tree - The Sound Of Muzak (8/10)

 Even though this blog is mainly about metal, I must also bring up some slightly less heavy songs like this one. This is progressive rock, so of course the verses are in 7/4, but I think they used the time signature very well. Usually, progressive bands will just throw in odd time signatures for no other reason than to have an odd time signature, but this is really catchy and actually works in the song.

The chorus is quite simple except for the chord choices, but it's incredibly catchy. It sounds almost like a typical singalong song, but in a good way. The only issue I have with it is that the chorus feels somewhat disconnected from the rest of the song.

The guitar solo is great. I appreciate that they played the notes that really make you feel something, instead of just shredding garbage as some bands do. And as a keyboardist, I also like how they used a powerful organ sound to support the guitar solo.

The vocals on this song are alright. They sound very human and not at all overproduced, which is a plus, but in certain parts they use a compressor effect which I dislike, but that's just my personal taste. There isn't much dynamics in the vocals, but it works well in this type of song.

I think the lyrics are where this song really shines. The song was released in 2002, and the lyrics are so much more real today. The music industry as a whole really has gone downhill, with the same simple production over and over again, stripping the soul from the vocals, and it has become really difficult to find new good music. All the discovery algorithms just repeat the same popular songs that make the music labels more and more money. And I think this song really brings up a bunch of good points that need to be said about the music industry.

System Of A Down - Aerials (10/10)

 SOAD is known for making each song very different from the last, and this one is probably on their more "mainstream" side, but it's really good. For some reason, the guitar in the intro just does something emotionally to my brain that very few songs do.

Then the vocals come in, and Serj as always uses his voice to the fullest, not just sticking to one type of singing like many singers unfortunately do nowadays. He shapes his voice both dynamically and tonally to really fit each part of the song, and it really works in making a human connection to the listener.

During the verse, the guitar plays quite a simple riff, but it's incredibly heavy, and just as good as the intro. However, the energy quickly dies down again into the chorus, reflecting the feel of the lyrics.

The second time around, the band goes into an even heavier riff just before the chorus, which is just the main melody but with distortion. That's heavy as it is, but what makes it one of the heaviest riffs of all time is probably the drumming and guitar rhythm. The guitar is syncopated in just the right way to make it really really heavy, and it also leaves some breathing room every other bar, with the drums just playing an open hi-hat, giving a sort of floating sensation before the riff hits you again.

The song ends with some beautiful vocal harmony, and not just the usual singing the same melody at an interval. Rather, they sometimes drift apart slightly in the melody, making it incredibly beautiful.

Looking at the lyrics, despite SOAD sometimes making very obfuscated lyrics, I feel like this is relatively easy to decipher, but it can still mean multiple different things. I take it as being about life in general, about finding what actually makes you happy, instead of what superficially makes you happy. It could of course also be taken to be about being famous, but I think that would kind of also work together with the other interpretation, so I like to choose the most general interpretation so you can adapt it to your own life.

Gojira - Stranded (10/10)

 I must have listened to this song hundreds of times by now, but I still feel all of the emotion every single time. It just never gets old, and it's such a powerful song to get your emotions out in times of grief, depression, or other struggles.

The instrumentation is both simple, complicated and unique at the same time, which is a really uncommon combination. All the guitar parts are simple, but also sound like no other song I've ever heard. The drums are almost overkill, but somehow manage to still fit the song well, probably due to the sheer amount of emotion throughout the song. And the band also leave room for the bass at times, as if Gojira's bassist doesn't energize the audience enough already.

The intro riff is quite simple and mainly serves the purpose of setting the very heavy atmosphere, but also keeps the song interesting by the use of a whammy pedal. The chorus riff is also simple, but it is extremely catchy. I will likely never get bored of the chorus even if I listen to the song thousands of times. And really the rest of the guitar work is also simple, but so effective at conveying emotion.

The vocals in this song are the perfect type of heavy - they deliver the intense emotion incredibly well, but at the same time, you can hear the lyrics, and it sounds very human despite the harshness, and I also like the dynamics in the vocals towards the end of the song.

Speaking of which, the song structure is also one of a kind. It has choruses, but the verses are very different, both vocally, lyrically and instrumentally. I think it's very much shaped around how grief progresses over time. The intro is like the reality of the situation starting to sink in and work its way inside you. The first verse feels like the overwhelming flood of emotions that comes right after that, while the second verse feels more desperate and empty. The final verse, or the outro, is a continuation of the emptiness felt earlier, but after you've exhausted all your energy and can barely think or feel anymore. The very last line of the song builds up the intensity again, like when you finally start regaining your energy, you're struck by the same wall of emotions again.

In summary, I cannot think of a song that represents the feelings of grief better than this, and there isn't a single bad part in this entire song, so it easily gets a 10/10 from me. Even though I started listening to metal not that long ago, this song has already helped me through multiple tough times. It's really important to get your emotions out somehow in times of grief or depression, which you can do by listening to, playing or singing a song like this.

Queen - Innuendo (9/10)

 This is by far Queen's heaviest song, and I would definitely count it as progressive metal. Right from the start, you know you're about to hear something very different, and I haven't really been able to find anything else that sounds like it.

Most rock bands that use synthesizers make it sound either like a video game, or more like pop. But the intro to this song just has one of the heaviest synthesizer sounds ever. Combined with the bass, it really creates an atmosphere where you feel the weight of it before the song even properly starts.

When it does start, the guitar sound just fits everything so well, and so does the choice of scales. The verses sound very dark, which matches the lyrics, while the choruses sound more epic, as if to give the energy to "keep on trying".

Then of course is the flamenco section and operatic section. Both of these are really quite unique, and they do fit the song unexpectedly well, especially when the electric guitar comes back and plays the solo that was played on acoustic guitar first. Also, it's impressive how many different sounds they managed to create using the Korg M1. It's not exactly known for its symphonic sounds, but it just goes to show the band's and producer's skills in programming the synthesizer.

The vocals throughout the song are also great, with both dynamic and tonal range, and the lyrics are very quite existential and somewhat critical of society in general, making them very relatable regardless of where or when you live.

The only reason I won't give this song a 10/10 is because Queen has of course already made a rock song with an operatic section in the middle, and although this one sounds very different and features some flamenco too, the concept itself doesn't really feel original enough to get a 10/10 from me. I really love the song though.

Dream Theater - The Mirror (8/10)

 The Mirror is probably Dream Theater's most relatable song if you ask me. Instead of having a fantasy-like storytelling, this song is very direct with its lyrics, but still vague enough that you can make it fit whatever struggles you yourself have had in life.

The delivery of the lyrics is also quite different from a lot of Dream Theater's other work, and I really like this style which combines a broad range of notes with a broad range of distortion. It really makes it feel personal.

Regarding the instrumentation, it's quite rhythmically interesting. The same sort of grouping of three notes is played by the guitar over and over again throughout most of the song, but it speeds up and slows down and sometimes goes "out of sync" with the drums, and it really makes the guitar part interesting even though playing three of the same note over and over again would not be interesting.

I also love the keyboards that Kevin Moore plays on this song. They sound dramatic, tense and full of emotion, in contrast with most of the "video game-like" stuff that Jordan Rudess does. At times, Moore does quick runs with a sound that's quite similar to modern Dream Theater, but I feel like the keyboards in this song stick to the context of the song much better.

There are only a few things that bring this song down for me. The first is the clips of spoken dialogue. I never really liked it in any song. I want the music to speak for itself, and often it feels like spoken words simply can't fit into a song. But with how limited the usage is in this song, I'm alright with it. The second thing is that there isn't really any catchy riff. Don't get me wrong, the rhythmic guitar riff is really interesting, and some of the keyboard parts and the short guitar riff at the end are a bit catchy, so it's still a really good song. But those two facts together prevent it from being a 9/10 or 10/10 for me personally.

Alter Bridge - Blackbird (9/10)

 Although this song has quite a basic structure, the dynamics and emotion are just incredible, especially with the various guitar sounds and amazing vocals. There are very few singers that have such control over the dynamics of their voice, going between a very fragile airy sound, almost crying and powerful belting in the span of the song.

The lyrics are also really beautiful. I often hear artists either being too direct with their lyrics or cover them with metaphors to the point where it sounds like a fantasy story. But in this song, Alter Bridge just find that perfect balance with beautiful metaphors while still making the meaning clear. It's one of the few songs that has made me cry multiple times.

The only detail that makes me deduct a point is the guitar solo. And I know a lot of people will disagree with me here, but I think the guitar solo is a bit too flashy for this type of song. I personally feel stronger emotions from the type of solo that for example Brian May does, where it can get into the shredding territory, especially for the sake of dynamics, but at the same time it's very thought out and controlled. So don't get me wrong, the guitar solo in this song is great, but since I personally think it could be better, I can't give the song the highest possible score.

I would recommend this song to people who like lots of dynamics and really emotional singing and lyrics. Although the sound is way different, I would probably recommend this to people who like Queen, just because of the dynamics. I would also recommend it to people who like Metallica's more emotional songs, and I think it's worth a listen for fans of Pain of Salvation.