C O L U M N S

Tales from the Jugular

Escaping the Extreme: The Non-Metal Moments

By: Eric Compton
Published: Friday, June 3, 2016
We've all experienced it...that moment where metal no longer is a reason to rise and exist each day. Granted those moments are few and far between, but at some point our brains need that wine and dine, all-inclusive resort for some rest and relaxation. Mine? Folk music for a few weeks, maybe some actual Country and Western music or-- my favorite-- horror movie scores.

"Horror movie soundtracks are typically connected in some way to heavy metal at its deepest core."

Horror movie soundtracks are typically connected in some way to heavy metal at its deepest core. While Beethoven himself would probably worship some neo-classical shred king out of Finland right now, I think that he might equally admire a lot of the retro wave bands that are doing 70s and 80s styled synth. There's a whole host of them out there from GosT to Lazerhawk to Cluster Buster that are enamored with the slasher films of the 80s and those Italian zombie movies that you tape traded for back in the day. As we've seen more and more extreme bands go electronic (i.e. Ulver), it is this type of synth heavy music that bridges the two worlds and accommodates fans that might need a little melancholy with their metal.

Here's a few bands and albums to check out with some emphasis on key songs that best represent their catalog:

BAND: GosT
SONG: Night Crawler
ALBUM: Behemoth

BAND: Cluster Buster
SONG: Regiment of the Undead
ALBUM: Knee Deep in the Dead



BAND: Anders Manga
SONG: Hexed
ALBUM: Hexed
BAND: Anima Morte
SONG: Illusion is the Catalyst
ALBUM: Upon Darkened Stains


BAND: Slasher Dave
SONG: Graves
ALBUM: Tomb of Horror
BAND: Gavino Morretti
SONG: The Living Dead (II)
ALBUM: Assault of the Living Dead


BAND: Lazerhawk
SONG: Visitors
ALBUM: Visitors
BAND: Umberto
SONG: Night Stalking
ALBUM: Prophecy of the Black Widow


BAND: Videogram
SONG: Walpurgisnacht
ALBUM: Videogram
BAND: VHS Glitch
SONG: Run for your Life
ALBUM: Night on the Dark Hill



[Other Maximum Metal Columns]

<< back >>





RANDOM ACTS OF METAL
. Demons and Wizards. Hate Eternal
. In Flames. Loudness
. The Haunted. Grave
. Children Of Bodom. BloodDuster
. Karaboudjan. Narziß
. Impellitteri. Deranged
. Gun Barrel. Helloween
. Seether. Wizard
. Carnal Forge. Pelican
. Ion Vein. Exawatt
. Endless Time. Hypocrisy
. Whitesnake. Body Count
. Iron Savior. Hard Echo
. I Hate Sally. Funerus
. Exodus. Freakhouse
. Cans. David Shankle Group
. U.D.O.. Brutal Mastication
. Joe Stump. Destructor
. Ungodly. Dream Evil
. I.C.E.. Valume Nob
. Necrodemon. Neurosis
. The Lizards. Ironhorse
. Mirror of Deception. Jackyl
. The 7 Method. Angra
. Dark Tranquillity. John Oliva's Pain
. Cradle To Grave. Helgrind
. Blood Red Throne. Requiem Aeternam
. Sabaton. Hellfire
. Car Bomb. Carina Alfie
. Angtoria. Chuck Schuldiner
. Wolverine. the missing:
. Samael. Pure Inc
. Axel Rudi Pell. Holy Moses
. Gizmachi. Raintime
. Burden Of Grief. Pro-Pain
. Green Carnation. Hatesphere
. Disbelief. Rudra
. Sothis. Slough Feg
. Dark Funeral. Secrets She Kept
. Nuse. Monolithe
. Horna. Ritual Killer
. Gaia. Frameless Scar
. Power Quest. A Lower Deep
. To The Bone. The Atomic Bitchwax
. Orphaned Land. Monster Magnet
. Russell Allen. ASG
. Overloaded. Barcode
. Running Wild. Savage Circus
. Avenged Sevenfold. Arthemis
. Paths Of Possession. Mistress
. Cryogen. Vile
. Define Divine. Detonation
. Machina. Vader
. Early Man. Southern Black Sand
. Poison. Codeon
. 286. Daylight Dies
. Steep. The Berzerker
. Cryptopsy. The Ocean
. Vore. The Smackdown
. Pyramaze. Imagika
. Cavalar. Athanator
. Bludgeon. Hate Profile
. Abysmal Dawn. Non-Human Level
. Sun Descends. Before Silence
. Azure. Hydrogyn
. Psycroptic. Skyforger
. Jeff Walker und Die Fluffers. The Finals
. Myon. Eighteen Visions
. Venom. Lesbian Bed Death
. Audrey Horne. Darkness Eternal
. Kotipelto. Handful of Hate
. Hardcore Superstar. Lost Eden
. Omnium Gatherum. Necrophobic
. The Chronicles of Israfel. Dezperadoz
. Cruachan. Satariel
. Divine Empire. Since the Day
. Tears. Ulcerate
. Mortiis. Demonic Symphony
. Last Stone Cast. Armory
. Uriah Heep. End of Man
. Cursed. Faded Hope
. Nasty Idols. Uli Jon Roth