Scott's Instrumental Metal Track of the Day - Miles of Machines by Jeff Loomis

Today's Instrumental Metal Track is brought to you by Jeff Loomis. This is off of his debut solo album Zero Order Phase which was released in 2008. Loomis plays the guitar, keyboard, and bass on this album while Mark Arrington (Ex-Nevermore drummer) provides the drums.

Easy Like Sunday Morning Track - To Bid You Farewell by Opeth

Today's Easy Like Sunday Morning Track is brought to you by Opeth. I haven't been able to stop listing to this track all week. It's so fantastic and beautiful. This is the final song off of their second album Morningrise which was released in 1996 in Europe and 1997 in the US.

As heavy as Opeth is, this is their second Easy Like Sunday Morning Track and they have plenty more acoustic songs to choose from. It just goes to show how dynamic and talented the band is considering they are known as a progressive death metal band.

Weekend Wildcard - Word up by Cameo

This Weekend's Wildcard is brought to you by Cameo. This one hit wonder was released in1986 and was the title track on their album Word Up! The song uses a sample from The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. Korn put out a great cover of this song in 2004 on their Greatest Hits album.

Scott's Metal Track of the Day - So Did We by ISIS

Today's Metal Track is brought to you by ISIS. This is the opening track off of their 2004 album Panopticon. This is another fantastic song by the band that just has a great feel to it that is relaxing yet heavy at the same time. I think the song is about the passage of time and how humans will eventually pass no matter how hard we try to stop it. The lyrics are short so I'll just post them:

Our skin worn thin
Our bones exposed
Life reduced to ticks

From forest caves and azure skies
We crashed upon this earth
The years they passed and so did we
But resistance would be brought

Scott's Metal Track of the Day - Fixation on the Darkness by Killswitch

Today's Metal Track is brought to you by Killswitch Engage. This is off of their second album Alive or Just Breathing which was released in 2002. This was the first song that I can remember hearing by the band. During the tour for this album, the lead singer, Jesse, decided to leave the band. You will notice that his replacement, Howard Jones, is featured in the video instead of Jesse and the later band re-recorded the song with Howard. Both versions are great.

Scott's Metal Track of the Day - Violent Revolution by Kreator

Today's Metal Track is brought to you by the German thrash metal band Kreator. This is the title track off of their 2001 album Violent Revolution. This album marked a return to the band's 80's thrash metal style. For about a decade prior to its release, the band experimented with different musical styles. Kreator are one of the bands credited with pioneering the death metal genre.

Scott's Metal Track of the Day - Overkill by Motorhead

Today's Metal Track is brought to you by Motorhead. This is the title track off of their 1979 album Overkill. Motorhead are one of the most influential bands of all time and this song and album are great examples.

One of my favorite bands, Overkill, took their name from this album and covered this song as the opening track on their 1999 album Coverkill. In 1995, during the recording of their album Load, Metallica covered this song and three others by Motorhead as a birthday gift to Lemmy. The songs were later released as B-sides but gained the most exposure when they were included on their 1998 Garage Inc. album.

Scott's Metal Track of the Day - Saddam A Go-Go by Gwar (RIP Oderus Urungus)

Today's Metal Track is in honor of Oderus Urungus (David Brockie), lead singer of Gwar, who passed away yesterday at the age of 50. He was the final original member of the band going back to 1984. This one comes off of their 1994 album This Toilet Earth and is making fun of ska bands. If you cannot tell from this song and video, the band never takes themselves to seriously and that is what makes them great.

RIP Oderus Urungus!

Easy Like Sunday Morning Track - Dream Weaver by Gary Wright

Today's Easy Like Sunday Morning Track is brought to you by Gary Wright. This is the title track off of his 1975 album Dream Weaver. This is the album version which is about a minute longer than the single version. The expression Dream Weaver was first popularized in 1970 by John Lennon in his song God.

This song is considered the first ever synthpop hit with all music created by a synthesizer. The song was used in the 1990 Wayne's World skits on SNL and was even re-recorded for the 1992 film Wayne's World.

Weekend Wildcard - Highway Song by Blackfoot

This Weekend's Wildcard is brought to you Blackfoot. These guys are a southern rock band from Jacksonville, Florida. This is from their third studio album Strikes. This is one of the best southern rock songs ever written. I know Skynyrd is more popular but this is just as good as anything they have done in my opinion. Sit back, hit play, and chill out to some great American rock music. From about 4:15 on it's a jam fest.

Scott's Metal Track of the Day - We Rock by Dio

Today's Metal Track is brought to you by the legendary Dio. This is the opening track off of the band's 1984 album The Last in Line. While this didn't do as well on the charts, this is one of Dio's most popular songs and the band closed with it at most of the concerts.

"We pray to someone
But when it's said and done
It's really all the same
With just a different name"

Scott's Metal Track of the Day - Limbs by Agalloch

Today's Metal Track is brought to you by Agalloch. This is the opening track off of their 2006 album Ashes Against the Grain. I love this song and the way it continuously builds upon itself.

I think this song is about the cycle of life and death and how everything in nature is connected.
"Earth to flesh, flesh to wood, cast these limbs into the water
Flesh to wood, wood to stone, cast this stone into the water..."

Scott's Metal Track of the Day - More Than Meets the Eye by Testament

Today's Metal Track is brought to you by Testament. This is off of their 2008 album The Formation of Damnation.

Scott's Metal Track of the Day - A Horse Called Golgotha by Baroness

Today's Metal Track is brought to you by Baroness. This is off of their 2009 album Blue Record. In 2013, LA Weekly named this album as the 20th best metal album in history. I have no idea what this song is about but it is awesome!

Instrumental Track of the Day - Pomegranate Tiger - New Breed

This track is from Pomegranate Tiger out of Ontario, Canada.  They've just released their first all instrumental album called Entities which you can purchase here for 10 bucks!  If you've got 10 free minutes, give these guys a listen.  It's well worth it.

Easy Like Sunday Morning Track - The Raven That Refused to Sing by Steven Wilson

Today's Easy Like Sunday Morning Track is brought to you by Steven Wilson. This is the title track off of his 2013 solo album The Raven That Refused to Sing (And Other Stories). This is a fantastic song and video. I have never heard anything quite like it. So many Feels.

This song is about an old man at the end of his life whose sister died when they were both very young. He sees a raven that visits his garden and becomes convinced that it is a manifestation of his sister. His sister would always sing to him when he felt scared or insecure. So he thinks that if he can get the raven to sing it will prove that it is his sister coming back to take him to the next life.

Weekend Wildcard - Storm in a Tea Cup by Red Hot Chili Peppers

This Weekend's Wildcard is brought to you by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. This one comes off of their 2006 album Stadium Arcadium. The album was critically praised for integrating musical styles from several aspects of the band's career. The album gained the band seven Grammy Award nominations in 2007 including an award for Best Rock Album and one for Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package.

Scott's Metal Track of the Day - 11th Hour by Lamb of God

Today's Metal Track is brought to you by Lamb of God. This is off of their 2003 album As the Palaces Burn. This is starting to become my favorite LOG track. It is fantastic from start to finish with tons of great riffs, vocals, and breakdowns.

The song is about alcoholism and how self-destructive it is:
"Sweetly she draws me into her arms
A liquid embrace to chase the day way.
Sedate Numb Deaf and Dumb
Stumbling into solitude.
A clouded judgment day is fueled.
Take me under your black wings
Mark my words and remember me."

Scott's Metal Track of the Day - Sad Man's Tongue by Volbeat

Today's Metal Track is brought to you by the Danish metal band Volbeat. This is off of their 2007 album Rock the Rebel/Meet the Devil. You can tell that this one is heavily influenced by Johnny Cash. When I saw them play this live, they talked about Cash's influence on the band before this song and I actually thought it was a cover of one of his songs at he time.

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Scott's Metal Track of the Day - Prison Song by System of a Down

Today's Metal Track is brought to you by System of a Down. This is the opening track off of their breakthrough album Toxicity. This song is an attack on the US's criminal justice policy and its "war on drugs" that has led to a rapid expansion of imprisonment over the past 30 years or so.

The main criticism is the over incarceration of petty drug offenders due mandatory minimum sentences while research has shown that these individuals would benefit more from treatment than from incarceration. This expansion of imprisonment has been very costly to tax payers. Money that might be better spent on treatment and education.

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Scott's Metal Track of the Day - King of Nothing by Shadows Fall

Today's Metal Track is brought to you by Shadows Fall. This one comes off of their 2009 album Retribution. I love the main riff in this one along with the drums. Randy Blythe from Lamb of God provides guest vocals in the song and while it is only a few words it is the highlight of the song for me as they are laid over the main riff mentioned above.

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Scott's Instrumental Metal Track of the Day - Angel of Darkness by Andy James

Today's Instrumental Metal Track is brought to you by Andy James. This is off of his 2011 self-titled solo album. This YouTube phenomenon has been recognized by guitar stars including John Petrucci  and Mark Tremonti and he’s also played alongside Zakk Wylde, Paul Gilbert, and Guthrie Govan.

He has released several solo albums and 2 albums with the band Sacred Mother Tongue. He has become famous online not only for his incendiary playing, but also his tutorials and DVD’s.

Easy Like Sunday Morning Track - The Forgotten One by Times of Grace

Today's Easy Like Sunday Morning Track is brought to you by Times of Grace. This was a side project by the current lead singer and lead guitarist of Killswitch Engage. This album, The Hymn of a Broken Man, was released in 2011 before Jesse rejoined Killswitch as the lead singer.

Adam Dutkiewicz wrote the material for this album while he was in the hospital in the UK for emergency back surgery while on tour with Killswitch. Now that Jesse has rejoined Killswitch I wonder if they will release any new material under this band.

Weekend Wildcard - Mama Kin by Aerosmith

This Weekend's Wildcard is brought to you by Aerosmith. This was the first ever single by Aerosmith (Other than a demo of "Make it") that was released in 1973. It was featured on their self-titled debut album released the same year.

You don't hear this one on the radio nearly as much as their other songs. Guns N' Roses covered the song in 1986 and it was subsequently released on their EP Live ?!*@ Like a Suicide of the same year and later re-released on their 1988 EP G N' R Lies.

Scott's Metal Track of the Day - X.Y.U. by Smashing Pumpkins

Today's Metal Track is brought to you by The Smashing Pumpkins? Wait they are not metal. True, but this song definitely fits the bill. This one comes off of their 1995 double CD masterpiece Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness.

I can't say exactly what this song is about. Many think it means "Ex, Why You?" but I haven't found a good source yet. If any one knows please share. All I know is that it rocks!

"And into the eyes of the jakal I say KAAAA-BOOM!!!!"

Scott's Metal Track of the Day - Critical Mass by Nuclear Assault

Today's Metal Track is a classic brought to you by Nuclear Assault. This one comes off of their 1989 album Handle with Care. I know my brother and I had their 1986 album Game Over on cassette but I can't remember if we also had this one.

If it is not obvious through the lyrics, this song is about the human race destroying natural resources through pollution such as oil spills to the point of critical mass. This is just an outstanding display of thrash metal. It's been a while since I've listened to it so it has been on repeat this morning.



Shadows Fall covered the song on their album Retribution

Scott'es Metal Track of the Day - Rational Gaze by Meshuggah

Today's Metal Track is brought to you by Meshuggah. Adam posted this to our blog last year but I wanted to re-post it again because it is that good. This one comes off of their 2002 album Nothing. This genre of metal is often referred to as Djent and Meshugah is the band that coined the term which represent an "elastic, syncopated guitar riff". The best way to explain to someone what Djent is is to play this song for them. They'll get it.



Another reason I wanted to post this is because of this outstanding mashup of the song and the Wolf of Wall Street posted a couple of weeks ago.

Scott's Metal Track of the Day - War Ensemble by Slayer

Are we about to see war in Crimea? Here is some appropriate metal in case you need to break it out. Today's Metal Track is brought to you by Slayer. This is the opening track off of their 1990 album Seasons in the Abyss.

One music critic noted that the album's music "accurately sums up the controlled panic of combat that the Army itself has been using Slayer songs to psych its troops for military maneuvers..." \m/

Scott's Instrumental Track of the Day - Surfing with the Alien by Joe Satriani

Today's instrumental track is brought to you by Joe Satriani. This is the title track off of his 1987 album Surfing with the Alien. The song refers to the Marvel Comics character Silver Surfer who is depicted on the album cover. The original artist, John Byrne, has stated that they image was used without permission and he has not received any payment for its use even though the liner notes indicate that it was used with permission.

Easy Like Sunday Morning Track - More Than Words by Extreme

Today's Easy Like Sunday Morning Track is brought to you by Extreme. It was released in 1990 on the album Extreme II: Pornograffiti and is the band's most successful song. This acoustic ballad was a departure from their normal funk metal style.

The song was written as a warning that the words "I love you" were becoming meaningless because they were being used too frequently and without sincerity. It suggests that you have to do more than just say the words to show that you love someone.

Weekend Wildcard - Good Times Bad Times by Led Zeppelin

This Weekend's Wildcard is brought to you by one of the greatest rock bands of all time Led Zeppelin. This is the first song on their debut self-titled album released in 1969. This is a heck of way to introduce yourself to the world.

This has always been one of my favorite Zeppelin tracks because of the drums. Bonham developed the technique after listening to Carmine Appice of Vanilla Fudge. What he didn't realize was that Carmine was actually using a double bass set. Bonham was able to pull it off with just one.