Daily Dischord’s Monday Mixtape – 23/05/2011
The Gods of good fortune have shone their giving light down upon Daily Dischord this week and as a result some of the DD massive will be attending this year’s Download Festival, which takes place in just over two weeks. I was originally supposed to be going but alas, work commitments rendered me unable to attend, so in order to create a sense of anticipation in you lot, and to rub salt in my own fresh wounds, I have decided to theme this week’s Monday mixtape on bands that I was looking forward to seeing at Download this year.
WARNING: It’s going to get loud and HEAVY(ish).
Times of Grace – Strength in Numbers
When I was younger I went through a huge, huge metal phase and Killswitch Engage were a band I adored – I’d have given anything to see Jesse front the band on the Alive or Just Breathing tour in 2002. Sadly, it was not to be and before they even hit these shores in support of that record, he left the band to be replaced by The Howard Jones. Times of Grace are kind of like old KsE redux, with Jesse on vocals and KsE guitarist/mastermind Adam D handling all the instrumentation and production. We gave the record this is from, Hymn of a Broken Man, a 9/10 earlier on this year, with this tune one of the best on the record. If I keep mentioning Killswitch Engage here it’s because this song is basically the next logical musical step from Alive or Just Breathing and this is what I imagine would have taken place if Jesse had remained on vocals. ‘Strength in Numbers’ is a brilliant tune which channels the usual catharsis that Jesse was famed for and it hits all the right buttons for an old KsE fan like myself. I’d have given my left nut to see these guys live.
Children of Bodom – Mask of Sanity
And speaking of metal phases, these guys were another of my favourite at the time. The whole song is just downright insane but it’s the guitar solo, with its lightning quick pace and face meltingly good technique, segueing into some crazy keyboard solo, that always impressed me. It’s nuts, and these guys are pretty bloody tight live too. Singer/guitarist Alexi is something close to a metal genius, in my eyes and it’s always good to see him ply his craft live. Which reminds me; I’ve not listened to them in bloody years, so it might be time to rectify that after I finish writing this post…
System of a Down – B.Y.O.B.
Yet another of my teenage metal favourites, these guys were probably my very favourite band for a long, long time in my youth. I even went to Ozzfest in 2002 to see these guys (they were superb), so I’m pretty gutted that I’m missing them, particularly because I’ve no idea when we’ll see them touring again. I went back to listen to Mezmorize recently and came to the conclusion that it was, in fact, a better record than Toxicity – an album which I adored in my aforementioned metal years – because it shuns a lot of the nu metal tropes the band were prone to using beforehand, crafting a much more nuanced, balanced and diverse sound. The chorus in this is really what makes it for me, but the whole thing is catchy as hell. The production is a little treble heavy, but it’s as heavy as it is melodic and for me it signifies everything SOAD do best – great heavy metal pop songs. They’ll kill it at Download this year.
letlive. – The Sick, Sick 6.8 Billion
This is the second time I’ve brought this band up on Daily Dischord (the first being playing this very tune on Daily Dischord Radio) and the second time they’ve made it onto a Monday Mixtape so what that says about our tastes, or the quality of the band, is up to you to decide. letlive. channel the ghost of old Glassjaw siphoned through a latter day style Brand New sieve, and the results are impressively intense. They’ve only played in the UK a handful of times before this festival, and this will be their very first festival appearance so the tent will no doubt be packed for these guys. Word on the street is that their live show is fucking crazy, and if this song is anything to go by then they might very well create some kind of rift in space time at Donington through the explosive force of their angst and catharsis.
Funeral for a Friend – Broken Foundation
FFAF’s regeneration has been tracked very closely on this site, so it’s no surprise that I’d be itching to see them live again after giving their new record a 9/10 review earlier this year. Another band of my youth, I was mightily impressed with their new record, of which this song is one of the stand out tunes. I’m coming back to the guitar solo thing again with this one because this features the first solo the Welsh mob have ever used in a song – which is impressive given they’ve been knocking around for close to a decade now. Oh, and it’s probably the heaviest thing the band have ever recorded. It’s undeniably brilliant sans solo, but it’s Kris’ fret-wankery that is the icing on the proverbial cake.
I’m gutted I can’t go to Download this year, and making this mixtape has just cemented that for me. I’m going to stop writing words now before I break down and weep openly into my palms.
