Curious Musings: My top 40 songs of all time!

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Siddharth

Siddharth

Long Distance Trooper
Well, here we are! Apologies if I'm taking too much space for myself but I always wanted to have a separate thread for this particular topic. Now, talking about my musical interests, I like music from across a variety of genres, from Regional folk, Bollywood to Bolt Thrower and everything in between! But here I'm listing songs, mostly from the Heavy Metal and Hard Rock genres and limiting myself to one song per artist to keep it interesting (else it would be full of Maiden and Metallica songs) and making it a bit more dynamic. So stay with me and I will be glad if you could have any good finds here. And, do share your opinions!

I will be posting 2 songs in a countdown manner, in a gap of 2-3 days until the final reveal. So... here we go!

#40. "King"
'The Second Great Awakening' (2003), Fireball Ministry

Fireball Ministry is one of my recent finds after craving for some solid, dirty, old school rock n' roll-tinged Stoner/Sludge metal and I must say, even though being pretty inconsistent in releasing albums (only 5 as of yet, since last two and a half decades), they always DELIVER! The said album has to be my favourite by them and the standout track from it is definitely King. The bass-drum intro, leading straight into the main riff, gives strong early-Sabbath vibes, not to mention, the vocalist sounds eerily similar to Ozzy. I personally feel, they should have made a big name in the scene.



#39. "Moonrider"
'Moxy' (1974), Moxy

One of the best rock bands and songs, you probably never heard about. These Canadian rockers have more in common with Texas Southern rock, considering they were one of the most requested bands among Texas radio stations when they debuted with this record. The moment, the intro kicks in, you will get instantly hooked! The vocals, the solos, the overall playing just awesome not to mention the clean section in the middle, lets you have a soothing moment before turing the action right back on!

 
#38. "In The Fire"
'The All-Star Sessions' (2005), Roadrunner United

To celebrate its 25th anniversary, Roadrunner Records decided to put an album consisting of various artists spanning across bands who are signed to the recording company. My absolute favourite from the album has to be "In The Fire". The lineup is just insane, consisting of King Diamond on vocals, Matt Heafy and Corey Beaulieu both from the band Trivium, Mike D'Antonio from Killswitch Engage on bass and Dave Chavarri (Ill Nino) on drums. King Diamond in his usual self plays dual characters through his voice, both Matt and Corey coming with one of the best solos ever! If you love Metal, this one is a 'must check'.



#37. "I'm The One"
'Van Halen' (1978), Van Halen

Van Halen's debut is one of my favourite debut albums, by any artist of all time. Tough to pick a single favourite from it but I will go with I'm The One. The moment the swagger filled guitar riff kicks in, you known you are in for a ride! David Lee Roth being a complete beast on vocals, the slow rock n' roll infused middle section works as a cherry on top. Each member of the band is at the top of their game and this song is a testimony to Eddie Van Halen's influential playing as well!

 
#36. "Deathless"
'Deathless' (2014), Revocation

Revocation's brand of Tech death-infused Thrash metal is really unique, and in my humble opinion they are amongst the best modern Metal bands! My introduction to the band was through the song "Dismantle The Dictator". Their earlier stuff had more Technical death metal aspects when they started as a trio but the title track from the Deathless album is what had me hooked. Their approach here is comparatively more straight-forward, to the extent of even adding clean vocals during the chorus. The riffs are awesome. Main-man Dave Davidson's playing often reminds me that of Chuck Schuldiner. The guitar solo has some 70s hard rock influences in its catchiness. Overall, just an amazing and a really enjoyable song!



#35. "Slither"
'Contraband' (2004), Velvet Revolver

This short-lived super-duper awesome band has to be my favourite supergroup of all time! Slash, Duff McKagan, Matt Sorum from GN'R, adding Scott Weiland (Stone Temple Pilots) and Dave Kushner to the lineup makes a perfect formula for some old school rock n' roll. They could only release two albums but my favourite has to be Slither from their debut. The bass-drum intro rattles towards Slash's lead parts which makes a really cool atmosphere. I personally feel, Scott Weiland shined as a frontman more in Velvet Revolver than he did in Stone Temple Pilots, and I love both the bands! His vocals are great here. Just a kick-ass hard rocking song throughout.

 
#34. "Absolute Power"
'The Onslaught' (2007), Lazarus A.D.

I love digging some awesome new wave Thrash metal bands. Among my absolute favourites from the entire movement has to be Lazarus A.D. If there's one band that reminds of the same intensity as that of Pantera, it has to be this band! The high energy riffs throughout with aggression-filled vocal deliveries, makes it one of the most badass songs and even though not having a proper solo, the outro breakdown is my favourite of all time (yes, I have listened to Domination). :edmetal:
These guys disbanded as their drummer passed away before releasing a couple of albums else I personally believe they could have made it much bigger. As they say, "whatever happened to Lazarus A.D."!



#33. "Still Of The Night'
'Whitesnake' (1987), Whitesnake

All the stars were aligned when Whitesnake made this album. Each member in this high profile lineup is a star in his own right. David Coverdale's singing here has to be among my favourite vocal performances in a song, ever! The swagger-filled main riff leaves you wanting for more. The dreamy keyboard based mid-section leading to the solo brings a great dynamic into the song. Just an iconic track all around.

 
The older I’ve gotten, the less I like Whitesnake while conversely the more I love “Still of the Night”. Great song.
 
#32. "Papercut"
'Hybrid Theory' (2000), Linkin Park

Linkin Park and especially this song takes me back to my college days. For the first time moving out of my home and going far to a complete new city and having a sense of mystery surrounding around, totally resonated with this track. The first two records by LP are just solid and if there's one song that represents everything awesome about the band has to be "Papercut" for me. Nice riff leading the song, Mike's rapping parts are wicked cool and Chester was a force of nature on vocals (RIP. In The End you left the world Numb).



#31. "No More Tears"
'No More Tears' (1991), Ozzy Osbourne

My introduction to Ozzy's solo career was through "Bark At The Moon" but what sealed the deal for me was "No More Tears"! I absolutely adore the overall atmosphere of the song. The orchestral intro followed by an infectious bass line by Mike Inez is just awesome. The lyrics tries to create a dark imagery and the music video really adds up to that aspect. Zakk Wylde, while having already hit the jackpot on No Rest For The Wicked, has even more solid playing here. His sliding riffs during the verses are memorable and right after the mesmerizing piano section, he throws up one belter of a solo full of emotions and a roller coaster of crazy shredding!

 
Siddharth said:
Chester was a force of nature on vocals (RIP. In The End you left the world Numb).
Click to expand...
You have nailed it there.

Wish we had seen them live with Chester ,but seeing them live this year and listening to all of Wembley screaming every word of In the End i swear you could feel Chester`s presence, goose bumps big time.
 
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#30. "High Wire"
'Badlands' (1989), Badlands

The band consisted of a top-notch lineup, released the HOTTEST debut of the 80s. My favourite from it has to be the opening track. Ray Gillen's solid vocals are crucial for the overall attitude and is a driving point for the song. Talking about Gillen, he had a brief stint with Black Sabbath in which he provided vocals for what became the album 'The Eternal Idol' (1987) but due to mismanagement, both Gillen and drummer Eric Singer (who went on to join KISS and continues to be their drummer) had to leave the band and Tony Martin's vocals were hurriedly added to the record. Not to mention Gillen even had a duet with Jon Oliva on the Savatage song "Strange Wings" from 'The Hall Of The Mountain King' that came out the same year. Only later did Gillen and Singer have some stability after joining Jake E. Lee (former guitarist for Ozzy Osbourne) and bassist Greg Chaisson forming Badlands. The opening guitar lick by Jake E. Lee is just nasty and in my opinion makes it one of the best rock songs of all time!



#29. "Heresy"
'Heresy' (1989), Paradox

Being a big Thrash metal fan had me searching for some not-so famous names in the sub-genre, specially bands which are more on the technical side of the spectrum. The late 80s/early 90s time period gave some of the most kick-ass Metal with a fair amount of sophisticated instrumentation, among which is the German band Paradox, especially with their second album 'Heresy'. The title track is just awesome! The intro having a minor tinge of classical music, in my opinion, happens to be one of the best acoustic intros in a Metal song ever. Followed by a variety of buzzsaw riffs, throughout the song. Vocals sound a lot similar in the vein of Ronnie James Dio and Joey Belladonna (of Anthrax). One of my definite favourites from the entire Thrash movement.

 
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#28. "Face Down In The Gutter"
'Hungry' (1991), XYZ

THE party anthem for me! One of the prominent names from the later wave of the Glam metal movement from late 80s, XYZ's second offering has a slightly heavier direction. Terry Ilous is a terrific singer. The bluesy intro leading towards the mean guitar riff is memorable. Marc Diglio's guitar tone is just huge and no doubt, he can counted among the big names from the era like George Lynch, Vito Bratta and Reb Beach. Ilous' vocal acrobatics throughout the song and specially during the very last chorus part are just insane, with a fiery guitar solo in the middle. The band almost sounds like a cross between Led Zeppelin and Whitesnake but maintaining their own style.



#27. "Bloodletter"
'Unleash The Beast' (1997), Saxon

Saxon was already an established band before this song and the album came out with some legendary releases during the early 80s and into the 90s they pretty much nailed the pattern that had been established by records like 'Thundersteel' (Riot) and 'Painkiller' (Judas Priest) of traditional, with a touch of Speed metal sound. I instantly loved the song, the moment I heard the opening licks. Biff Byford is a complete beast on vocals and in my observation, compared to any of the band's previous recordings, he didn't let himself loose on the same level as he does here. Whenever the chorus strikes, he delivers it a different vocal style each time. The solos are just smoking awesome throughout. The entire band, for the sake of being a part of the scene for so long, sounds solid!

 
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