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



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RANDOM ACTS OF METAL
. HammerFall. Leng Tch'e
. Mudvayne. Sinner
. Steel Prophet. Carpathian Forest
. Disturbed. Regurgitate
. Neck. Twisted Tower Dire
. Celestial Ode. Queensryche
. Advent. Iron Maiden
. Widowmaker. Firewind
. Wizard. Metallica
. Angel Dust. Vyndykator
. Conquest. Johnny Lokke
. Pelican. Ion Vein
. Agony Divine. SelfInflicted
. Iced Earth. Artension
. Wycked Synn. Steel Preacher
. Stryper. Savatage
. Silent Scythe. Defiled
. Asperity. Body Count
. Doro. Royal Anguish
. Hard Echo. Fear Factory
. Drowning Pool. Superchrist
. Riot. UFO
. Madison Paige. Graveland
. Ministry. Brutal Mastication
. Spiral Madness. Fabrizio Bonanno
. Krokus. Mob Rules
. Insomnium. Occult
. Katagory V. Megadeth
. Polterchrist. Witchburner
. Agnostic Front. Trans-Siberian Orchestra
. Twisted Sister. Kinetic
. Paradise Lost. Cradle To Grave
. Image. The New Breed
. Rottweiller. The Apocalyptic Riders
. Miles Beyond. Belef
. Impaled. Veni Domine
. Maze Of Torment. Korpiklaani
. Tarot. Suidakra
. Chuck Schuldiner. Samael
. Freedom Call. Axis Of Perdition
. Debris Inc.. Babylon
. Def Leppard. Nightrage
. Disbelief. Maximum Overdrive
. Dynamic Lights. Cannon
. Devil Lee Rot. Resurrecturis
. Havochate. Holy Blood
. To The Bone. Lake Of Tears
. Illuminatus. Dragonia
. Crystal Fate. Shattersphere
. Savage Circus. Balatonizer
. Cryogen. Vile
. Mastermind. End of Level Boss
. Insense. From This Day
. Craft. Pile of Heads
. Second Shadow. Cannibal Corpse
. Daylight Dies. Dissection
. Phoenix Mourning. The Smackdown
. Hirax. Spawn of Possession
. Space Odyssey. Dendura
. Nachtmystium. Amon Amarth
. Skid Row. Pretty Maids
. Satyricon. Panzerchrist
. The Showdown. Winger
. Better Left Unsaid. Kotipelto
. Quest of Aidance. Threat Signal
. Throne of Katarsis. Dream Theater
. Manticore. Zyklon
. Nagelfar. Pantera
. Antigama. Aborted
. Depressed Mode. Echoes of Eternity
. Spheric Universe Experience. Mass Extinction
. Shining Star. Bilocate
. Cockpit. 40 Below Summer
. Ost Est Ima. Pop Evil
. SOS. Puscifer
. Trinacria. Intolerant
. Bullet For My Valentine. Medieval Steel
. Uriah Heep. My Dying Bride
. DC4. Sister Sin