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
. Bathory. LA Guns
. Vehemence. Vicious Mary
. Regurgitate. Twisted Tower Dire
. Gun Barrel. Queensryche
. Steel Attack. Widowmaker
. Masterplan. Wizard
. Late Nite Romeo. Vyndykator
. October 31. Agony Divine
. Saint. Godiva
. Bloodbath. Artension
. Mourning Beloveth. Evanesce
. Assrockers. Beautiful Creatures
. Wicked Sensation. Defiled
. Iron Savior. Dew Scented
. Volbeat. TNA
. Silver Mountain. Devil To Pay
. Bleeding Inc. Epica
. Donnerkopf. Velvet Revolver
. Jorn. Marillion
. Lonewolf. Juggernott
. Fabrizio Bonanno. Krokus
. Joey Belladonna. Unleashed
. Skeletonwitch. Black Destiny
. Metal Church. Medusa
. Scavenger. I.C.E.
. Polterchrist. Internal Bleeding
. Witchburner. Within Temptation
. Trans-Siberian Orchestra. Anger
. Hanzel Und Gretyl. Avenue F
. Cryme. Triumph
. Betrayer. Sonata Arctica
. Azrael's Bane. Paradise Lost
. Image. Necrophagia
. Labyrinth. Astral Doors
. Strikelight. Mystic Prophecy
. Meshuggah. Lord Gore
. Axel Rudi Pell. Soul SirkUS
. Ignitor. Ivory Knight
. Blind Stare. Rudra
. Raging Speedhorn. Astarte
. Python. Maximum Overdrive
. Sentenced. Taake
. Voyager. Gaia
. Frameless Scar. Resurrecturis
. Edenbridge. Clutch
. The Scourger. Warchild
. To The Bone. Future is Tomorrow
. Mercyful Fate. Pagan's Mind
. Violent Storm. Barcode
. Shattersphere. Avenged Sevenfold
. Damnation. Dechrist
. Dreamland. Define Divine
. Chain Collector. Skullshifter
. The Classic Struggle. Torture Killer
. Gorefest. Vanquished
. Decapitated. Machina
. From This Day. Mental Care Foundation
. Pile of Heads. Katatonia
. Poison. Codeon
. 286. Upwards of Endtime
. Dissection. Clawfinger
. Leviathan/Sapthuran. Vore
. The Smackdown. Bal-Sagoth
. Elvenking. Hirax
. Stormcrow. Apiary
. Sun Descends. Dawn of Azazel
. Bloodbound. War Within
. Paul Bonrud. Woodtemple
. Skyforger. Hurt
. Setherial. Oblomov
. Eighteen Visions. Escape The Fate
. Deicide. Steve Cone
. Urkraft. Skullflower
. Twisted Into Form. The Gathering
. Hardcore Superstar. Omnium Gatherum
. Dream Theater. In This Moment
. Gotthard. Transmission 0
. JR Ewing. Depressed Mode
. Distorted. Glenn Hughes
. Gutted With Broken Glass. Father Befouled
. Straight Line Stitch. Burzum
. Manilla Road. Armory
. Hacksaw Surgery. Celestia