Mysterious Melodies Part II
January 30, 2007 by Jo Minor
Choir of the Damned by Kreator
Taken from Pleasure To Kill
Choir of the Damned is the opening track to the Pleasure To Kill album - which is the best album the band has produced, and one of the greatest Thrash Metal albums of all time; second only to Slayer untouchable masterpiece Reign In Blood. The track starts off with gripping electric guitar parts, and towards the mid point of the song the entire piece takes an altogether different shape; the modern sound of electric guitars give way to melodic classical guitars. The classical guitars and percussive effects in the background shape a very medieval era sounding piece which is subtle yet resounding enough to demand the attention of the listener.
Dusk Falls Upon The Temple Of The Serpent On The Mount by Nile
Taken from Annihilation Of The Wicked
Another album opener, this piece from American Death Metal titans Nile captures the essence of the band’s inspiration: the mystic land of Egypt and its glorious history. The track starts off with a mandolin (or another similar-sounding instrument) carrying the main tune, with delicate atmospheric sound effects in the background. No longer than 51 seconds long, this opening track is a as deceiving as it is entertaining - for as soon as it ends, the next song (as with all the other songs in the album) smashes the senses of the listener with the band’s trademark concrete-shattering guitars and drums.
Requiem by Opeth
Taken from Orchid
It would be difficult to pinpoint and highlight just one instrumental from a band known for intricate instrumentals, but the Swedish Melodic Death Metal kings have a masterpiece in their hands in the form of Requiem. Clocking at just over a minute long, Requiem is a captivating arrangement of acoustic and bass guitars; their strings gently plucked to reveal a haunting and memorable melody. Other such instrumentals from this famed band include Patterns In The Ivy, Ending Credits, Hours of Wealth and Epilogue.
Hopeless Optimism by Warmen
Taken from Unknown Soldier
Warmen started off as a side project of Children Of Bodom’s keyboard wizard Janne Warman, but soon began grabbing the attention of Metal fans worldwide after some brilliant albums. While the band’s songs and albums may vary rather drastically (Warmen has had a plethora of guest musicians on board throughout its years alongside the permanent members) all 3 albums of the band are linked together through Janne’s distinct passion for classical music and Power Metal. Hopeless Optimism is a 5-minute long instrumental opus which is progressive, powerful and melodic - trademarks of any good Power Metal song.
The Call Of Ktulu by Metallica
Taken from Ride The Lightning
Ride The Lightning has got to be the band’s finest display of songwriting, as all 8 songs in the album are extremely well written and executed. The birth of this instrumental piece took shape from departed bassist Cliff Burton’s interest in the writings of H.P. Lovecraft - a master of fictional writings. At just under 9 minutes long, The Call Of Ktulu is a progressive piece that was also performed live by the band with an orchestra during Metallica’s S&M DVD recording to raving reviews by music fans.
Ex Nihilo by Dark Tranquillity
Taken from Damage Done
This instrumental piece was a first for the pioneers of Swedish Melodic Death Metal - who have never recorded an instrumental in their recording career. Ex Nihilo starts off with a brilliant guitar piece which is then accompanied by the band’s unmistakable distorted guitars, bass and drums. It’s interesting to see how the band managed to write an instrumental that fits in perfectly with the rest of the songs of Damage Done, as all the songs in the album have a common feel to them.
Comments
Feel free to leave a comment...
and oh, if you want a pic to show with your comment, go get a gravatar!
