Katatonia – “Ghost of the Sun”
From the album: Viva Emptiness

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Why this song doesn’t suck:
It’s just science… if it’s a metal band and they’re from Sweden it goes on my iPod. Swedes know how to make my earholes happy no matter what genre of metal their tunes happen to fall into. In Katatonia’s case, it’s kinda-ominous-yet-catchy-depressive-doom-metal. Here’s a song from Katatonia’s 2003 album (the cheerily-titled ‘Viva Emptiness’) entitled “Ghost of the Sun. The first song I ever heard from this band, “Ghost of the Sun” really got under my skin for some some. It’s slightly eerie yet strangely beautiful… and heavy… and catchy. And it’s worth a listen dammit. So do it.

Official Website: www.katatonia.com
Official MySpace: Katatonia on MySpace Music
Encyclopedia Metallum: Katatonia

Annihilator – “Alison Hell”
From the album: Alice in Hell

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Why this song doesn’t suck:
Annihilator is a band that should need no introduction, but I know some of you reading this are super fucking lame, so I’ll take 5 seconds and introduce them. Since 1989, Canadian thrashmasters Annhilator have been blessing disciples of metal with awesome music. Mainman Jeff Waters knows how to write killer tunes and started on a high note with Annihilator’s debut album ‘Alice in Hell’. As I mentioned in my previous post about Annihilator, this album’s quasi-title track, “Alison Hell” is near the top of my favorite-fucking-songs-ever-ever-ever list. Thus it does not suck. I rest my case. Case dismissed, the jury awards me the prize! Objection! Withheld! Stricken from the record! The song! Listen to it!

Official Website: www.annihilatormetal.com
Official MySpace: Annihilator on MySpace Music
Encyclopedia Metallum: Annihilator

Threshold – “This Is Your Life”
From the album: Dead Reckoning

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Why this song doesn’t suck:
I’m slightly ashamed to say that I wasn’t familiar with UK progressive metallers Threshold much earlier. They’ve been around since the early 90’s and have flown completely below my radar until recent months when they made the usual metal news rounds for releasing a cover of the Muse tune, “Supermassive Black Hole”. Yes, it’s an odd choice for a cover, but it turned out to be an interesting take on the song nonetheless. Even if there were those who weren’t big on the cover, and I know there were many, the fact that a larger audience was even slightly familiarized with Threshold is a big win for them. Because frankly, these guys can write some fucking catchy, hard rockin’ tunes.

Noumena – “Prey of the Tempter”
From the album: Absence

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Why this song doesn’t suck:
Finnish melodic death metallers Noumena may not have many albums under their belt, but what they do have are chock full of kick ass riffs, memorable hooks and some of the most addictive metal tunes I’ve ever heard. These songs get stuck in your head… you’re sitting at your desk, working away on your website, and the next thing you know you’re humming a Noumena tune under your breath, absent-mindedly headbanging to yourself. I’m sure that happens to everyone, right? Right? No? Well… I don’t know… fuck off, these songs are still good.

While Noumena’s  2002 debut ‘Pride/Fall’ and their 2006 release ‘Anatomy of Life’ both contain a slew of excellent metal tunes, their 2005 album, ‘Absence’ is where the real gems lie. From the catchy-as-all-hell opening track, “The End of the Century” to the album closer, “The Great Anonymous Doom” (which, I feel I must add, is a balls-crushingly badass song title), ‘Absence’ is overflowing with rifftastically memorable tunes.

Rage – “Secrets in a Weird World”
From the album: Soundchaser

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Why this song doesn’t suck:
Rage is a band that doesn’t receive nearly as much attention as they rightly deserve. Seemingly unknown to most people outside a certain portion of the metal community, Rage has been pumping out albums pretty consistently since the mid-80’s, nearly never failing to impress with every new release. Personally, I can always count on playing a Rage album and being treating to a delightful barrage of swift-fingered guitar work & top-notch drumming fronted by the unmistakable sound of Peavy Wagner behind both the bass guitar and the microphone.

Rage’s 2003 release, ‘Soundchaser’ was one hell of a good album… one of my favorites in fact. From the ominous opener “Orgy of Destruction” and such killer tunes as “War of Worlds”, “Great Old Ones”, and the title track  through the closing 2-parter, I’ve always enjoy listening to ‘Soundchaser’. It’s extremely hard for me to pick out my favorite track from an album like this, but I felt one that stood out to me was “Secrets in a Weird World”.

The Project Hate MCMXCIX – “You Come To Me Through Hell”
From the album: The Lustrate Process

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Why this song doesn’t suck:
Oh boy oh boy! One of my favorite industrial death bands, The Project Hate, is releasing a new album next month! And wait! What’s this? A new song from that album you say?! Well fuck me sideways! Inject that awesomeness directly into my eager earballs! Pronto!

Since I first got my hands on their 2005 album, “Armageddon March Eternal (Symphonies of Slit Wrists)”, I’ve been eating up everything The Project Hate has ever written. Their fresh mix of midpaced, growl-laden death metal with electronic/industrial elements and angelic female vocals thrown in to top off the awesome makes nearly everything this band releases pure aural gold. And I’ll be damned if this new track isn’t more than up to par with anything else they’ve released. With enough twists and turns throughout the track, the near 9-minute run time never even nears the realm of “boring”. We also get treated to quite a few guest surprises throughout the song to keep us on our toes.