Angra / "Nova Era" / Rebirth (2) / 2001

Artist: Angra
Original Album: Rebirth
Track: Nova Era

I'm really enjoying the two Angra albums I picked up a month or two ago.

Initially, Temple of Shadows had seemed to have a comfortable upperhand that rendered the earlier Rebirth almost completely ignorable by comparison, but the more I listen to the album, the more I realise that this one too has some great moments. The overall feel may not quite be as polished here, the production letting it down particularly, but there is impressive musicianship and song crafting for sure. This relatively un-proggy opener (as we can't really count In Excelsis) was an early standout from the album, and keeps its lead on repeated listens, though the gap to Unholy Wars is closing with each listen.

Ayreon / "The Sixth Extinction" / 01011001 (Disc 2, Track 7) / Jan 2008

Artist: Ayreon
Original Album: 01011001
Track: The Sixth Extinction

I've been holding off on picking an Ayreon track despite nattering on about the project for a while. The reason being that there are too many Ayreon tracks that are worthy of a mention, and so many of them have their own unique reason for their choice, but in the end it has to be this one for the jaw-dropping ad-libs at the end. The first ten or so times I listened to it I was close to shedding tears of joy at the end it was that good. I think it was either the second or third time I heard it I actually did notice a small tear descending a little way. I can't think of any other time music has had that effect on me. Sadly I can't quite parallel the same level of excitement any more having listened to it an average of once a day for the last several weeks. Instead it's become more of a sing along kind of affair unless I'm on the train, then it's more of a challenge to keep my mouth shut. ...Urk.

So there's been this proverbial cloud over my head for a while. When am I going to drop an Ayreon track into Song of the Day, and which one? I think it had to be this one all along, even despite flirting with the idea of picking another. But not having it set in stone was becoming too much to bear, so I've relented, and am hoping this will get Arjen out of my system for a couple of days.

Symphony X / "Eve of Seduction" / Paradise Lost (6) / June 2007

Artist: Symphony X
Original Album: Paradise Lost
Track: Eve of Seduction

The opening riff to this song is enough to make it stand out from the rest of the album, and the rest of the song keeps the momentum going better than a lot of the other songs I've heard from the band. I've said before that I think Russel Allen has improved vastly since V: The New Mythology Suite and Dawn of a Million Souls, and (for now) I stand by that opinion. He sounds a lot more 'slightly evil' than he used to, more distinctive, and more enjoyable to listen to and even attempt to sing along to. Without that, I wouldn't be able to say that I thought the song lived up to the promise the intro makes, but it does, which is fantastic as it has turned out to be a crowning high tempo glory on what many critics have called the best Symphony X album.

Anthrax / "Among the Living" / Among the Living (1) / 1986

Artist: Anthrax
Original Album: Among the Living
Track: Among the Living

I can resist the urge to finally pick a Joey Belladonna era Anthrax track no longer, and though I usually find myself revelling in Persistence of Time while I'm not in the process of writing a journal, and even if it is this album I'm listening to I'm sually cherry picking I Am the Law, Caught in a Mosh and Imitation of Life, just as I was pondering today what track to pick for today's Song fo the Day, the title track came to mind and I couldn't resist.

I think I must be psychologically predispositioned to prefer title tracks, because this is getting ridiculous. You know, I never realised how many title tracks are awesome before I started writing these.

Tony MacAlpine / "The Violin Song" / Premonition (2) / 1994

Artist: Tony Macalpine
Original Album: Premonition
Track: The Violin Song

It's going to take a relatively obscure instrumental to break the developing streak of heavy metal big hitters that has been developing at Song of the Day UK HQ.

Tony MacAlpine is known primarily as a guitar virtuoso, but also as a talented pianist and keyboardist. He has played the keys on early Vinnie Moore albums as well as the majority of his own and toured with Steve Vai primarily as keyboardist, yet for this track he steps aside from the keyboard to let Jens Johansson take over. With Tony Franklin providing bass as well, this ends up not only being a virtuoso show piece, but one of MacAlpine's most memorable 'solo' tracks.

Dio / "Shame On The Night" / Holy Diver (9) / 1983

Artist: Dio
Original Album: Holy Diver
Track: Shame on the Night

Still the only Dio album I own (barring some Sabbath), but it's so good! I will have to consider expanding the collection. Maybe when the gargantuan shopping list has dwindled ever so slightly and I can no longer move for the mass of CDs I already have? Perhaps a live album even?

How good is that riff at the beginning, straight after the rather corny wolf-howl? Duh-dit-d-duh-d-d-duh Duh-dit-d-duh-d-d-dah. Awesome.

I'm sorry this seems to have turned out to be a week of really big names who've all had a turn before at having a song of the day, surprising then that I've managed to have so much conversation about them, but today: Shame on the Night!

Thin Lizzy / "Sugar Blues" / Chinatown (4) / 1980

Artist: Thin Lizzy
Original Album: Chinatown
Track: Sugar Blues

Not my favourite Thin Lizzy album or track by a long way, but for some reason has a very catchy rhythm, courtesy of Phil Lynott and Brian Downey. Solos aren't half bad either, but I'm tempted to call it one of Lynott's rare weak moments as far as lyrics are concerned. Unless there's some hidden meaning I'm missing completely.

Also the song whose rhythm part I can for some reason imagine fitting quite well with the vocal part to yesterday's SotD. You're looking at me like I'm mad now aren't you? Almost certainly one would have to be electronically (or mentally) adjusted for tempo and key, although I haven't checked I'm willing to bet on the first, but in my head it sounded good yesterday.

Regular readers may notice I've become a regular slacker at checking the month of release. It's too much effort for such a small detail to take on a regular basis. I remember years not months. It's quite rare that a band releases two albums in a year (although Lizzy did it in '76), and there aren't a lot of other cases in which the month is of any interest unless we're thinking about the large number of thrash bands who used 'If I die before I wake...' in songs in the year 1991 and considering whose idea it was first.

Judas Priest / "Rock Forever" / Killing Machine (2) / 1979

Artist: Judas Priest
Original Album: Killing Machine (a.k.a. Hell Bent for Leather)
Track: Rock Forever

Why have I never appreciated this track the way I learnt to in the last week and a bit? Why am I picking a second track from Killing Machine when I haven't picked any from other Priest albums yet? I've used up my one anecdote about the album title already.

I guess the answer to the first is that this being one of the first Priest tracks I heard after my introduction via Painkiller, I just didn't think it was heavy enough to be a Priest track. This has been something of a recurring problem with my relationship with Priest. I can't help but judge all Priest tracks against Painkiller and Between the Hammer & the Anvil. The problem had lessened by the time I bought the full album as I had begun to learn not to expect the onslaught of terrifying Scott Travis drums and the excellently produced Chris Tsangarides (I think that's the spelling) guitar sound, but I already had in my head:
"Oh no, it's that incredibly soft song again."
...Laughable, I'm sure. Although I'd now like to think I'm mature enough not to write anything off as 'not heavy enough' (and I do listen to several artists significantly less heavy than vintage Priest,and have done for quite some time), I'm still mystified by the fact that Killing Machine (to me) sounds heavier than British Steel and Screaming for Vengeance, even Ram It Down. Perhaps the answer can be found in the fact that my copy of Killing Machine is a remastered reissue while the other three aren't? Maybe in part, but there's only so much a remastering can do, I'm tempted to think it's more of a psychological thing. Far be it for me to dig myself into a hole, building a wall between myself and the music I'm highlighting, but anyone else feel the same?

Slightly unfulfilled by the guitar tone I may be, but Halford's vocal performance on this track is top notch. It's a great catchy melody, and I'm sure, highly regarded by hundreds of fans. The vocal part is the reason I've chosen to pick this track out or the wealth of music yet to have me write paragraphs about it, for some reason I found myself imagining it layed over a rhythm part for another song by another artist altogether. In my head it fits, but I'm never sure if I'm automatically adjusting for tempo or pitch. In my head it sounds great, possibly better than the two individual original songs. I'm almost sure though that if I had the unaccompanied vocal track to Rock Forever at my disposal and actually went to the trouble of splicing the two songs together, it wouldn't sound anywhere near as good as I'm imagining it. What's the other song I'm thinking of? For that, you'll have to wait until tomorrow.