What’s on my ipod

FROM ISSUE # 192 (December 2011) | IN THIS ISSUE
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For me, music is- straight forward, no bullshit, distorted, heart pumping tunes that I can bob my head (or head bang) to, I can blow off steam with and makes me wish I could play the guitar and blast out face melting solos. I listen to almost everything that is metal but very choosy at what I want or not on my playlist and take quite a bit of time before it finally makes it there from my hard drive.

I was introduced to music way back basically with Guns and Roses, Metallica, Deep Purple, Pink Floyd and The Doors. Their music just felt right in many ways and believe till this date means a lot to many. Still have them on a playlist for timeless classics along with a few songs of Jimi Hendrix and The Beatles. Then I moved to Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath and Dream Theatre and have been hooked since.

I would define my taste for music as a mix of old school rock and roll, a bit of funk (basically only RHCP), progressive metal and a new found interest in a wide range of heavy metal sub genres with a special place for Nepali metal bands.

Starting off with the Nepali Bands, I will never forgive myself for missing out the birth of the underground scene and all the records/albums that were released in that era. Yet, with whatever I can get my hands on or off the internet, I have a few old tunes from various bands that will remain all time favorites and as records that made me change directions like Antim Grahan – Infected, Cruentus - Ashantusta Atmaa, Maya – Itihas, Atomic Bush - Sano Prakash, Vhumi - Stone Hunter and recent releases like the Jugaa-Sangharsha split album, Kalodin's new release, two songs from Jindabaad's EP and others. Albatross has always meant a lot to me. Though the new album is a completely new direction from their previous albums, the song 'Shristi Ra Dristi' is  my favourite.

Rock and roll = AC/DC, mainly because of the songs from the album High Voltage and Back in Black that had given me a new definition of what that form of music meant. Nothing can beat the technical proficiency of Dream Theatre and I consider John Petrucci to be one of the all time guitar gods. Then there are other progressive heavy metal bands that I listen to like Meshuggah for its fast tempo, death-thrash with a hint of Jazz in some songs.

Death metal bands I've enjoyed are Kataklysm, Cannibal Corpse, Six Feet Under and Unleashed. Nu Metal will always be what Slipknot means to me. And how can I miss out the Black metal gods like Burzum, Immortal, Mayhem, Dark Funeral, and so on.

There are bands that are 'just there' on the list and particularly some of their all time favorites songs that everyone will hopefully enjoy as well are: In this river (Black Label society), Yellow Ledbetter (Pearl Jam), Spheres of Madness (Decapitated), BYOB (System of a down), Killing in the Name of (RATM), Domination (Pantera), Fragile Dreams (Anathema), Paranoid (Black Sabbath) and Adventure of Raindance Maggie - RHCP to name a few. The list just goes on and finding new bands is a never ending process that I hope never stops.

In the end, I let the 'shuffler' surprise me every time and it is never a disappointment. I share what I have, copy from others and am always on the lookout for what I've not listened to yet as long as it is heavy and I enjoy it. Besides, music is all about feeling good from the inside and I've never been more content with my new found respect and love for metal.

Pratik Karki (striving to be a true metal head each day)