Right now, this. (I promise it's not a rick roll.)

Right now? this: Powerwolf, we drink your blood

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2HpFiOjisEM

Wait what? Werewolf Jesus? Dafuq?

The new Krallice is on perma-repeat. Also been listening to a lotta darkwave.

Agent Fresco's new album Destrier:

Steve Wilson Hand. Cannot. Erase.

Interstellar soundtrack on loop, especially S.T.A.Y.

And still and always:

and the others.

Also bingeing some 90's CD's such as Throwing Copper, No Need to Argue, Tragic Kingdom.

Depeche Mode, Crystal Castles, PSB, Rammstein

Right now i'm listening to CRASS

And now the Pixies after Husker DU.

The problem with being a musician influenced by both these bands if that you set yourself this incredibly high bar.

I listen to Surfer Rosa, Doolittle or New Day Rising and wonder if i'll *ever* write anything that good, consistently.

The best song i ever wrote and recorded with our band (in fact any previous band), well i love it (them) but its not in the same league.

Still pushes you to do better

And now the Pixies after Husker DU.

--

The best song i ever wrote and recorded with our band (in fact any previous band), well i love it (them) but its not in the same league.

Still pushes you to do better

I never could get into Pixies or Husker Du. I generally don't like American punk as much as the UK stuff, except Dead Kennedys and the pre-Rollins Black Flag.

I feel the same about writing music, occasionally I create something I feel is on the level of my favorite bands, but those songs are few and far between. I haven't written anything in a year or so, I really need to start up again.

Right now I'm listening to Subhumans EP-LP, and working on some new ship art for vassal X-wing.

The Pixies were much bigger in the Uk and europe than the US. Our alternative charts at the time were dire 'madchester' bands from liverpool and manchester in tiedye shirts waving meraccas and going on about 'talking hip and twisting you melon man'

Pixies were a real breath of fresh air.

I always preffered US punk (minor threat, black flag, fugazi, husker du, early lemonheads, decendants et al) as it was usually quite political or positive and had real melodies.

In contrast UK punk was incredibly 'manufactured' at times (clash, sex pistols) or it was very nihilisitc and violent 'gob in your face' 'all coppers are b**stards' stuff and angry for the sake of being angry.

There are some very good uk punk bands but a lot of it was 'f you!' and no real message.

I used to hang out with the guys from discharge and broken bones when i was younger, they like Crass had message and meaning, likewise later bands (still gigging) like 'extreme noise terror' are pretty cool but bands like sham69 i can live without.

(i went to see extreme noise terror about a month ago, my knee is still pretty hammered from slamming )

Yeah, Minor Threat is great. Bad Brain is another of the US's best, I'm not crazy abut their reggae stuff though.

Have you ever head Adrenalin O.D.? They're really funny, their lyrics are kind of along the lines of the Toy Dolls, but the music is fast, east-coast hardcore punk. Check out their album "Cruising With Elvis in Bigfoot's UFO", it's most melodic than their earlier stuff.

I do love some of that noisy, nihilistic "f-you" punk, especially Chaos UK and Rudimentary Peni, they're about as cacophonous as you can get, lol. I dig a lot of the Exploted's early stuff, even though they're kind of idiots. UK Subs are awesome too, at times. I love Discharge, and Broken Bones are ok. I hung out with Nobby a bit in the 90's, he was crashing on a friend's couch in NYC, and dating another friend, which didn't go very well.

Sham 69 has a few good songs, but a lot of it is like a bad punk rock version of The Who, and I could never get into The Who.

Totally get where you're coming from.

Cheers for the headups, i'll check out said band on youtube later.

My mates at in a band called F-UK, don't know if you know them. In Nottingham we have a pretty good punk scene as we have two pretty much punk bars, there is 'foremans' which is just a bar and then 'the old angel' which a bar and venue.

The old angel is where i used to run my nights and it's had no end of punk bands on there (and a fair few famous indie bands like nirvana and oasis etc). Great place, if you're ever in Nottingham i'll take you there,

http://www.theoldangel.com/

For the first time in probably decades a videoclip blew me away:

Black Keys, Dan Auerbach radio on Pandora.

I must say, I don't think Weird Al has aged a bit since I was a kid . . . a long long time ago. He's awesome!

I've been listening to Social Distortion lately.

Two Steps From Hell. This song in particular, Flight of the Silverbird.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7EvuikVNy4

All hail Doom.

Pingponging between the Transistor OST which I bought on the latest steam sale https://www.youtube.com/embed/-zA1jRmAYfU

Machine Heads latest album Bloodstone and Diamonds, bands I saw last Wacken open air (hell yes, Sabaton!), Amon Amarth and Arch Enemy.

Oh, and that:

https://www.youtube.com/embed/_qNbbhLOSPw"

Disturbingly soothing, isn't it?

My musical tastes really go all over the place day by day.

Some favourites:

Classic Metal - Iron Maiden/Bruce Dickinson. Specific Tracks: Jerusalem, Hallowed be thy name, Flight of Icarus, rime of the ancient mariner, Darkside of aquarius (where my Callsign - Hellrider - comes from).

Symphonic Metal: Nightwish, Stratovarius, Sonata Arctica, Epica (mmmmmm Simone Simons). Specific tracks, passion of the opera, wishmaster, sleeping sun, the escapist, Destiny, Elements, When the night meets the day, Victorias Secret, White pearl black ocean, the 2006 versions of My Land and Replica, My Selene.

Mankini Metal: Manowar (Courage is basically my anthem, Heart of steel too).

Misc: Ayreon/Ambeon/Star One (Star One Concept album is really good for us geeks) Also, the War of the Worlds album by Jeff Wayne is great. Specific Tracks... Dragon of the sea The entire space metal album, Cold Metal.

Goth Rock: Inkubus Sukkubus. Especially anything they did pre 2005.

Rock: Stones, Yes, REM, Mostly Autumn. In Specific, Sympathy for the Devil, Angie, Paint it Black, The Ladder, The River, The Apologist, Drive, Gardening at Night, Nightswimming, You're in the Air, Evergreen, Heroes never die. (They sail forever).

Pop: Whatever I feel like, usually at least 10 years old to be ironic.

Black Metal: Specific tracks: Cathode Ray Sunshine, Tearing the Veil from Grace, Nymphetamine, Fair and beguiling copesmate death, a hamlet for a slothful vassal, Play god, Blitzkrieg.

There is a bass in my families house now, I just grabbed it and learned Alice in Hell with Jeff Waters video on it:

Did I mention how I love Annihilator?

On repeat for the last half hour.

I just love this song soooooooooooo much.