So long summer freedom and hello classes, homework and another semester of college life. If you need a little help getting out of bed and getting back into the swing of the semester, well, I have just the thing — epic power-metal.“King of Nothing” by Stratovarius
The song begins with the sound of marching, which is appropriate because the song is about a tribe fighting a battle they can’t possibly win. Think “300” with crazier keyboard solos. If this doesn’t help you get up in the morning, check your pulse you may already be dead.
“The Moon” by Dark Moor
When this song opens you may ask yourself, “Is that Beethoven’s Symphony Number Five?” Yes. Yes it is. An adaptation so face-meltingly good Beethoven himself would head bang to it. Oh, and it is 11 minutes long, so you know it is epic.
“On the Backs of Angels” by Dream Theater
Another lengthy musical odyssey, “On the Backs of Angels” features some unique keyboard solos, incredibly catchy melodic guitar playing, and some amazingly moody lyrics. This song will surprise you to the very end.
“Sanctified with Dynamite” by Powerwolf
Sometimes it’s all in a name, and a quick glance at the lyrics of this song conjures up images of an insurmountable army of werewolf suicide bombers. Powerwolf indeed. You may catch yourself screaming the lyrics at your alarm clock after a few listens.
“Vulgaris Magistralis” be Heidevolk
I have no idea what this song is about because it is in Dutch, but the fact that it is a song by a pagan Viking folk-metal band is pretty sweet. If you make friends with someone from the Netherlands ask them what it means. I’ll bet it is epic.
“House of Heroes” by Battlelore
This song starts softly but gets heavy before too long. If you look up epic in the dictionary, you will find this song. Trust me, I checked.
“A Rose for Epona” by Eluveitie
When it comes to Celtic metal if you listen to it before class don’t fall asleep or you may find yourself dreaming of leading an army of Celtic warriors into battle to collect severed heads of your enemy’s–heads were considered divine symbols of the soul in Celtic culture. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
Andrew Deskins can be reached at [email protected]