NH7

The Indiecision Five at 5 is our attempt at sharing our musical tastes with you, and showcasing music from around the world. Each day at 5 pm sharp, one NH7 writer or staffer will bring you five songs he/she is listening to on the day. Today, Nikhil Udupa, resident connoisseur of everything metal, brings you his top five tracks of the day. Listen. Get inspired. Destroy something (no, not really)(but yes, really).

1. Coheed and Cambria – ‘The Afterman’
I started listening to Coheed and Cambria because one of my favourite drummers left one of my favourite bands to drum for them. The drummer in question was Chris Pennie and the band was Dillinger Escape Plan.  He no longer plays for Coheed and Cambria but they now tend to sound better without him.  This is off the first part of their double album The Afterman : Ascension which released late last year (the second part, The Afterman : Descension  was released this month).  I’m not too much into their grandiose and slightly self-indulgent concept album philosophies (they tend to be backed by graphic novels and other paraphernalia) but this song stands out for its simple melodies, the sense of  beauty and sorrow which it gives out and a lovely, lush video.

2. Alice in Chains – ‘Hollow’
It’s Alice in Chains, Layne Staley or no Layne Staley. The first single off AiC’s follow-up to Black Gives Way To Blue doesn’t surprise. And that’s where it slightly disappoints. It’s AiC trying to be the same AiC that it was with Layne Staley. William Du Vall is a great singer. Jerry Cantrell’s signature seconds, metal masqueradings and grunge tones are still present. It’s a song that isn’t bad and while it will not disappoint an AiC fan, it won’t see anyone screaming out in joy. It’s a song that plays safe.

3. General Lee – ‘Medusa Howls With Wolves’
I stumbled upon this genius of a band while pursuing my Gojira-induced obsession with French metal. This band blends metal textures, hardcore shrieks, sludge riffs and mathcore-inspired song structures to create a intense and atmospheric experience which seamlessly throw you into soundscapes and drag you back with some chainsaw riffs. It’s an experiment at which many metal bands have failed, but not this one. Their  album Raiders Of The Evil Eye along with Uneven Structure ‘s Februus get my vote for being the most underrated and best metal albums of 2012.

4. Burial – ‘Truant’
I’ve been hooked on to Burial’s music ever since I heard his remix of Massive Attacks ‘Paradise Circus’. It’s music which defies convention and classification (I’m sure somebody already has a classification for it though).  Everything from the barely-there crackle to the clicky bass makes this uniquely Burial and far removed from anything else you’ve heard. It’s moody, tense, restrained. It is made for a rainy day, a long lonely train ride or long periods of indecisiveness. This one’s taken from his new EP Truant/Rough Sleeper.

5. The Algorithm – ‘Warp Gate Exploit’
Coming back to the French, here is another genius from amongst those weirdos. Remi Gallego aka The Algorithm put out his debut album The Polymorphic Code on the acclaimed progressive metal label Basick Records. Put simply, this is future music. Eventually, when all music coagulates into one sound and all genres are rendered meaningless, history will probably look back on this as the one that started it all. Despite being an orgy of chiptune, dubstep, djent, blast beats, psybient and the kitchen sink, The Polymorphic Code feels like one complete experience, exhilarating and disorienting. I chose this track because it will probably give you the best idea of what this album is about. I recommend you still listen to the whole album though.

Check out previous editions of Five at 5 here, and stay tuned for more picks from NH7, Monday through Friday.