3. Poet and the Pendulum- Nightwish
-Probably the most epic and heartfelt song of all time? You can tell the lyricist was in some dark places when he wrote this. Symphonic metal and Nightwish at their best.
I'm not trying to rag on this choice, but I'm honestly curious for a discussion here -- have you heard any of the stuff from Century Child?
I ask this because I absolutely could
not get into Poet and the Pendulum. I'm one of the biggest fans of "epics" that you could imagine but I really do not like that song. It has a good part one, but the parts after that fall flat in a really bad way.
Strange because my favorite epic is Beauty of the Beast -- same group, album before that.
edit: Okay time for some of MY FAVORITES. I'm noob and have no idea how Glen embedded all those youtube links (can we use html here now?!) so I'll just put a normal link.
Nightwish - Beauty of the Beast
I just mentioned this one and it's rather fantastic. It's the last song on the concept album Century Child, which is basically about lost innocence. Actually reminds me a bit of William Blake if he was dark and depressed all the time. As the album's "epic" it is a summary of the theme, which is a lament of lost innocence. Hard to describe, better off listening to it.
Kamelot - Memento Mori
While we're on the discussion of epics this one is also a large favorite of mine. This is at the very end of their two-album series which is a (superior) retelling of Goethe's Faust. I personally thought Goethe was a shitty storyteller and Faust was mired too much in the religion of the day, and believe this to be a superior and very introspective version of that. As this is the last song, this is the moment of the main character's death and is perhaps the most introspective song of the series. Oh snap, spoilers?
Kamelot - The Mourning After
This one is also from the series of concept albums. It's not as good as Memento Mori but this is the song I use as an example for
how instrumentals can set the mood. When it comes to that this song is
perfect.
Sonata Arctica - My Selene
I think this is actually the only good song this band has managed to write. It's a shame because the band has a lot of potential, the lead singer just needs to put down the songwriting pen. This song is what happened when the guitarist got a chance to write, and it turns out it's
fucking awesome and he should write all of their songs.
Let's move away from metal for a second.
Shawn Colvin - Sunny Came Home
Most people here probably don't give a shit about adult alternative, which is understandable but sad because the genre has some real gems. Like this one. Song is about a distraught woman who is dissatisfied with her life and decides to burn everything (literally) and start anew. Surprisingly deep subject matter from a genre that is often as not plagued with shallow songwriting. Her composition skills are
perfect for this.
Garth Brooks - The Thunder Rolls (full version)
A country song? Hell yes. A lot of people my age seriously underestimate country, and to be honest it's not really that surprising. Ever since Nashville realized what a moneymaker it was the genre has been plagued with feelgood bullshit and extremely tight control. Garth Brooks, from what I understand, was something of a controversial country singer and songwriter. This song is about a woman who is fed up with her philandering and adulterous husband -- as well as there being a very strong subtext of spousal abuse -- and decides one night to finally end it. This is one of the best country songs
ever written. Just be sure you listen to the full version (I couldn't find it right now), or you'll miss part of the story. In the video, Brooks insisted on playing the husband himself because he didn't think anyone else could properly show just what an
utter bastard the guy was.
