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My Five -- K.C. ADITYA VARMA

Savatage

From the eponymous album, Gutter Ballet is a masterpiece in every sense. A soothing piano intro, Jon Oliva’s searing vocals and a soaring guitar solo by Criss Oliva give it a quality hard to match. The song was written after Jon Oliva saw ‘The Phantom of the Opera’, by which he was greatly influenced. This song and eventually the whole album paved the way for a more progressive and symphony based sound, a departure from their earlier heavy metal work.

Dogs, written by Roger Waters and David Gilmour, and from Pink Floyd’s 1977 album Animals, is a reference to power hungry businessmen in a capitalist society, giving it a special relevance in these days of meltdown. The track features extended guitar solos and sound effects with powerful lyrics in between that talk about how these “dogs” ruin lives, theirs as well as those of others around them. The album is said to have been inspired by George Orwell’s Animal Farm and the titles of some of the other songs are Pigs and Sheep, which too are part of the novel.

Originally by pop rock band Tears for Fears, Mad World was covered by Michael Andrews and Gary Jules and featured on the soundtrack of “Donnie Darko”. The lyrics deal with confused states of mind all teenagers go through. Whereas the original has an upbeat, fast tempo, the cover version was stripped down to only the words and an accompanying piano playing softly in the background. This version has a haunting, lyrical quality that is hard to describe.

Iron Maiden needs no introduction. The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner from Somewhere in Time is not really a staple at live shows, but is as good a song as any the band has produced. It has all the elements of a Maiden classic, from Bruce Dickinson’s powerful vocals to complex guitar work by Adrian Smith and Dave Murray, and Steve Harris on bass. It is based on a short story by Alan Sillitoe, and is about a juvenile delinquent in prison, who turns to long distance running for consolation.

Overkill is regarded by many as one of the pioneers of thrash. Feel the Fire is from their first album by the same name. It has a very catchy guitar riff and an insane solo, with aggressive drumming to boot.

Those that almost made it

Children of Bodom: Downfall

Megadeth: Mechanix

Accept: Balls to the Wall

Rush: Working Man

Stevie Nicks: Blue Lamp

Inxs: Never Tear Us Apart

(K.C. Aditya Varma, an engineering graduate, is a heavy metal freak and compulsive head-banger.)

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