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My five - Shreyas Krishna

Metropolis

Dream Theater is arguably the greatest progressive metal band of present times, and ‘Metropolis’ from the album “Images and Words” just about does enough to define Dream Theater’s sound. The song which goes on for nearly 10 minutes showcases John Petrucci’s and Mike Portnoy’s stellar work on the guitar and drums respectively. A hit with fans on live shows, Metropolis is considered among Dream Theater’s greatest hits and comprises long instrumental sections separated by James Labrie’s vocals. The song’s popularity also led to the creation of the album “Scenes from a memory” regarded as Dream Theater’s magnum opus.

The song, from Rush’s self titled debut album propelled them to fame. Pioneers of the progressive rock genre, this song by Rush features two guitar solos which are often rated along side some of the greatest. The song’s working class theme and lyrics make it an instant hard rock classic. The lyrics are timeless and will probably resonate with listeners of all generations.

Blackstratblues is the brainchild of guitarist and composer Warren Mendonsa. Mendonsa, who played for the famous Indian band Zero, moved to New Zealand to record his first solo album ’Nights in shining karma’ which was released online on his website for free. Mendonsa classifies his music as ‘honest, good music’, which it truly is. Anuva’s sky is a treat for the ears. The song effuses warmth and creates a certain ‘feel good’ effect which is found rarely. Mendonsa’s work has already prompted fans to hail him as a future guitar virtuoso. This one is a must-listen.

Tool is among the most creative of contemporary progressive rock bands, so much so their music has sometimes been termed puzzling and bizarre. ‘Lateralus’ is a fine example of their creative prowess. The song, from the album of the same name, is crafted with mathematical perfection. It is sung such that syllables of the lyrics form the first few Fibonacci numbers, ascending and descending through the course of the song. Apart from the Fibonacci series the band’s lead singer Mynard James Keenan starts singing 97 seconds into the song, approximately 1.618 of a minute, which is the widely known as the golden ratio in mathematics.

Swedish band Opeth are probably the most unique death metal band around and easily ranks among the greatest contemporary metal bands .Their sound alternates between melodic and heavy with the band’s driving force Mikael Akerfeldt switching effortlessly between clean melodic vocals and growls to create a sound unique to Opeth. ‘The Drapery falls’ from the critically acclaimed album “Blackwater Park” is a fine example of the above.

Tool: 10000 Days

Pantera: Cemetery Gates

Alice In Chains: Down In A Hole

Dimmu Borgir: Spellbound

Megadeth: Holy Wars

(Shreyas Krishna is a Mechanical Engineering student from Sri Ramakrishna Engineering College, Coimbatore)

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