William's Song a Day Blog - est. September 2007

From: Return to the Kingdom of Fife ; Year: 2023; Genre: Power Metal/Symphonic Metal I just cannot help but to love this band and their epic theatrics and larger-than-life cacophony that would be at home in any opera. Yeah, it might be camp and pretentious, but their delivery and singalong choruses really brings the listener/audience into the heroic tale.     Hear Holy Flaming Hammer Of Unholy Cosmic Frost on YouTube.         My song pick 1 year ago today: Mr. Mister - Kyrie     My song pick 2 years ago today: "Weird Al" Yankovic - Jerry Springer   My song pick 3 years ago today: Helloween - From Out of Nowhere   My song pick 4 years ago today: Black Sabbath - Lord of This World   My song pick 5 years ago today: Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Cowgirl in the Sand   My song pick 6 years ago today: Band of Horses - Infinite Arms   My song pick 7 years ago today: Paris - Heart of Stone My song pick 8 years ago today:...

From: Return to the Kingdom of Fife ; Year: 2023; Genre: Power Metal/Symphonic Metal Time for another epic tale of adventure, heroes, and villainous wizards from the one and only Gloryhammer!    Hear Maleficus Geminus (Colossus Matrix 38B - Ultimate Invocation Of The Binary Thaumaturge) on YouTube.         My song pick 1 year ago today: Gentle Giant - Memories of Old Days     My song pick 2 years ago today: The Winery Dogs - Lorelei   My song pick 3 years ago today: Primus - Conspiranoia   My song pick 4 years ago today: Depeche Mode - New Life My song pick 5 years ago today: Yes - Time and a Word My song pick 6 years ago today: Jethro Tull - Commercial Traveler My song pick 7 years ago today: Jefferson Starship - No Way Out My song pick 8 years ago today: Cybotron - Parameters of Consciousness My song pick 9 years ago today: The Jimmy Castor Bunch - You Better Be Good (Or the Devil Gon' Getcha) My song pick 10 years...

From: Edge of Thorns (Bonus Track); Year: 1993; Genre: Symphonic Metal/Power Metal Savatage, and the related bands for that matter, are another comforting band that gets me through rough patches. And since discovering that next year will be their first new studio release, ( Curtain Call ), since 2001's Poets and Madmen , I've been listening to them a lot more frequently; kind of hyping myself up for it. Whilst I am aware this will probably be it for Savatage and Jon Oliva's Pain as far as new material, I will savour it and the back catalogue. Plus, I highly doubt Trans-Siberian Orchestra is going anywhere.   Hear Forever After on YouTube.       My song pick 1 year ago today: Gil Scott-Heron - The Revolution Will Not Be Televised   My song pick 2 years ago today: Les Paul & Mary Ford - Bye Bye Blues   My song pick 3 years ago today: The Stylistics - Can't Give You Anything (But My Love)   My song pick 4 years ago today: Soundgarden - Somewhere ...

From: Age of Impact ; Year: 1998; Genre: Progressive Metal/Progressive Rock Picking up where I left off with this album after choosing the first three, here is the 4th track, or chapter? This is the one song apparently that features guitar great Steve Howe on acoustic guitar, who is best known as Yes' guitarist/songwriter as well as the band Asia and too many others to list. This piece in particular will take you through an aural journey through some amazingly written and produced music. Even though there are vocals, the music itself is so well written that it narrates as well as any orator.   Hear Impact 4 - Time Enough on YouTube.       My song pick 1 year ago today: Marcus Miller - Keep 'Em Running   My song pick 2 years ago today: Iain Matthews - Darkness, Darkness   My song pick 3 years ago today: Laura Branigan - Forever Young   My song pick 4 years ago today: Rhythm Machine - Lil's Place   My song pick 5 years ago today: Van Der Graaf G...

From: Dead Winter Dead ; Year: 1995; Genre: Symphonic Metal/Progressive Metal No really Christmas or Holiday-related music, but it is a great track from the album that essentially launched the whole "symphonic metal Christmas music" that has since become a holiday staple. I Am marks the point in the arching story concerning the Bosnian War at which open hostilities break out following the withdrawal of the U.S.S.R., which the record was a concept album/rock opera based on the devastating and bloody conflict. Very hard to believe that it has been nearly 30 years since the album was released and the conflict "officially" ended; a truly horrific chapter in human history.   Hear I Am on YouTube.       My song pick 1 year ago today: Lemmy Kilmister, Billy F. Gibbons & Dave Grohl - Run Rudolph Run   My song pick 2 years ago today: Booker T. & The MGs - Medley: Golden Slumbers, Carry That Weight, The End, Here Comes the Sun, Come Together   My song p...

From: Legends from Beyond the Galactic Terrorvortex ; Year: 2019; Genre: Power Metal Never seem like there is enough nanoseconds in a day to complete all of your work anymore, but still making time to post a song today. Whilst there's nothing "serious" about it, there is a load of epicness and high-energy metal music to blast you through a Monday.   Hear Legendary Enchanted Jetpack on YouTube.       My song pick 1 year ago today: Pearl Jam - Animal   My song pick 2 years ago today: Parliament - [You're a Fish & I'm a] Water Sign   My song pick 3 years ago today: Dead or Alive - You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)   My song pick 4 years ago today: Raspberries - Tonight   My song pick 5 years ago today: Bachman-Turner Overdrive (BTO) - Quick Change Artist   My song pick 6 years ago today: Spock's Beard - All on a Sunday My song pick 7 years ago today: Van Der Graaf Generator - White Hammer My song pick 8 years ago today: Bernard Wright...

From: Return to the Kingdom of Fife ; Year: 2023; Genre: Power Metal Loving this new album from Gloryhammer; got all of that over-the-top drama and story telling that I have come to enjoy. I would really love to see some of their records performed as full-on operas with all of the dressing and pomp. That is essentially what they are, heck, if it was back in the Classical or Romance period this would be opera in all its grandeur.     Hear Vorpal Laserblaster Of Pittenweem on YouTube.       My song pick 1 year ago today: Megadeth - United Abominations   My song pick 2 years ago today: Sly & The Family Stone - I'll Never Fall In Love Again   My song pick 3 years ago today: Hawkwind - The Forge of Vulcan   My song pick 4 years ago today: Asia - Ride Easy   My song pick 5 years ago today: Three Dog Night - It's a Jungle Out There My song pick 6 years ago today: Larry Graham & Graham Central Station - Last Train My song pick 7 years ...

From: Christmas Eve and Other Stories ; Year: 1996; Genre: Christmas Music/Symphonic Metal/Progressive Metal Christmas Eve is finally here; the Season has really flew on by, seems like a couple of weeks ago was Thanksgiving.... Anyway, with all of this Christmas music I could not let it go without picking at least one from TSO. This very rousing and emotional song happens to be the opening track off of the debut album; it's hard to believe that it was released back in '96... nearly three decades ago. I can still remember back in1995 when the Savatage record Dead Winter Dead came out, which kind of spawned this offshoot project: Trans-Siberian Orchestra. Great song, great musicians, and an excellent album.   Hear An Angel Came Down on YouTube.         My song pick 1 year ago today: Bing Crosby - I'll Be Home For Christmas (If Only In My Dreams)   My song pick 2 years ago today: Jethro Tull - Pavane   My song pick 3 years ago today: The Smashing Pumpk...

From: Reise, Reise ; Year: 2004; Genre: Symphonic Metal/Neue Deutsche Härte I'm often taken aback by this track every time I hear this album; the swelling, ebbing and overall soaring feeling Ohne Dich gives sends goose bumps and chills down your spine. I really love the bass notes that you feel as much as hear, which adds a great deal to the song. Of course Till's clear, lower-registered vocals and the lyrics make this one truly an emotional piece; one of my absolute favourites from the band.   Hear Ohne Dich on YouTube.       My song pick 1 year ago today: Bobby Freeman - C'mon and Swim (Parts 1 + 2)   My song pick 2 years ago today: Martha and the Vandellas - Heat Wave   My song pick 3 years ago today: Funkadelic - Standing on the Verge of Getting It On   My song pick 4 years ago today: Carmen - Conclusion (She Changed) My song pick 5 years ago today: Fleetwood Mac - Bare Trees My song pick 6 years ago today: The Offspring - Days Go By My so...

From: Glory for Salvation ; Year: 2021; Genre: Power Metal/Symphonic Metal Rhapsody of Fire is and will always be one of the power metal bands that I absolutely adore; after listening to one of their records you feel like you can take on anything in the world, or at least that's how I feel. ;p.    Hear Glory for Salvation on YouTube.       My song pick 1 year ago today: Rare Earth - Good Time Sally   My song pick 2 years ago today: Asia - Anytime   My song pick 3 years ago today: Joe Cocker - Woman to Woman   My song pick 4 years ago today: Jimmy Jules & The Nuclear Soul System - Xmas Done Got Funky My song pick 5 years ago today: Queen - A Winter's Tale My song pick 6 years ago today: Gloryhammer - Rise of the Chaos Wizards My song pick 7 years ago today: Foghat - Third Time Lucky (First Time I Was a Fool) My song pick 8 years ago today: Béla Fleck & the Flecktones - Scratch & Sniff My song pick 9 years ago today: Triump...

From: Age of Impact ; Year: 1998; Genre: Progressive Metal/Symphonic Metal Explorers Club's two albums are among those that I'd heard of and wanted to listen to, but just never go around to it. For me it was similar to my experience with Mike Oldfield's epic Tubular Bells and subsequent releases; as with it, Age of Impact had a very similar reaction when I first played it. I figured wot better place to make my first choice from it, but the opening 16-minute piece that acts not only as a overture, but a long, multifaceted epic that ends being taken to more or less its musical extreme.   Hear Impact 1 – Fate Speaks on YouTube.       My song pick 1 year ago today: Frank Zappa - No Not Now   My song pick 2 years ago today: Nocturnal Rites - Our Wasted Days   My song pick 3 years ago today: Soundgarden - Room a Thousand Years Wide   My song pick 4 years ago today: Morrissey - First of the Gang to Die My song pick 5 years ago today: Raspberries - I Wa...

From: Legends From Beyond the Galactic Terrorvortex ; Year: 2019; Genre: Power Metal/Symphonic Metal Was having some fun listening to some more epic fantasy-inspired metal from the one and only Gloryhammer. This was a bonus track off of their most recent album, and you can definitely hear influence of bands such as Iron Maiden on this one.   Hear On the Wings of a Rainbow on YouTube.       My song pick 1 year ago today: Wishbone Ash - Drive   My song pick 2 years ago today: Queensrÿche - The Mission   My song pick 3 years ago today: C.W. McCall - Four Wheel Drive My song pick 4 years ago today: Black Sabbath - Neon Knights My song pick 5 years ago today: Savatage - Chance My song pick 6 years ago today: Megadeth - A Secret Place My song pick 7 years ago today: Wings - Live and Let Die My song pick 8 years ago today: Larry Graham & Graham Central Station - Are You Happy? My song pick 9 years ago today: Stone Temple Pilots - Creep My song...

From: Tales from the Kingdom of Fife ; Year: 2013; Genre: Power Metal/Symphonic Metal I just love the over-the-top aspects of this band; stories of epic glory and even bigger sounding music to go along with it.    Hear Quest for the Hammer of Glory on YouTube.       My song pick 1 year ago today: Blue Öyster Cult - Nightmare Epiphany   My song pick 2 years ago today: Rod Stewart - (I Know) I'm Losing You   My song pick 3 years ago today: Lawrence Gowan - Moonlight Desires My song pick 4 years ago today: Boston - Used to be Bad News My song pick 5 years ago today: Rhythm Machine - Everybody's Chippin My song pick 6 years ago today: Blue Öyster Cult - Fallen Angel My song pick 7 years ago today: Foo Fighters - These Days My song pick 8 years ago today: Hawkwind - The Aubergine That Ate Rangoon My song pick 9 years ago today: Oasis - All Around the World My song pick 10 years ago today: The Smashing Pumpkins - The End Is the Beginning Is ...

From: Letters from the Labyrinth ; Year: 2015; Genre: Symphonic Metal Needed something a different for today's pick. This one from the latest of TSO album uses a lot from Modest Mussorgsky's Night on Bald Mountain , but in a very metal way, which is not too far off from the original I suppose. Modest Mussorgsky's works are very "metal" in the imagery, music, and subject matter.   Hear Mountain Labyrinth on YouTube.         My song pick 1 year ago today: David Bowie - Star   My song pick 2 years ago today: Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) - Standing in the Rain My song pick 3 years ago today: David Bowie - Five Years My song pick 4 years ago today: Queen - Tenement Funster/Flick of the Wrist/Lily of the Valley My song pick 5 years ago today: Don Henley - Sunset Grill My song pick 6 years ago today: Bad Company - No Smoke Without a Fire My song pick 7 years ago today: Freddy Taylor and His Swing Men from Harlem - Viper's Dream My song pick 8 year...

From: III ; Year: 2014; Genre: Symphonic Metal/Death Metal I felt like revisiting the band Xerath today and it's a good day for some symphonic death metal as well.   Hear I Hold Dominion on YouTube.       My song pick 1 year ago today: Steve Miller Band - Going to the Country   My song pick 2 years ago today: Hawkwind - Sweet Obsession My song pick 3 years ago today: Yes - The Prophet My song pick 4 years ago today: Genesis - The Cinema Show My song pick 5 years ago today: Skid Row - Monkey Business My song pick 6 years ago today: ZZ Top - Tush My song pick 7 years ago today: Blue Öyster Cult - In Thee My song pick 8 years ago today: Rush - La Villa Strangiato (An Exercise in Self-Indulgence) My song pick 9 years ago today: Cheap Trick - Don't Be Cruel My song pick 10 years ago today: Rufus & Chaka Khan - Tell Me Something Good My song pick 11 years ago today: Freddie Taylor and His Swing Men from Harlem - Viper's Dream My song pick 12...

From: Wishmaster ; Year: 2000; Genre: Power Metal/Symphonic Metal Over the last few years I lost some interest in Nightwish, I don't know why, just happened, but I decided to revisit them again today with a pick. This is a rather pretty one, which was a bonus track from the Japanese version of the album. Hear Sleepwalker on YouTube. My song pick 1 year ago today: Carmen - Tales of Spain My song pick 2 years ago today: Blue Öyster Cult - Dragon Lady My song pick 3 years ago today: The Rolling Stones - (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction My song pick 4 years ago today: The Sword - Apocryphon My song pick 5 years ago today: The Doors - Alabama Song (Whiskey Bar) My song pick 6 years ago today: Slade - Slam the Hammer Down My song pick 7 years ago today: Stahlhammer - Mensch My song pick 8 years ago today: Rush - Afterimage My song pick 9 years ago today: Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice - The Last Supper (From Jesus Christ Superstar ) My song pick 10 yea...

From: Space 1992: Rise of the Chaos Wizards ; Year: 2015; Genre: Power Metal/Symphonic Metal Was listening to some of their music whilst out running errands and as usual it felt like a great pick for today. This one is very big and bombastic sounding with all the neat fantasy elements thrown in for good measure. Hear Legend of the Astral Hammer on YouTube. My song pick 1 year ago today: John Fogerty - Rockin' All Over the World My song pick 2 years ago today: Iain Matthews - Gimme An Inch Girl My song pick 3 years ago today: Marmalade - I See the Rain My song pick 4 years ago today: Maddy Prior - Long Shadows My song pick 5 years ago today: Béla Fleck and the Flecktones - Let Me Be the One My song pick 6 years ago today: Finntroll - Ett Norrskensdåd My song pick 7 years ago today: Johann Sebastian Bach - BWV Anh. 117a, 117b - Polonaise in F Major (from Anna Magdalena Notebook II ) My song pick 8 years ago today: Exist†Trace - Requiem My song pick 9 y...

From: Space 1992: Rise of the Chaos Wizards ; Year: 2015; Genre: Power Metal/Symphonic Metal Been thoroughly exhausted both physically and mentally over the last couple days; I'm definitely in need of something "out there" and "over the top" musically. Nothing fits that description better than Gloryhammer in my opinion; epic, in your face, and overtly pretentious, yep, the best medicine out there. Hear Universe on Fire on YouTube. My song pick 1 year ago today: Bon Jovi - Lay Your Hands on Me My song pick 2 years ago today: James Brown - Santa Claus Gave Me a Brand New Start My song pick 3 year ago today: The United States of America - Stranded in Time My song pick 4 years ago today: Boston - Can'tcha Say (Believe in Me)/Still in Love My song pick 5 years ago today: Molly Hatchet - Dreams I'll Never See My song pick 6 years ago today: Miles Davis - Straight, No Chaser My song pick 7 years ago today: Triumph - Hold On My song pic...

From: Dead Winter Dead ; Year: 1995; Genre: Symphonic Metal/Progressive Metal Ah yes, the powerful closing song to Savatage's epic album Dead Winter Dead ; I absolutely love playing this entire disc around this time of year. Hear Not What You See on YouTube. My song pick 1 year ago today: Winger - Without the Night My song pick 2 years ago today: Eurythmics - Winter Wonderland My song pick 3 years ago today: Jackson Browne - Running on Empty My song pick 4 years ago today: Porcupine Tree - This Long Silence My song pick 5 years ago today: Blue Öyster Cult - Stone of Love My song pick 6 years ago today: The Crickets (Buddy Holley) - That'll Be the Day My song pick 7 years ago today: Alestorm - Keelhauled My song pick 8 years ago today: Jethro Tull - My God My song pick 9 years ago today: Wolfsheim - Once in a Lifetime My song pick 10 years ago today: Grand Funk Railroad - I'm Your Captain (Closer to Home) My song pick 11 years ago today: Pet S...

From: The Shadow Self ; Year: 2016; Genre: Symphonic Metal Had some of Tarja Turunen's solo music on my mind today; decided to check out some of her more recent material. I have to say, it's not bad at all, still the same operatic metal sound I like a lot. Hear Undertaker on YouTube. My song pick 1 year ago today: Earth, Wind & Fire - Happy Feelin' My song pick 2 years ago today: The Fabulous Flee-Rakkers - Green Jeans My song pick 3 years ago today: Aerosmith - F.I.N.E. My song pick 4 years ago today: Coven - Lost Without a Trace My song pick 5 years ago today: Fairport Convention - Autopsy My song pick 6 years ago today: The Police - Every Breath You Take My song pick 7 years ago today: Kenny Loggins - Danger Zone My song pick 8 years ago today: The Moontrekkers - Night of the Vampire My song pick 9 years ago today: Maddy Prior - Cold Flame My song pick 10 years ago today: Savatage - Follow Me My song pick 11 years ago today: Bachman-Tu...