gwrliu's Top 3 Songs of 2014

Rating: 9/10 It was always the little things that meant to much to me Well. It's that time of the year again. The time where we look back on the year, and prepare for the coming one. The time when we pledge to be a better person. Mayhaps even the time when we think about our place in the world, and the world when we are gone. I'm going to be posting just once a week, so if you've got an extra minute or two and you're not reading directly from the themed and ad-free source (dropthefire.blogspot.com), please visit. Well, here are the best 3 of the tracks I discovered this year. 1. ★ kran - 千本桜(Senbonzakura)(ICBM Remix) (YTube link) 2. McClain Sisters - Go (YTube link) 3. Charice - Louder (YTube link) Happy New Year. Let's hope it'll be a good one.

Malinda Kathleen Reese- All I Want for Christmas

Rating: 8/10 Christmas, you got me, baby! And it appears the blog died again. For a short while, anyways. I was so certain that I published a different version of this song for Christmas last year, but it appears that I've only been authoring here for 4 months ._. Originally sung by Mariah Carey, 1994 (YTube link). MKR obtained her lyrics through translate.google.com- English input, and repeated translations of the result. I do consider it to fit the requirements of a parody. Video filmed in London and Germany. quack~

25 Days of Metal Day 18: Non-single song the Year: Within Temptation - "Covered by Roses"

Rating: 9/10 Covered by roses When this dance is over We all know our beauty will die. This song is so amazing but I really don't know what to say, everything about I just love so much, the verses are amazing, the chorus is beyond amazing, the instrumentals are amazing, the guitar solo is amazing, even the video which was released recently release with their live DVD is amazing, maybe I'll figure out something more to say before my top 5 songs of the year next week, but this song is just fucking amazing.

25 Days of Metal Day 17: Single of the Year: Sonata Arctica - "The Wolves Die Young"

Rating: 9/10 This is the day when the wolves die young They'll never see a new midnight sun The time has come to announce winners! Holy shit I am in love with this song, having listened it to a more and thought about it a bit and the song tells a really interesting, if a bit generic story which made me appreciate it even more, honestly I was a bit disappointed with the general quality of the singes released this year, but this one was certainly excellent.

25 Days of Metal Day 16: Album of the Year Nominations #4: Edguy- "Space Police: Defenders of the Crown"

Rating: ?/10 I always really liked Edguy and this album is no exception, they generally produce really solid power metal with somewhat of a comedic twist, and this album is no exception, normally Tobias Sammet has incredibly spot on vocals, and this album is no exception. Basically this album is more of the same Edguy format and is really solid for it since they are really good at what they do. See also: Edguy - "Love Tyger"

25 Days of Metal Day 15: Album of the Year Nominations #3: Sabaton - "Heroes"

Rating: ?/10 I really like Sabaton, and this album is no exception, Sabaton consistently deliver high quality songs about people, battles, and events from historical wars which as someone who is really interested in military history is excellent for me. This album focuses specifically on individuals, mostly from World War II. Although I don't like the individual tracks as much as some other albums, this album really impressed me since every single track is super good. See also: Sabaton - "Night Witches" Sabaton - "Resist and Bite"

25 Days of Metal Day 14: Album of the Year Nominations #2: Sonata Arctica - "Pariah's Child"

Rating: ?/10 This album was really interesting for me, Sonata Arctica's was generally disliked and they have been really moving away from their older heavier style and a lot of people don't like it. Personally I'm fairly neutral towards it, but I think album came out really and had a lot of really fun songs. I wasn't expecting a whole lot coming into it and it turned out really solid with a lot of really unique ideas and a wide variety of songs. See also: Sonata Arctica - "The Wolves Die Young"

25 Days of Metal Day 13: Album of the Year Nominations #1: Within Temptation - "Hydra"

Rating: ?/10 Obviously this is going to be here considering I four songs from this album have been nominated. This album was released right the beginning of the year and I really loved it then and I still love it now. Following up to their excellent album from last year, Within Temptation have quickly become one of my favorite bands. The songs are generally fairly simple but just really solid. Also they did quite a few colabs with several really high quality musicians, all of which turned out excellent. See also: Within Temptation - "Paradise (What About Us?)" Within Temptation - "And We Run" Within Temptation - "Covered By Roses" Within Temptation - "Silver Moonlight" Within Temptation - "Whole World Is Watching"

Hatsune Miku/ Rin + Len Kagamine- えれくとりっく・えんじぇぅ (Electric Angel)

Rating: 7/10 You give me happiness/ because you say you like my voice Finals time. Don't expect a post on Tuesday. Version.Miku uploaded to niconico on 10 Oct 2007. Song by Yasuo-P. There's also a more hardstyle Rin/Len version included, if that's your preference. And because it's at least a 6, here's a nightcore of the Rin/Len.

25 Days of Metal Day 12: Music Video of the Year Nominations #4: Hammerfall - "Hector's Hymn"

Rating: ?/10 Hammer high to the sky Follow the warrior and the king Call of Hector's Hymn This video is really interesting and unique, I really like the combination of the band playing with the comiclike almost pop-up-booklike style for this song and I think it fits really well. I think they nailed the visuals and this song is really good too.

25 Days of Metal Day 11: Music Video of the Year Nominations #3: Within Temptation - "Whole World is Watching" ft. Dave Pirner

Rating: ?/10 What are you waiting for? What are you fighting for? Cause time's always slipping away. The whole world is watching. There are actually two versions of this song featuring different male vocalists, but this is the version used on the album and the version I like better. The song and video are very inspirational about doing your best and believing you can accomplish anything.

25 Days of Metal Day 10: Music Video of the Year Nominations #2: Epica - "Victims of Contingency"

Rating: ?/10 If you blame all your failures on someone else, without any remorse, if you don't face the weakness of your own self, you will take the same course. Whoops, I missed a day because I was busy with finals so two posts today! Anyways, when I saw this video it really caught my eye, I'm a super big fan of the song, but the music video is really interesting. A song about taking responsibility for your actions and the video represents that well.

25 Days of Metal Day[9]: Music Video of the Year Nominations #1: Edguy - "Love Tyger"

Rating: ?/10 They call me Love T-T-Tyger I'm gonna save your soul - never mine I don't even know, this song and video are so incredibly 80's, but I kinda like it, I don't really know what to say, it certainly wasn't what I was expecting from Edguy on the music video front, but it was actually kinda interesting.

Laura Shigihara- 芝生にゾンビが (Zombies on Your Lawn)

Rating: 6/10 Zonbi wa dete itta... Meant to post this a week ago, but I forgot and then I had to post Dark Side. So I finished Vocaloid vs. Zombies over the weekend. It's a hacked version (modifying the sprites of the plants to resemble Vocaloids) of Plants vs. Zombies (link to PvZ, not VvZ). Song sung by Laura Shigihara and father for the PvZ series. The English version (which came first) is on Plants vs. Zombies Original Soundtrack, released by Shigihara (bandcamp link)and played in the end credits. It's not as good- the singing zombies don't fit in.

25 Days of Metal Day 8: Non-single song of the Year Nominations #4: Within Temption - "Silver Moonlight"

Rating: ?/10 Screaming at the walls of fire But I'm still running free In the silver moonlight I can't breathe Look, this album has too many good songs that weren't released as singles, I can't just pick one, this song is also amazing, it's really simple, but uses the contrast between Sharon's vocals and death growls well and I love the whoaaaaaaa almost as much as highlander.

25 Days of Metal Day 7: Non-single song of the Year Nominations #3: Epica - "Unchain Utopia"

Rating: ?/10 We're in a time where all enterprises fall, we should beware of the wolves that haunt us I've always had somewhat mixed feelings about Epica, on one hand I think Simone Simmons is the best active symphonic metal vocalist, however I often don't like their composition and often feel they focus too heavily on death growls, however I feel they struck a really good balance with their album this year and I think this track showcases this very well.

25 Days of Metal Day 6: Non-single song of the Year Nominations #2: Sabaton - "Night Witches"

Rating: ?/10 Undetected, unexpected Wings of glory, tell their story You can never go wrong with some heavy power metal, honestly it's fairly generic, but it's just really really good. The subject is also fairly interesting, the Russian all female 558th Night Bomber Regiment of the Soviet Union in World War II. An excellently written and sung song from an excellently written and sung album.

Kelly Clarkson- Dark Side

Rating: 8/10 Nobody's a picture perfect/ But we're worth it New headset = Music revolution #3! (#1: none -> earplugs, #2: earplugs -> cheap headphones, #3: cheap headphones to nice headset) Best (most variation between previous and now) of the pending songs I'm planning to share. Listen closely; there's a music box~ Single by Kelly Clarkson, released by RCA Records. Reached #1 on Billboard's Top Dance Club songs.

25 Days of Metal Day 5: Non-single song of the Year Nominations #1: Within Temptation - "Covered by Roses"

Rating: ?/10 Covered by roses Sometimes I question artists' choices in singles, and this is definitely a song that would have made an amazing single. This is a song I can just listen too over and over again and I still love it. I feel the instrumentation is fairly simple and a bit repetitive, Sharon absolutely nails the vocals which solidifies this as one of my favorite songs from this year

25 Days of Metal Day 4: Single of the Year Nominations #4: Hammerfall - "Bushido"

Rating: 7/10 I'm the warrior, I am In the rising sun I stand A really solid song and a good choice for a single from Hammerfall, really showcasing their vocalists skills well, a song about a samurai, honestly I don't have a lot to say about, but it's really solid.

25 Days of Metal Day 3: Single of the Year Nominations #3: Sonata Arctica - "The Wolves Die Young"

Rating: 9/10 I'm gonna make sure the prophecy is undone, find out where those children have run This is definately my favorite song from Sonata Arctica's new album and I think it represents the band and album very well with a focus on vocals and a combination of both the keyboard and guitar in the melody. I think the lyrics speak for themselves. Although I don't think it is intentional, the lyrics really remind me of Game of Thrones. I really like the instrumentation and the vocals in the chorus in particular. I really don't like the music video for this song but you can easily find it on youtube if you want to. Overall, this is probably my favorite Sonata Arctica song in quite a while.

25 Days of Metal Day 2: Single of the Year Nominations #2: Sabaton - "Resist and Bite"

Rating: 8/10 And we run with a lonely heart And we run for this killing love This song was one of the songs off this album that immediately caught my attention when I first heard this album, the guitar riff playing throughout this song is so amazing. As with all Sabaton songs, this song is about a historical person, group, or battle. This one is about NChasseurs Ardennais, a battalion that fought at the Battle of Belgium in World War II.

25 Days of Metal Day 1: Single of the Year Nominations #1: Within Temptation - "And We Run" ft. Xzibit

Rating: 8/10 And we run with a lonely heart And we run for this killing love I'm back with 25 days of metal counting down to Christmas and doing awards in five categories. Best single, best non-single track, best music video, best album, and finally best song. The first 16 days I will announce and review the my four nominations for the first four categories, days 21-24 I will announce the winners for the first four categories, the 17th to the 20th I will announce the winners for those categories and on the last five days I will count down my top 5 songs of the year. I will keep the scores hidden for these songs until I announce the winners so I don't spoil the results early. Enjoy 25 days of NOTHING BUT METAL!!! Anyways, on to the review. The singles for this album are a bit awkward since half of them were released before the album at the end of 2013, and the other half were released after the album in 2014, of the 2014 singles, musically this one is my favorite. The contrast between Within Temptation's vocalist Sharon den Adel and American rapper Xzibit make a unique symphonic metal track that I find amazing.

Hatsune Miku- Love Words

Rating: 8/10 For listening to me, I'll always be grateful grateful Thanksgiving Day is a national holiday celebrated primarily in the United States and Canada as a day of giving thanks for the blessing of the harvest and of the preceding year. -Wikipedia And it happens to be tomorrow (a bit less than 10 hours from now) in the US. What are *you* thankful for this year? :3 Song by DECO*27; uploaded to niconico on 20 June 2009. Video made in Project DIVA and uploaded to YTube by googoo888.

Neimer- Two Hearts Together (Skann Dyzt Remix)

Rating: 8/10 Don't mind the image. I come here to give you music, not images. It's slightly less sharp and more melodious than what might be the original (link). Didn't feel like posting on Tuesday, and it was too sunny on Friday. More trance incoming.

Hatsune Miku/ rockleetist- エレクトリック・ラブ (Electric Love)

Rating: 8/10 So let the soundwave of my song/ start to radio through The first video is prettier. It's colorful and it's got special effects and glitter and it's got a Miku! Thai subtitles, also. The second video is an English cover of the same song by rockleetist (YTube link) (free MP3). Both are MikuMikuDance-animated and have English subtitles. I don't see a reason not to watch/ listen. Produced and uploaded to niconico on 15 Dec 2009 by Hachioji-P (or 8#Prince). There's an entire album that just has remixes (album preview on SoundCloud) (official website). Speaking of electricity, SolaRoad opened a solar panel road in the Netherlands. Read more here (English).

RaymanRave + JP Project - Pulse Storm

Rating: 6/10 Aw yeah! In a trance mood. Collaboration between RaymanRave (YTube link) and JP Project (SoundCloud link), reuploaded to YTube by xy4Trance.

Colbie Caillat- Try

Rating: 6/10 Wait a second,/ Why should you care,/ what they think of you Single released as promotion for album 5: Gypsy Heart (iTunes link). New posts on Tuesday and Friday, if I feel like doing one.

Hatsune Miku- 秘密警察 (Secret Police)

Rating: 6/10 While you lead a carefree life, the number of our collaborators increases Election day today in the US. I'm far from the biggest fan of the rapid singing parts. In the game, the costume (module) Miku is wearing at 2:35 is available for purchase only by clearing "Secret Police". Song produced by Buriru-P and is his most famous song. Animations created in Project DIVA Arcade.

katethegreat19- Come Little Children (Garden of Shadows Cover)

Rating: 7/10 Come little children,/ the time's come to play Safety first this All Hallows' Eve! The 'original' appeared in the 1993 Disney film Hocus Pocus, sung by Sarah Jessica Parker. It *may* have been based off a poem by Edgar Allen Poe, which may or may not exist. The cover here was performed by Erutan Music (katethegreat19) and uploaded to YouTube on 27 Oct 2009. Free MP3 download (link) iTunes (link)

Hatsune Miku + Megurine Luka/ Rockleetist- かこめかこめ (Circle You, Circle You)

Rating: 8/10 ***Viewer discretion requested*** NSFW, PG-16 to R... If you're going to need to ask your parents for permission, save the effort and just not watch this. If you don't, you still might not want to watch this. It's time to get serious, I suppose. If I may suggest a listening method? The first video is a speedpaint of Miku, with a Miku + Luka duet. Watch (view) it if you want. I chose to include it because it was one of the few without subtitles. Then you're going to want to look around you to see if anyone is near. Sign out of YouTube or use an InPrivate window. Put on headphones or earplugs if you haven't already. Then listen to Rockleetist's English cover and realize what you were just listening to. My favorite dark Vocaloid song. I sing along to it sometimes. People tend to look at me strangely when I do. Published to niconico by Kamiyanagi; maybe based on the children's game (en.wikipedia link), maybe based on the other thing (CreepyPasta link)

Hatsune Miku- Heart a la Mode

Rating: 6/10 I'm gonna treasure every second of it All Hallows' Eve countdown part 2: A date in San Francisco! Credits in the video. Done by Deco*27 for Georgia Coffee (link). Miku mentions a can of coffee ~ 0:33, and can be seen holding one at 1:31.

Peter Hollens + Kina Grannis- Pompeii (Cover)

Rating: 8/10 But if you close your eyes,/ Does it almost feel like/ nothing changed at all? I felt like doing an All Hallows' Eve countdown so here's this. New tag added: a capella (without instruments). Variety is the spice of life, and my music is much more tasty than the food I cook. Pompeii was done by Bastille, a British rock band. It was track 1 in their album Bad Blood (iTunes link). Here's the link to the official VEVO video. Hollens (YTube link) does a capella covers and composes original songs, and Grannis (YTube link) does covers of stuff and composes original songs. Or if you want to listen to more, you can just look for them by yourself (links in the video, at the end). They've both got a FaceBook page, iTunes, and Twitter.

Groove Coverage- Far Away From Home

Rating: 7/10 If we could make it though the darkest night/ We'd have a brighter day There I go, hoping someone else posts... The parts of the internet that I looked at say the song isn't "In My Dreams". I would readily forgive the poster... but they haven't been active for 2 years. Groove Coverage is a German dance band. I've been listening to some of their music without knowing (as nightcore). Love the strong beat and that the instrumental doesn't interfere with the vocals.

Hatsune Miku & Kagamine Rin - The Lost Lovers

Rating: 8/10 Take two good songs and makes one better song. The video preview is so blurry. Worry not, it doesn't stay that way. Uploaded to niconico on 6 March 2013 by a Nagi Kusanagi. Links to the separate videos: Two-Faced Lovers The Lost One's Weeping End of the Vocaloid explosion, btw. Back to business as usual.

Vocaloid Eight- Night ∞ Series

***Viewer discretion advised*** This qualifies as Dark Vocaloid to me, so I feel like I should add this. There's murder in the videos and suicide in one of them. I was going to make 4 separate posts, but decided to make one megapost as they're all related. The Night ∞ Series was composed by Hitoshizuku-P and Yama△, its illustrations done by Suzunosuke, and the videos made by TSO. Hidari did the character design. All the subbing was done by vgperson. The series actually ended some time ago, on 3 September 14. Rating: 8/10 A meeting such as this, you know, must be fate! Favorite of the series. The mysterious figure sounds like it's voiced by Len, but I'm not sure. This is from the Villager's (Miku's) point of view. Rating: 6/10 Let the excitement swell even higher! *Gasp* The cast doesn't look at fault anymore, does it? This is from their point of view. Rating: 7/10 An odd... thumping sound...? Cardboard-aided. Think of it as a guided tour through a pop-up book. This one is from the audience's point of view. Rating: 7/10 An incident is sure to occur! A fitting end to a fantastic∞series Hope you don't need this: *CAST* Villager- Hatsune Miku Lord- KAITO Lady- MEIKO Mistress- Megurine Luka Maid- GUMI Butler- Camui Gackpo Doll (M)- Kagamine Len Doll (F)- Kagamine Rin Rating: 8/10 Chaotic, which matches the storyline really well. I think this series is better viewed than listened to, but it's still earned a spot on my playlist.

anon + kanon- Heart Chrome

Rating: 7/10 I wanna be with you/ Repeat and love you Crypton Future Media, INC. isn't the only company making Vocaloids. anon and kanon are done by Bplats, INC., and I've never heard them before (Not bad, IMHO). These two are confirmed twins (unlike the Kagamine duo). kanon wears black and is the older of the pair. 1:05 to 1:12 is a nice place, if you want to hear their vocals separately. Hachioji-P did the music, q*Left wrote the lyrics, and WakamuraP made the movie. Animations are from MikuMikuDance. As usual, the video on niconico is a better quality. You need to sign up for a free account, though. (Link) Fun fact: This is an extended version of the anon & kanon demo.

Imagine Dragons- Warriors

Rating: 6/10 Farewell, I've gone to take my throne above Far from their best work, but I'll still listen to this occasionally. Composed by Imagine Dragons for the League of Legends 2014 World Finals. The upper player is the music video, and the bottom one is a performance at the event. Here's a download link.

Hatsune Miku- ワールドイズマイン (World is Mine) Dixie Flatline Remix

Rating: 8/10 I just want you to think from your heart that I'm cute Here's a remix of one of the most popular Vocaloid songs! I like this one more because in some places (in the original), it almost sounds like Miku's voice is supporting the music, which isn't right. The remix is also more in line with my other music tastes. "World is Mine" was written and produced by ryo, of Supercell. It's widely considered to be Miku's theme song, and arguably the most popular Vocaloid song. I've also included the original if you don't share my preference of the remix. It's animated. Cause I'm persistent, here's also a link to a Project DIVA Dreamy Theater 2nd version. And it's got English subs. Here's the image link for the remix.

Hatsune Miku- ハト (White Dove)

Rating: 5/10 La~la~la~ This year's International Talk-Like-A-Pirate-Day was just about 1 month ago today. I missed it, but here's a somewhat pirate-themed Vocaloid song to celebrate. She's wearing the "Pirate" module, at least. This song was released on 7 Dec 2007 and is HatanoP's most popular work. Video is from Project DIVA Dreamy Theater 2nd.

Hatsune Miku- 結ンデ開イテ羅刹ト骸 (Hold, Release; Rakshasa and Carcasses)

Rating: 6/10 A leash tied to a pine tree, hanging and swinging/ There has been at least 1 post by two other posters. Vocaloid is back. Welcome, to what I call 'Dark Vocaloid'. You see, Vocaloid is a commercial product, and it's available to anyone who wants to pay for it. And there are people who are less normal than your typical normal people, and some of them might buy a copy of a Vocaloid singer, and decide to use it and publish the result on the internet. Sometimes, that song isn't half bad, and it spreads, and more people listen to it and spread it further. Again, I welcome you, and hope you stay awhile. This was first uploaded to niconico by Hachi (the person who wrote/illustrated/produced the song) on 5 July 2009. The lyrics' meanings are open, but one theory is that they relate to (child) prostitution. You can read more on the Vocaloid wiki here.

Download Festival - Friday: June 13, 2014

Back in June this year, I went to Download Festival (one of the largest and best rock/metal festivals in the U.K.) as my graduation present. And I thought I might do a review of my experience by day, with some of my favorite performances*. I know it was months ago, but I'm slow at getting things done.
*full lineup.
On Friday of the festival I looked around at the different stages and was at the main stage for Black Label Society, Within Temptation, Rob Zombie, and Avenged Sevenfold.

Within Temptation

This is the first band I really knew before attending and so obviously one that would peak my interest. They were the second to last band on the main stage before the headliner, and played set that lasted around an hour. I only knew one song by this Dutch metal band, but after seeing them, I would really like to get to know them better. While vocalist, Sharon den Adel did not have quite as much energy as the frontmen of some of my favorite live acts, she did have a powerful voice, which is definitely something to appreciate from a female in rock. The song "Our Solemn Hour" was one that stayed in my mind long after the show (probably has something to the Latin chant). It's a really neat symphonic metal track off the band's fourth album The Heart of Everything, and has a full, steady beat.

The main stage headliner the first night was American metal band A7X who are not new to this blog. Now, I am not usually the one to review their stuff, but I have enjoyed listening to them since even before the festival. I was quite excited to see this group, and I was not disappointed. The played a set that lasted about two hours (including the encore) that was full of fire (literally) and heavy metal. Their new drummer (RIP the Rev) Arin Ilejay did a pretty darn good job, even with the old songs' complicated and epic beats. Synyster Gates had some beautiful guitar solos that night, along with his song "So Far Away" that vocalist M. Shadows dedicated to their fallen bandmate and friend. The songs I have here are the first single and title song of their newest album Hail to the King (one I think encompasses the album pretty well), as well as "This Means War" also from that album (this song was stuck in my head for days after). Their sixth studio release came out August 2013, and was the first with Ilejay on the drums. Although he is capable of tougher beats, the band wanted to strip down music some, but it still sounds fantastically epic.

Avenged Sevenfold

Hatsune Miku- Error Propagation Plus

Rating: 6/10 Show 2 of the Miku Expo (LA) started approx. 5 1/2 hours ago. From the guy who brought you Nyan Cat! Although... truthfully, this song does bear resemblance to something else... (*sneeze*). Song and video (MikuMikuDance) made by Daniwell-P. You can see the song's website here. Far as I can tell (I'm not fluent in Japanese), if what Miku be singing was translated into English, they'd still be gibberish. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.

Hatsune Miku- Sharing the World

Rating: 6/10 I can see this future is right now Here's the theme song for the Miku Expo. A live concert is happening today and tomorrow at the NOKIA Theatre. There's also a Hatsune Miku Halloween Party at Los Angeles Center Studios, also 11 Oct and 12 Oct. Also appeared live on the Late Show with David Letterman (link). Song is in English, so you don't need to look at the subtitles to see what's being sung. Produced by BIGHEAD. iTunes link.

Hatsune Miku- Rolling Girl

Rating: 7/10 One more time, one more time More fastpaced, cheerful, catchy stuff with less-than-positive lyrics. Methinks the included video suits the song better than a Project DIVA Dreamy animation, so that's what I gave you. You can find one here, though. Made by wowaka. Video credits in the video. This song was posted on niconico on 14 Feb 2010, and got to #2 of the Weekly Rankings. Does anyone I don't know care what I post? Does anyone even read this accompanying text, or watch the embedded video?

Sam Tsui & Christina Grimmie- Just a Dream

Rating: 7/10 But wait, I guess that I wasn't in enough Song originally performed by Nelly and released on iTunes on 16 Aug 2010. I was going to include a nightcore version, but another provider got cut due to "multiple third-party claims of copyright infringement regarding material the user posted". YouTube links: Tsui Grimmie

Yoshino Nanjō- Only My Railgun

Rating: 8/10 I don't care about limits; they're meaningless Upbeat with a strong and catchy melody and punctuated with vocal-focused sections. Love the formula. This song was produced by fripSide and used as the season 1 opening theme of "A Certain Scientific Railgun". I've included the official video and the anime opening. The opening is subbed, so you might want to watch both. A nightcore version is available here (it's also subbed). It's so odd how ArchonofFail and I keep doing similar stuff. This time, it's anime openings.

Man with a Mission ft. Takuma - "Database"

Rating: 8/10 With the second season beginning and keeping this epic OP I thought now would be a good time to post this song. Log Horizon is one of my favorite anime and this song is certainly part of the reason why. An interesting rock song combining some hip-hop elements along with combining English and Japanese makes a really interesting song and I love it. Interestingly the OP version has different singing that the full version. Also unfortunately the normal version of the second OP version isn't on youtube so I included the preview for it which is still excellent. Hype song, hype anime, looking forward to the rest of Log Horizon and this song every week.

Hatsune Miku- August 31

Rating: 6/10 I'm so grateful to this world you are a part of This song makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside. It's slow, calming; not what I usually listen to. Credits are in the video. Uploaded to niconico on 31 August 2014. Subbed version uploaded to Youtube by decentsubs on 3 October 2014.

Nightwish - "The Kinslayer"

Rating: 7/10 This is one of my favorite examples of classic Nightwish from Wishmaster which was their heaviest album, this a great example of that style with the power metalesque instrumentation but given the symphonic twist with the keyboard and Tarja's vocals. A really interesting example, quite possibly the song that best exemplifies symphonic power metal as a genre. This is definitely one a song that I didn't like as much when I first heard it but it has grown on me a lot over time.

Vocaloid Five- Birthday Song for Miku

Rating: 6/10 When we hear the sound of your voice/ The world changes, Happy Birthday! This song is sung by Kaito, Meiko, Len, Luka, and Rin. When you listen to this and wonder what they're singing in English, please remember that only Luka has an English voicebank. Seven people worked on the video, click here for the list. Of the seven, six were involved with the video; only Mitchie M (known for doing realistic Vocaloid musics) did the music. The song was requested by Crypton Future Media, INC. to celebrate Miku's 5th birthday. It got uploaded to niconico on 20 July 2012. The embedded player doesn't allow captions, so here's a YouTube link if you want to watch the video and read the subtitles.

Elliot Berger ft. Laura Brehm- Diamond Sky

Rating: 7/10 Under a diamond sky/ Everyone wants to shine I can't say this for most nightcore edits: The non-nightcore is just as good, if not better, than the nightcore version. Both are included for your auditory pleasure. This track was included in Spotlight Compilation, Vol. 1, a collaboration between Monstercat, Tasty Network, Trap n Bass & EDM Spotlight. Here's a iTunes link.

Xandria- Sisters of the Night

Rating: 8/10 We're the stormy air/ We are we This song starts out vaguely tribal-esque, but then turns into... symphonic metal, I suppose. It's what Xandria does, and it sounds like they're quite good at it, too. Pun intended. This is track 10 in their 4th album (Salomé – The Seventh Veil). Here's the iTunes link. Image is from Fate/stay. On another note, I'm still waiting for someone other than ArchonofFail or me to post to resume posting Vocaloid. There's an introduction to a subgenre and a megapost waiting to be published.

Mom's All Star Spaghetti (Smash Mouth x Eminem)

Rating: 8/10 This mashup is one of the strangest things I have ever, but I love it! Eminem with the beat of All Star by Smash Mouth with spaghetti thrown in very cleverly to completely change the meaning of the original song. A really hilarious concept executed excellently, probably my favorite mashup. Anyways, after today, back to normal songs, which probably means more drop the vocaloid unless anyone else decides to post since that is what I've been listing to recently.

Slamifinal Episode (Quad City DJs x Pokemon Colosseum x Snoop Dogg)

Rating: 8/10 I did a post on the original song from Pokemon colosseum and it just so happens we have it here again in my favorite space jam remix! Not only does this mashup manage to mash up three very different songs, it does so extremely well and seamlessly. Quite excellent. Makes sure to come back tomorrow for the finale of my week of mashups!

Weed Circulation (Monogatari Series x Snoop Dogg)

Rating: 8/10 Whoops, I appear to have been caught up in a temporal paradox, and missed posting for a week, well mashup week resumes now. This song is what when you take one of the best anime OPs of all time and add Snoop Dogg. It's surprisingly good and the surprisingly high quality video really makes this mashup come together for me. I was originally going to save this mashup for April 20th, but since I'm doing a week of mashups, here it is now. Also before I go, have a bonus Renai Circulation mashup that I'm also quite fond of.

Britt Nicole- Headphones

Rating: 6/10 Love, love's coming through your headphones Before you click the embedded YouTube video to the left, you really should put on some headphones, if you have any around. Or earphones, at least. Happy sunshine rainbows. It's magical, it is.

Kagamine Rin- Fear Garden

Rating: 1/10 Hands with five fingers are the best ***Viewer discretion requested*** I don't recommend you listen to this. Really. That one you see up there... Yeah. I happened to stumble upon a "What Vocaloid song are you?" quiz. When I took it, I got this. Listened to it, cause I haven't before and it might be good. I know that I'm posting actual Vocaloid before 2 other people post. If you think too many 'bad' thoughts about me, add me to your very own little Garden of Fear.