- “So hard to choose one, but I’d probably have to go with Layne Staley. His style is so unique and full of vibe and emotion. 1B would be Emily Armstrong, new Linkin Park singer. Great songwriting with Dead Sara and new LP stuff and great voice.” – Deadly Vices
- “Trent Reznor!” – Winter in May
- “Peter Spilles of Project Pitchfork! His music inspired me to start writing many years ago.” – K.A.R.L. (Kill All Remaining Life)
- “Trey Anastasio [Phish].” – Til Fauna
- “Tommy Stinson [The Replacements/Bash & Pop]. Just a great songwriter.” – naked sunday
- “Love to work with Impending Doom.” – Encircled Throne
- “I’m gonna get shit for this, but I wouldn’t be the man I am today: Marilyn Manson.” – Deathmare
- “Devin Townsend, for sure. He breaks all rules and molds.” – Gillsaw
- “Frank Black of The Pixies.” – Revolution Rabbit Deluxe
- “Coheed and Cambria.” – Overlay
- “Jonathan Davis.” – After the Apocalypse
- “Idles.” – Televised Mind
Til Fauna
The Mostly Music 2025 Playlist, Pt. 2 (Updated 2/28/25)
The final update for February is upon us! 2025 started flying by once January finally ended. Be sure to check out the entire playlist – parts one and two – and prepare for whatever March has to offer.
Here are the songs that have been added since February 14th.
- Til Fauna: “Run”
- Savile Row: “Hold On” (ft. Ms. Karoline)
- Histheory: “Unbinding Truth”
- The Immaculate Crows: “Happy”
- Seethe: “IDT (Falling in Wait)”
- Seethe: “Depths”
- Wednesday 13: “When the Devil Commands”
- New Dreams: “HeartRace”
- Damsel: “Will You Be Mine?”
- Already Over: “Severed”
- Naum: “Maybe”
- Alethium: “Orbit”
- Moulin Myers: “Welcome”
- Jason Myrla: “Killer In Me”
- We Alone: “EVOLVE”
- With My Own Eyes: “Make Me Forget”
- Christian Pearson: “Selling a Lie” (ft. Leo Margarit)
- Boiler Room: “Changes”
- Scarlet Falls: “Now This Time”
- SKNN: “Digital Zombies”
- Overlay: “Without You”
- A Fatal Black: “Kill the Lights”
- Eddie King: “What If You Knew”
- SevVven: “Sea of Regrets”
- Pistols at Dawn: “Bones”
- Adam and the Metal Hawks: “Wrong Time of Day”
- Nathan James: “Alienation”
- Crucigen: “Strident Dreamer”
- Eric Dalton: “breathe”
- Sunrise in Jupiter: “Satellite”
- Kingdom Collapse: “Elevate”
- The Crowned: “Set You Free” (ft. Eddie Hemida)
- Dead Air Network: “Carcass Queen”
- Tricky Shoreline: “Flowers”
- Counter: “Bitter”
- Jay F: “Weight of Her World”
- Shadows Divide: “Conquer”
- Seventh Day Slumber: “Black Roses, White Doves”
- Rezilient: “Pretend”
- Revolution Rabbit Deluxe: “Parabellum”
- Mr. Strange: “Goliath”
- Knightfall: “Not Ready to Let You Go” (ft. Adrien Djouadou and Sergio Salvucci)
- Red Melting: “Beast of Society”
- Silent Theory: “Made Me This Way” (ft. Jay Gordon of Orgy)
- Gillsaw: “Thankful”
- The Birthday Massacre: “Sleep Tonight”
- Soundscape: “Your Schema”
Question of the Week [Jan. 26, 2025]
Hello, all! I have started a new feature for this blog. Each Monday, I will be posting a question to my socials for bands/artists to answer, then I will compile them and share the responses here on Sundays.
I shared the first one this past Monday, the 20th, and it has gotten quite a reaction! As you’ll see, some bands specified who was answering and their roles, while others didn’t. Check it out.
Who are your biggest influences? (You personally, not the band as a whole.)
- “Dio, Def Leppard, KISS, Elvis.” – Joe (vocals), Freaky Things
- “Black Sabbath, Celtic Frost, Bathory, Motörhead.” – Michael Jahrling (vocals/bass), Rail Rage
- “Descendents, NOFX, Blink-182, The Ataris.” – Brad (vocals/guitar), Frick
- “Mainly Creedence [Clearwater Revival], Slade, Status Quo, and The Donnas.” – Richard (vocals/guitar), RJ Archer & the Painful Memories
- “Layne Staley, Chris Cornell, Scott Weiland, Maynard James Keenan, Jonathan Davis, and Seether.” – Adam (vocals/writing), EverFelt
- “Tool, A Perfect Circle, Cave In, Periphery, Thrice, Coheed and Cambria.” – The Welcoming
- “Lyrically, I am inspired by Jonathan Davis [Korn], but also heavily influenced by bands like Project Pitchfork, Skinny Puppy, and Spahn Ranch!” – TJ (vocals/et. al), K.A.R.L. (Kill All Remaining Life)
- “Black Sabbath, Deep Purple/Rainbow, Judas Priest, Metallica, Rush, Morbid Angel, Napalm Death, Voivoid, Death, Godflesh, Brutal Truth… I could go on.” – Ritchie (guitars), Gravehuffer
- “I pull influences from everywhere, mostly heavy stuff but [also] pop all the way to country, on rare occasions. My faves, though, are Chelsea Grin, The Black Dahlia Murder, and Bring Me The Horizon.” – Joseph, Encircled Throne
- “Bob Dylan remains my greatest influence/inspiration, as far as songwriting. As far as musicians… Jimi Hendrix, Miles Davis, John McLaughlin, Frank Zappa, and Herbie Hancock.” – Bruce Nielsen (songwriter/guitar/harmonica/bass), The Immaculate Crows
- “Phil Collins, Taylor Hawkins, Tony Fernandez, John Bonham, and Chad Smith.” – Alex (drums), Neon Society
- “Lzzy Hale, Tim [Rise Against], and Peter Steele [Type O Negative].” – Nico (vocals), Little Evil
- “Maynard [Tool, APC, etc.], Noah [Bad Omens], Poppy, and Devin [Honey Revenge].” – Allie Riot
- “Trey Anastasio [Phish], Jerry Garcia, and Jimmy Buffet.” – Vesper (vocals), Til Fauna
- “Wes Borland, Jerome Dillon, Tim Skold, Andy LaPlegua [Icon of Coil/Combichrist], Marilyn Manson, Richard Patrick [Filter], and Trent Reznor.” – Mike Novo (drums), Kendall Cage
- “John Lennon has been my biggest influence. Noel Gallagher [Oasis], in terms of songwriting.” – Izzy (vocals), Lazy Ghouls
- “I’m pretty predictable when it comes to this. Metallica was the ultimate for me. Aside from that… Nirvana, Alice in Chains, STP. And the classics: AC/DC, Eagles, CCR, Ozzy. I went through a country/blues phase, so Robert Johnson, Son House, Muddy Waters, Fred McDowell. Newer stuff? I dig Unpeople, Post Profit, The Funeral Portrait, Ayron Jones.” – Anthony (guitar/songwriting), Deadly Vices
- “Sparks, Trio [aka ZAM], Iron Maiden, Japanther, CRASS, and Darkthrone.” – Buzz (songwriting/recording), Buzz N’ Bangs
- “I’m old-school. Geezer Butler, Steve Harris. A few modern players like Alex Webster and John Myung.” – Mike (bass), Welcome Eternity
- “DJ Ashba and Jeff Beck.” – Sabú, The Lürxx
- “On guitar, Izzy Stradlin, late 60s/early 70s Keith Richards. On vocals, Roger Daltrey, Steve Marriott [Humble Pie/Small Faces], and Jon LeSte.” Xavi, The Lürxx
- “Frank Zappa.” – Acting Human
- “Gene Simmons and Angus Young.” – Wayne, Element 117
- “Korn, Linkin Park, NIN, and lots of 90s pop, especially Savage Garden.” – ruin the mind
- “Pearl Jam, The Cult, Foo Fighters.” – Winter in May
- “Dissection, Megadeth, Halfway to Gone, Cradle of Filth, Queens of the Stone Age, Alice in Chains.” – Marco (guitars), After the Apocalypse
- “Classic rock artists like The Beatles, Aerosmith, The Doors, and Led Zeppelin.” – Steven, Tin Zelkova
- “BRMC, The BJM, The Pixies, Idles, Fontaines DC, Amyl and the Sniffers.” – Televised Mind
- “Thrice, Killswitch Engage, Coheed and Cambria, Deftones, Tom Petty, Smashing Pumpkins, Jimi Hendrix, The Warning, Pennywise, RHCP, Metallica, Velvet Revolver.” – Mandatory Affect
My Top 50 Songs of 2024
I didn’t even pretend I was going to do less than 50 songs for this list. There was no way. And y’all made it difficult to narrow it down to even that! I’m gonna end up with a top 100 if I’m not careful.
So, this is totally subjective, of course. There were tons of amazing releases over the past 12 months, and I tried to share them all (though I know I missed a few, or found them too late). But these are the tracks, in no particular order, that grabbed and held my attention without letting go.
View the full playlist HERE.
Note: One band/artist cannot have more than one song included. I tried not to put anything by major label bands/artists on here. Last but not least, no covers!
- The Fifth: “Starlight”
- Wicked Playground: “The Madness”
- Hayden Helms: “Motive Behind the Move”
- LASTRY: “Trick or Treat”
- Kill the Fall: “Let It Breathe”
- Maudlin Strangers: “Silver Stain”
- EarlyRise: “Dance for the Money”
- Nick Nasty: “Lose My YOUth”
- Brett Carlisle: “Runaway”
- Til Fauna: “Whisper”
- Deep as Ocean: “Dark Place”
- Globus, A.D.A.M.: “Redemption (down the line…)”
- No Fly List: “Ghost”
- Towers of Jupiter: “Morsus Frigoris”
- Hooked Like Helen: “It Doesn’t Look So Good For You Now”
- THEHERO: “Blood Money”
- Christopher Ardra: “Losing You”
- Circuit Preacher, Mobiius: “Burn”
- Blackjacket: “Blood Stains”
- Alchemy Within, Skyler Parker: “Blood in the Snow”
- Modern Mimes: “Black Butterflies”
- Major Distortion: “The Lone Sailor”
- High Fade: “Bone to Pick”
- Swim The Current: “Stay”
- Carbonstone: “Echoes”
- Bridges Ablaze: “Numb”
- A Shadow Within: “Event Horizon”
- Feverlust: “i dare you to speak”
- Leonine: “Out of Sight, Out of Mind”
- Young Other: “Change Everything”
- Neon Society: “Heliocentricity”
- Mike’s Dead: “Bestrafe Mich (Punish Me)”
- Black Tourmaline: “Embers”
- Hotel Security: “Manic Attack”
- O Mateus: “Perception”
- Silk Parlor: “Holding Me Up”
- Alibis: “Sell Out”
- Eli Howard & the Greater Good: “Too Broke to Die”
- Mads Krul: “Feeling Alright”
- The Whispering Trees: “Bloodline”
- EverFelt: “River”
- Empty Atlas: “Little Voices”
- Red Eleven: “Path”
- Nothing Like Robots: “all natural”
- Algorhythm: “Deeper”
- Signal the Revolution: “Come to Life”
- The Holy Knives: “Killer”
- Kendall Cage: “Rabbit Hole”
- Nick Palma: “Super Electric”
- Sick Century: “Tidal Wave”
Song of the Day – Til Fauna: “Never Forget”
The Mostly Music 2024 Playlist, Pt. 4 (Updated 8/11/24)
I can’t believe it’s already August!!! 2024 is flying by!
I have been retroactively adding songs to the other parts of this playlist as I find them, so be sure to check out/revisit each installment.
Part I (Jan-Feb) // Part II (Mar-Apr) // Part III (May-June)
And visit the entirety of part IV (July-Aug).
Here are the singles that have been added since July 28th.
- Benton Crane: “Ghosts (Part I)”
- Benton Crane: “Stay With Me”
- Waking Stone: “Submersion”
- Audiovent: “Sonic Sunrise”
- The Fërtility Cült: “Fame Everlasting”
- THRØNE: “All the Colours We Cannot See”
- Don’t Panic: “Dark Days”
- pennybomb: “K.O.”
- Inside the Hollow: “Sake of Sanity”
- Mella: “Swaydif”
- Skynd: “Violets are Blue”
- Til Fauna: “This World Ends Now”
- Stand Abandoned: “Skinwalker”
- Feathers For Fuel: “Obsidian”
- Volts Delicious: “Ring the Alarm” (ft. John Napier)
- Empire Springs: “Treading Water”
- Look Back Luna: “Shake My Ghosts”
- Sevy Rog: “The Devil’s Room”
- Lucid Be: “Endless Ocean”
- Rosie Frost: “Vampires” (ft. Lainey Lavender)
- Debris of Titan: “the one you thought would never leave”
- Debris of Titan: “Day Before”
- Safety in Sleep: “Fall Away” (ft. Bobby’s Wrld)
- Hooked Like Helen: “It Doesn’t Look So Good For You Now”
- October Sleepover: “Obsessions”
- Forever in Transit: “Enter the Void” (ft. Diego Tejeida)
- Hyperstasis: “Doom Loop”
Til Fauna Weaves an Enchanting Spell With New Song “Whisper”
Til Fauna, an ambient/progressive metal band from Birmingham, Alabama, just dropped their latest single, “Whisper,” on May 31st. The track offers insight into the lore surrounding Til Fauna and the antlered being, Whisper, that is a recurring theme in their imagery.
The three musicians – Vesper (guitar/vocals), Blight (bass/harsh vocals), and Phasmid (drums) – have a connection to the land around them. “Whisper” draws upon the many tales and superstitions linked to the Forests of Appalachia. It is said that you may hear the woods whispering your name, and you are strongly warned against answering.
Til Fauna has a slightly different viewpoint on this. “I wanna know what do they see…” What if the whispers are simply you calling yourself back home to the woods? Rather than being frightened, the band begs the question “Why do you scream my name?/Do I answer?”
Til Fauna utilizes the softer side of themselves to set the atmosphere. Soothing intonations and a melodic rhythm paint the image of a nighttime walk into the forest, though there is a certain eerie edge, the primal sensation of not being alone. “Their eyes watching me closely.” And at the chorus, the track erupts. Our narrator has heard the tantalizing voice. “I hear a whisper!/Louder, why do you scream my name?”
As the song descends back into the calm, there is no sense of fear, only the approach of acceptance. It is clear that there is no reason to heed the warnings, to turn back. The traveler is becoming further ensconced in the forest and with the spirits, but it is welcome. “The silence is gripping me/The forest is slowly digging deep.” With the hit of the second chorus, the band has given us the back-and-forth that echoes the narrator’s struggle: on the verge of seeking the source of those whispers, though still wondering “Do I answer?”
Then, the build of anticipation, the balance on the very edge, before the truth is revealed. “I am the whisper!” Nature plays tricks on us, but those who can truly see are led to something like self-discovery. The blistering breakdown culminates in the total surrender to who our journeyer is. “As I walk, as I fear, I become/I am the whisper.”
“Whisper” is a standout track, showcasing Til Fauna’s ability to be melodic and almost ethereal, as well as hard-hitting and heavy. The song is an adventure to the ears and the mind, a case of lyrics and music woven into a story that climbs to and explodes with its catharsis. I have listened to it several dozen times since its release, and I find something new to focus on with each play-through. Check it out below, or look it up on your favorite streaming service. I promise you won’t be disappointed.
Follow Til Fauna on their socials and your chosen streaming platform!
The Mostly Music 2024 Playlist, Pt. 3 (Updated 6/2/24)
View all of part three here!
Here are the songs that have been added since May 19th.
- The Impulsive: “Can’t Escape”
- Candamius: “Visitor”
- A Soul on Display: “Limbo”
- Nonpoint: “Underdog”
- Alura: “The Disappearing Act”
- Aftermath: “We Don’t Want a Riot”
- Mr. Oddzo: “Higher” (ft. Synthetik Blonde)
- Darko US: “Finding Love in a World Full of Tragedy”
- Ignescent: “Goodbye” (ft. Billy Grey of Fozzy)
- Skull Riot: “Same Old”
- Dark Sun: “Wallow”
- Vibinstein: “The Flame”
- Adelitas Way: “The Fire Inside”
- Young Other: “Beacon”
- Soul Distortion: “Birch Ivory”
- Oceans of Ash: “Firestorm Ritual”
- Generation.F: “SiLENCE”
- Cyant: “The Violence”
- Laconia: “Awaken”
- Telling Secrets: “Closer”
- Black Tourmaline: “Embers”
- Hotel Security: “Manic Attack”
- Silent Theory: “Emptiness in You”
- Fixed Remains: “Anxiety”
- Serpent Rising: “UnNerve”
- Heavy Air: “Heavy Air”
- Rituals: “Broken Spirit”
- Heal the Hurt: “Where Our Hearts Divide”
- Honeyknife: “Dope Utopia”
- Til Fauna: “Whisper”
- Loather: “Let Die”
- BLVDES: “Cut Me Out”
- Sun Order: “Desire”
- Her Echo: “Decay”
- Off Orbit: “War”
- It Kills You: “Break Your Own Heart”
The Mostly Music 2024 Playlist, Pt. 2 (Updated 4/7/24)
View the full playlist here. And be sure to visit part I of The Mostly Music 2024 Playlist, as well.
Here are the songs that have been added since 3/24/24.
- Sons of a Sinner: “Nothing’s Changed”
- The Lonely Ones: “My God”
- MUX: “Graveyard Man”
- Khaos Theory: “My Blood”
- Anny: “My Confession”
- Our Sacred Grounds: “Anemoia”
- Lift the Curse: “Vengeance”
- Matyrker: “The Loathsome Thing”
- Dark Remedy: “Never Going Back”
- Twist It: “Bitter”
- Sinful Lilly: “California Man”
- Serpent Rising: “MUD”
- Arcana: “Telepathy”
- BlindHardt: “Burn and Burn”
- Haunting Ghosts: “Final Stretch”
- Max Fite: “Hellbent”
- Dopeghost: “Once Burnt, Twice Shy”
- Wilde Owl: “Bells & Whistles”
- Haunted Vessel: “I Was Never Here”
- Hourcast: “Stop the World”
- In Passing: “Under the Weather”
- Alchemy Within: “Like a Bullet”
- Bleed the Fifth: “Black Sun”
- Wilde Owl: “Get It Right”
- Maudlin Strangers: “Silver Stain”
- The Damn Devils: “Heartstopper”
- Alibis: “Darkside” (Siren Sonata Version)
- Divide the Fall: “Fake Love” (ft. Villain of the Story)
- Lines in the Sky: “Thalassophobia”
- Perfect Nightmare: “Decay”
- Sick Century: “Shadow Worlds Rise”
- Junkyard Drive: “Saw You Hanging There”
- Junkyard Drive: “Shoot From the Hip”
- Leonine: “Out of Sight, Out of Mind”
- Daughters of Mara: “Happy”
- Atlases: “Violent Cold”
- Til Fauna: “Secrets”
- Kaosis: “Memory Never Dies” (ft. Skold)
- Lost Gems: “Black Seed”
- Jack Savage + Blxxd Clxt: “Bad Vibes”
- Hollow Intent: “Rise”
- The Edge of Reason: “With You”
- Upfall: “Lose You” (ft. The Veer Union)
- Noiz Ritual: “Abuse Me”
- Barrel Smoke: “Red Light Rumble”
- Our Frankenstein: “Judas Dance”
- Fractured Sense: “Deteriorate”
- A Shadow Within: “Spiral”
- NDGO: “I See You”
- faulty wires: “DUI”
- Young Other: “Change Everything”
- Thornsband: “Thin”
- Small Town Titans: “Finish the Story”
- You Said Tomorrow: “Blind Mary”
- Die Tired: “Need to Feed”
The Mostly Music 2024 Playlist, Pt. 1 (Updated 2/25/24)
View full playlist here
These are the tracks that have been added since 2/11/24.
- Liam Kelley: “Mezmerized”
- Self Deception: “Matthew McConaughey”
- Monster in a Human Suit: “Home”
- Hey Violet: “Uncomplicated”
- Bullets and Octane: “Love H8ting You” (ft. Xtine Reckless)
- Seethe: “Away”
- Horizon Theory: “Nowhere To Go”
- International Furlough: “Pest”
- Blacktop Mojo: “Like Wild Horses”
- Modern Mimes: “Roses in Ruins”
- for all the emptiness: “Sell the Sins”
- Globus: “Redemption (Down the Line)” (ft. A.D.A.M.)
- Cropsey: “Blood on Your Hands”
- Carbonstone: “White Noise”
- Wake Up Hate: “Two-Faced”
- Matt Galli: “Reason to Live”
- CloZure: “The Devil Effect”
- MINDPiLOT: “Voices”
- Ty Dy: “Cosmic”
- The Requiem: “Kill the Lights”
- Psithurism: “Body & Blood” (ft. Waste)
- Leonine: “Volatile”
- Mule: “Tour De Force”
- New Saints: “No Hope”
- Delusive Relics: “Fairy Ring”
- Cryblood: “Broken”
- Melodicka Bros.: “Wait and Bleed” (Slipknot cover)
- A Place i Know: “Good Enough.”
- CHXSR: “Only Darkness” (ft. Sinizter)
- Bullets and Octane: “Space Lord Symphony”
- Dark Remedy: “We Are The Dead”
- Xhale: “The Devil in the Details”
- Somatic Moon: “Only Dead to Save” (ft. Dav Aviz)
- Divine Grave: “Purgatory”
- The Red Lite District: “Outside”
- Declatel: “Penny Bun”
- Shadow Smile: “Thousandfold Sun”
- Anaria: “Legends Never Die” (Against the Current/League of Legends cover)
- Dissonant Tongue: “Descensum”
- Rvshvd: “Deal With the Devil” (ft. Danny Worsnop of Asking Alexandria)
- The PoZers: “Save a Kiss for Me”
- Til Fauna: “Other Nature”
Mostly Music 