I'd like to put a different song of Exiled Martyr's on here, called Ponchos and Rayguns because that song is where my infatuation with the band-and heavier metal in general, began. I adore the building intro on that song so much that when I first heard of it-I would repeatedly listen to just those opening few seconds of the song on loop, never going any further because of how much I use to hate the vocal style of heavier metal. However, in spite of that-I think Containment Breach really earns the position as I think it truly shows the best of the band thus far as a whole. While I do really like Martyr's other albums, I mainly think of them as okay songs with a few awesome moments; whereas their new content retains those ear-catching waves that I originally came to the band for (especially in regards to intros) and yet they've also managed to improve on the rest of the song giving me good reason to actually sit down and listen to the whole piece. Because of that, I'm certain that this song currently stands as my absolute favorite song.

I've got a special place in my mind for this song because of it's impact on my music taste. While it wasn't the first "heavy" song to catch my eye, it was the first that I actually managed to enjoy listening to in spite of the vocals. The instrumentals, ESPECIALLY that awesome riff combined with the appealing animation really made the song stick in my head, wherein I found myself repeatedly coming back even though I hated the vocals...and well, evidenlty over time they really started to grow on me. Furthermore it could be marked as my starting point into Black Metal (if you don't count some of the dirtier Funeral Doom like Black Tomb); or at the very least the some of the culture around it. Not that I'd personally call the song Black (honestly I'd argue you could kind of take or leave the "Blackened" part of "Blackened Melodic Death" for most of this band's stuff).

Of course I've known about Korn forever, but I'd never really found myself enjoying their content-maybe an occasional song here like or there (like Coming Undone) but I never really liked them too much and so I never sought them out. Jump however many years later and here I am finally realizing how great so much of the discography is. It wouldn't be right to say that Korn is slept on considering how popular they really are-but despite that I almost never hear about them, and especially not in a truly positive light. Either way, overtime I've found "Liar" climbing to the top of my favorites for the band for no explicit reason. I think what my feelings come down to is the mix between Korn's more unique sound being exemplified both in the standard sort of light "chugging" they have throughout it-then being combined with the higher start to the chorus or the softer sections interspersed throughout the song...that special contrast really kind of glues the song together in a really nice way. That's not even to mention the sound-jumble bit that made twist so famous being used as a cool little cameo.

If I had to do call one band on this list criminally underrated, it'd come down to a tie between Grocers of Despair and Beyond nothing. I've seen nether of them on any platform in any way except for Soundcloud, and yet in-spite of what that might seemingly imply; they are absolute gems! The higher pitched vocals in Beyond Nothing's catalogue that are a little more reminiscent of Black metal are an easy sell for me given my preference for them-but they're then made even more interesting by how relatively clean they are; somehow striking a great balance between matching the instrumentals yet giving alot of the feeling one might get from clearer vocals. Not only that, but the badass instrumentals and utterly unique riffs absolutely get to me here with each of their (very few) songs sticking out in my mind with amazing clarity. I don't know the member's past, but whatever it is-it's amazing how they come in, drop 3 songs with what should be iconic riffs-and then just disappear.

I've slept on alot of music, but definitely topping that list is Muse. I genuinely can think of only one instance where I'd heard them mentioned a few years ago-and yet I skipped listening to them after having already decided some stuff for that project. But now, running into them under pure coincidence I'm almost mad at myself for having gone this long without them. They don't necessarily blow anyone out of the water with riffs or anything, but they absolutely hit it out of the park with their sound and it's use. I can describe their songs as little other than iconic-the type that you hear 5 seconds of and go "oh yea that's Muse." That plus the commonplace soft sections in their music really make a nice experience that easily flows together--simply put a Muse album could pretty easily feel like a single long song (in a good way). My favorite for that reason would have to be New Born as the soft start at the beginning which ends up giving way to the semi-soaring vocals really excentuates the parts I like from their songs. I'd also use them to point out one of the most important parts of songs in my opinion, that being each band's particular sound. While there's alot that goes into music-one of the best parts, and the thing that seperates forgettable bands from best-is an iconic sound. Something that even if you don't know the song, you could easily pick up on and go "This is by X." I'm not a musician so I wouldn't be able to describe it well, but there's just so much that comes down to some unique tone in everything from the singer's voice, to the guitar, or whatever else.

Of all the bands on this specific list, aside from maybe Korn on acccident; I've been listening to DOPE the longest. Even more-so once I realized that "DIE MOTHERFUCKER DIE" that I occasionally heard online was one of their songs. Regardless I think that song also really gets to the heart of why I like them and have stayed with them for so long. While metal often falls into the category of sounding angry, DOPE really gets that and inserts it into their sounds, each one being almost visceral. I'd phrase it kind of like, how pop is designed to make you move your body-DOPE's tracks almost feel like they're built to make you viscerally engaged. Thus it shouldn't be much of a surprise that the song called "Violence" is my favorite given how well it dips into that exact point.

Keygan Church is an incredible combination that just slams into you with "Epicness." The piano and organ mixing with the distorted 'guitar' is insane at creating an intense atmosphere that I am so fortunate to have accidentally stumbled upon on YouTube. Which leads me into how exicted I was to see Keygan Church making music for UltraKill, which unsurprisingly was a great combination. That fact though might make it odd at the fact that I opted to not choose Tenebre Rosso, but I think it can be easily explained via the fact of what they were made for. While Rosso is a Keygan Church song, it is ultimatley a game-song which means it was made to be paired with gameplay--unlike Hareklavit which is specifically an intro to an album. It gives so much time for build-up on the piano, which slowly introduces the organ until eventually running you down with a wall of sound from the guitar where the entire thing picks up and kicks the gear into it which as a full experience-certainly outweighs Rosso.

It was easy to choose GHOST and Honey I'm home as a song to go on here, but it was really hard to not just devour this section with vocaloid like Breathe, Lagtrain, or ECHO. I've known about and touched upon vocaloid here and there for years, but haven't really gotten into any of it until I found GHOST via Honey I'm Home. Unlike most vocaloid, this really has a much more intensive and ominous atmosphere which really roped me in and got me interested in the genre. It's inevitable with vocaloid that the system you use would end up giving a pretty similar feeling to all the songs, but that's not really something I mind here, especially given the fact that there still tends to be enough differences otherwise that really make it stand out---kind of like using the same musician in multiple bands.

Aviators is one of the bands that I'd really put a "unique" sound label on. Really, no matter what song of theirs you play-it's pretty much instantly that you can tell it's an Aviators song. I don't know what it is (besides the voice), but something about their instrumentals just has something to it. This, plus the inevitable overlap in the games they make music for and my own interests helps create a sort of bridge I can easily cross thematically. Which also makes them more exceptional as the majority of bands who make only make songs about games/similar content tend to be "mid" at best, but I think Aviators really push past that bar a little bit and end up actually being worth listening to as a real band. Plus I'll say that they carry a sort of smoothness to all their stuff in the same way Kiltro does, though in a different way that really contributes to that identifable sound they have.

Voltaire is an interesting character that I think I overall realy like for the same reasons I like Creature Feature. Style Style Style, whatever he's talking about, tends to carry with it his almost morbid yet comedic undertones in a "Eternal Halloween" type vibe which when mixed with his variety of more classical instruments-offers a great break from alot of the more distorted or hardcore music I tend towards. While I don't ever really look into artists past their music, preferring to seperate the art from the artist-I have found that Voltaire does have some interesting content on the side too, especially in regards to his Gothic Homemaking tutorials that I intend to take a look on in the future once I'm at a place worthy of decorating. Suffice to say, I think I just really like the character of his content.

Creature Feature is a very fun band that feeds heavily into my bias. Not only are they built around "Halloween All-Year 'Round" which is an instant huge boon in my book, but then add on some synth and guitar (especially in the Rufus Rex offshoot) and it creates an awesome formula for not only fun but what I could only describe as "festive" music, but in the best way I could mean that. As such, I think it only natural to place their most iconic song on this list, as while I do enjoy alot of their catalogue a good deal more than Gorey Demise--it is not only their most popular song with all the various animations of it that've been put together, but I think it pretty quickly gets the whole shtick of their band across in an interesting sort of jingle (that I still know all the lyrics to despite however much time passes between hearing it).

I was surprised when picking up some more music that what fell into my lap was rap. I normally am not much a fan of it at all, with only enjoying certain songs here and there...but I think 25/17 is the only rap artist that I have found to enjoy their entire catalogue. I've never been one to care about the lyrics of a song so the lack of instruments tends to hurt rap despite kind of treating the voice like one, but in this case they really stick with a sort of nice flowing under-layer that occasionally spikes in with a certain chorus or moment which helps to make the song feel a lot more like an actual song appose to a poem. Regardless of any language barriers, I'd highly advice looking into their content if you find yourself enjoying their fairly soothing sound.

While I've crowned other titles as my favorite songs, by far-above all else...Halfquake is the best soundtrack/album I've ever heard. Each track is a consistent blizzardy banger. The sort of dark, almost isolating sounds prevelant in the songs just create this intense atmosphere that I can not get enough of. I've specifically chosen to take up Beautiful Gray sea thanks to how well it works as a traditional song. A lot of Halfquake tracks are honestly best suited to getting engrossed into, and can be kind of baren or strange sounding-which granted I say is what gives them their identity. But Gray Sea is the easiest to listen to for someone blind to the game and ultimately is one I find myself coming back to very often. Simply put, check out the free soundtrack and mod on Steam, now!

Honestly I should probably just start off each section here with a line about "Go buy this game and it's soundtrack on Steam, right now!" since that really sums up each one. If you have any interest in the Silent Hill style soundwork, then you will love the Organ Quarter OST from start to finish (which unfourtunately is only on Steam {and entirely worth the purchase}, minus Windowsill which is on YouTube). It's hugely atmospheric and incredibly ominous but horribly beautiful at the same time, perfectly capturing a similar essence to why people love the Silent Hill soundtrack (albiet far heavier on the spooky side compared to Silent Hill's tracks).

Uplink does a damn good job of immersing you into the game-but when adding in the music...it's sealed. When you're playing through the game in an intense part and then the music gets going and you're just putting everything together perfectly while the timer is beeping in your ear telling you that you're connection is being traced. In that moment, you are fully integreated into the Hacker Elite mindset; most prominently I think is Mystique Part 2, which is the most intense sounding track of the OST that even when you're sitting there waiting on an email-makes you feel like you're doing crazy underground hacker stuff. The soundtrack is really short with only a few songs, but you never really care or notice that strongly because they're all so good and each one perfectly sets you into the late 90's early 00's elite hacker type of world imagined in media around that time. If you have any interest in that sort of feelings, not only do I recommend the game-but I HIGHLY recommend the OST, and frankly would recommend the game just for the soundtrack.

Of everything on here, I think this requires the least explaining. Video after video has talked about the glory of the Undertale soundtrack, and of those that don't mention it-they still play it in the background. I mean really, go through a few dozen videos and watch out to see how many of them use Undertale's music in them...it's A LOT! Whether it's covers or the original, just one song or the whole ost. I cannot get enough of the soundtrack-each track so full of energy and love that while I can't say it's better than Halfquake on a personal level, it certainly deserves the reputation it has. Personally in this line, I choose Death by Glamour both because of my infatuation with Mettaton back when I was invest in Undertale, and because of how it comes together with similar beats to most of the metal I listen to, making it fit in nicely with my already built-up taste profile.

While nowhere near as intense as Undertale's reputation, Silent Hill 2 has earned its own huge reputation for how hauntingly beautiful its tracks are. If you don't know the feeling I'm speaking of, look into Super Eyepatch Wolf's video called Why You Should Play Silent Hill 2 and after watching that I think you'll know what I'm talking about. The tracks aren't really ambience in the way Organ Quarter's are, these ones play much more to an emotional tone appose to a fearful one, creating a special world of it's own brand of horror that can really set you into things. Much like Undertale though, I don't think there's anything I can really say that hasn't already been said. With that in place, I choose Promise (reprise) because of my own history of many, many fanfic/book dub channels using it as backgound for a ton of their more sad or ominous stories-which honestly really primed me for the rest of the soundtrack when I eventually realised what the song was from.

Surprisingly to me, as much talk as Golden Light has gotten, I don't recall hearing anybody mention the music. The heavily distorted and pitched music carving out its own strange niche-much like the rest of the game, that I think is the true core of Golden Light. Most videos, including its own trailers tend to paint it in a mostly haha silly prophunt game type of light, but when adding on the audio-I think you can really start to feel the game properly with the actual emotional beats of the world; engrossing yourself in the foreign and ominous. I choose Posle for this example because I think, while a great track on it's own-if you watch the reveal trailer that utilised it...then you'll see exactly what I'm talking about.

Aside from Exiled Martyr, this would be my favorite song-without much question at all. Which is really interesting because prior to this song I never really listend to it's genre (IDEK what it is tbh, I've just called it Americana/Blues); and it's not like I have any one thing to point to in it that I like. Sure they've got a decently distinct sound and the more somber tone is really comfortable, but otherwise there's just something...indescribable about this song that elevates it not only above their own catalogue but above most other songs I know. Which is only made even crazier thanks to the lack of interest the band gets; I mean I've not seen them on ANY platform EXCEPT for Soundcloud with their extrememly small amount of followers. This song is an enigma to be sure as far as my thoughts on it are concerned...

I haven't listend to much Kiltro, but I certainly should. If I were to describe their music in one word-it'd be smooth. Listening to their songs is almost like a silky smooth drink for the ears-everything from the voice to the instrumentals just flows so smoothly throughout the full thing, and it doesn't feel like some bland formless blob either. It's genuinely like a smooth fountain that still holds identity and value.

I've only heard of this song being mentioned via Lord Bung's SCP parody series-but I'm glad I did. I've enjoyed a few covers of "In the Pines" here and there, but this is by far my favorite. The huge sort of ominous tone downcasting a shadow upon the mind while listening with the haunting-revenant like voice in some parts. The whole experience is then furthered by Bung's animation which really does match the song amazingly well such that it comes to mind in most instances that I hear it; suffice to say it's probably my favorite cover-song.

My thoughts about the song would probably be the same as most others who talk well of the song. Sure it sounds really nice, it's kind of soothing and is pretty iconic-but the lyrics and feelings behind it all really push into you. Even coming from me, who tends to actively ignore the lyrics in songs-I often will really slow down and focus on them with all the common thoughts that most people come to when hearing it...even though I'm probably 40 years younger than that demographic.

The first song that comes to mind when mentioning Cash is Ring of Fire, but ultimately it's not the song that sticks the best. While my bias is pretty obvious by now with my preferences for "darker" or edgier music, Hurt really just pulls through on the somber tones. Whether considering the context in the song itself or just the physical sound of it, it just really stays in mind for a fair period of time after I listen to it.

Steam Powered doesn't necessarily have the iconic sound I tend to look for in music, but they're not bland either. I considered putting something like Honeybee here instead for kind of similar reasons to Hurt, however I think Brass Goggles really gets to what I like about the band. They're just fun. The catchy upbeat tone, the fantastical story of the songs, and even the fun presentation should I tune into one of their videos all just wraps up into a neat little package that can just kind of make one happy to hear.