May 1st show

Hey Everyone,

This week was boring compared to last week, but it was still as fun as ever. We had a couple requests, for Emperor and Tristania, and the rest was up to us. It was a good night for Metal Oxide.

As far as news went...it didn't really. We talked about Cory Taylor, of Slipknot, being the new vocalist for Velvet Revolver (I know, that's how desperate for news we were...) and a new interview with Heri from Tyr. Their new album is coming out on May 17th, so that;s good news.

Now, the playlist from this week's show:
"Wish I Had an Angel" - Nightwish
"White Pearl, Black Oceans..." - Sonata Arctica
"Traveler in Time" - Blind Guardian
"Genocide" - Hammerfall
"Cemetery and Sundown" - Cradle of Filth
"Pale Enchantress" - Tristania
"I Am the Black Wizard" - Emperor
"Silent Night, Bodom Night" - Children of Bodom
"Thunderhorse" - Dethklok
"Hard Rock Hallelujah" - Lordi
"Silver Bride" - Amorphis
"Vargtimmen" - Finntroll
"Unbesiegt" - Equilibrium
"Inis Mona" - Eluveitie
"The New Dawn" - Ensiferum
"Death Before the Mast" - Alestorm
"Paljon on Koskessa Kivia" - Korpiklaani
"Hail to the Hammer" - Tyr
"For Those Who Have Died" - Cradle of Filth

See you next week!

Shield of Wings Interiew!

Hello Everyone,

Local band Shield of Wings joined us in the studio tonight, and it was awesome. We played two tracks off of their debut EP, Solarium, and had an interview about Solarium, the band, upcoming shows, and more! It was a great time.

We still found time for some news, however it was a little depressing. Jeff Loomis and Van Williams has left Nevermore. They will both be missed and remembered for their tremendous contributions to the band over the years. Also, on a similar note, Roy Khan has left Kamelot. He will also be missed, and we would like to wish him luck on his further ventures and also Kamelot in finding a replacement.

You can check out Shield of Wings by visiting them on Facebook, Myspace, Reverbnation, Cdbaby.com, Youtube, and iTunes. Also, for audio of the interview, visit webcast.wonc.org, go down to Metal Oxide at the bottom, and select 'Saturday 23 April 2011' The interview itself is about half way through, but they joined us on air throughout the show.


This week's playlist:
"The Siren" - Nightewish
"Solarium" - Shield of Wings
"Control the Divine" - Blind Guardian
"Wrath of the Norsemen" - Amon Amarth
"Wildfire" - Sonata Arctica
"Mother of Light" - Epica
"Annubis" - Septic Flesh
"Carrion" - Cradle of Filth
"The Chosen Legacy" - Dimmu Borgir
"Life Carries On" - Earthen Grave
"Emptiness Unobstructed" - Nevermore
"The Black Halo" - Kamelot
"War and Rapture" - Shield of Wings
"Unbesiegt" - Equilibrium
"Silver Bride" - Amorphis
"Take the Day!" - Turisas
"Goi! Rode! Goi!" - Arkona
"One More Magic Potion" - Ensiferum
"Regin Smidur" - Tyr
"The Wind Beneath My Wings" - Sonata Arctica

 I hope enjoyed the show and our interview with Shield of Wings!
-TJ

Show from 4/17/11

Hello Everyone!

The show went very well this week. There was no theme, and even though there were no requests, I still enjoyed playing the music that was originally selected for the playlist. There was a perfect mix of Folk metal and the other genres. I played some bands that I'm not able to play as much I as I want to sometimes: Mayhem, Moonsorrow, Kamelot, etc. And over all, it was just a good playlist.

News was a little short this week. Nevermore has dropped out of the upcoming North American Tour that originally featured Symphony X, Soilwork, Blackguard, and Nevermore, but now only consists of Blackguard and Symphony X. Nevermore dropped out for as of yet undisclosed reasons. Leave's Eye's released the video for their new cover, "To France". And Children of Bodom will be touring in North America in the middle of the summer, and will be playing at the House of Blues on July 6. As always, these and more Metal news stories can be found at Blabbermouth.net.

This Week's Playlist:
"Bless This Child" - Nightwish
"The Ancient Forest of Elves" - Luca Turilli
"Carry the Blessed Home" - Blind Guardian
"Follow the Reaper" - Children of Bodom
"Nymphetamine" - Cradle of Filth
"Deathcrush" - Mayhem
"The Sacrilegious Scorn" - Dimmu Borgir
"March of Mephisto" - Kamelot
"Force the Shore" - Epica
"Shamandalie" - Sonata Arctica 
"Frozen Angel" - Norther
"For Victory or Death" - Amon Amarth
"Uis Elveti" - Eluveitie
"Verivala" - Kivimetsan Druidi
"Midnattens Widunder" - Finntroll
"Isle of Skye" - Suidakra
"Fields of Gold" - Turisas
"Skirnir" - Falkenbach
"Elusive Reaches" - Ensiferum
"Pirate Song" - Alestorm
"PakanaJuhla" - Moonsorrow
"Ramund hin Unge" - Tyr
"To France" - Leave's Eyes

See you next week!
-TJ
 

Battle Night!! 4/10/11

Hello Everyone!

Last week's unofficial theme night was so much fun that we realized how much we missed doing theme nights! (official ones) so we decided to do one for you this week. This week's theme is BATTLE. With a great mix of all the genres we play, we played such songs as "Into Battle" by Ensiferum, "Valkyries" by Blind Guardian, "Architecture of a Genocidal Nature" by Cradle of Filth, and much more. We chose this theme because there is a lot that can qualify for 'battle': there are songs about fighting itself, war in general, mythic conflicts, genocide, and so on. We are really happy with how it turned out and I hope you all enjoyed it.

News was kind of short this week, as usual. Amon Amarth playing at the Bottom Lounge on Thursday, April 14, Rhapsody of Fire's vocalist began touring with Kamelot, and it is going well, Septic Flesh's new album is coming out on April 19, and Swashbuckle got a new drummer. Of course, for more metal news, feel free to visit Blabbemouth.net.

This week's battle-themed playlist!
"End of All Hope" - Nigtwish
"Into Battle" - Ensiferum
"Valkyries" - Blind Guardian
"Battle Metal" - Turisas
"Persepolis" - Septic Flesh
"Architecture of a Genocidal Nature" - Dimmu Borgir
"Tonight in Flames" - Cradle of Filth
"Set Sail and Conquer" - Alestorm
"Shattering Swords" - Suidakra
"Storm the Gates of Alesia" - Ex Deo
"War of the Gods" - Amon Amarth
"War of the Universe" - Luca Turilli
"Trollhammaren" - Finntroll
"Genocide" - Hammerfall
"Blood is the Price of Glory" - Ensiferum
"Flag in the Ground" - Sonata Arctica
"Battle Against Time" - Wintersun
"Ragnarok" - Tyr
"Broadsword" - Turisas

I hope you enjoyed this week's theme show!
-TJ

4/2/11 - Unoffical Sing Along Night!

Hey Everyone!

I hope you enjoyed our sing along night! The reason it's unofficial is because it came about mostly by accident. I just happened to have picked songs that were very sing-alongable, and once it became official I only changed a little bit. I only really just switched songs by a band to a more fitting song by the same band. It was great.

There was a lot of news tonight. Sharon from Within Temptation just gave birth to a boy, Logan, and much more. The metal news we use from our show comes from Blabbermouth.net.

The playlist:
"Planet Hell" - Nightwish
"White Pearl Black Oceans..." - Sonata Arctica
"The Maiden and the Minstrel Knight" - Blind Guardian
"The Queen of the Damned" - Theatres des Vampires
"Sangreal" - Septic Flesh
"Under Huntress Moon" - Cradle of Filth
"Libre" - Tristania
"Fate of Norns" -Amon Amarth
"Cry Havoc" - Ex Deo
"My Sun" - Amorphis
"Slavsya Rus" - Arkona
"Battle Metal 2008" - Turisas
"Dragonheads" - Ensiferum
 "Sons of Riddermark" - Battlelore
"Slania's Song" - Eluveitie
"Blut im Auge" - Equilibrium
"Keep on Galloping" - Korpiklaani 
"Wings of Time" - Tyr
"Flower of Scotland" - Alestorm 

See you next week!
-TJ

March 27th Show

Hey Everyone!

I hope you all enjoyed the show this week, we had a blast doing it. Old host Rita stopped by, and we played a request for and got news from TJ #1, aka Noob. It was a good time. Like last week, there was a lot of folk metal, and that's always fun. We had a couple requests, and a couple shout-outs, like to Rita's mom and to friend of the show, Cate, who is still in the Marines and doing great. We also played the title track off of local metal band Shield of Wings' EP, Solarium. And, to top an already great show off, we closed with Amon Amarth covering System of a Down's "Aerials." It was a great show.

However, news wasn't that good, length wise. As far as the actual story goes, it was great. There is a baby suffering from extreme colic and had cried 24 hours a day for 14 weeks-except of course for when her parents play Satyricon for her. Rammstein didn't work, neither did other, less-heavy bands that they tried. It's pretty epic. For a video of the baby's woes being cured by Norwegian Black Metal, go here. And don't forget to visit Blabbermouth.net for all your metal news needs.

This week's playlist:
"Wanderlust" - Nightwish
"Go Forth and Die" - Dethklok
"Flag in the Ground" - Sonata Arctica
"Across the Rainbow Bridge" - Amon Amarth
"Sunlight Moonlight" - Septic Flesh
"Crimson Thunder" - Hammerfall
"Straight Through the Mirror" - Blind Guardian
"The Final War (Battle of Actium)" - Ex Deo
"The Gathering" - Delain
"Silver Bride" - Amorphis
"The Rage of the Skullgaffer" - Tyr
"Solarium" - Shield of Wings
"The Great Escape" - Turisas
"Over the Seas" - Alestorm
"Vodka" - Korpiklaani
"Third Immortal" - Battlelore
"Oy, Pechal-Toska" - Arkona
"Raised by the Sword" - Ensiferum
"Verbrannte Erde" - Equilibrium
"The Edge" - Tyr
"Aerials" - Amon Amarth

See you next week,
-TJ

3/20/11 Show - MO Debut of local band, Shield of Wings

Hello Everyone!

I had a lot of fun with the show this week, for no special reason. There was no theme, but there was a lot of Folk Metal (it began 10-15 minutes before news) and that is always a good thing. There were a few requests, and some that I couldn't get to this week, but I'll make sure I play them next week.

As far as news this week, there really wasn't anything. The only I said on air was that details about Alestorm's upcoming album were released on Blabermouth.net. The album is called "Back Through Time" and it should be another great one we can add to Pirate metal.

Although there wasn't news this week, the beginning of the 1 o'clock hour was fun because I got to playasong from the local band, Shield of Wings! They are a great band from Bolingbrook, IL that sounds kind of like Nightwish or Epica. They're great and we are working on getting them on the show, so you can look forward to an interview with them sometime. Check them out on Facebook, Myspace, Reverbnation, Cdbaby.com, Youtube, and iTunes.

This week's Playlist:
"Wish I had an Angel" - Nightwish
"Ride into Obsession" - Blind Guardian
"Shamadalie" - Sonata Arctica
"An Ancient Sign of Coming Storm" - Amon Amarth
"Quietus" - Epica
"Communion" - Septic Flesh
"Cemetery and Sundown" - Cradle of Filth
"Blood, Courage And The Gods That Walk The Earth" - Ex Deo
"Sacrilege" - Tristania
"In Death's Embrace" - Dimmu Borgir
"Sampo" - Amorphis
"Krijgsvolk" - Heidevolk
"Essence and the Moon" - Shield of Wings
"Trollhammaren" - Finntroll
"Pirate Song" - Alestorm
"Slavsya Rus" - Arkona
"Venetoi! - Prasinoi!" - Turisas
"Dammerung" - Equilibrium
"Smoking Ruins" - Ensiferum
"Primordial Breath" - Eluveitie
"Regin Smidur" - Tyr
"I Want Out" - Hammerfall

See you next week!
-TJ

St. Patrick's Night!

Hello and happy St. Patrick's everyone!

Yes, I know it's not St. Patrick's day yet, but it is as far as Metal Oxide is concerned. Tonight I brought you the best of metal drinking songs. Of course, there was a lot of Korpiklaani, a few Alestorm, Tyr and Ensiferum, along with much more. There was only one request, which was for Primordial. I hope you enjoyed the playlist as much as I did!

There was almost no news in the metal world this week. Tyr will be releasing their new CD, The Lay of Thrym, on May 27 (yay!). But there was a sad comment from Cradle of Filth. They said that, due to the recession, it is becoming harder and harder for European bands to tour in the US, so there might be fewer of such bands touring in the future. This makes me very sad and I hope that it does not come true.

This weeks playlist of Irish and drinking songs:
"Wanderlust" - Nightwish
"Let's Drink" - Korpiklaani
"Wenches and Mead" - Alestorm
"The Wild Rover" - Tyr
"In the Court of Jarisleif" - Turisas
"One More Magic Potion" - Ensiferum
"Tequila" - Korpiklaani
"That Famous Ol' Spiced" - Alestorm
"Those Were the Days" - Turisas
"Olavur Riddaros" - Tyr
"Beer Beer" - Korpiklaani
"The Cruel Sea" - Primordial
"Vodka" - Korpiklaani
"Nancy the Tavern Wench" - Alestorm
"Champagne Bath" - Sonata Arctica
"The Very Wild Rover" - Cruachan
"Bring Us Pints of  Beer" - Korpiklaani
"Brennivin" - Tyr
"Det Iskalla Trollblodet" - Finntroll
"Twilight Tavern" - Ensiferum
"Happy Little Boozer" - Korpiklaani
"Green Dragon" - Battlelore
"Pakanajuhla" - Moonsorrow
"One More" - Turisas
"Some Say the Devil is Dead" - Cruachan

See you all next week,
-TJ

Album Review: Turisas - Stand Up and Fight

Tuesday, March 9^th has come and passed and that means that Turisas' new album, Stand Up and Fight, was released in North America!!

Stand up and Fight

"The March of the Varangian Guard"

"Take the Day!"

"Hunting Pirates"

"βένετοι! - πράσινοι!" (“Venetoi!-Prasinoi!”)

"Stand Up and Fight"

"The Great Escape"

"Fear the Fear"

"End of an Empire"

"The Bosphorus Freezes Over"

"Broadsword" (Jethro Tull cover, bonus track)

"Supernaut" (Black Sabbath cover, bonus track)

A couple of the songs were available before hand (fan videos, band releases, etc.) so I've been listening to some of the songs for a while now, and it's great to finally hear the rest of the album. I love this album; I think they did a great job in adding new elements while keeping the feel of battle metal that we have all come to know and love. The whole album has a very serious and meaningful. Some of the songs ("The March of the Varangian Guard" among them) seem to be a continuation of the theme of they previous full length album, The Varangian Way, but the album itself is not a concept album like the previous one. The songs that are not a continuation of The Varangian Way are songs about overcoming conflict and one's fears. I believe that the album itself is kind of an ending to the story that Turisas was telling with The Varangian Way because, although it is not a concept album, there are songs, I think, that are about the Varangian Guard, serving the Emperor, and returning home. Whether or not that is the case, it is a great album with many meaningful songs. Something I noticed, in addition to the great orchestrations, is Mathias' clean vocals. There seems to be a lot more of it in this album than in their previous two. This is something that I love to see (or hear, really) because although I love his growling voice, I love his clean singing even more. So that is another part I love about this album. Also, they made a lot of great use of orchestras and chorus' that really added to the epic feel of the whole thing.

"The March of the Varangian Guard" - An epic song about the glory of the Varangian Guard, telling about their worth above the other soldiers and mercenaries in the Byzantine Empire. It's a very epic sounding song with a lot of great orchestration.

"Take the Day!" - An uplifting, almost brutal song about....taking the day! This is mostly, I believe, about a battle in which the Varangian Guard were sent in when the Emperor's lesser troops failed. A very epic song.

"Hunting Pirates" - This is a great one; I believe this is about the Varangian Guard hunting for pirates, but this may be from the point of view of the pirates-but either way it's a great song, this album's "In the Court of Jarisleif"

"βένετοι! - πράσινοι!" - A grand, epic song that is about chariot racing in Miklagard (Constantinople) itself, and was a large part of life, and most likely something fascinating to Scandinavians. It's a grand, trumpetty, fast-paced song that really gives the feeling of watching a race in the Hypodrome of ancient Constantinople.

"Stand Up and Fight" - This title track is a great one, one of my personal favorites. This one is about victory when defeat seems imminent, over coming odds, and suppressing feelings of being defeated. To me, some of the lines are particularly strong: " But would I run today just to die another day" for example is a really powerful that always catches my ear. Like the name says, it's about just standing up and fighting, just getting it over with, which will help anyone inspire anyone in any kind of situation where they feel like giving up. This songs also has a very epic sound, incorporating very well elements of orchestration.

"The Great Escape" – This is a very brilliant song about leaving Constantinople against the Emperor's will to claim a throne in Scandinavia. They have to escape under the cover of night. The main character is so intent on heading home that he says “for no emperor nor chain will stand in my way.” This is a great song that uses orchestral elements very well, and there is a lot of great background singing (in response to things Mathias is singing) and chorus'.

"Fear the Fear" – This one isn't set in dark ages Europe, but rather a song for today's world. It basically says that although many of play games, in which we are the “hero of the day” if we go outside of that world, “our head's in the sand.” It's basically saying that just because we watch brave people on TV or play brave people in games, we are not (or a least it's singing to people who are). It's a very good song, with a lot of great clean vocals from Mathias.

"End of an Empire" – Another song with a lot of Mathias' great clean vocals; I love it. Also, it has awesome piano parts from Iiro Rantala. It has a very epic sound, with, again, awesome singing from Mathias. I believe this is just about empires ending in general, not one specific one. The song mentions Rome, Waterloo, Bastille, so it has a wide range. This is this albums “Miklagard Overture,” in my opinion.

"The Bosphorus Freezes Over" – This is the outro of the album, like “Katuman Kaiku” off of Battle Metal. A great, peaceful instrumental song, also with some chorus lines in Finnish. This is a meaningful ending to the song and the adventure begun with The Varangian Way.

“Broadsword”/“Supernaut” - Two great covers, Jethro Tull and Black Sabbath respectively, that will be making regular appearances at the ending of the show.

For lyrics from this album, visit darklyrics.com

Turisas has definitely not disappointed with this album, not at all. This is a very epic, lively, and exciting album, that still has a lot of powerful, meaningful lyrics that a lot of people can relate to. History nerds like myself will enjoy mentions of “The Greens! The Blues!” in "βένετοι! - πράσινοι!”, which were real chariot racing factions (it' great), and battle metal fans can appreciate...all the songs. Turisas, once again, has done a great job and I cannot wait to see what they do in the future.

-TJ 

Folk Metal Night! 3/6/11

Hello everyone!

This week was a spontaneous folk metal night! I hope you enjoyed it! We had one great request, for "My Selene", which I know isn't folk metal, but I let it slide because it was used to ask someone out in a great way, and she said yes! It was great. Besides that, we just played great folk metal!

As far as news, there wasn't much. The lead singer of Cruachan got beaten by hooligans, but  he's okay now, Amon Amarth has a behind the scenes video from 70000tons of metal, and Leave's Eyes is releasing a new album soon, and will be filming a music video for it.

The playlist from this week:
"Over the Hills and Far Away" - Nightwish
"Goi, Rode, Goi!" - Arkona
"From the Heaven of My Heart" - Amorphis
"Wings of Time" - Tyr
"My Selene" - Sonata Arctica
"Cuchulainn" - Cruachan
"Uniaika" - Korpiklaani
"Hunting Pirates" - Turisas
"The Somber Lay" - Eluveitie
"Wingthors Hammer" - Equilibrium
"The Coffin Ships" - Pimordial
"Conloach" - Suidakra
"Captain Morgan's Revenge" - Alestorm
"Banquet of Bards" - Elvenking
"En Maktig Har" - Finntroll
"New Found Land" - Leave's Eyes
"Tale of Revenge" - Ensiferum
"Dreams" - Tyr
"Broadsword" - Turisas

Next week we will be playing a St Patrick's Day show, listen to it!
-TJ