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Hannibal’s 10 songs.
This is an article for me. That doesn’t mean you can’t read it but you will probably click off this page before the end.
Introduction.
Around this time of year we are flooded with countdowns and other such lists. However through out any given year you will find countless articles from musicians titled something like. The 10 songs that changed my life.
I enjoy reading these articles and always thought it would be fun to do my own list. So despite the fact I am not famous and literally no one cares what songs might have changed my life. I am doing it anyway.
So get ready to go on a twisted journey through my mind.
This list is chronological instead of it being a countdown of the top 10 songs.
10: Sing for the Moment by Eminem.
If you know me this might seem like a strange choice for the first song on this list, but there are 2 reasons it made it on here.
This was one of the first songs I ever really remember listening to. My brother used to play allot of Eminem and even though I wasn’t allowed to listen because I was young. He used to turn it up loud enough that I could hear it from my room. I remember being able to sing every word of this song and would do so quietly in my room. Even if at the time I had no grasp on what the song was actually about.
The second reason is mostly because as I have got older I can truly appreciate the meaning behind the song. The lonely kid sitting alone in there room finding salvation in music.
Even though I got in to rock and metal the idea of this song has always stuck with me.
9: Pretty fly For A White Guy by The Offspring.
I feel like during that last one we got a little bit deep and meaningful. The same can not be said for this track.
While it certainly helped shape my musical taste for the most part I just remember really enjoying this song when I was young.
The Offspring was a bond I shared with one of the first friends I made in high school as well.
The Offspring was also set to be my first ever concert back in 2008 but the tour got canceled so I didn’t end up getting to go. I did finally see them in 2013 and it was worth the wait.
8: Faint by Linkin Park
Like so many kids born in the 90s, Linkin Park feels like a band that has always been there.
The softer radio singles by the band means that you heard them allot. The heavy stuff found on there albums formed I guess…an early warning sign for where my musical taste would go.
I could have put any number of Linkin Park tracks on this list but this was always a stand out song for me.
I have learned it on drums and guitar, performed it at a karaoke night when drunk, and it is just an all around good song!
7: Four Words To Choke Upon by Bullet For My Valentine
When I originally started writing this list Bullet For My Valentine were actually number 1. I also put the song Hand of Blood not Four Words to Choke Upon. But as I changed the list to be chronological order instead I thought this seems like a better choice.
Bullet for My Valentine marks so much that I find significant in my life. They were the first really heavy band I got in to. I still remember the day my friend handed me an ear bud and said listen to this solo. As we walked along the guitar solo from Four Words to Choke Upon played in my ear and all I could think was this is fucking sick!
I got a hold of there first Album the poison and the rest is history.
I managed to make it to my first ever concert in January 2009 and as you can guess it was Bullet For My Valentine.
The first time I really entered a mosh pit was at the second Bullet For My Valentine show I went to in September 2010.
I got a pick from Guitarist and Singer Matt Tuck at the Soundwave Music Festival in 2011. Which also happened to be the first Music festival I ever Attended
I played Hand of Blood on Drums as part of my Final Music Exam in high school also in 2011.
I also lost my virginity to. No I am kidding I am not actually doing this right now.
I have learnt songs by the band on drums, guitar and vocals and 12 years after I first heard that solo I still listen to them frequently!
6: Bone Yard by Parkway Drive.
5 songs in to the list and we have reached the first Australian entry.
Parkway drive was really a gate way band for me. They marked the step from just metal in general to heavy things that would lead in to a death Metal phase that still hangs out in my music collection to this day.
Similar to Bullet for my valentine, they also marked several milestones for me.
Bone yard was actually the first song I heard by Parkway drive. It was the first song I ever saw them play live as the opened with it the first time I saw them back in 2009.
It also happens to be 1 of 2 Parkway Drive songs that 2 friends and I covered very poorly and up loaded to youtube. Don’t look for them.
Parkway drive also happened to be my 100th concert back in January 2018, That show was the third night of there 10 year anniversary shows playing the Album horizons in full which just happens to be the album you will find bone Yard on.
Also that is not a joke. I actually keep a list of every concert I have ever been to. For the record as of the release of this article the total number is 132.
This song still hits hard more then a decade on from when I first heard it and it very well maybe the song I have heard the most in my entire life.
5: Reign of Darkness by Thy Art is Murder
The Australian pride rolls on with a second entry from an Aussie band. This time the skull crushing Thy Art is Murder.
Honestly I could write a blog post that was my top 10 Thy Art is Murder shows.
I have seen them 18 times and in that I have had songs dedicated to me, friends collapse in mosh pits, got to stand side stage, had adventures trying to find venues, seen some amazing open acts, met some awesome people and so much more.
With all this Reign of Darkness is certainly one of my all time favorite songs.
I have listened to it countless times and have named everything from characters in games, Team Talk Servers and drop box folders after this one track.
4: Twilight of the Thunder God by Amon Amarth
Viking Death Metal need I say more.
Alright probably
Amon Amarth are probably my Favorite band of all time. From the epic story telling to the amazing music I never get tired of listening to them.
My Cousin first showed me Twilight of the Thunder God many years ago and they have been a key part of my musical listening ever since. I have Managed to catch them live a few times and they never fail to put on a Fantastic show
3: Run to the Hills by Iron Maiden
So I have a confession. I didn’t care for Iron Maiden for a very long time. In fact they headlined the first festival I ever went to and I left early instead of watching them. This is something I regret now but honestly I wouldn’t have appreciated it back then any way.
It wasn’t until 2016 that I finally stopped being a fuck head and got in to there music.
It all started when last minute tickets for Iron Maidens Australian tour were reduced to 66.6 dollars a ticket.
But then to get ready for the show I got a copy of there latest album and there live album flight 666.
Suddenly I was hooked and run to the hills was a fast favorite. Since then I have consumed as much Iron Maiden music as I could but I still remember run to the hills for the first time. It captured my interest so hard I am pretty sure I completely lost the thread of the conversation I was having.
2: Regress by Polaris.
The first ever mention of Polaris weirdly came from my Dentist. Not really in to metal, he told me about this band that used to practice in the house next door to his. He said he wasn’t really in to it but they sounded pretty good.
A few months later I found my self at a small show to see a band called resist the thought who had split up for several years but got back together for a few 1 off shows.
But headlining that night was a band called Polaris. AT the time an almost no name band after resist the thought played nearly half the crowd left leaving maybe 150 people in the room to watch them.
They ripped through a 40 minute set which included there entire guilt and the grief ep and a couple of new songs that would later be released on there debut album.
The final song they played that night was a song called regress and it stuck in my mind like nothing else. I went home and downloaded the track and had it on repeat for a week.
It shows what a difference 3 years can make. In 2016 I saw them play to a half interested 150 people in a smelly hall that was closing down. In 2019 they headlined a show of 2000 people
1: The Land of Bundi by Lagerstein
I am a drunken Kangaroo from Australia and my Twitter handle is Captain Hannibal. So it should come as little surprise that my number 1 is an Australian Pirate metal band and the song I picked is about an Australian rum.
Honestly I have listened to Pirate metal for years but Seeing Lagerstein in April 2019 set me on a pirate path. My name went from Hannibal to Captain Hannibal every where.
I also drink more rum but don’t worry about that.
This is a fun band and this is an amazing song!
0: This time for Africa by Shakira
Oh come on you didn’t think I was going to put together a list of my favorite songs and leave her off it did you?
All I can say is that you know exactly why this is here if you listen to the BSG streams. If you don’t know go listen to 1 and find out.
Honorable Mentions.
Honestly I could have made this a list of 20, 50 or even 100 songs
I could have included multiple songs by the same band, songs that I can’t listen to any more because of X Girlfriends, I could probably make a top 10 list of songs for every band I mentioned. But in the end I thought I would leave it at 10.
But here are a few songs that didn’t make the list but could have very easily.
Raise the Alarm by The Living End.
A sick song by a really good Australian rock band.
Miseries Miss creation by Resist the thought.
Love it, love everything about it. It has also been my ring tone since 2011.
Psycho Social by Slipknot.
Had to include Slipknot on here.
We ran out of CD Space by Psychostick.
I ran out of room on my list so they get put here.
Black Flame by Bury Tomorrow.
Honestly this belongs on the list but I have nothing to say other then I absolutely love this song!
Conclusion
If you want to check these songs out you can listen to them here on this Spotify playlist I made.
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