NERD METAL (and other music)

During my musical journey thus far (yes, I began my previous post with that), I've come across some weird and truly wonderful bands. But so many of them are just too...cool. If the music world were a high school, they would be the cool kids who wear sunglasses indoors and budge in the lunch line. But I wasn't like that. I'm a nerd. Luckily, I've discovered some bands that share my passion for high fantasy, advanced topics, or music that is meant more to be decrypted that enjoyed. So, here are the ten nerdiest artists in my iTunes.

10. Dream Theater

Yeah, they may look all cool, but Dream Theater is pretty nerdy. Who else would write 20+-minute songs on fantasy, philosophy, and other weighty matters (or car accidents) packed with extended instrumental breaks in odd time signatures or keys? And YES THAT IS THE REAL LINEUP OF THE BAND

9. Rush

Another cool-yet-nerdy prog band from a bit before Dream Theater. Neil Peart just loves the fantasy/sci-fi/Ayn Rand lyrics. I don't listen to them as much as I should.

8. DragonForce

INTO THE FIRES OF FOREVER/WE WILL FLY THROUGH THE HEAVENS/WITH THE POWER OF THE UNIVERSE WE STAND STRONG TOGETHER/THROUGH THE FORCING OF POWER/IT WILL SOON REACH THE HOUR/FOR VICTORY WE RIDE/FURY OF THE STORM

7. Canvas Solaris

I've already discussed this band's nerdery. Their song titles alone pack more nerdiness than lesser bands, requiring several Ph.D's (no doubt shared by the members of the band) to decipher. And that's not even considering their music, which is even more technically complex than Dream Theater's.

6. Blind Guardian

These German power metal giants have written songs based on just about every fantasy series. (Including an entire album based on The Lord of the Rings) Also ancient sagas, classic poetry, history, and the Bible. No doubt there are at least a few songs in their body of work for you to fanboy/girl over.

5. Powerglove

I've already posted on these guys' fantastic cover of the Pokemon theme song with Tony Kakko. The rest of their work is no less hilariously awesome. They've done songs based on Final Fantasy, F-Zero, Sonic, Castlevania, even Duck Hunt. For a break, they did an album based on Saturday morning cartoons from their youth. (My favorite is their metal version of a song from Winnie the Pooh)

4. Rhapsody of Fire

You see those? Swords. Case closed.

3. Ayreon

Like Rhapsody of Fire, Ayreon's albums are all concept albums that tell epic tales. They go the sci-fi route rather than fantasy, with tons of retro-sounding synthesizer sounds. I'm not going to re-describe the storyline behind the albums; my previous post does a better job anyway. Did I mention it's all the brainchild of one brilliant Arjen Anthony Lucassen?

2. Jonathan Coulton

If anyone reading this hasn't heard of Jonathan Coulton, check him out, right now. He is geek rock at its finest. He's done songs on the Mandelbrot Set, Ikea, Skymall magazine, a heartsick programmer, office zombies, robot brides,  robot overlords running Christmas, and bacteria. Oh, he also wrote Still Alive if you've played Portal. His only possible rival in nerdiness: whoever made all those World of Warcraft AMVs for his songs.

1. Bal-Sagoth

I just discovered these guys. Black metal usually isn't considered a very nerdy genre, which makes them even more amazing. Like Rhapsody of Fire and Ayreon, they tell stories spanning multiple albums. Their subject matter is a mix of dark fantasy, sci-fi, and horror (two words: 'Cthulhu metal'). Their song titles are, shall we say...rather extreme and the story they tell twisted and complicated. They have plenty of cheesy synths to back up their dark, frantic sound. What takes the cake, though, is their brilliant vocalist, who effortlessly switches between black metal shrieks and a perfect, melodramatic, Christopher-Lee-in-a-B-movie narrator voice to tell parts of the story. Listen for yourself.