This Week's Playlist #55 - Guest feature: Rakkan
5 songs that shaped Rakkan's metal tastes & 5 songs of my current rotation
TL;DR: I'm running a musical newsletter with a new guest sharing 5 songs each week.
There is a YouTube link for each of the songs on the cover, and here are the playlists for each streaming platform:
Tidal (coming soon)
Deezer (coming soon)
Hello everyone!
3rd week of the year. Freezing cold in the Northern hemisphere. We survived Blue Monday :-)
Grim weather in London this week and the matching mood that most Londoners usually relate to in January; this year is no exception :-)
Here is a new playlist to bring you a bit of energy, featuring another new guest, this time a metalhead for a change. And another 5 songs of my current rotation for the softer ears.
Have a great week, everyone :-)
Guest of the week: Rakkan
I met Thomas back in 2018, and we soon became very good friends. We attended many gigs together, shared tons of songs, went out on photography walks together, and had many pizzas before, during and after the pandemic. He is also a fellow suffering NY Knicks fan.
So, where do I start? My name is Rakkan and I am currently working and living in
NYC. I am 46 years old, and 47 in a few days. I guess this is my birthday gift to all. I’ve been a true metal head since I was 8 years old in 1984.
Despite working in the Energy industry, my true passions are heavy metal and
photography. I’ve created a photography project called “My Black Heavy Metal T-
Shirt”. The project aims to bring the different faces of metalheads in their favorite
T-shirt in front of the camera. I have also worked and photographed numerous heavy metal bands. You can see more of my work on my website www.rakkan.com, and on my Instagram account @andrakkanforall.
Links:
I am happy to be part of season 2 of the weekly playlist. For my list, I chose the theme of the evolution of my metal taste.
I’ve picked 5 songs that defines how the sound, speed, intensity have evolved throughout the years.
1. Where Eagles Dare - Iron Maiden
This was my gateway song into metal. I was attracted to the record though the imagery of the album. But when I played it, I was immediately mesmerized by the sounds.
2. Creeping Death - Metallica
After my introduction to Iron Maiden, I started to listen to more metal by first going through Iron Maiden’s older catalog and then into other bands like Judas Priest. However, Metallica’s Creeping Death is what got me mesmerized with Thrash Metal that dominated the rest of the decade for me. It was that song that not only got me into Metallica, but also Megadeth, Slayer, Testament, and other Thrash Metal bands.
3. Cowboys From Hell - Pantera
These guys from Texas came in and their music at the time changed what metalheads were listening to. Their technical prowess, speed and aggression was something that was a breath of fresh air. VulgarDisplay of Power remains one of my metal albums, but it was Cowboys from Hell that got me into the is band and changed my expectations of how metal shouldsound like.
4. Embody the Invisible - In Flames
In the early 2000s, In Flames got me into Melodic Death Metal. Again, this fits the theme of the previous songs. All of these song to me, felt like I’ve listened to music for the very first time. It was a refresh of expectations and sudden burst of musical butterflies.
5. Walk with Me in Hell - Lamb of God
Just when I thought I’ve listened to it all, comes this band from Maryland with a sound so raw, so energetic with riffs that are unmatched at a time when I was convinced that I’ve listened to it all.
🎧 What I’ve been listening to this week
Another mixed bag this week. In order: some electronic movie soundtrack, a hip-hop mastermind, ethereal pop music, more ethereal pop music and a piano ballad to finish with.
🌍 Links and further reads
A new section, with some interesting links I found during the week:
This Song Plants Tree: A nice initiative from a Matt, a fellow Londoner geek: a set of different background sounds you can use for your relaxation/meditation/go-to-sleep playlist and play on loop. All the streaming revenues are going to planting trees (more than 18,000 so far!!)
Until the next time, Godspeed!
Thomas
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