Stand Red Hungry a Psychosocial Rebel – Music of January 2023

Welcome to the first edition of 2023! I decided to start writing this on Sunday since I was scheduled for a shift on the actual last day of this month so here we go.

This month’s songs are filled with nostalgia and emotion for me so it’s going to be interesting. Some of the songs I selected I realized that I had not listened to for a long time but I still love the bands they’re from.

2023 has had an interesting start for me so far as my family and I decided to adopt two kittens into our home. My previous cats will always be in my heart though, no matter how many cats I have in my life. These kittens are skittish and curious but are slowly being won over by us so here’s hoping they become more affectionate.

I am also hoping to purchase my first car this year, after having obtained my G2 last month, my dad and I both agreed it was time to get a vehicle of my own since I work out of town. I never thought I would make it to this point, especially since early I didn’t think I needed to drive in the first place so it’s pretty exciting…. when the cars that catch my eye don’t get sold before I get a chance to look at them in person, test-drive them, and make a decision, that is!

One thing is certain, once I do have my first car, I shall consider it my 30th birthday present to myself, even if it drains a significant amount of my short-term savings!

Anyhow, enough of that, let’s get started with the songs of this month!

Ghost – Stand By Him

I have a significant number of Ghost songs at my disposal and yet, I rarely feature them in these posts. I haven’t been listening to them lately. It’s not that their newer songs don’t appeal me, it’s just that sometimes you just drift away from a band without knowing it.

I think it’s also due to me feeling less attached to them after experiencing harassment in the fandom, even if it was only from a couple of individuals, only one of them was the most persistant. Mind you that was before the band grew bigger toward mainstream. You’d think things would be different now, but I still don’t interact with the fandom since, well, I’m just afraid of reliving what happened. I think one thing that might do me good to truly put the experience behind me indefinitely was not just to write about it here like I did, but to also just buy one of their new albums and fall in love with them all over again.

Maybe I will do that this year, and while I decide which one, I will blast their classics like this song which was the first hidden track on their debut album that I came to love just before Ritual, it is eerie, dark and fascinating and I love to sing it. Hell, I would sing any of Ghost’s songs all day long and that’s what I like about the vocals! 2023 seems like a good year to get back into Ghost and remember what I once enjoyed from them don’t you think?

Sabaton – The Red Baron

I love these lyric videos that Sabaton keeps making for all their songs. I have the history version of this album which has a narration before each song begins of what it’s about. It sounds like the good ol’ Sabaton that I love and as I listen to it, I not only picture Red Baron but also myself flying again, even if I am not in a plane! That’s to be expected from me at this point because power metal always makes me want to fly with its anthem-like choruses!

Now for the history lesson, I remember learning this piece in history class when we did our unit on WWI, you guessed it, it’s about the Red Baron, I would say his real name but I’d have to have other tabs open to make sure I am spelling it correctly! He was a pilot for the German Air Service and was one of the deadliest they had during that war, his name comes from his distinctive red bi-plane with the Iron Cross on its tail. I still remember seeing spoofs of him in Looney Tunes! Great song, I expect nothing more or less from Sabaton.

Naked Idol – Hungry (For You)

I don’t think anyone will know this band. I couldn’t find this song on YouTube so I had to resort to SoundCloud. The band’s bass player is actually Magnum, who used to be in Lordi and played on the Get Heavy album. Since I used to chat with Magnum a lot back in the day, I bought this EP to support him and the band.

This is a song that grew on me over time and I think more people need to listen to the EP. These guys are really good, and I especially like the riff in this one. There hasn’t been any news of Naked Idol ever since so I don’t even know if they are still around. Either way, I am glad I found them.

Slipknot – Psychosocial

Now time for another trip down memory lane. When I was a teenager I thought this song was the most badass I had ever heard in metal before I discovered other bands. You have to start somewhere right? I would listen to it every day and even now I crank it up from time to time.

The music video also is what made me develop a crush on Mick, I thought he was cute, even with the mask on, and even though I’m not as in love with him as I was in the past, I still have a soft spot for him when I revisit this. No matter how much my music taste expands, I always find myself coming back to this band and this song is a timeless classic to me.

Powerwolf – Nighttime Rebel

Right now, if you’ve been following me closely, the last thing you’d anticipate me doing anytime soon, is putting a Powerwolf song in one of their posts. But this song started to play on shuffle one morning when I was on my way to work. My brother was driving me and he was listening to an audiobook, I wasn’t in the mood to hear it so I put on my own music and then this song started playing.

I remember when I first bought this album, I thought it was really good because it was a different sound for Powerwolf from the traditional keys they aim for in their music. This particular song stood out, in fact it’s my favourite, but it made me feel emotional when I heard it. I have been a member of the wolfpack for nine years now and I have boxsets containing the albums from Return in Bloodred to Blood of the Saints. I thought my chance to see them was finally coming when the band’s promoter’s announced a tour late last year, but it broke my heart that Montreal was the only date in Canada. I never stopped pushing for a more local show to suit my needs and of the other fans who preferred the same, but no avail.

It’s hard, being a Canadian Metalhead, I know there are way better bands out there, but I still love these guys dearly and I only wish to see them at least once. It isn’t their fault the tour is too little, it’s those fucking promoters who don’t seem to realize that Canada is more than just that one city in Quebec.

This is one of the strongest tracks they’ve ever released in recent years. Then again, I have not listened to their latest album yet so I don’t know what lies in store for me there. But since their ridiculously picky NA tour is right around the corner, it’ll be upsetting for me that only the Montreal fans get a taste of what the pack has to offer, so I think I’ll be crawling under my rock deeper from this band for a little while until I decide if the new album is worth it and won’t remind me of what I’m missing.

That being said, when I put those feelings aside, I do love this song and I wish they would make more songs like these. It doesn’t make me think of anything in particular, but it could be a good track for a fanfiction idea once enough time has passed for me to revisit the idea of writing something like that.

And that was January, I really hope I can find a car soon, I’m tired of being driven everywhere and I’ve had enough of transit. I’m sure the right car will show up for me soon, I’ll just have to keep looking.

👽Emily