The Battle Of Evermore/Led Zeppelin

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHJH0ETi8D4&feature=related

What a classic song. They may as well have been minstrels in medieval England.

End Over End/Foo Fighters

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K96Ua-p3y7o&feature=relmfu

Powerful stuff. Then again, it's the Foo Fighters.

Distortion Therapy

Stephen Carpenter of Deftones

My Own Summer (Shove It)/Deftones

Guardians Of Asgaard/Amon Amarth

Warrior/Disturbed

Raga Desh/Anoushka Shankar

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8OUwwIRtnL4

Sweet sitar music. Played in Jhap Taal (10 beat) time, no less.

Thought: My favourite drum tracks

Home At Last/Steely Dan  (The classic Purdie Shuffle, named after legendary drummer Bernard "Pretty" Purdie who was hired by the Dan to play on the song.)

I Got A Woman (Ray Charles cover)/John Mayer Trio  (Steve Jordan is a rare heavyweight in the world of drumming today.)

Kryptonite/3 Doors Down  (Lead singer Brad Arnold played the drums on this album.)

Stay Together For The Kids/Blink 182  (Travis Barker plays a sweet groove in the verses. I have countless memories of jamming to this song in college.)

Strange Kind Of Woman/Deep Purple  (Ian Paice's shuffle is a classic example of the band's versatility.)

Californication/Red Hot Chili Peppers  (I can safely say that this song got me seriously interested in playing the drums for the first time. I remember when the video would air on MTV and I would wait for the scenes showing Chad Smith behind his kit, flawlessly executing the track's crisp groove.)

No Excuses (unplugged)/Alice In Chains  (Sean Kinney's intro is so sweet, I could watch the video over and over again.)

Gunning Down Romance/Savage Garden  (Studio artist par excellence Steve Smith was called upon to lay down the drums on the album.)

War Pigs/Black Sabbath  (Bill Ward is clearly having a blast. Isn't that what drumming is all about, really?)

Your New Twin Sized Bed/Death Cab For Cutie  (Jason McGerr is a master of the 16-beat hi-hat. Check out the track "You Are A Tourist" if you still aren't convinced.)

Thunder Underground/Ozzy Osbourne

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9xmkg7JA0M

The slow tempo is great for off-roading.

Kuu/Kitaro

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlleynKJLPY

Mornings should always start with some Kitaro.

Dumb/Nirvana

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7O3jDbqnO_U

The most Beatlesque song from the grunge icons. The haunting cello is played by Kera Schaley.

Great Albums (The Blackening/Machine Head)

Year: 2007

I've been listening to The Blackening quite excessively these past few weeks. While songs like "Aesthetics Of Hate" and "Beautiful Mourning" provide plenty of thrashy goodness, "Clenching The Fists Of Dissent" and "Wolves" are considerably more complex, and demonstrate the band's high level of skill and maturity. There really isn't a single weak moment on the entire album. Highly recommended for any metal fan.

Personal Picks: "Beautiful Mourning", "Halo" and "Wolves"

Giving Me A Chance/Gotye

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkoDyRJCeRg

There's something very U2-esque about this track.