It can be very easy to enjoy the tracks from a band’s greatest hits list. But how about those forgotten songs that their careers are built on?
I mean, it’s those tunes that serve as the cornerstones of a band or an artist’s work. Sometimes, maybe not always, but sometimes, those forgotten songs are even better than the hits we come to know and love from our favorite bands. Let’s talk about a few.
“Grenade Jumper” by Fall Out Boy
I’ll go out on a limb and say that, overall, this is quite possibly the most underrated Fall Out Boy song ever.
A relic of a bygone era, “Grenade Jumper” was Fall Out Boy’s homage to the Chicago hardcore and punk scene they grew up in. It very specifically references a good friend of the band, Christopher Gutierrez, a former member of Arma Angelus. The line now etched in pop-punk stone says, “Hey, Chris, you were our only friend. And I know this is belated, but we love you back.”
I get that it’s predictably Elder Emo of me to call back to a song from Fall Out Boy’s breakout album, Take This to Your Grave, but I have no shame. I would put “Grenade Jumper” up there above any FOB single or hit song, any day of the week.
“New Abortion” by Slipknot
To be transparent, I would probably always choose any song from Iowa over any track from any other Slipknot album. That’s in no way meant to be a slam of their earlier or later works. I just personally have a deep love for this record. I find it to be perfect.
So, when you ask me if there are any deep-cut Slipknot songs that are better than their biggest hits, I’m immediately going to this record and “New Abortion”. It’s an absolutely blistering track among a collection of heaters, and it’s some of the best proof that Slipknot’s brutality making it to the mainstream is practically an anomaly.
“Throw Yourself Away” by Nickelback
Piggybacking, in a manner, of talking Slipknot’s Iowa: if you ask me, The Long Road is Nickelback’s masterpiece. Marking album number four for the Canadian rockers, this record is darker, grittier, and heavier than the majority of their catalogue.
In that regard, even one of the more forgotten songs on the album, “Throw Yourself Away”, is better than like 98% of their hit singles. In this era of the band, you can hear that they really started leaning more into their metal inspirations. Specifically, the work of Pantera’s late, legendary guitarist “Dimebag” Darrell Abbott.
The song starts with a fuzzy, chugging riff and then just builds on that until getting to a killer solo a couple of minutes in. There’s also this really incredible breakdown moment after the solo that most mainstream rock bands simply aren’t capable of pulling off.
“Red War” by Dave Grohl’s Probot, feat. Max Cavalera of Soulfly/ex-Sepultura
Back in 2004, Dave Grohl unleashed a wild metal album on the world called Probot. The concept was sort of like a heavier version of what Carlos Santana did on his 1999 album Supernatural, which featured the iconic musician collaborating with other artists. From this, we got “Smooth” (featuring Rob Thomas).
And from Probot, we got Grohl, known for his work with Nirvana and the Foo Fighters, playing with some of the most renowned metal vocalists of all time. Not to mention, Kim Thayil of Soundgarden hopped on a couple of tracks. For the most part, however, Grohl played every instrument on the project.
There are some absolutely amazing songs on here, and I would encourage you to jam the whole thing if you haven’t. One standout, though, is the second track, “Red War”, with Max Cavalera on vocals. Cavalera is the mastermind behind Soulfly and is the ex-frontman for Sepultura.
The tune very much has that Cavalera-esque battlecry energy, and is some of the best Grohl has ever done in a studio. I would choose this song over any Foo Fighters or Nirvana track, any day of the week, and I’m not sorry.
The post 4 Forgotten Songs That Are Infinitely Better Than These Bands’ Biggest Hits appeared first on VICE.
