darkSpyro

1. Lost Horizon - Highlander (The One)
Incredibly motivational in a cheesy kind of way. Also based on one of my favourite movies. Twelve minutes of pure kickass that will make you feel like you could beat God at Smash Bros.

2. Timeless Miracle - Curse of the Werewolf
Part of a short gothic rock opera story. Tells the story of a werewolf and his emotions following the curse. It starts off slow but becomes more intense as the chorus comes in, with plenty of changes throughout. Keeps a theme of melancholy in lyrics though the music is more upbeat.

3. Demons & Wizards - Down Where I Am
Pretty dark song about a father who can't bring himself to love or accept his son. Very soft and does well in expressing the father's sorrow. Whilst it kicks off a little during the second half it's far from cheerful at all times, fitting with the lyrics.

4. Nightwish - The Crow, the Owl and the Dove
Another soft song that carries the philosophical nature of the album. I feel like this could work well as a credits theme for something. Lyrics deal with the concepts of such as pride, beauty and innocence. Slow ballad that fits well with these kinds of themes.

5. Iron Maiden - Fear of the Dark
Another long song that's not quite intense but certainly not laid-back either. Something inbetween. Deals with fear obviously and again the music reflects that with its gloomy atmosphere.

6. Sonata Arctica - Broken
SA are a little less cheery in their music than usual. The lyrics are like normal however. Sounds like a love story between an immortal and a mortal. This song seems to go with creating a kind of illusion for having two choruses which is interesting, the second acting as a kind of fade-out. Like Curse of the Werewolf it shifts between melancholic and somewhat aggressive.

7. Blind Guardian - Theater of Pain
This song seems to give off an almost palpable feeling of hopelessness. Like the song and the emotion are one and the same in a way. Only two chorus repetitions and unique verses make it a truly one-of-a-kind whilst maybe making it seem shorter than it actually is.

8. Civil War - Gladiator
Overly intense, no bull**** aggressiveness. This is the song you listen to when you need to take on a zombie apocalypse singlehandedly. Guaranteed to motivate you into doing so. As a side effect I believe it must be impossible to fall asleep whilst listening to this.

9. The Rolling Stones - Paint it Black
Weird song that I'm not sure how to describe. Like Theater of Pain, Down Where I Am and a few other songs on this list it's pretty melancholic again. Despite this it seems to be both that and cheerful at once. Perhaps it's the use of the instruments or something? I'm not a music expert.

10. The Script - Superheroes
I wasn't sure what to put at 10 but I listened to this song a lot many years ago and it was my favourite for a while so it deserves to be somewhere on here. Surprisingly cheerful compared to my usual music tastes. It's kind of inspirational.