Witchcraft, "The Outcast"
Doom metal can sometimes just be code for "wants to be Black Sabbath", and while that's not such a bad thing, bands definitely have differing levels of skill at it. Sweden's Witchcraft have been at it for a long time, and as a result, they're pretty good at it. By the time they hit this album (2016's Nucleus), the truth is that they're actually channeling a whole lot of 70s rock and not just Sabbath. There are distinct notes of, say, Jethro Tull going on here.
Nine Inch Nails, "Gave Up"
The incendiary EP Broken ends with this tune, which sounds like what you get if you take Pretty Hate Machine and play it on the wrong speed. Turns out that sounds pretty damn good!
(NB: "Physical (You're So)" and "Suck" were a bonus single that was included as a separate disc with the original printings, and then were tacked on as bonus tracks later, as tracks 98 and 99. I persist in the belief that those two songs are not part of the "proper" release of Broken, because I'm picky and annoying.)
The Decemberists, "Everything Is Awful"
More like this album is awful, right???
In all seriousness, this is kind of the centerpiece of I'll Be Your Girl, and I can't stand the song. The chirpy repetition of the chorus, the winky tone, I dunno. It just feels like it's such a facile song, it's the musical equivalent of clickbait.
The Twilight Singers, "My Time (Has Come)"
I'm currently sitting here trying to put my finger on the major difference between this and that Witchcraft tune above. Like, obviously they're pretty different, but I'm not sure I really have the adequate musical vocabulary to truly describe all the differences between them. But I guess what I'm really wondering is how much the feel of the songs is dictated by the vocal performance. If you swapped vocal tracks around, and I guess the vocal arrangement, how much would the feel of the songs switch?
The Budos Band, "Budos Rising"
After that stunning display of insight, I'm just going to leave it here today.