The Soundtrack, Part 14

A tall alien figure with a pale, ridged head and a mass of tentacles hanging from its face, wearing ornate dark green and navy robes, long clawed hands spread at its sides against a dark background.

Part 14 has the most music of any Part in Volume 2. Three songs, and two of them are by the same band.

The Stage and Paradigm – Avenged Sevenfold

These two play back to back on the album The Stage, and that’s why I used them together. I wanted almost thirteen straight minutes of music under the onslaught of the battle. Just let the album play.

The Stage opens with a rapid-fire kick drum combo that sounds like gunfire, which is exactly what’s happening in the scene when the song starts. From there it moves through several different feels: thrash, metal, and a swinging, melodic chorus. Those are the ebb and flow of the battle. Paradigm carries it the rest of the way.

Nutshell – Alice in Chains

After all that noise, Part 14 closes quiet.

Nutshell is about being alone, and about the intrusion of having your privacy stolen. Both of those are keys to the character we’re watching while the song plays. There’s a difference between being alone and solitary and being alone in a crowd. This is both. You’ll see it when you get there.

Also, Jar of Flies is a great album, and it has one of the best country songs ever written on it. Go find it.