I'll probably listen to these tomorrow some time but I'll be interested in seeing your reaction to my Japanese prog rock nom that is up in the new batch of Rock Wars matches.

I listened to the song Dripping Sun earlier today, and really, really like it. I’m a bit surprised to have never heard of them before, but plan to explore quite a bit later. Their transitions are so smooth, and I suspect that they may sometimes lean on the heavier side, but haven’t had a chance to look. Before I vote (yes, for them), I plan to look at their other stuff.

Edit: Kikagaku Moya comments after exploring briefly.

1. If you have their videos, you probably don’t need drugs.
2. I’m completely not familiar with that electric sitar, and don’t remember any sitar being such a prominent instrument in a band.
3. I’m not going to spoil it, but the creation of the band and their style is unlike anything I have heard before. I think I like their song
GATHERINGS (Kikagaku Moyu)

Yes you are. In two of the Beatles most psychedelic songs, George Plays Sitar. Within You Without You and Tomorrow Never Knows, which features one of my favorite Ringo rhythms as well. Also Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones plays sitar on Paint it Black among others. I think it was more prominent in the 60s due to the Beatles use of it in songs. Almost forgot Norwegian Wood.

You are correct, of course, about the use of the sitar in those songs plus songs by Ravi Shankar in the sixties. I think what threw me off a bit was seeing him standing up, being plugged in. I don’t personally remember seeing whether George Harrison played standing or sitting, so don’t know. But I was used to seeing Brian and Ravi sitting, so it never occurred to me they could be plugged in. Since Paint It Black was the first rock and roll record I ever owned, it would be embarrassing to not know the sitar was used. It’s only slightly less embarrassing to realize they might have been electric! Edison and Tesla are still changing my life every day.

Some nice use of the sitar in this track by Blue Cheer too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8lBTU23fwU

Band Maid just released A NEW SONG ABOUT AN HOUR AGO- Metal/Rock/Pop?

SHAMBLES (Band-Maid)

Just for fun, one of Japan's most popular metal/punk bands- Hanabie (Han-a-bee-a)

PARDON ME, I HAVE TO GO NOW (Hanabie)

And one more punk band I've been dying to share- Haze

HIKIKOMORI ROCK (Haze)

I'm thinking Tesla did more to change your life then Edison did.

You are seriously determined to make sure Band Maid appears in my YouTube feed for a long time to come, aren't you? I just finished listening to that last batch you posted.

I promise (probably) not to share them again for quite a while. If they aren’t loved by now, they may never be!!

I’m thinking we have shared quite a few heavier songs, and discussed many nostalgic rarities. I believe my next songs may be from other genres. Although not my main interest, I know I have enjoyed country, country rock, soul, blues, hip-hop, popular, reggae, etc in the past. Chris Stapleton, Georgia Satellites, Black Pumas, Curtis Harding, Robert Cray. Lady Gaga, The Weeknd, Taylor Swift, Bad Brains, Death (Hackney brothers), so many more. So many genres, so many songs, so little time.

On the hip-hop tip, this is a thing I almost nominated, even though it's basically an incomplete song. It's one verse of a rap song from Jamaican rapper Shenseea called "Don't Rush," with a tag of her song "Bad Habits."

I really like it, but it was more impressive when I thought it was a real off-the-cuff freestyle, but then I noticed the editing and she obviously went through this more than once to get the shots. But it's a great verse and I'd like to hear a full version, but I haven't found one. Her other stuff seems a lot like the current sexualized candy-colored pop-rap Nicki Minaj/Cardi B style so I haven't found another piece of hers I really like, but this is great.

If you see my avatar and a link you can pretty much assume, kids get you parents permission to listen.

I love the Orange amps and so does one of my favorite bands Clutch.

Flash forward 15 years and I was the getting the same vibes from parents and teachers with a foot tall mohawk. At it's tallest, my bangs went to my belly button and if I put it in a pony tail, I looked like a hippie, cause my hair went to the small of my back. Now I'm going bald .

Bad Brains is one of my all time favorite bands. Fun fact they are the reason the Beastie Boys group name has two "B's". I love wearing my Bad Brains shirt to concerts, since it yellow like the ROIR cassette, it makes me stand out in the sea of black concert t-shirts. If you have never listened to the album Never Give In: A Tribute To Bad Brains, I highly recommend it and Soulfly's cover of Sailing On, I especially like at 1:36 where they put their own spin on the song. If you have some extra time check out the documentary A Band in D.C. and / or Finding Joseph I: The HR From Bad Brains Documentary

I really like that City on Flame with Rock and Roll, classic stuff. I saw Alice Cooper with Marilyn Manson in Reading about 10 years ago. The thing I remember most about the concert is I didn't drive, I got super drunk and went home early and got sick. Definitely should have followed hail_eris's straight-edge lifestyle that night for sure. Speaking of which...

WXAC was 219 watts of pure power and surprisingly had about a 20 mile radius.

Do you like straight edge bands like Minor Threat, 7 Seconds, Bold, Earth Crisis, Judge, Refused, Slapshot, Snapcase, Youth of Today, etc.?

There was definitely a straight edge scene in Reading in the early 90's. A lot of krishna-core and straight edge bands played at the same run down venue (Unisound) that the NY hard-core bands that I would go see played. One of those straight edge band's (Inside Out) singer would go on to be the "Voice of the Voiceless" No Spiritual Surrender Found this gem of an album in a used music store in Ohio in the early 2000's.

Limp Bizkit before they blew up, used to open for L.U.N.G.S. (losers usually never get signed ) Better Class Of Loser. YRMV, but I definitely listened to it back in the day.

I went overseas in 1979 and aside from a year long stint in San Antonio in 1982, was overseas all the way to Oct 1988. Therefore, I missed a LOT of stuff that never reached the places I was at. I've been playing catchup for quite a while. This Canadian band was one of the things I missed and there are three songs they did that get regular airplay on the local area radio station I listen to. This one has a rolling beat that I enjoy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOCR_CMv0w8

This track was used as a wakeup call for the Discovery space shuttle on it's final voyage.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSyYqD9v_wo

And this track has a sort of bombastic majesty that I like.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UkPhGRQzboE

So I was just a little curious about the top most popular songs in the US. According to the Billboard Hot 100 Singles for this week they are:

#1- TRY THAT IN A SMALL TOWN (Jason Aldean)
#2- LAST NIGHT (Morgan Wallen)
#3 FAST CAR (Luke Combs)
#4 FUKUMEAN (Gunna)
#5 CALM DOWN (Rema and Selena Gomez)
#6 CRUEL SUMMER (Taylor Swift)

At first I thought I had accidently gotten the country chart but appears this is the main list. I do actually like the FAST CAR cover by Luke Combs.
Billboard Hot 100 Top Singles This Week

A couple of weeks ago, I had looked and literally about 25 or 30 were Taylor Swift songs, but it seems to have settled out a bit. Rock does not appear to be the most popular genre. There is a separate, runner up chart for rock:
Billboard Mainstream Rock Songs Airplay Top 40

There are other charts also.

Of the three, I like the space shuttle song.

Although I try to listen to everything that everyone links in this thread, I'll be taking a hard pass on the Jason Aldean idiocy. It would take me all night to dissect everything I find wrong with that foolish song.