For sharing thoughts and ratings on the song.
Rain On The Graves
none
5.0
1
I would declare this song an instant classic, but I remember not liking it on first listen… my next memory is me blasting it out in my car a few days later with a broad smile on my face and realizing that I sure as hell love it.
When this was released as the second single, before the album came out, I was expecting something heavy in the lines of “Afterglow”, and I somehow missed all the fun in it. The song bows in the direction of old horror rock or what it should be called, like Alice Cooper and such. And it does this with tongue in cheek, with dark humor. It has a pretty good, heavy opening riff, and great, rhythmic verses where Bruce shines as a story teller. And this is the type of story that I tend to enjoy! The chorus is catchy as hell, even if not very ambitious.
But the best thing in the song are the little riffs and melodies between the verses and the choruses – the one where Roy does bends with both guitar and bass, and the instrumental pre-chorus where Mistheria’s pipe-organ-style keyboard takes an even bigger role. Both parts are simple, yet great fun, and fantastic in the way they build up the song’s atmosphere. Playful, even.
The simple beat in the verse – the kick drum and a monotonic bass line – is brilliant in its slight clumsiness. I’m not sure if Dave Moreno’s right foot is completely in time (it probably is!), but at least Roy’s bass guitar is a little bit shaky at times, and that is just perfect for the song. After all, this is not dead serious modern metal. This is old, organic rock music that is intended to be played in some… weird, dark circus show? I don’t know…
Good, insightful guitar solo by Chris Declercq. And the ending of the song is great with the band playing the opening riff, Bruce improvising around the song title. No need for another “real” chorus! Keep 'em hungry so they will listen to it again! I’m sure I will.