After MTV Latino steered into a cliff of reality shows, I had to switch to other avenues to find new, fresh music. Magazines did the trick for a while, bulleting boards and discussion forums carried the torch too. I won’t lie about the use of Bearshare, Emule, and Audiogalaxy, which replaced FTP sites where you could exchange MP3s. USA Today’s columnist Pop Candy had some great recommendations too.

Funny enough, as I started playing more videogames, I found more music. Grand Theft Auto III use of licensed music was a starting point, and its superior sequel, Vice City, made me realise of all the great 80s music I missed out. Game developers took a queue from Rockstar and started getting songs for their open world videogames. Scarface: the world is yours got me into The Gun Club, Driver: Parallel Lines got me into TV on the Radio, and I can’t count how many bands Saints Row 2 made me a fan of.

I don’t consider myself a metal fan, even if most people I meet think I’m into the genre. Maybe the way I behave, maybe the way I dress, it’s always “ah, you must love Metallica? Or Pantera? Howzabout Slayer?” All have tracks that I like, but I don’t go out of my way to listen to them regularly.

On Saints Row 2, gangs have on their cars a preselected station. The Yakuza have an electronic/hardstep station. The Yardies have reggae. The vicious Brotherhood gang always have metal. I found a few bands I’ve always wanted to sample but never had the time to do so. For some reason, both Lamb of God and Mastodon did the trick for me.

Mastodon’s colony of birchmen has this ominous atmosphere, coupled with a video that feels like the “too many times to admit” mistake of making a wrong turn while hiking (or bushwacking). I’ve been too lucky, but the song’s narrator is in a tough spot. I don’t want to draw the ire of Mastodon’s fans can call Colony of Birchmen their best song (it’s my fave, tho), but for beginners (like me!) it’s a great starting point. Good enough of a hook to grab your attention, heavy enough riffs to get you to stick around (and run from the savage killers on the hunt).

RIP Brett Hinds.

PS: Circle of Cysquatch is a great song for treadmill running.

-Sam J. Valdés López