myArmoury.com - Music to invigorate oneself before battle...

Eric W. Norenberg

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Posts: 271

Wed 08 Jul, 2009 3:35 pm

Montard Brawle - nothing rouses the spirit like pipe & tabor and hurdy-gurdy!

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Christopher Lee

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Posts: 160 Location: Sunshine Coast, Australia

Wed 08 Jul, 2009 3:53 pm

Need heavy bass

Well, seemingly as usual, i have different tastes. Nothing gets my blood moving like a good dose of really heavy, pounding bass like VNV Nation. It doesn't fit into any of the above catergories and i would probably term it as "gothic trance"?
Failing that some old fashioned gothic rock like Sisters of Mercy or heavy metal like Rammstein.

Lyrics of VNV Nation's "Joy"

Have I no control, is my soul not mine?
Am I not just man, destiny defined?
Never to be ruled nor held to heel
Not heaven or hell just the land between
Am I not man, does my heart not bleed?
No lord, no God, no hate, no pity, no pain, just me
Comprehend and countermand
Synchronous guidance. I choose my way
Never to be ruled nor held to heel
No heaven or hell, just the land between

And am I not man?

So why do I love when I still feel pain?
When does it end, when is my work done?
Why am I lone and why do I feel that
I carry a sword through a battlefield?
So why do I love when I still feel pain?
When does it end, when is my work done?
Why do I fight and why do I feel that
I carry a sword, that I carry a sword?

Like the path to heaven or the road to hell
Our choice is our own consequences bind
We are the kings of wisdom, the fools as well
We are the gods to many, we are humble men
We who build great works just to break them down
We who make our rules so we never fail

So why do I love when I still feel pain?
When does it end, when is my work done?
Why am I lone and why do I feel that
I carry a sword through a battlefield?
So why do I love when I still feel pain?
When does it end, when is my work done?
Why do I fight and why do I feel that
I carry a sword, that I carry a sword through a battlefield?

"Don't hit at all if it is honourably possible to avoid hitting; but never hit soft."
Theodore Roosevelt quotes

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Josh MacNeil

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Posts: 197 Location: Massachusetts, USA

Wed 08 Jul, 2009 4:04 pm

METALLICA: All Nightmare Long, Broken Beat & Scarred, Don't Tread On Me, Harvester of Sorrow, Seek & Destroy, Ride the Lightening, For Whom The Bell Tolls, Fight Fire With Fire, the list goes on...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XPnKWJNs_g&feature=related "Show Your Scars!!!"

BLACK LABEL SOCIETY: Bleed For Me, Genocide Junkies, Suicide Messiah, Fire It Up, Funeral Bell, Electric Hellfire... pretty much the entire 1919 Eternal album...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QfFqE3gI5tY "Respect Through Fear!!!"

And of course, one of my favorites, IRON MAIDEN: The Clansman

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TaJKDYZ-n38 "Freedom!!!"

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Josh MacNeil

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Posts: 197 Location: Massachusetts, USA

Wed 08 Jul, 2009 4:22 pm

And for after the battle, KORPIKLAANI: Wooden Pints, Beer Beer, Hunting Song, Journey Man, Pellonpekko...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PpXboQdFwXg

If ever there was drinking music incarnate, this is it. And it's one of the few times you'll see a man head-bang while playing the accordion.

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Tim Harris

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Posts: 168 Location: Melbourne, Australia

Wed 08 Jul, 2009 4:58 pm

The Skids - "Into the Valley"
Swans - "For the Love of Life"
The Fall - "Totally Wired"

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Sam Gordon Campbell

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Posts: 678 Location: Australia.

Wed 08 Jul, 2009 5:06 pm

CLASSICAL! I new I forgot one! Dang! :mad: AND Hardcore/Punk I forgot! Damn again!
Oh well, next time I'll be sure to put that in, as I don't think I can now. :lol: So many Genres, so little time...
And great post's guys! Just listened to some of the recomended/linked ones; Niiiiice...

Btw; Bagpipes IN/AND metal with an intro my Christopher Lee... Just think about it...

Last edited by Sam Gordon Campbell on Wed 08 Jul, 2009 5:38 pm; edited 1 time in total

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Gavin Kisebach

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Posts: 650 Location: Lacey, Wa US

Wed 08 Jul, 2009 5:16 pm

Actually there are a few ways that I go with warm up tunes. If I am in charge, then Japanese Taiko drums can't be beat. Motivating but not blindingly testosterone charged, they have got me up and on the field on many a cold Saturday morning. I don't know if drums are connected to the limbic system or what, but theyre's just something motivating about drums.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hNZBXFaSFE

If I'm not in charge or simply need adrenaline, then I find StaticX, Rammstein, or Ministry to be best because all I need is to get a good bloodrage going and maintain that level of intensity until either I or my opponents are all dead.

[edit] Mars, Bringer of war is also great. As and aside, when I was in the Army I had an MP3 player hooked up to speakers in my (HMMWV) turret. A few times I played the Imperial March by John Williams on our way out of the FOB, and always got lots of grins. :lol:

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JE Sarge

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Posts: 845

Wed 08 Jul, 2009 5:44 pm

In Iraq, I found that War Pigs (Black Sabbarth), Bodies (Drowning Pool), and War Ensemble (Slayer) were good selections to blast over the portable iPod speakers duct-taped to the CINGARS. I once got my team to listen to the Anvil of Crom, which they thought sucked, but they seemed to like it after finding out that it was from Conan the Barbarian. :D

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Jared Smith

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Posts: 1,532 Location: Tennessee

Wed 08 Jul, 2009 8:48 pm

I'm not too picky about these things, but, do prefer classic rock for forging or invigorating my tempo. Since most of the sparring stuff is more conveinient on weekends... I would say "Saturday is Alright (for Fighting)."

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Percival Koehl

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Posts: 14 Location: Vancouver, Canada

Thu 09 Jul, 2009 8:09 am

I personally really like orchestral music for this kind of thing, or music from fantasy videogames and such. Here are two of my favourite recent tracks, both battle themes from Final Fantasy XII:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FuXMiwtKlik

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqD1GsdnHBk&feature=related

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Darryl Aoki

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Posts: 93

Thu 09 Jul, 2009 12:11 pm

At the risk of sounding anachronistic, I'm going to suggest fife and drum. I'm particularly fond of "The British Grenadiers."

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Nathan Robinson

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Posts: 11,553 Location: San Francisco

Thu 09 Jul, 2009 12:21 pm

I hate topics like this. I really do.

This is my choice: Click to play

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Gordon Clark

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Posts: 501 Location: Purcellville, VA

Thu 09 Jul, 2009 1:59 pm

Nathan Robinson wrote:

I hate topics like this. I really do.

This is my choice: Click to play

Hmm - listening to that a few times WOULD make me want to take a sword to something...

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Edward Hitchens

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Posts: 819 Location: Cincinnati, Ohio, USA

Thu 09 Jul, 2009 2:17 pm

Nathan Robinson wrote:

I hate topics like this. I really do.

This is my choice: Click to play

LoL. Alas, I can honestly say that if that were stuck in my head before a battle, I may not last 5 seconds! :p

I'd probably listen to the Flogging Molly song "Rebels of the Sacred Heart."

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David Sutton

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Posts: 230 Location: Bolton, UK

Thu 09 Jul, 2009 2:30 pm

Nathan Robinson wrote:

I hate topics like this. I really do.

This is my choice: Click to play

That video is truly disturbing........ :eek:

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Gavin Kisebach

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Posts: 650 Location: Lacey, Wa US

Thu 09 Jul, 2009 6:21 pm

Nathan Robinson wrote:

I hate topics like this. I really do.

Perhaps a shift of focus would be more interesting for you Nathan. First an observation, then soeme questions.
In topics like this there are always three distict groups; The angry (like Metallica), the inspiring (like John Williams), and the soothing or familiar (anything from classic rock to new age). I'd be willing to bet that historically there were equivalents to these three types.

It seems to me that loud angry music is the obvious progeny of the Germanic Baritus, or battle cry, used to fire up the warriors. I've heard it said that "in a fight anger is as good as courage", and this folows that tradition.

Nothing springs to mind as an equivalent to the Williams-esque, grand and inspiring tune, but surely songs were sung of honor and courage and homeland, etc. Does anyone know any very old examples?

Lastly, I've no doubt that some tunes were played for thier familiarity or soothing qualities, to calm uneasy troops. In modern context this could be whatever polular music someone grew up with, but the effect is the same in that it distracts from the unpleasantness to follow.

1. Are there any ancient cultures that do not incorporate music into warfare? Why or why not?

2. Drums and horns seem to be most common as they lend themselves very well to signalling and marching; what other instruments have been recorded as instruments of war?

3. What is the oldest known warsong (not after the fact backpatting, I mean an old marching tune etc).

So wether war songs were used to enrage, inspire, or sooth, I think that the connection between warfare and music is pretty interesting. Of course most of these threads may as well be phrased "hey what music do yall like?"...

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Nate C.

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Posts: 301 Location: Palo Alto, CA

Thu 09 Jul, 2009 7:08 pm

Nathan Robinson wrote:

I hate topics like this. I really do.

I think this topic falls under the "frivolus but social" heading. Frivolity aside, it does (tangentially) raise a rather interesting question: "What kind of music if any, did the ancients use to get the blood going before a battle?" I mean there are the stereotypical war dances of various aborigeanial groups (Native Americans, etc.) but I've always wondered if things like the scene in "Cutthroat Island" with the fidler playing during the battle actually happened. I've always suspected it was a Hollywood-ism, much like every pirate using "Calico Jack" Rackham's flag in the movies.

Thoughts?

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David E. Farrell

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Posts: 156 Location: Evanston, IL

Fri 10 Jul, 2009 7:34 am

Gavin Kisebach wrote:

Nathan Robinson wrote:

I hate topics like this. I really do.

Perhaps a shift of focus would be more interesting for you Nathan. First an observation, then soeme questions.
In topics like this there are always three distict groups; The angry (like Metallica), the inspiring (like John Williams), and the soothing or familiar (anything from classic rock to new age). I'd be willing to bet that historically there were equivalents to these three types.

like so many polls on the interwebs, it seems like one can already predict the outcome before it has even started....

But I think the idea of 'so what did *they* do' is an interesting topic of discussion (worth splitting off perhaps?). I'd also imagine one would need a way to separate out songs versus tunes played to issue orders, if possible.

I don't have much to add (I don't know anything about music), though I would imagine that there was different music for different occasions. Probably right up into close to the modern day. I imagine you'd have at least the following:

1) martially-oriented music played outside martial contexts (celebratory music, for example)
2) non-martially oriented music played in martial contexts (guys around a campfire trying not to be bored...)
3) marching music (to this day used to keep people in step)

I imagine 2 would be pretty much anything the folks knew - so could run across several genres.

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Darryl Aoki

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Posts: 93

Fri 10 Jul, 2009 7:51 am

Gavin Kisebach wrote:

Nathan Robinson wrote:

I hate topics like this. I really do.

Perhaps a shift of focus would be more interesting for you Nathan. First an observation, then soeme questions.
In topics like this there are always three distict groups; The angry (like Metallica), the inspiring (like John Williams), and the soothing or familiar (anything from classic rock to new age). I'd be willing to bet that historically there were equivalents to these three types.

It seems to me that loud angry music is the obvious progeny of the Germanic Baritus, or battle cry, used to fire up the warriors. I've heard it said that "in a fight anger is as good as courage", and this folows that tradition.

Nothing springs to mind as an equivalent to the Williams-esque, grand and inspiring tune, but surely songs were sung of honor and courage and homeland, etc. Does anyone know any very old examples?

Lastly, I've no doubt that some tunes were played for thier familiarity or soothing qualities, to calm uneasy troops. In modern context this could be whatever polular music someone grew up with, but the effect is the same in that it distracts from the unpleasantness to follow.

1. Are there any ancient cultures that do not incorporate music into warfare? Why or why not?

2. Drums and horns seem to be most common as they lend themselves very well to signalling and marching; what other instruments have been recorded as instruments of war?

3. What is the oldest known warsong (not after the fact backpatting, I mean an old marching tune etc).

So wether war songs were used to enrage, inspire, or sooth, I think that the connection between warfare and music is pretty interesting. Of course most of these threads may as well be phrased "hey what music do yall like?"...

Some of the Greek city-states' armies used flutes/pipes (I'm unclear on this) to aid in keeping the men of a phalanx marching in step; they were also used for signalling, both on and off the battlefield. ("Hmm. That's either a poorly-executed call to charge, or the signalman's gotten the call to supper screwed up again.") I think it was the Spartans who marched into combat singing paeans, again largely for keeping step.

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Christopher Gregg

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Posts: 675 Location: Louisville, KY

Fri 10 Jul, 2009 8:10 am

My wife tells me the Irish used harps as instruments of musical war. :surprised: Funny, they tend to lull me to sleep! :confused:

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