Posted 2010-10-14, evaluated by djpretzel


Gratuitous warning for those who care: EXPLICIT lyrics!

I'll confess, I'm not a huge fan of "grunting man vocals" common to certain forms of metal; in general, I find the over-the-topness of them to cross the line from being evil/angry/angsty into simply being kind of... goofy. I guess I'm just not angry enough, or filled with enough rage, to relate to someone screaming or grunting - it's generally not something I look for in music... at least most of the time. I'm pretty open-minded, or at least like to think so, and I'm not gonna knock those are into it, it's just not my thing personally.

Now, all that being said, this track is actually a big exception for me because it DOES have a sense of humor, with lyrics that - quite frankly - border on genius. From the opening refrain of "BANANAS!" to lines like "He'll be the bait for my trap / let's see him try to fling his crap," Justin's pen coupled with Brandon's voice form a potent one-two combo of contextual primate poetry. To clarify, I'm not being sarcastic - the lyrics really are damn good, and I'm just really happy someone worked the word "potassium" into a metal song. More than once, even. Somehow, in a more comedic context, the whole aesthetic works much better for me, and I really dig the end result. Neko writes:

"<nathan explosion> for this remix i had to reach deep down into the black pit of my soul and puke forth the putridness that dwelled within. brutal. </nathan explosion> whomever gets the reference in the song title gets a free banana."

Brandon adds:

"I am a metalhead and I like metal. So I did metal vocals for this awesome metal song. I'm happy with how metal it turned out. METAL!"

How... metallic. Serious Monkey co-director Bahamut weighs in with some background:

"Justin went through a lot of revisions to get this track to its final incarnation for the album, but the final product is quite enjoyable, maintaining an aggressive angle throughout that is fitting for a final battle. Brandon's vocal contributions are also solid, fitting in line with aggression & growls enunciated well enough so that they can be understood clearly, a typical failing in many black/death metal songs out there. They both did a great job here with this death metal song."

It's pretty epic, and as Wes says, aggressive, but it works for me personally because of the humor & craft of the lyrics. Krool appears to be a fairly offensive misogynist, which is an interesting twist, but it's all cool since he gets what's coming to him in the end. This probably won't be everyone's cup of tea, even WITH the wordsmithing, but it's a vision, and a well-executed one in my opinion, serving as an excellent final battle before Mr. Wise, Mr. Kirkhope, and Mr. Beanland close out the album.

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
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Necrox
on 2015-12-16 00:51:40

Really good growls. The chant at the beginning was funny. The guitar solo is pretty cool and I also like the clean synth sitting alongside the distorted mix. \-/

What is with the recorder solo... or even having one in the first place.

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timaeus222
on 2014-03-08 14:46:36

I'll admit, at first I thought the intro had Brandon saying "Gorillas". The metal production fell a little flat for me, but ultimately it's still pretty good.

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Brandon Strader
on 2014-03-08 06:35:42

I still get a kick out of that recorder solo, because I just played it on a whim after finishing the vocals and left it at the end of the vocal track and apparently Nekofrog didn't notice it to delete it (which he probably should have done :lol:) Knowing the backstory of it kinda adds to the funny factor for me.

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Bahamut
on 2012-07-04 14:14:39

For all the work poured into the track, I feel like this is well done - the vocals lyrics help push it over the top. The lyrics in particular are amusing and even better, have clarity, a bit of a rarity for death metal growls. Justin and Brandon combined for a good team here, bringing some good music to the table to help round out Serious Monkey Business.

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Hydrargyria
on 2011-04-01 01:13:50

I'm really surprised by how well this works. Normally I don't care for death metal because it's too formless and cacophonous. While the verses and bridge unfortunately fit the bill, the chorus and effing incredible outro more than make up for it. It also certainly helps that the lyrics are funny and (unlike most lyrics of the genre) largely intelligible.

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Emunator
on 2010-12-17 23:51:15

Of all the vocal songs on Serious Monkey Business (and man there were a lot of them) this is probably the most divisive. Admittedly I'm not a death metal fan but I'm not averse to the genre either so I tried to approach this with an open mind, keeping in mind the context from the game and the parody nature of the remix, and ultimately it was really enjoyable. Humorous if you're listening to the lyrics, but a pretty solid remix on its own. Production isn't as good as Neko's newer remixes but it's not without its charm. Everything was well-performed, particularly the vocals from Brandon :nicework: And personally, I actually liked the flute at the end - it was highly unexpected but a welcome changeup.

Not bad.

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Elex Synn
on 2010-11-15 13:57:44

the lyrics of this song are fun as hell.

Thanks to the summary by DJP, all I could hear was Nathan Explosion doing this song. :wink:

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Superhacker75mil
on 2010-10-30 04:18:28

I've been meaning to register here for awhile now and did just now to see if I could beat someone to "Goliaths Disarm Their Davids" thing, but I noticed there was definitely at least one person before me to post it.

Anyways, the song is totally awesome, hilariously hardcore, though much like prior critiques have commented I have to say that I don't understand the choice for the sendoff, which really does come out of nowhere. Incorporating a more recognizable DKC2 theme into the ending isn't completely out of left field, but the pause and the addition of the wind instrument just seem haphazard.

That said, I've been listening to this song off and on ever since Serious Monkey Business was released. Kongrats (see what I did there) on the top notch metal mayhem and truly epic lyrics!

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Holy Land
on 2010-10-25 11:53:14

Why would anyone hate this? It's brilliant.

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kwkurono
on 2010-10-22 23:55:56

I thought the flute at the end kind of ruined the song. I know of metal bands that use celtic instruments and such in their music but this was straight up metal and not something like Eluveitie

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Brandon Strader
on 2010-10-22 19:40:24

I was surprised by the lack of h8 towards the vocals here, but I appreciate it, folks. Then I looked on Youtube, where opinions are less biased. EGAD. What a thrashing. Hahaha. Anyway, it was an honor working on this and I look forward to ruining a lot more songs in the future.

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Nekofrog
on 2010-10-18 12:12:45

I knew the instant I decided to make a death metal spoof song with full death metal vocals that it would be an extremely divisive track, and it's proved to be just that. People either love it or they hate it (and those that hate it generally love the vocal-less version). That's why criticism against it doesn't really bother me, because it's definitely not everyone's cup of tea.

Hell, death metal isn't even my cup of tea. But branching out and trying new things is always good.

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OA
on 2010-10-18 10:40:39

Pretty brutal. \m/

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Obtuse
on 2010-10-17 23:30:15

This is awesome. It deserves 2 horns up.

\m/ \m/

"We found out you can psychological validation." - Dethklok learns that they can buy banana stickers

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Top Gun
on 2010-10-16 22:02:45

I was amused to see Nekofrog channeling Nathan Explosion in the write-up, because this song reminded me of something from Dethklok's repertoire from the very first time I heard it. I'm not usually much of a fan of growly death-metal lyrics myself, but with comedic writing this good, how can you not love it? ("Yum yum yum, potassium!" has to be one of the best death metal lyrics ever penned.) The guitar work is fantastic, Brandon's singing is spot-on, and the whole song just screams epic boss fight madness. Very excellent stuff.

Sources Arranged (3 Songs, 2 Games)


Primary Game:
Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest (Nintendo , 1995, SNES)
Music by David Wise
Songs:
"Crocodile Cacophony (K. Rool's Theme)"
"Stickerbush Symphony (Bramble Blast)"
Additional Game:
Donkey Kong Country (Nintendo , 1994, SNES)
Music by David Wise,Eveline Novakovic,Robin Beanland
Songs:
"Gang-Plank Galleon"

Tags (8)


Genre:
Metal,Rock
Mood:
Aggressive
Instrumentation:
Electric Guitar,Vocals: Male
Additional:
Lyrics > Lyrics: Explicit
Lyrics > Lyrics: Original
Origin > Collaboration

File Information


Name:
Donkey_Kong_Country_2_Monkeys_Disarm_Their_Kremlings_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
7,299,920 bytes
MD5:
212602b311ab584dcd016f89a1283c79
Bitrate:
236Kbps
Duration:
4:04

[Kaptain K. Rool]

Bananas
Bananas
Bananas
Bananas (x6)

Your bananas all belong to me, hear that yellow fruit decree
Find them all where they may be, shake that tall banana tree
Donkey Kong now lies in chains, hoist him up with my big crane
He'll be the bait for my trap, let's see him try to fling his crap

I tried this shit now once before, woke up face-first on the floor
Now I have a better plan, to catch this ape-ish monkey clan
Tasty golden yellow jewels, should not belong to ape-ish fools
Forward march, bring us glory, steal their fruit, further the story

Yum yum yum, potassium!
Yum yum yum, potassium!
Yum yum yum, potassium!
Yum yum yum, potassium!

All my life I've been denied as Kremling rage seethes inside
This is my lair, on scales I swear
Any Kong who ventures near to rescue this one held so dear
Dies by my hand, this is my land

Krow, Kleever, Kudgel, Sting
Kreepy Krow, Kerozene
All my fallen underlings
With you, my trust all for nothing

Here now I must wait, as Diddy Kong nears the gate
Minions failed, lair assailed, heads impaled, plan DERAILED!

Locked in battle so surreal, shooting off my balls of steel
I stomp the ground with such a force, steel myself from all remorse
Though the fight has just begun, I'm having so much fucking fun
Diddy Kong has been knocked out, bitch, that's what I'm talkin' 'bout

Dixie Kong now charges forth, take her out like Peter North
Smack her up, swing again, come here, bitch, SHORYUKEN!
Wait, what's this, it's getting dark, where'd I get this big red mark?
Assailed with little monkey blows, bopped me in my big green nose

Done done done done, I am done
Won won won won, they have won
Fun fun fun fun, I had fun
Run run run run, time to run

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