GH7:ROA DLC - November

I had planned on doing this on the 2nd Tuesday of the month but in the end, I thought it'd be better to leave it for a Saturday so that I could replace the most recent post on the blog with one to do with Doctor Who on the following Sunday. Trust me, it'll make sense tomorrow. Anyway, last month I wrote up a post about what I'd do for October's GH7:ROA DLC if I had the power. This time, it's November.
October had 10 songs in one pack and 6 in another, bringing the monthly total to 16. Similarly, this month also has 16 songs but both packs have an equal 8 songs. I know that's generous for the amount of DLC we had at the start of this year but songs could easily be left out. This is just me doing more than I need to instead of less than I need to. So, two weeks of DLC for the month. On the first week (well, second week of the month but first week of the schedule), we have...


NOVEMBER WEEK 2
Alternative 01 Pack

"Novocaine For The Soul" - Eels, 1996
Alternative, Guitar Tier 4/10
"Hysteria" - Muse, 2003
Alternative, Guitar Tier 5/10
"Megalomaniac" - Incubus, 2003
Alternative, Guitar Tier 5/10
"Paranoid Android" - Radiohead, 1997
Alternative, Guitar Tier 6/10

Foo Fighters Pack

"Learn To Fly" - Foo Fighters, 1999
Alternative, Guitar Tier 4/10
"Breakout" - Foo Fighters, 1999
Alternative, Guitar Tier 5/10
"The Pretender" - Foo Fighters, 2007
Alternative, Guitar Tier 5/10
"Bridge Burning" - Foo Fighters, 2011
Alternative, Guitar Tier 7/10


NOVEMBER WEEK 4
Prog Rock 01 Pack

"Sylvia" - Focus, 1972
Prog Rock, Guitar Tier 5/10
"Traveller In Time" - Uriah Heep, 1972
Prog Rock, Guitar Tier 6/10
"Owner Of A Lonely Heart" - Yes, 1983
Prog Rock, Guitar Tier 6/10
"Freewill" - Rush, 1980
Prog Rock, Guitar Tier 8/10

Jefferson Airplane Pack

"White Rabbit" - Jefferson Airplane, 1967
Psychedelic Rock, Guitar Tier 2/10
"Volunteers" - Jefferson Airplane, 1969
Rock, Guitar Tier 5/10
"3/5 Of A Mile In 10 Seconds (Live)" - Jefferson Airplane, 1969
Psychedelic Rock, Guitar Tier 9/10
"Let Me In" - Jefferson Airplane, 1966
Rock, Guitar Tier 6/10


Quite a mixed selection of modern and "classic" music there. First up, we have the Alternative TP and the Foo Fighters TP released on the same day. 4 songs that represent the Alternative Rock genre and 4 songs by the Foo Fighters (one of the biggest Alternative Rock bands on the planet). Obviously it's better to try and make most of the DLC songs new to rhythm music games but, every now and then, it's good to get one that might already be in Rock Band just so people who like that song can play it on GH in case they don't like/own RB.
The first TP for the month has one RB repeat, although it is Muse so I reckon most GH fans would be more than happy with that. The other songs are pretty cool too. The Eels track is quite relaxed and wouldn't be too much of a challenge for guitar players. As for the Muse track, that has a lot of hammer-on sections with the main riff so plenty of fun there. The Incubus track would need a fair bit of censoring but other than that, it sounds like it'd translate well into GH. The Radiohead track also has a cool riff & solos to play, plus some funky vocals to boot as well. Now, let's look at the Foos!
Alright, at the time of writing this blog post, MOST of these tracks have already been on Rock Band. MOST of them. 'Learn To Fly' is a popular song with a decent track for the whole band. As for 'Breakout', I'm mostly picking this for the Vocals. Screaming "BREAKOUUUUUUUUT!!!" into the mic must be pretty cool. 'The Pretender' is probably my favourite song by the band and even though it's been in both Rock Band & Guitar Hero already, the upgraded note charts on GH should make it different to play than both of those existing charts. Sustain notes within sustains and the like. Finally, 'Bridge Burning', the new track. Lots of triple strum gallops here should make this a challenge to play for the average play. A fun challenge, mind.

I picked that song instead of the singles on the new album because a) RB has the new singles and b) It sounds like it has more energy than those tracks. Right, the second week of DLC. We kick off with a Prog Rock pack featuring two songs from the 70s and two songs from the 80s. The Focus song is short, easy but definitely sweet. An instrumental piece with some great riffs. As for the Uriah Heep one, that sounds like it'd be cool to play on Guitar. Lots of 'Wah-Wah' effects and a kickass riff. Meanwhile, the 80s tracks are a little bit harder to play. The Yes song may already be on RB but I think they may have undercharted a few sections. Plus it's a great song, let's not forget that.
The Rush song packs a mean punch with the hammer-on clusterfuck solo that comes out of fucking nowhere. Hard for the inexperienced player but fun for everyone else. The second part of this DLC is a 4-pack of Jefferson Airplane songs. OK, they're not Prog Rock. They're Psychedelic Rock and/or Rock. The first track is arguably their signature song, "White Rabbit". Easy on Guitar but a must-have for a Jefferson Airplane pack. 'Volunteers' has less of a Psychedelic Rock vibe but it's still an awesome tune with the same vibe that makes 'Fortunate Son' - CCR a great protest song.
Now '3/5 Of A Mile In 10 Seconds (Live)' is a version of the song that was re-released on several Live Digital albums you can find on Spotify and iTunes. It's a brilliant version of the song with a whole bunch of difficult solos. Very surprising for this band but certainly one to pick up if you like a challenge on Guitar. 'Let Me In' is just a fairly basic Rock song by the band, nothing out of the ordinary there. The other little point I should make about these songs is that GH7:ROA would have Lead and Rhythm Guitar so tracks like 'The Pretender' - Foo Fighters would have 3 different charts. One Lead, One Rhythm and One as a basic Guitar track with both mixed into one awesome chart.

Right then, that's it for Guitar Hero posts this month. At some point in December, I'll tackle the next TP. A very atypical Christmas selection, I'll say that much for now. Be seeing you.