A month or so ago, everyone got pretty excited when it was announced that first Rock Band and then Guitar Hero were being revived for next-gen systems. Then a screen shot on Guitar Hero’s Facebook page showed 10 songs that were a bit polarizing. And by “a bit polarizing,” we mean “everyone hated it.” A combination of twee indie rock (Of Monsters and Men, American Authors), pop music (Ed Sheeran) and bands unfamiliar to most (Blitz Kids, Jake Bugg), it lacked the “shit yeah” of any songs that you’d already been playing air guitar to for years, or, like anything remotely metal.
Today, Rolling Stone had an exclusive unveiling of the first 24 songs from the Guitar Hero Live set list. While many of the bands in the initial list are still there, a few (including Of Monsters and Men, Jake Bugg and American Authors) aren’t. And hey, look – metal is back! Songs by Pantera (“Cowboys From Hell”), Judas Priest (“Breaking the Law”) System of a Down (“Chop Suey!”) and Rage Against the Machine (“Guerilla Radio”) are on the list. There’s even a nod to a newer rock band, with The Pretty Reckless’ “Going to Hell” on the initial list. There are still a few questionable tracks, like that crappy Lumineers song, and it’s interesting to see Skrillex pop up as well. But the creative director and studio head explained what that’s about:
Guitar Hero – by its name alone – has always been associated with classic rock tracks. And we know fans really love that type of music. So we wanted to make sure those fans weren’t disappointed,” FreeStyle creative director and studio head Jamie Jackson tells Rolling Stone. “But it’s been 10 years since the first Guitar Hero game came out. When you think of it like that, and think about how much the musical landscape has changed since then – that’s where we’ve been able to explore some new types of musical style as well. Guitar music is broader than it’s ever been – so we’re reflecting that in the range of music on offer.”
Here are the initial track for Guitar Hero Live, which is due out this Fall.
The Black Keys – “Gold on the Ceiling”
Blitz Kids – “Sometimes”
Ed Sheeran – “Sing”
Fall Out Boy – “My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark (Light Em Up)”
Gary Clark, Jr. – “Don’t Owe You a Thang”
Green Day – “Nuclear Family”
The Killers – “When You Were Young”
The Lumineers – “Ho Hey”
My Chemical Romance – “Na Na Na”
Pierce the Veil – “King for a Day (feat. Kellin Quinn)”
The Rolling Stones – “Paint it Black”
Skrillex – “Bangarang”
The War on Drugs – “Under the Pressure”
Black Veil Brides – “In The End”
Rage Against the Machine – “Guerrilla Radio”
Judas Priest – “Breaking the Law”
Pantera – “Cowboys From Hell”
Sleigh Bells – “Bitter Rivals”
System of a Down – “Chop Suey!”
Alter Bridge – “Cry of Achilles”
Alt-J – “Left Hand Free”
Broken Bells – “Leave It Alone”
Red Hot Chili Peppers – “Higher Ground”
The Pretty Reckless – “Going to Hell”
