CKY: Free MP3 + Deron Miller's Playlist

Pestilence, "Mind Reflections"
"Up first, I'd probably play [this] because I think it comes off a highly innovative metal album from 1993 that did not get the praise it deserved. It went over people's heads and interestingly, the album that it's from called Spheres, is kind of coming back a little bit and becoming more popular than it ever was. I just wanted to give that album a little push and point people to a song that to this day, is still ahead of it's time."

Kiss, "Is That You?"
"I got the album Unmasked when it came out in 1980 and it was one of the first KISS songs I had ever heard and I still think it stands out as one of the strangest and most bizarre KISS songs they've ever done."

Annihilator, "No Zone"
""No Zone" is a fast, kind of thrashy song from 1993 when it was a little bit too late and too uncool to put out that kinda music. But that song just stands out as a catchy, real precise, tight song that should be heard. Even though the lyrics are a little bit corny, the song rocks pretty hard. They were still sporting the 1989 thrash look even though Nirvana had been getting big for a few years --they still had the leather jackets and the mullets (laughs) -- and it's cool to stick to your guns, so I support them."

My Bloody Valentine, "Sometimes"
"I think that's one of the greatest songs ever written. The production on that song is really unique, the vocals are layered and there's a lot going on. I just like the melody. Even though some people think it's repetitive, I think it's perfect. I've just been trying to write my "Sometimes." They are definitely an influence."

Believer, "Medwton"
"They just came out with a new record and I played a lead on there and I think the song's really cool. Believer is a huge influence on me, they are one of the few metal bands that try to invoke a positive message. Not necessarily because they are Christian, but because they just were never into singing about stuff like 'you're gonna die.' Even though I love that stuff, Believer was always more about 'things can get better' or 'you don't need bad things.' They are a huge influence on me."

Malevolent Creation, "Monster"
"I think it's one of the most brutal songs ever recorded. I think it has a cool drug message: that somehow the government is involved in drug addiction. It's got a really cool, fast, slamming-your-head-against-the-wall vibe. It's a short song but it doesn't let up for two and a half minutes. It's one of my favorite songs by them."

Blue Oyster Cult, "Morning Final"
"That's one of my favorite Blue Oyster Cult songs. I've never heard anything like it. It's got a very mellow, dark vibe to it and a sound like that was very rare for 1976. It's got a really cool melodic passage and the lyrics are very interesting."

Severed Savior, "Acts of Sedition"
"They're a very underground death metal band and the guitarist has a real huge abundance of talent. Severed Savior likes to take it real overboard with the technicality, but this song has some real cool hooks; when you listen to it over and over you start to notice them. I knew I was going to have to listen to it everyday to get it. But when I heard that song it stuck with me right off the bat -- there's a lot of hooks in there, I think it's really cool. I listen to it a lot."

Sparks, "At Home At Work At Play"
"I think Sparks were and are a very underrated prog-rock band from the '70s. That song is just funny, I think it's great.That's all I can say about it. The song is about trying to get a girl, but she's never home. She's either at home, or at work, or at play and when she's at home she never answers the phone (laughs). I think they influenced Faith No More, Mr. Bungle, Mike Patton, and others."

Malevolent Creation, "Homicidal Rant"
"They're my favorite band (laughs). And that song in particular is the closest you can get to a death metal pop song. It's got a heavy sing-a-long chorus, no frills, no filler, it's just brutal all the way through, catchy, there's nothing you can't get listening to this song. I think it can branch out to more than just death metal people."

Death, "Symbolic"
"Chuck Schuldiner is a huge influence on me and that's all I need to say."

CKY, "Disengage the Simulator"
"One of my favorite songs we ever did. I am really proud of that one. I think that before we were at that point of capability, we were already achieving it. It was like somebody that hasn't trained for the 50-yard dash wins it anyway. We weren't really prepared to make a song that good, when we did we were just in awe of ourselves (laughs). It was ten years ago, it turned out really good. It's got that nostalgic feeling in it for me, I enjoyed recording and it just felt really good. I think it stands out."

ABBA, "Does Your Mother Know"
"(laughs) ABBA is a big influence on us. It was one of the first songs I ever heard. My mother used to play it when she was vacuuming. I was three years old and she would play that while cleaning the house. I heard it and was like 'I have to get into music!' It was just awesome -- it's what I had to do with my life. That song and ABBA in general, along with other bands like The Monkees and the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack, was the first band that introduced melody to me. Aside from rock and metal, they are probably the best band ever, I'd say. I mean, that whole Mamma Mia thing is dismissible to me. To look back at ABBA themselves, and not what people are doing to ruin them nowadays, but what they would wear, and the videos that they had before MTV and stuff --they were ahead of their time, and they were just cool. Their clothes were cool, their shows were cool, their attitudes were cool. It makes you wanna go back and listen to them. Because now when you get older, you're like damn that shit was great! In high school, I would have never wanted to admit that. But now I don't give a sh*t, my influences are my influences. We all love ABBA. Screw it, they rule! (laughs)"

The Monkees, "Porpoise Song"
"I think it's the closest that the Monkees ever got to rivaling The Beatles. Even though they didn't write that song ...or play on it (laughs) or probably even sing on it! No, I think that's definitely Mickey Dolenz's voice going out of key every once in a while (laughs). When The Beatles went psychedelic, The Monkees followed suit. The Monkees weren't just a stupid bubblegum pop band. A lot of bubblegum comes out these days, but never would these people resort to doing something with credibility, you'll never hear the Jonas Brothers whip out some Flaming Lips stuff (laughs). It's just bubblegum until you die. The Monkees weren't like Britney Spears or David Cassidy or anything like that, they had the balls to branch out and try to escape the bubblegum path, even though they might not have been successful. At least they gave us an attempt at something a little bit more bizarre and unique than "I Wanna Hold Your Hand" Part II or "I Wanna Kiss Your Lips" Part III or whatever."