I have five alarms set on my phone. They’re not for waking me up in the morning, since I have an established sleep cycle where I’m in and out of bed at the same time every day (a routine I’ve had for as long as I remember). Rather, the alarms inadvertently do the opposite: they keep me awake by building excitement. Whenever I watch the seconds tick by, I know it shortens the time until the alarms will eventually erupt on five different days scattered throughout the year, proclaiming that it’s finally time to rock and roll at a concert. Given my blatant enthusiasm, it’s unsurprising that this will be a post dedicated to headbanging-worthy music.

It may sound paradoxical, but I tend to find comfort in cranking up rock and metal music to thunderous levels. While some people likely believe that rattling my eardrums to those genres, particularly the latter, only provokes an agonizing atmosphere, I find that it eases whatever’s unpleasant — such as the sniffles and sneezes brought by the impending allergy season — by way of catharsis. Concerts especially amplify that buoyancy, typically cultivating a bond that’s shared among the people you’re cavorting shoulder to shoulder with.

The recommendations below, some of which are not-so-subtle hints at the concerts I’ll be attending, are written by/about artists or bands that my ears find pleasant. If you’re looking for some adrenaline to get through these final weeks of winter, perhaps these titles will pump you up with a hefty dose of ebullience.