I've always been an enhancement smoker (technically vapor..er?). I enjoy listening to music, writing music, playing games, watching movies, and other things of the sort much more when i'm good and vaked than I do otherwise. There are often subliminal messages, little details, double meanings, and what sometimes feels like a completely different dimension of depth that my mind picks up that i wouldn't have noticed if i was "straight". It could be because I am able to focus on things better and for longer than I can otherwise (for some its the opposite), because MJ unlocks a magical part of my brain that lays dormant any other time, or... i dont know. Attribute it to whatever you want, but it happens, and I'm sure more than one of your are the same way.
When i vape, there are certain bands/albums/songs that i really enjoy listening to even more than other music. Whether it sets the mood or trips you out, relaxes your or entertains you, music is, IMO, a must have for any vaping (or smoking, for that matter, tho i'll sit that one out) experience.
My favorites:
Karl Sanders - Saurian Meditation
Karl Sanders is the founding member of the Egyptian-themed, technical death metal brutal beast that is Nile (
http://www.myspace.com/nilecatacombs). For this solo project, he tones down the death metal brutality and focuses more on, as the title suggests, a trance inducing blend of Egyptian folk music, which does feature some vocals (mainly clean) but is largely instrumental.
This album is a total mind-trip. If you're not feeling it by the end of track 2, it must just not be for you. By the end of track 4 "Contemplations of the Endless Abyss", I'm just unbelievably spaced out. I feel like i've been to the edge of the universe and back by the end of this album.
Put it on to veg out to when you're by yourself our put it on for some relaxing ambiance to bridge the gaps in the conversation as you pass the whip around to your friends.
Not surprisingly, Karl's second album (Saurian Meditations) is also a favorite for me to play when the room is thick with delicious vapor mists. That album is a little less tranquil and ambient, and a little more percussive. I prefer meditation personally, but I could definitely see how this album could be more entertaining for some ppls tastes. It's a little less suited for background/ambiance, as the music is a bit more chaotic, but not to an unpleasant extent. Plenty of good tracks on it though, just not ones that make me feel as one with the universe like on Meditation.
Spiritual Beggars - Another Way to Shine
Ok, so this band from Sweden is categorized as "Stoner Metal" frequently. Not much more needs to be said I suppose. The music is rockin, groovy, melodic, catchy, mellow yet energizing. Legendary guitarist of the great Arch Enemy and Carcass, Michael Amott, heads up the creative process for this band. This album happens to be my favorite, but I love them all. I prefer their first vocalist to their new one, but the riffs are what I listen to this for anyways.
This may be band that started in the mid 90's, but they've got a 60's-70's vibe, and I've had people of all ages and backgrounds say they enjoy their music.
Opeth - Blackwater Park
A progressive metal band, also from Sweden, Opeth deliver an amazing well contrasted blend of heavy riffing and perfectly executed death metal vocals along with softer, serene parts with beautifully done vocals. Founding member, guitarist, and lead vocalist Mikael kerfeldt is by far one of the most amazingly talented music writers and performers I've ever witnessed (in concert 3 times
).
There's an Opeth song for everyone. Blackwater Park has been a favorite album for a long time, but someone who likes softer music would probably enjoy the largely acoustic album Damnation. I think the more you understand musical theory, the faster you fall in love with, or at the very least, learn to appreciate the creative genius behind this music. Can't say enough good things about this band. They dont use cheap pitch-correction and other gimmicks that the pretend musicians you hear on the radio do either. They sound even better live than on teh albums, something thats rare this day and age.
If i had to pick one track from the album to best represent the diversity and progressiveness of Opeth, it would be "Bleak".
Moonspell - Darkness and Hope
Moonspell is a metal band from Portugal. As to what sub-genre they belong it, some say dark, some say gothic, some say doom, so you pick. Their music is mainly heavy, but not always fast (hence the doom metal sub-genre). Their main vocalist is male, but they incorporate some female vocals here and there, especially on their new album, Night Eternal (which is fantastic!).
I selected the album Darkness and Hope because it was the first Moonspell album I bought and it's one of those albums that i have a lot of memories attached to the songs of. Some of the music from their early years was a bit rough around the edges, as is common, but they've matured musically and have really found their sound, and it is a good one. Very good atmosphere to the music, with even more atmosphere created by some of the sound effects used throughout.
Arch Enemy - The Root of All Evil
Beginning with the tranquility and peace offered by Karl Sanders' music, we now arrive at the other end of the spectrum, for when you dont want to sit back and relax, you want to get pumped and do something! probably violent! Arch Enemy is a melodic death metal band from, take a guess, Sweden (is it something they put in the water over there that makes for so many incredible musicians?). The band was founded by Mike Amott a few years after leaving Carcass and starting Spiritual Beggars, along with his brother Chris Amott.
Together the Amott brother form the fierce, harmonizing dual guitar melodic core of Arch Enemy's songs. There are vocals, which are some pretty brutal death metal vocals handled by Angela Gossow, but you can tell the guitarwork is the centerpiece of this band. The riffs are fast and heavy, the solos are a blend of Mike's more classic-rock MSG/Slash sort of slower, melodic solos that are really beautiful, and Chris' usually insanely-fast shredding.
Their new album, The Root of All Evil, gets top recommendation from me because it consists of remakes of some of their older songs. Their older albums featured a male vocalist who was nowhere near as talented as Angela, and for years i was dying to hear an album version of them with her instead. Along with immensely improved vocals, this album also brings a much better overall tone and quality to every part of the music. "Bury Me an Angel" is fast and relentless adrenaline-fuel, and "The Bridge of Destiny" brings whats possibly the most beautiful and epic conclusion to any album i've ever heard.
So anyways, there's a list of some of my favorite vaping music. There are a lot of bands that i listen to, some i may even rank higher up on my overall top favorite list than a few of these, but they just don't compliment my buzz as good as these.
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Cool! 
