DLC that goes to....

This week in Rock Band, Spinal Tap bring their special brand of music directly into our awaiting consoles. The news of this song pack made me quite excited, as fond memories brought a smile to my face. But what was this? Four songs, and not a single one from the movie, This is Spinal Tap! I guess they really did become a real band. Joining them are some group called Evanescence, who bring us a three-pack of tracks, but who cares about that? The Spinal Tap pack costs 560 MSP/$7, and the Evanescence pack will set you back 440 MSP/$5.50, but as always, each track can be acquired individually for 160 MSP/$2.
Here's what's on offer:

By Spinal Tap
Back from the Dead
Rock 'n' Roll Nightmare
Saucy Jack
Warmer Than Hell

By Evanescence
Bring Me to Life
Call Me When You're Sober
Weight of the World
Note: Click on any song for expert drum videos.

Okay, so even though Spinal Tap songs weren't the ones I wanted, I still felt the need to buy them and add a few more interesting tracks to my ever-growing collection. The song pack is certainly interesting, and I think discussing it as a whole would be the best thing to do.

The main point I can make is that certain beats become really familiar once you've played a few hundred songs in Rock Band. I seem to buy plenty of tracks that are fun, but super easy to master, as they contain techniques that I've had a lot of practice at. Even though the Spinal Tap songs aren't all that tough (Rock 'n' Roll Nightmare is in drum tier 2, the rest are in tier 3), they all have some tricky sections and, best of all, variety. This is another aspect that makes for a fun song; anything too repetitive gets old, fast (see Get Up).

Back from the Dead and Warmer Than Hell both have sections that lull you into a false sense of security, only to hit you with a quick fill or some fast double-kicks. Rock 'n' Roll Nightmare doesn't have anything that's going to challenge veterans much, but still has enough variety to keep it interesting. But Saucy Jack, well, I'm not even quite sure what to say about this track! I'm sure the similarity to You're a Mean One, Mister Grinch isn't coincidence, and the drum pattern is unlike any I've seen so far. Better seen than described, and good for those who feel like something weird.

So overall, I'd recommend the whole pack. Not overly difficult, but I have a feeling there will be sections I won't perfect for quite some time. And most importantly, they're actually not bad to listen to. Now come on Harmonix - How about some of those songs from the movie?