My iPod nano is a "magic stick." It is a Heath bar of music. It is my new best friend.

If you didn't know, I'm a complete music nut since the age of...well, young...always. My folks used to listen to Seals and Crofts, the Carpenters, Leo Kottke, Dolly Parton, James Taylor, any more good ones as we drove hour upon hour across America on vacations. We'd sing endlessly. We'd make up songs. A real nerdy, artsy upbringing in many ways.

The real change for me came when I first realized how crappy my sister's taste in music was. It probably wasn't her taste as I think back on it but at the time I couldn't wrap my head around why someone would listen to the Bee Gees, Styx and Peter Frampton. And, growing up and wanting to be my own boy, I didn't want to listen to the same stuff my parents listened to. When I first heard the exquisitely produced Double Vision by Foreigner (don't laugh yet) I realized there was more out there than the crap pop my sister was listening to even if Foreigner wouldn't be the band to bite me per se.

A string of events occurred in quick succession:

• I heard Heart of Glass by Blondie and bought the single -- bite 1
• I followed my first videos show Pop Clips and discovered Split Enz and bought True Colors -- bite 2
• I heard Rush's Tom Sawyer -- bite 3
• In a religious moment, I heard Adam and the Ants' Stand and Deliver -- bite 4 (the big bite)
• I followed up on this mysterious David Bowie character -- a fatal bite
• Seeing my reaction to it, an already well-entrenched music nut friend of my sister's introduced me to early Men Without Hats, Joy Division, some unsigned New York bands that I never got their names, and Roxy Music, -- bitten deep and wholly

I would never look back. Since those early years -- late 70s early 80s -- I've amassed a ridiculous collection of music now three times: albums, cassettes then CDs.

The bottom line is, when I received my iPod on Father's Day a week or so ago, I spent the following week converting my CDs to iTunes files, correcting data, grouping, finding cover art and Geniusing the hell out the collection to make thrilling playlists.

It was a week well spent.

Regarding Black Metal and Death Metal

Along with the iPod, my family got me an iTunes gift card which I spent almost instantly on Meshuggah's Obzen and Gorgoroth's Ad Majorem Sathanas Glorium.

I have spent the last six months pouring through the black/death metal genre and have found my personal favorites:

• Best black metal: Gorogoroth
• Best death metal: Amon Amarth
• Best black/death metal from a musician's standpoint: Meshuggah
• Best recent black/death metal album: (Tie) The Dethalbum by Dethklok or Twilight of the Thunder Gods by Amon Amarth
• Best genre guitarist: Ese (Windir and Vreid) for a terrific guitar sound and style. Right to the heart.
• Vocalist: Gaahl of Gorgoroth for his lyrics, delivery and his unapologetic exit from the closet.
• Drummer: Tomas Haake (like he needs more recognition)

Honorable mention goes to Dave Mustaine, Venom and countless misguided Norwegians without whom the genre would not have existed.

Now I can return to my normal listening habits, integrating black/death metal in a natural fashion.