Tier1 Podcast: "Top 10 Kit Up Songs | GWOT Era Music, War Culture, and Combat Mindset"

Host: Brent Tucker
Guests: Drew Tucker, Phil
Date: November 26, 2025

Overview

This episode of the Tier1 Podcast, hosted by former Delta Force Operator Brent Tucker, explores the deep connection between music and the warfighter mindset—specifically through the lens of "kit up songs.” Brent and guests break down their Top 10 tracks from the GWOT (Global War on Terror) era that soldiers listened to when preparing for combat. The conversation covers music’s role in military and war culture, the emotional power of certain tracks, and some personal and hilarious anecdotes from deployments, with deep dives into why certain songs became iconic for operators and troops across generations.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Power of Music in War and Memory

• Music's Role (06:15 - 12:00):
  • Brent reflects on the historical role of music in war, from field drums to soundtrack classics like "Fortunate Son."
  • “Music’s been a part of war for a long time...it really starts with the Vietnam War for me.” (06:16, Brent)
• Triggering Memories:
  • Certain songs instantly transport veterans back to specific places and moments in combat, often more vividly than any other sense.
  • “It’ll put you right back in that spot.” (05:37, Drew)
  • Discussion of how smells and sounds (e.g., Huey helicopters’ “thump”) evoke visceral flashbacks.

Vietnam vs GWOT Soundtracks

• Hollywood & Generational Shifts (12:27 - 13:43):
  • Iconic Vietnam-era movies and their soundtracks shaped public perception of war music.
  • Brent wonders if GWOT-era conflicts will ever have such instantly recognizable music-movie associations.
  • “I don’t know if the GWOT will have that same connection... Time will tell.” (11:50, Brent)
• Era-Specific Genres:
  • Vietnam’s rock and folk versus GWOT’s heavier, more aggressive metal and nu-metal; the shift reflects not just music trends but the changing nature of warfare.

Criteria for the Kit Up Playlist (14:10 - 29:30)

• Requirements of a Great Kit Up Song:
  • Songs must have either intense energy ("all gas") or, at times, provide a needed moment of calm before combat.
  • Personal anecdotes reveal how certain tracks became part of personal and collective ritual:
    • “I was almost always in charge of the music...everyone listened to what I liked.” (15:58, Brent)

The Top 10 GWOT-Era Kit Up Songs

(Timestamps refer to where the song is introduced or discussed in depth)

1. Disturbed – "Down With the Sickness" (16:05)

   • Released just before the war; used in gyms, convoys, headsets everywhere.
   • Iconic intro happened by accident during practice.
   • “One of the most iconic screams... what do you want to call that?” (16:30, Brent)

2. Alice in Chains – "Rooster" (17:32)

   • Wrote for Jerry Cantrell’s Vietnam-vet father, but went on to become a GWOT staple.
   • “Most melodic song of the bunch, but it’s unmistakable as a war song because that’s exactly what it is.” (17:36, Brent)
   • MTV censored the video as “too graphic.”

3. Limp Bizkit – "Break Stuff" (18:24)

   • Brought wild, aggressive energy to soldiers prepping for raids; infamous link to Woodstock ‘99 riots.
   • “They famously or infamously played that song, and that’s what kicked off the looting and rioting...which was, you know, a festival about peace and love.” (20:18, Brent)

4. Korn – "Blind" (21:57)

   • Motivated “countless” Special Operations missions, also a favorite for memorable life moments.
   • Backwards “R” in band name comes from band members’ days at Toys ‘R’ Us.
   • “I don’t know, it takes everything in you to stay in the kit room and keep prepping your equipment...you just really ready.” (23:03, Brent)

5. Avenged Sevenfold – "Bat Country" (25:13)

   • Power anthem for Afghanistan deployments; features a quote from an 18th-century poet.
   • “’He who makes a beast out of himself gets rid of the pain of being a man’...why that used to be the first song in my workouts in Afghanistan.” (27:18, Brent)

6. Nonpoint – "In The Air Tonight" (27:44)

   • A heavy cover of Phil Collins’ classic, served as “the calm before the storm” song before many missions.
   • “You need a song like this in your kit up playlist. It can’t be all gas, it can’t be all rock and roll.” (29:29, Brent)

7. Bobaflex – "Bury Me With My Guns On" (29:49)

   • Less mainstream but beloved by “gunslingers”—fits perfectly for those going to war and themes of legacy.
   • Song inspired by the graphic novel Preacher and the idea of a “gunslinger’s final wish.”

8. AC/DC – "Thunderstruck" (32:10)

   • The soundtrack for sports, deployments, and recruiting videos.
   • “Thunderstruck is the definition: extremely surprised or shocked—what else is going to happen here when wheels touch down?” (34:00, Brent)
   • Played at every AC/DC concert since 1990.

9. Metallica – "Master of Puppets" (37:36)

   • Chosen over “Seek and Destroy” and “For Whom the Bell Tolls” due to sheer energy and influence.
   • Fun fact: Metallica is the only band to play all 7 continents (“Freeze Them All” in Antarctica).
   • “If you needed a song to get a guy hyped up enough to run through a wall, that’s it.” (38:37, Brent)

10. Drowning Pool – "Bodies (Let The Bodies Hit The Floor)" (41:38)

    • Universally played in every GWOT-era SOF and infantry kit room—almost comically overused but undeniable.
    • Brent recounts a personal story of meeting the band in Iraq, signing a sniper rifle, and reconnecting with them at a later concert.
    • “For GWOT, I believe this is the biggest kit up song of the era. That’s my call.” (42:31, Brent)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Music & Memory:
  • “Whatever music they were listening to then, they hear that music right now and they go right back to being with the boys.” (10:36, Brent, 10:36)
• On Generational Songs:
  • “I don’t know if the GWOT will have that same connection … time will tell.” (11:50, Brent)
• On Musical Ritual:
  • “You need something to get you up, you need something to bring you back down. That’s exactly what this song was for me.” (29:30, Brent on Nonpoint’s “In the Air Tonight”)
• On Song Selection:
  • “Otherwise it’d be five ACDC songs and five Metallica songs…and you could easily do that.” (32:10, Brent)
• On Drowning Pool:
  • “For GWOT, I believe this is the biggest kit up song of the era. That’s my call.” (42:31, Brent)
• Drew’s Honorable Mention:
  • “I would go with Creeping Death—personal reasons, with Metallica.” (47:52, Drew)
  • “Obviously Britney Spears, ‘Hit Me Baby One More Time’…Not Top 10, but an honorable mention.” (48:05, Drew, joking)
• Brent’s Principles:
  • “You can’t hit what you can’t see. And the same goes for the bad guys.” (White light discussion, 21:30)
• On Band Origin Stories:
  • “The backwards ‘R’ in Korn? Most of the band worked at Toys ‘R’ Us.” (24:09, Brent)

Honorable Mentions & Audience Picks (46:50 – 51:48)

• Dope – “Die MF Die”
  • Drew: “As soon as we found out the US Military was using ‘Die Die’ on prisoners...He said, ‘holy sh-.’” (47:05)
• Metallica – “Creeping Death”
• Prong – “Snap Your Fingers, Snap Your Neck”
• Prodigy – “Firestarter” ("Techno rock/industrial," Drew, 48:44)
• Fear Factory – “Descent”
• Soil – “Halo”
• Five Finger Death Punch – (various songs, but no consensus)
• Breaking Benjamin, Chevelle, Saliva – Strongly considered for the Top 10, but edged out by special significance of other tracks.
• Hatebreed – “I Will Be Heard,” “Destroy Everything”

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 05:30 – 10:20: Music’s role in memory and war; Vietnam soundtrack legacy
• 14:10 – 16:05: Setting up criteria for the kit-up playlist
• 16:05 – 42:00: Breakdown and stories for each Top 10 song
• 46:50 – 52:00: Honorable mentions; audience suggestions; lighter moments (“Britney Spears – Hit Me Baby One More Time”)
• 51:48 – 52:56: The idea for “Top 10 De-Kit Songs” proposed for a future episode

Tone & Language

The conversation is casual, authentic, and laced with military camaraderie and dark humor. Brent and Drew keep the mood both light and deeply reflective, blending respectful tributes to war culture with brotherly joking. The episode is sprinkled with anecdotes about growing up, deploying, weird fan facts about bands, and the inside jokes that military audiences will appreciate.

For Listeners Who Missed the Episode

• This podcast provides a unique, firsthand look at how music shapes the mindset of operators before combat.
• The Top 10 list is as much about emotional connection and ritual as it is about musical style.
• The hosts invite listeners to suggest their own picks or challenge the rankings in the comments.
• Even if you’ve never “kitted up,” you’ll walk away understanding why certain songs matter—and why music remains a vital tool for warfighters today.