Another year is coming to a close, which means it is once again time for me to bitch about how hard it is to make a top 50 song list, right? No, not this year, because even if it is still hard as hell to decipher which 50 of over a hundred capable candidates will make my list, I have taken a more light approach to this yearly task. So do not take the pure ranking of those songs that are out of the top 10 all too seriously, because they could be anywhere on the list, all depending on the current mood. At the end of the day, these are all great songs that have all made some kind of impact on me, and they deserve to be celebrated. As in previous years, only one song per band is allowed, and it had to be released this year. Let us get to the goodies.
50. Blaze Bayley - Eagle Spirit
The epic end to the William Black saga is... epic.
49. Lordi - Romeo Ate Juliet
Best interpretation of the classic tale I have ever heard.
48. Behemoth - Ecclesia Diabolica Catholica
This songica is pretty goodica.
47. Omnium Gatherum - Gods Go First
Okay, but I better go second.
46. The Ocean - Permian: The Great Dying
Technicality, and loads of it.
45. Clutch - How To Shake Hands
Fallon and crew gets my vote, I too want to see Jimi Hendrix on the 20-dollar bill.
44. Slash - Mind Your Manners
Jeesh Slash, you are not my mom.
43. Dynazty - In The Arms of A Devil
Ahh Nils Molin, love that powerful voice of yours
42. Ihsahn - Lend Me The Eyes of Millennia
Lots of hair rising brutality in here.
41. Heir Apparent - The Door
Ahh, good old Dream Theater... wait.
40. Watain - Nuclear Alchemy
Attack-tack-tack-tack-tack-tack-tack.
39. Daron Malakian And Scars On Broadway - Never Forget
Oh believe me, I won't.
38. Eneferens - Amethyst
Oh, how I love that atmosphere.
37. Immortal Guardian - Never To Return
So much power, I am almost drowning in it.
36. Joe Satriani - Headrush
Yes, Joe still got it.
35. Gama Bomb - Give Me Leather
These guys are sick, both in mind and in skill. Just filthy.
34. Angelus Apatrida - Martyrs of Chicago
Two straight thrash songs? What is this, 2017?.
33. Kalmah - The Evil Kin
Keep coming back for that sweet Kalmah sound.
32. Barren Earth - Withdrawal
Just a brilliant ending to a brilliant album.
31. Kamelot - Amnesiac
I forgot what I wanted to say about this song... oh well.
30. White Wizzard - Critical Mass
Rest in peace you brilliant, unstable tour de force of a band.
29. A Sound of Thunder - Second Lives
This group just gets better and better for each release.
28. Manticora - Katana - Awakening The Lunacy
Yes, the lunacy is awake, and it is magnificent.
27. Alice In Chains - Never Fade
Believe me Alice, you will not fade for a good while.
26. TesseracT - Juno
Album was a slight disappointment, song is great though.
25. Skeletonwitch - Fen of Shadows
It is a completely different Skeletonwitch that we have gotten this year, and most of it did not really work. This did however, and it is hopefully a start for something extra ordinary in the future.
24. Amorphis - Wrong Direction
Know the Anneke Van Giersbergen track "Amongst Stars" has gotten a ton of love, but this track just struck a chord with me. Then again, I could pick any song from "Queen of Time", and it would easily nest its way into this list.
23. Visigoth - Outlive Them All
Talk about a power house of traditional heavy metal, Visigoth delivered big time, and with "Outlive Them All", they went all in, showing that they will indeed survive further than its competition.
22. Angra feat. Alissa White-Gluz - Black Widow's Web
There is something with Angra and collaborations with female singers. Two years ago they created magic with Doro, now they do the same with Arch Enemy singer Alissa. Just marvelous.
21. Avatar - Legend of The King
Avatar is a really strange band, and their new album is nothing different, featuring a king who has constipation. The legend of said king is pretty fun to listen to at least, showing the band's potential that does not really hold up for an entire record.
20. Dimmu Borgir - Alpha Aeon Omega
A lot of mixed reviews for the black metal legends, but they did nail it with this song, a catchy, symphonic assault that is Dimmu Borgir at their very best. It is definitely the Alpha standard of symphonic black metal.
19. Antimatter - Sanctification
The saxophone had quite a year in metal, and it had some of its most shining moments in the album "Black Market Enlightenment" by Antimatter. "Sanctification" is the clear epic highlight of the record, that ending is as good as it can get.
18. Psychostick - Introvert Party Time
Kinda hate to say it, but I recognize myself a lot in this song. Love video games and getting drunk but hate people and being disrupted by those who love to tell their whole life story. Just one of many hilarious songs from "Do".
17. Judicator - The Queen of All Cities
I never say no to a epic 9 minute power metal track, especially if it is as well crafted as this one. Judicator loves doing these types of tracks, and I love listening to them.
16. Saxon - They Played Rock And Roll
Classic Saxon material that is a celebration to Motörhead, and what a homage it is. The group brings out their inner Lemmy's and crank out a banger of classic heavy metal.
15. The Algorithm - Sentinel Node
A master class of instrumental technology, The Algorithm delivers an emotional roller coaster ride filled with double bass drums, futuristic riffs, and neon lights. What a time to be alive.
14. Haken - Puzzle Box
It may not be another mastodon of a song like "The Architect", but "Puzzle Box" is another piece of proggy goodness from Haken that you can listen to time and time again without getting tired of it. It is pure magic, laid out piece by piece.
13. Mad Hatter - Go
There is nothing overly complicated here, just a band who took inspiration from "Alice In Wonderland" doing a straight up melodic power metal song that is catchy, epic, and just all around fun as hell. You do not need much more really.
12. Summoning - Silvertine
The new Summoning album was okay, but this little gem is a clear display of what the band is capable of with their own style of atmospheric folk/black metal. Moodful, precise, melodic, and straight up magical.
11. Fireproven - Future Diary
The title track of Fireproven's debut opens up furiously with a bad ass guitar solo, but it quickly evolves beyond a wanking fest. It is progressive power metal at its finest, equal parts epic, heavy, and loud. Just brilliance all the way through.
10. Khemmis - Isolation
To pick just one track from "Desolation" was not easy, but how could I ultimately resist the greatness that is "Isolation". It throws you in with some of the most intoxicating riffs you will ever face, then later change faces from being a groovy tour de force to a slower, more moodful doom masterpiece. An intelligent track from an intelligent band.
9. Engel - Book of Lies
Holy crap, this song gets me so god damn pumped up every time it gets on. Engel turns on the after burners with some relentless double bass action and true anger. Add in an extremely sing along friendly chorus, and you got yourself a song that will be stuck in your brain for months to come. An amazing surprise from an otherwise mediocre album.
8. Redemption - Long Night's Journey Into Day
If you want a tutorial on how to write a progressive metal epic, then look no further than to the title track of the excellent Redemption album "Long Night's Journey Into Day". This is a 10 and a half minute giant that takes you through all kinds of emotions, a song that is paced perfectly on the millisecond, and executed with surgical precision. I still do not know how I can have missed out on this band for so long.
7. Oceans of Slumber - The Banished Heart
The entire album is a show case of how diverse Oceans of Slumber is, mixing beautiful ballads with extremely brutal maulers, so choosing one for this list was not easy. The title track is more on the beautiful side, taking its time to develop and make a connection with you. It is also the ultimate display on what I think is the ultimate strength of the band, Cammie Gilbert and her euphoric vocals. That ending still give me massive goosebumps.
6. Orphaned Land - Chains Fall To Gravity
And the prog metal songs just keep on coming. Orphaned Land are masters of mixing the oriental sound with modern prog metal, and "Chains Fall To Gravity" is just another piece of evidence to that fact. It is a perfectly crafted goody that could be easily mistaken as the twin brother to the classic Dream Theater song "Home". A marvelous piece of art, just put a frame on it and hang it in your living room.
5. Black Space Riders - Fellow Peacemakers
Black Space Riders has always been a personal favourite of mine, their own style of stoner metal has managed to mesmerize me time and time again, but I think they have out done themselves with "Fellow Peacemakers", a really calm and collected song that uses a lot of piano work to set the mood. Then the band starts building, building, and building up the tension even more until it all bursts out to some catchy euphoria. I really hope she did find them, so that they also can experience the magic of this track.
4. Judas Priest - Lightning Strike
Choosing "Lightning Strike" from "Firepower" might seem like a safe pick since it is basically classic Judas Priest in a nutshell, but while I did love some of the band's more risque songs ("Never The Heroes" and "Rising From Ruins" just to name two), this track is just firing on every cylinder. It is everything you want from the group, it is catchy without being annoying, the double guitar assault from Tipton and Faulkner is tight, and Rob Halford is Rob Halford. For a band closing in on their inevitable end, they sound pretty energetic.
3. Michael Romeo - Differences
Yet another album that came with a difficult decision, because "War of The Worlds, Pt. 1" is just filled with bangers. It eventually fell on which song I remembered the most, and what got me going the most. "Differences" is ultimately just a stellar track that has excellent pacing, it is well integrated with the album concept, and it is the best display for the two main men, Michael Romeo and Rick Castellano, who are both disgustingly good. And yet, it only gets the bronze medal.
2. Rivers of Nihil - A Home
It starts with some simple riffing, a basic start, then the drums literally crash the party with full on insanity, and the magic can start. Rivers of Nihil has created a frantic experience that takes my mind to one of the favourites here on FATG industries, Mechina. Just like some of the best songs from the industrial death metal band, "A Home" has a futuristic brutality to it that is insanely intoxicating, but still has enough melody in it to not get lost in the noise. It is 5 minutes of brilliant madness, great metal at its purest form.
1. Between The Buried And Me - Voice of Trespass
Technically, some of the previous tracks might be better and more innovative, but there is no other song this year that has given me such joy, made me move so much, and made me scream more loudly than the insanity known as "Voice of Trespass". Coming from the second of the two "Automata" albums, this track takes you to some shady jazz lounge where everyone has taken a mix of speed, coffee, Red Bull, and steroids, then proceeds to go completely ballistic on all the instruments (including the xylophone), creating an insane groove that you simply cannot resist. It is BTBAM at its BTBAMiest, and I would say that this song alone makes the album it is from an easy pick up, even if it is short as hell. Just more proof on who is one of the leaders of the progressive metal scene. BTBAM, you madmen have done it again.
Thank you for reading, and stay tuned for my top 20 albums of the year coming in the next few days. In the mean time, go listen to these songs in this handy Spotify playlist.
Stay metal
Robert "Sharkruisher" Andersson
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