Tuesday, May 24, 2005

Top 100 Metal Songs

UPDATE 1/5/2010: Check out my new list, The Top 50 Metal Albums of The Last Decade

Starting Friday I will be posting the top 100 metal songs (as I see it, obviously). Ten will be posted each week, probably on late Friday afternoon. I judged them based on the following criteria, in order of importance:
1. Overall sound
2. Composition
3. Production
4. Emotional impact
5. Lyrics
Note that judging based on production causes a large number of older songs to fall of the list, because the other factors have to be very good to bring it up. Note also that the list will be lopsided toward recent songs because there have been a far larger number of metal releases in recent years than in the past, but several decades are represented. Also note that several musicians are represented many times on the list. This is because they belong there several times.

There are some surprises in store, things that you would not expect, including the number one song.

Note also that I don’t expect anyone to look at this list and say, “Oh, well now that’s my #74 too.” I hope to spark discussion (if anyone actually reads it) and, primarily, I do this for myself because VH1 doesn’t know what they’re talking about (read: Mötley Crüe does not belong here—party metal is not true metal).
And yes, you may ask “Did you forget _____?” I may have, but probably not. You may also ask, “Are you crazy? That doesn’t belong at #81, it should be #1!” Like I said, discussion is the goal, but I already anticipate that people will ask this precise question, right down to the numbers.
But, with the exception of the top ten, don’t get hung up on whether number 92 is better than number 89.

Tune in Friday for numbers 100 through 91.

Links to other posts in this series:
100-91, 90-81, 80-71, 70-61, 60-51, 50-41, 40-31, 30-21, 20-11, and the Top Ten

UPDATE 1/5/2010: Check out my new list, The Top 50 Metal Albums of The Last Decade

5 comments:

  1. I can't wait!

    Now, a quiz for you . . . no cheating!

    I heard an old song yesterday from when I was about, oh, ten or so. That should be a clue if you can remember how old I am. I doubt you need a clue, though.

    Tell me: 1) what band did the song "Hard Luck Woman", 2) which bandmember sang the song, 3) what intrument that member played, and 4) the title of the album it came from. I know, I know, you're probably groaning cuz it's so easy, right? You're a freak, Kelly . . . and it takes one to know one.

    Todd

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  2. Does Mountain count as metal? What about Black Oak Arkansas? Southern Metal? I am thinking of the song "Train, Train". That should be in there somewhere, no? Of course, since the "King Diamond/Diamondhead" debate I no longer consider myself knowledgeable on metal at all. Also, another clue
    (though you don't need it): the band in my quiz for you would probably be a "party metal" band in your view.

    Todd

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  3. I can't really tell you which band member sang the song, but the song can kiss my ass. Yeah, they probably do count as party metal, but even if they didn't nothing they wrote would be good enough to be on the list. It's a stage show, not a rock band, albeit a highly entertaining stage show.
    I do know what instruments they played:
    Gene (the demon): bass
    Peter (the cat who nobody wants to be when they dress up as the band): drums
    Ace (space man?): guitar
    And . . . I had to look this name up, but Paul (star child): guitar.

    And yes, southern metal does count, but that is only southern metal, i.e. anything Zakk Wylde has done without Ozzy or any of the members of Pantera have done, but not Lynrd Skynrd (did I spell that right?).

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  4. The song was from "Destroyer" (1976). The first LP I ever bought. Sad, sad. Right after my first 45 . . . Andy Gibb. Again, sad.

    I couldn't think of any Kiss songs that might qualify for the "Top 100". They just aren't good enough.

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  5. I didn't know Syndrome of a Down was metal, I thought it was just noise llike Shitknot and Evanonsense

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