#10. Back in Black - AC/DC
Kicking off my list is a song that I didn't even think would make this list, I mean I love AC/DC, they are in my top 15 favourite bands, but Back in Black just didn't seem to be as good as some of the other songs I covered. With that said, I was instantly hooked in while listening to it. That guitar riff is just so good and hot damn do I love Brain Johnson's vocals.
To me, this was also a very important song for the band as a whole considering that Bon Scott died shortly after the album began production, so the fact that the band could continue while still getting a frontman who sounded close to Bon Scott is quite impressive. I understand people are mixed about Brian Johnson, some loving him and others thinking that the band is not as good. To some respects I can see where some people are coming from, but honestly they sound pretty similar, not the same, but similar. I do like to chuckle at the people who complain that it sounds entirely different though. I mean, it's still AC/DC, it's not like when Ronnie James Dio took over Black Sabbath and made it pretty much just another Rainbow. The fact is, this song not only proved that the band could still go strong, but also continue staying strong whilst remaining largely unchanged. Rock on guys, rock on.
#9. Symphony of Destruction - Megadeth
Usually, I try to avoid talking about politics as much as possible, not that I am against talking about it, but I usually try to avoid subjects that polarize people so much. This is what makes a song like this a little bit more special to me, as it makes me feel comfortable listening to a subject I don't really feel comfortable with.
"Symphony of Destruction" has a beautiful simile in the chorus, stating "Just like the pied piper / Led rats through the streets" which is a really chilling comparison, especially if you have read the Pied Piper story, seriously after the king refused to pay the piper he kidnapped all the children. Let that be the moral folks, overthrow the king before he allows somebody to steal your children from you.
#8. The Sound of Silence - Disturbed & Simon and Garfunkel
I'm putting both of these versions together because it's easier than putting them separately. Seriously, if they were separate the Simon and Garfunkel version would just have been one spot below the Disturbed version. I like the lyrics of the song, but that is not really an interesting thing to say about either song, so I'm going to talk about what I like about each song.
The Simon and Garfunkel version is a classic folk rock tune from the sixties, one of the best decades in music history, third or fourth best hands down. I like the vocal harmony and the very somber tone to it, but it has a sort of melancholic cheer to it, it is a very interesting sound. On the other hand, the Disturbed version (which is my personal favourite of the two) has the better instrumentals, the piano in the beginning is just breathtaking and the orchestral backing builds upon itself until it climaxes and it just sounds beautiful. This version has a more depressing sound to it, but it kind of sounds very hopeful towards the end, especially with the building orchestra and David Draimen's roaring vocals. Really, both these songs are amazing, and I recommend both of them highly, now, back to the entries that aren't shared.
#7. To Hell and Back - Sabaton
War songs are usually hit or miss with me. I like songs like "One", "Zombie" and "Orange Crush", but other songs are not really songs that I would be listening to given the choice like "War" by Edwin Starr. This is what I love about "To Hell and Back" though, it isn't an anti-war song in the usual sense as there are no metaphors comparing the people who start wars as demons, no lyrics about crusades or atrocities, it's just a song about this one guy who suffered.
In some respects, yes this can be seen as an anti-war song, it does talk about the horrors of war and the effect it has on the soldiers who fight it, but the song isn't directly about that, it's more about Audie Murphy, who was a famous sufferer of PTSD. I like a song that can take a different look at things, because while thousands of people are treating veterans like murderers, we are ignoring the issues they have. I support troops, not war, there is a difference.
#6. Swimming Pools (Drank) - Kendrick Lemar
My favourite song in the rap & hip hop genres is this one, and considering what else has made the list, can you really say that you're surprised?
The subject of this song is very different compared to the subject of most modern rap songs, mostly about making money, getting ladies and getting high. This song is different, it talks more about alcoholism and the effect it has, both directly and indirectly. The song is a very melancholic but strangely relaxing tune, especially with it's beats and instrumentals, and yes digital beats still counts as instrumentals. The opening especially gives you a feeling of being afloat on your back gazing at the sky. It's a very calming song despite it's not very calming lyrical content.
#5. Eyes Wide Open - Gotye
Sometimes, all you need is a musical fence. Seriously, watch the making of this song, Gotye has it on his own channel, it's actually really interesting, but I digress. The instrumentals of this song alone could have placed it on this list, especially that amazing slide guitar, oh man I love that slide guitar. Gotye's vocal performance is also incredible, for those of you who only know him for "Somebody That I Used to Know", you aren't getting the full experience, he can really put a lot of power in his vocals. The theme of apocalypse is also an interesting one, not very often do I hear a song that has lyrics that perfectly match the tone of the instrumentals. More songs about apocalypse need slide guitar.
#4. Stargazer - Rainbow
Ronnie James Dio didn't die, he just left to fight the evil in some other dimension and is out there riding a dragon into fierce battle.
The story that "Stargazer" tells is a very good story, about a stargazer who has this tower built up to the skies but instead of flying like he wanted to, he just falls and dies. It's a very sad ending, but the instrumentals and lyrics make it more bitter-sweet. I love a song that can play with feelings like that as if they were putty. Since I'm talking about feelings let's also talk about that guitar solo. Hot damn that is just amazing. I seriously feel as though I'm flying when I listen to it, and then at the end I just land at the foot of the tower. Legends never truly die, they just leave the mortal world.
#3. The Show Must Go On - Queen
Speaking of legends. This song is pretty much Freddie's epitaph, it's a very operatic song, but behind the power and energy is a dying man. What really makes this song special is indeed Freddie's vocal performance, being sick and dying and he still knocked the ball out of the park. The rest of the band also do an amazing job with their instruments, Brain May especially deserves an honourable mention as his guitar playing compliments the tone of the song so well, it just matches the majesty and epic-ness of the song and adds so much to it. This is an entire rock opera squeezed into a few minutes and it doesn't even sound as though it's compressed, it sounds like it took the right amount of time it needed to, it's so beautiful.
#2. Aerials - System of a Down
This and my number one pick are both some of my favourite songs of all time, and although this ranks higher on my personal top ten, my number one pick was overall the better song. "Aerials" is my favourite song from my favourite band, but why? Well, for starters, I love the instrumental work, like seriously, the guitar work by Daron Malakian is just perfect, and John Dolmayan just kills it on the drums. I also like the lyrics, the metaphors could really be about anything, about prejudice, about borders, about war, about anything, and that's what makes a song like this so good, that it can be about anything, not that it has one specific meaning. As much as I love the upcoming song, it does really have just one meaning, this could be about anything. So, what tops this track, from my favourite band? well...
#1. Octavarium - Dream Theater
There is a reason this was my first Ace Audio. Octavarium is a twenty-four minute song, and every time I hear it, it only feels as though a couple of minutes passed by, never anywhere close to half an hour. On top of that, the inspiration from classical music can not be missed, even being in separate movements, and each instrumental solo between the movements transitions each one perfectly. The third movement is my favourite, but every movement of this song hits bulls eye. I could gush on and on about this song, from the opening to the ending, to the theme to the stories of the first two movements, to the fourth movement which has my favourite bit, oh man this is one of my favourite songs, and objectively looking at it, it really was the best song I reviewed this year.
And hey, here are my selected honourable mentions, consider these the songs that could've made the list, but just didn't.
1. Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0lVdMbUx1_k
I love the haunting instrumentals and the creepy lyrics. consider this my unofficial number eleven pick for this list.
2. Moth Into Flame - Metallica
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tdKl-gTpZg
It was nice hearing Metallica deliver a song that felt a lot like old school Metallica this year. Probably my favourite song of the year hands down.
3. Fairytale of New York - The Pogues ft. Kristy MacColl
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9jbdgZidu8
My favourite Christmas song, I actually thought this would make the list instead of "Back in Black" by the way.
4. Royals - Lorde
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlcIKh6sBtc
A very different song than the ones that we see on the charts, and infinitely more interesting.
5. Champagne Supernova - Oasis
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3C7DECI0jU
So trippy, I love the psychedelic sounds of this, and how it still sounds like it's own thing.
Thank you all for reading, and keep an eye out for my next review which will be on this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtC92pzp5vw
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