It’s been a great year for rock music, and the 10 nominees in the 2012 Loudwire Music Awards category for Rock Song of the Year reflect certainly reflect that. We’ve got several perennial chart rulers, a veteran rocker making his self-proclaimed comeback and pair of female-led rock bands who enjoyed major success this past year. Who will take the title? That’s up to you! Check out the nominated songs and be sure to vote in the poll below: Baroness, ‘March to the Sea’ Baroness had one of the year’s standout albums in ‘Yellow and Green,’ and the single ‘March to the Sea,’ the band’s ode to a friend lost to drugs, is a powerful statement set against an equally chugging and forceful beat. Dead Sara, ‘Weatherman’ Dead Sara frontwoman Emily Armstrong’s powerful vocals caught the attention of many in 2012, and the song ‘Weatherman,’ with a monster riff from guitarist Souixsie Medley, is about as an infectious piece of ear candy as you could find in rock in 2012. Deftones, ‘Leathers’ Deftones carried over the success from the ‘Diamond Eyes’ album in a big way, and ‘Leathers’ is the ‘Koi No Yokan’ track that shows the group was truly clicking on all cylinders, with equal parts moody atmospherics and intense chugging rock. Halestorm, ‘Love Bites (So Do I)’ It is punk! It is rock! It is thrash! Whatever you want to call it, Halestorm ‘s ‘Love Bites (So Do I)’ is an aggressive, fist-pumping anthem that grabbed everyone’s attention in 2012! Marilyn Manson, ‘No Reflection’ From the opening notes of ‘No Reflection,’ it is clear that the Marilyn Manson we’d all come to know from his ’90s heyday is back with full force. The track stands right alongside some of Manson’s best. Papa Roach, ‘Still Swingin” Does anyone know their way around a rock anthem like Papa Roach ? The band kicked off support of their latest album ‘The Connection’ with the standout rocker ‘Still Swingin” and have kept fans rocking throughout most of 2012. Serj Tankian, ‘Harakiri’ While Serj Tankian has been exploring his musical boundaries over the last few years, the title track to his latest album ‘Harakiri’ brought him full circle to the rock spotlight with one of the year’s most melodically beautiful choruses and a powerful statement about today’s growing environmental concerns. Shinedown, ‘Bully’ Shinedown was on message with their first single of 2012, ‘Bully,’ offering up an anti-bullying sentiment with a rocking twist that motivated the listener to stand up for themselves. It’s inspirational and it rocks. Stone Sour, ‘Gone Sovereign’ Stone Sour unleashed the fury on 2012′s ‘Gone Sovereign’ with some blistering guitars, thunderous drumming and a driving track where Corey Taylor sings about being at an emotional low point and trying to stay alive. Three Days Grace, ‘Chalk Outline’ Three Days Grace found themselves with another major hit, deservedly so, with the jarring single ‘Chalk Outline.’ With its gritty guitar and one of Adam Gontier’s best choruses yet, it deserves the accolades it’s received. Voting for the 2012 Loudwire Music Awards closes on Jan. 15 at 11:59 PM EST. Fans can vote once per hour, so keep coming back to make sure your favorite band wins! Sorry, you need to have javascript running to see this poll. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/metal-song-of-the-year-2012-loudwire-music-awards/” title=”Next Category: Metal Song of the Year” align=”center”] Get Notified When Winners Are Announced Enter your email address below to receive the daily Loudwire newsletter, which will include notification of our full list of winners in the 2012 Loudwire Music Awards, as well as the top stories in rock and metal. Email
Mary Ouellette, SheWillShootYou.com In this week’s edition of the Loudwire Top 20 Countdown, there’s a new No. 1. Congrats to Shinedown , who make a big move from No. 3 to No. 1, leapfrogging Soundgarden to take the top spot with ‘Enemies’ off their ‘Amaryllis’ album. Soundgarden’s ‘Been Away Too Long’ may have to wait a little longer for countdown supremacy now that they’ve been surpassed by Shinedown, but their current hit is holding strong at No. 2. Last week’s chart topper, Stone Sour ‘s ‘Absolute Zero,’ slips back down the charts to No. 3, but still remains a favorite song at radio. Guitar great Slash and his band, featuring Myles Kennedy , inch up one spot closer to the top of the charts, with ‘Standing in the Sun’ planting its flag in the No. 4 spot on this week’s countdown. Meanwhile, another former chart-topper, Three Days Grace ‘s ‘Chalk Outline,’ may no longer be comfy at No. 1, but their descent isn’t exactly a rapid one as the group slides down one more spot to No. 5 this week. Outside of the Top 5, Chevelle ‘s ‘Same Old Trip,’ Five Finger Death Punch ‘s ‘The Pride’ and 3 Doors Down ‘s ‘One Light’ all tied for the major mover of the week, scaling up three spots apiece to numbers 10, 11 and 15 respectively. On the down side, Deftones ‘ ‘Tempest’ takes the biggest tumble falling from No. 11 to No. 14 on the Loudwire Top 20 Countdown. Plus, we’ve got a new debut this week from Adelitas Way , as their latest single ‘Alive’ announces its presence. Check out the Top 20 songs below and be sure to tune in to Loudwire Radio with host Mike “Sandman” Sanders this weekend and turn it all the way up. Loudwire Radio Top 20 Songs of the Week: 20. Adelitas Way, ‘Alive’ 19. Nonpoint, ‘Left for You’ 18. Black Keys, ‘Little Black Submarines’ 17. Halestorm, ‘I Miss the Misery’ 16. Kid Rock, ‘Let’s Ride’ 15. 3 Doors Down, ‘One Light’ 14. Deftones, ‘Tempest’ 13. All That Remains, ‘Stand Up’ 12. Green Day, ‘Let Yourself Go’ 11. Five Finger Death Punch, ‘The Pride’ 10. Chevelle, ‘Same Old Trip’ 9. Linkin Park ‘Lost in the Echo’ 8. Volbeat ‘Heaven Nor Hell’ 7. Avenged Sevenfold, ‘Carry On’ 6. In This Moment, ‘Blood’ 5. Three Days Grace, ‘Chalk Outline’ 4. Slash, ‘Standing in the Sun’ 3. Stone Sour, ‘Absolute Zero’ 2. Soundgarden, ‘Been Away Too Long’ 1. Shinedown, ‘Enemies’ [button href=”http://loudwire.com/loudwire-radio-station-list/” title=”See Which Stations Air Loudwire Radio” align=”center”]
Razor & Tie / Nuclear Blast Hatebreed have successfully scored a win in their Death Match debut. The band defeated German thrash masters Destruction, so Hatebreed now continue their march to the Death Match Hall of Fame against a new challenger – technical death metal veterans Nile . Nile have just unleashed a new video for ‘Enduring the Eternal Molestation of Flame.’ Don’t worry about the title; your private parts are safe from a fiery and painful incident. Nile are currently trekking across Europe and are set to tour the U.S. once again in 2013, with the legendary band to play two massive sets spanning their 20-year history. See their current itinerary here . Can Hatebreed continue their winning streak? Or will Nile sacrifice the band with a Death Match victory? The choice is yours and yours alone. Vote now! (This Death Match ends on Tuesday, Dec. 4, at 10AM ET. Fans can vote once per hour! So come back and vote often to make sure your favorite song wins!) Hatebreed, ‘The Divinity of Purpose’ Nile, ‘Enduring the Eternal Molestation of Flame’ ? Sorry, you need to have javascript running to see this poll. ? Email Me When Death Match Winners Are Announced Enter your email address below to receive the Loudwire newsletter, which will include notification of the weekly winner of the Death Match, as well as our top stories of each day. Email Rules of Death Match Two bands fight to the death each week. Fans can vote once per hour. The triumphant band goes on to compete in the next Death Match. If a band wins four straight Death Matches, its song will be honored as immortal in the Loudwire Death Match Hall of Fame.
Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Intensity is a total understatement when Lamb of God come to town, but when you add In Flames , Hatebreed and Sylosis to the mix, the energy is indescribable. New York’s Roseland Ballroom shook to its core these bands took the stage on Friday night (Nov. 16). UK metal band Sylosis kicked off the night with a great performance that got the blood of early concertgoers pumping. Hatebreed fans are ‘As Diehard as They Come’ and the band is one whose music can elicit a variety of emotions. Their live shows enforce these emotions and definitely tested the strength of Roseland Ballroom’s foundation. The pits were complete chaos and security guards could barely keep up with the amounts of bodies flying over the crowd. Frontman Jamey Jasta’s hardcore roots are evident onstage, not to mention his infectious and uncontrollable stage presence had everyone bouncing to the band’s anthems of strength and power such as ‘Perseverance,’ ‘In Ashes They Shall Reap,’ ‘Live For This,’ and ‘I Will Be Heard,’ among others. They ended their set with ‘Destroy Everything,’ and that they did. In Flames were the ideal bridge to go in between the very volatile Hatebreed set and headliners Lamb of God. They broke up the high intensity sets with a little bit of melody and humor. That doesn’t mean fans took a break – the crowd remained steady with massive amounts of crowd surfing, jumping, mosh pitting and singing. Frontman Anders Friden humorously said that any band who directly follows Hatebreed sounds like a fart, well In Flames set that night was far from the sound of flatulence. Friden sounded phenomenal as the group performed tracks from their most recent release ‘Sounds of a Playground Fading’ — such as ‘Where the Dead Ships Dwell,’ ‘Deliver Us’ and ‘Fear Is the Weakness.’ Of course the Swedes pulled out some fan favorites such as ‘Cloud Connected,’ ‘Take This Life’ and ‘My Sweet Shadow’ just to name a few. The booming sound of Lamb of God took control of Roseland Ballroom and everyone in it. Fans lost their minds as the rumbling riffs and galloping drums of ‘Desolation’ took hold. The band went on to perform their debut single ‘Ghost Walking’ off of ‘Resolution.’ As vocalist Randy Blythe spat out the lyrics with venom, the crowd screamed lyrics word for word back to him during tracks such as ‘No You’ve Got Something to Die For,’ ’11th Hour,’ ‘ Ruin,’ ‘Laid To Rest,’ ‘Redneck’ and ‘Black Label,’ among numerous others. With the year Randy Blythe has had to go with the few weeks New York City and the rest of the Tri-State area has had to deal with, this concert and these bands gave many metal fans a sense of normalcy and command that they might have thought they lost for a while. It’s no wonder why this show is one fans at Roseland Ballroom will be remembered for quite some time. Go here to see where you can catch the remaining dates of this phenomenal tour. Photos of Lamb of God, In Flames, Hatebreed + Sylosis in NYC Lamb of God: Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire In Flames: Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Hatebreed: Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Sylosis: Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire [button href=”http://loudwire.com/best-lamb-of-god-songs” title=”Next: 10 Best Lamb of God Songs” align=”center”]
Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Sum 41 are the reason I chose to dedicate my life to music. That may seem like an odd statement coming from an extreme metal fanatic, but at age 15, I got my hands on Sum 41′s 2002 album, ‘Does This Look Infected?’ and subsequently discovered my life’s path. A decade later, Sum 41 have launched a tour to celebrate the album’s 10th anniversary, playing the entire record from front to back for rabid and nostalgic fans, and we were there to cover it all. When Sum 41 released their breakthrough 2001 album, ‘All Killer, No Filler,’ the early 2000s pop-punk explosion began to hit its fever pitch. MTV was already airing videos from established bands such as Blink-182 on heavy rotation, but when Sum 41′s ‘Fat Lip’ hit in the summer of 2001, mainstream music began to notice a breed of younger pop-punk acts. By 2002, pop-punk was mainstream rock’s hottest genre, with albums such as New Found Glory’s ‘Sticks and Stones,’ Finch’s ‘What it is to Burn,’ and the Starting Line’s ‘Say It Like You Mean It,’ all achieving massive success, and much like Sum 41, all three bands are touring to celebrate the 10th anniversary of their respective records. Simple Plan, Good Charlotte and Bowling for Soup also rose up as popular mainstream acts, but Sum 41 offered a more aggressive form of the genre. They focused on their heavy metal roots and the more ‘punk’ side of pop-punk, with tracks such as the politically infused ‘Still Waiting’ and the thrash-meets-old-school-Offspring track ‘Mr. Amsterdam.’ Along with the gravely yell of Deryck Whibley , Sum 41 drifted from their contemporaries while remaining a radio-friendly act. Although Sum 41 have fizzled slightly in the modern day, the New York City crowd for the band’s Nov. 14 show spoke volumes about the group’s legacy. Stepping past the doors and into the threshold of New York City’s Irving Plaza, I was expecting to see an older fan base, as the show was focusing specifically on an album released 10 years ago, but surprisingly, the venue was absolutely packed with an impressive mix of young and older fans. As Sum 41′s crew prepared the stage for the show, a myriad of thunderous chants, which could rival music’s most beloved bands, filled the venue from front to back, and once Sum 41 hit the stage, the crowd absolutely exploded. As Sum 41 performed ‘Does This Look Infected?’ from front to back (sans ‘Thanks For Nothing’), the energy level never diminished, even as the band busted out the deepest cuts of their 2002 album. The second half of the set was filled with both old and new fan favorites including ‘Fat Lip,’ ‘We’re All to Blame’ and ‘Underclass Hero.’ Having personally seen Sum 41 in 2003 while witnessing the rise of the pop-punk heroes in real time, an absolutely befuddled realization hit me like a crowd surfer kick to the back of the head — nothing had changed. I was suddenly the 15-year-old kid in the black Chucks, Dickies shorts and multi-colored wristbands again, surrounded by the same personified energy conjured by Sum 41 in their most definitive of times; only I wasn’t the youngest kid in the pit anymore. Despite the departure of guitarist Dave Baksh in 2006, the band was the same Sum 41 they’ve always been, with the same magic radiating throughout the crowd that I first identified nearly a decade ago. Drummer Stevo32 even maintained the tradition of swapping places with Whibley for the band’s classic concert finisher, ‘Pain for Pleasure.’ We’ve all grown up listening to the sounds of the present mixed in with the milestones of the past. Sum 41 may never make another ‘All Killer, No Filler’ or ‘Does This Look Infected?’, but on this cold November’s night in New York City, the crowd’s visceral reaction along with its noticeably diverse age group points to something incredibly important: a legacy. Ten years before ‘Does This Look Infected?’ was released, Rage Against the Machine unleashed their self-titled record, Alice in Chains unveiled ‘Dirt,’ Bad Religion gave the world ‘Generator’ and Green Day unleashed ‘Kerplunk!’ These landmark albums were celebrated the year they were released, praised 10 years later in 2002, and remain incredibly important to rock fans of all ages even after hitting the 20-year mark in 2012. In my eyes, Sum 41 have hit two out of those three milestones, and if future generations remain hungry to delve into the gems of the past, we may very well find ourselves reporting on the 20th anniversary tour of ‘Does This Look Infected?’. “ This is who we are, and nothing’s gonna change .” Check Out Photos of Sum 41 at Irving Plaza in New York City Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire
Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Megadeth celebrated the 20th anniversary of their album ‘Countdown to Extinction’ with fans at New York’s Best Buy Theater on Wednesday night (Nov. 14) with some serious support from rock trio Kyng . L.A. band Kyng kicked off the night with a vigorous set as they performed tracks from their debut album ‘Trampled Sun.’ The energy and power the band displays is quite amazing considering that they are a trio. Frontman Eddie Veliz not only shreds it up on guitar but his range of vocals echoed throughout the venue as he performed tracks like ‘Falling Down,’ ‘Trails In Veins,’ ‘Bleed Easy’ and many others. The bass lines of Tony Campos boomed throughout Best Buy Theater while the very talented drummer Pepe Clark’s thunderous drum patterns shook the foundation of the venue throughout the set. After numerous “Megadeth” chants, first started by Veliz onstage, the headliners hit the stage with ‘Trust,’ then had the fans going out of control with ‘Hangar 18’ and ‘Public Enemy No. 1.’ The band then went on to play ‘Countdown to Extinction’ in its entirety. Of course they also played fan favorites ‘Peace Sells’ and ‘Holy Wars…The Punishment Due.’ Dave Mustaine’s famous ginger red hair flopped around as he played some blistering riffs and belted out some Megadeth anthems. Drummer Shawn Drover kept the beat steady behind the skins while guitarist Chris Broderick and bassist David Ellefson worked the very rowdy crowd of passionate fans. It was one hell of a night for Megadeth die-hards, one they soon won’t forget. Check out the remaining dates to see Kyng and Megadeth on the ‘Countdown to Extinction’ tour here . Photos of Megadeth and Kyng Performing in New York City Megadeth: Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Kyng: Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire
Photos: Octane / Fearless Records Hollywood Undead continue on to the next round as they beat out Drowning Pool in the last Cage Match, but will they gain a win against their new opponents? Pennsylvania metalcore outfit Motionless In White heat things up with their track ‘Devil’s Night’ off of their recently released second studio album ‘Infamous.’ The band is currently on a headlining trek around the U.S. for the rest of 2012 and they will hit the road with Asking Alexandria for a European tour starting early 2013. For a full list of tour dates, go here . So will Hollywood Undead remain undefeated with their new single ‘We Are’ or will Motionless in White take them down with ‘Devil’s Night’? Two very different bands with two very different songs, listen to both and vote for your favorite in the poll below! (This Cage Match will run until Monday, Nov. 19, at 8AM ET. Fans can vote once per hour! So come back and vote often to make sure your favorite song wins!) Listen to Hollywood Undead, ‘We Are’ Listen to Motionless In White, ‘Devil’s Night’ Sorry, you need to have javascript running to see this poll. Email Me When Cage Match Winners Are Announced Enter your email address below to receive the Loudwire newsletter, which will include notification of the daily winner of the Cage Match, as well as our top stories of the day. Email Rules of Cage Match: Fans can vote once per hour for their favorite song. If a song remains the reigning champ for five straight cage matches, it is retired to the Loudwire Cage Match Hall of Fame. With so many great songs out there, we have to give other bands a chance!