Mary Ouellette, SheWillShootYou.com The best Slipknot songs are bred from the band's Midwestern roots, as the masked marauders from Des Moines, Iowa, have taken the blood, sweat and tears of their blue-collar upbringing and poured it into their music. Slipknot are a way of life for their fans — affectionately dubbed maggots — because they managed to distill fury into manic, artfully constructed, unforgettable songs that still bash you over the skull. They are masterful with their metal, but on a deeper level, it's their skillful playing, carves-space-in-your-cranium melodies and their full on assault on all senses that make Slipknot one of the most important metal bands ever. With great difficulty, we've made our picks for the 10 Best Slipknot Songs: ? 10 'Vermilion Pt. 2' From: 'Vol. 3 (The Subliminal Verses)' (2004) ? ? Slipknot are known for heavier-than-granite metal. But a fragile song like 'Vermilion Pt. 2' demonstrates an artistry not unlike, say, Radiohead. The band's mastery of dynamics is evident in this original and this sequel. Sometimes you need to show your softer side to further demonstrate just how aggressive you are. 'Part 2' is a testament to late bassist Paul Gray's rock solid songwriting, as well. Listen to 'Vermilion Pt. 2' ? ? 9 'Spit It Out' From: 'Slipknot' (1999) ? ? If you've seen Slipknot live, you know this is the song where Corey Taylor commands the entire crowd to sit on the ground and jump to their feet on his command. That's power. That's two decades worth of connection with the maggots, which has been drafted in blood, adrenaline, testosterone and any other bodily fluid, substance or hormone your sick mind can possibly imagine. Listen to 'Spit It Out' ? ? 8 'The Heretic Anthem' From: 'Iowa' (2001) ? ? Only in Slipknot's feral claws and paws could a lyric like “If you're 555, I'm 666″ still sound nastier than Regan's green vomit in 'The Exorcist.' It's true that 'Iowa' is the slaughterhouse of Slipknot records: every song drips blood, guts, venom, bile and vomit. That's a good thing when you're talking metal, and 'Heretic Anthem' captures all of those elements in one fell swoop. Listen to 'The Heretic Anthem' ? ? 7 '(sic)' From: 'Slipknot' (1999) ? ? Go watch 'Alien.' You know that scene where the alien bursts from Kane's chest? The graphic horror and vicious energy of that scene is bottled and captured by 'Sic,' thanks to the battering ram percussion, machine gunned riffs and Taylor's battle cry. This is music from and for the frontlines of a warzone. Here comes the pain! Listen to '(sic)' ? ? 6 'Left Behind' From: 'Iowa' (2001) ? ? 'Left Behind' is the lead single from 'Iowa' and it's one of Slipknot's standout songs as it shows off the band's attention to and knack for melody, without losing its meaty, metal edge. It's one of those beautiful moments where you can tap your toes to the music, all the while wanting to start a carnage-inducing moshpit. That's not easy to do, but in Slipknot's mitts, it seems so simple. Listen to 'Left Behind' ? ? 5 'Psychosocial' 'All Hope Is Gone' (2008) ? ? 'Psychosocial' is a chunky, choppy track, with an infectious chorus. That's not usually how one would describe an exhaustingly heavy metal track, but this is Slipknot we're talking about. Equally riffy and percussive, 'Psychosocial' is fueled by the pulse of the maggots. Listen to 'Psychosocial' ? ? 4 'People = S–t' From: 'Iowa' (2001) ? ? Slipknot weren't masking their intentions with 'People = S–t.' Only nine bandits from Iowa could effectively capture the dregs of humanity with a metal song so effectively. It's one of the best Slipknot songs thanks to the way it helps one achieve catharsis and an understanding of the depths to which your fellow man can sink. Listen to 'People = S—' ? ? 3 'Wait and Bleed' From: 'Slipknot' (1999) ? ? 'Wait and Bleed' is a standout track not only for its jostling construction, but for the fact that it lets vocalist Corey Taylor take center stage. His guttural growls could make the hairs on your neck stand bolt upright. As for his melodic croon? That's what set him apart. The band never, ever sounds soft. The melodic elements merely provided a foil to enhance the extreme parts. Listen to 'Wait and Bleed' ? ? 2 'Duality' From: 'Vol. 3 (The Subliminal Verses)' ? ? Slipknot's brutal, extreme nature is never in question, but with 'Duality,' the lead single from their third album, the masker marauders were able to perfect their formula of maelstrom with melody. Never did pushing your fingers into your eyes sound like such an appealing behavior. Listen to 'Duality' ? ? 1 'Surfacing' From: 'Slipknot' (1999) ? ? 'Surfacing' is your new national anthem. With the squealing opening, frenetic, chaotic percussion and Corey Taylor's ferocity, it's the definitive Slipknot song because it gives a comprehensive look over everything Slipknot is: feral, uncontainable, artistically elevated. There was never anything like Slipknot before them and even thought there have been copycats, there will never truly be anything that rivals or equals them. Listen to 'Surfacing' ? ? What Is Your Favorite Slipknot Song? You've read our list. Now it's time for your opinion. What Slipknot song was missing from the list that you thought should be there? What song should have been higher on the list and what song got too much credit? Share your thoughts on this list in the comments section below: ?
Michael N. Todaro, Getty Images / Mary Ouellette, SheWillShootYou.com There’s a pretty powerful one-two punch coming to audiences across the United States early next year as Stone Sour and Papa Roach will team up for a co-headlining tour. The trek launches Jan. 20 in Bethlehem, Pa., with Stone Sour closing out the shows. Stone Sour have spent much of the latter half of 2012 promoting their ‘ House of Gold & Bones, Pt. 1 ‘ album, which has already spawned the hit singles ‘Absolute Zero’ and ‘Gone Sovereign.’ The timing for the tour works out perfectly for them as it will lead up to the release of ‘House of Gold & Bones, Pt. 2,’ which is expected in the spring. At present, the band is receiving positive reviews as they trek across Europe. Papa Roach, who also are enjoying a successful European run at the moment, have rebounded quite well after singer Jacoby Shaddix ‘s vocal surgery earlier this year. The group issued their hit album, ‘ The Connection ,’ featuring the hard-hitting single ‘ Still Swingin’ ,’ over the summer and have also received some love for the track ‘ Before I Die ‘ off the album. This will be the group’s first major run through North America in support of their latest release. Joining the two bands on the run will be one of 2012′s breakout bands, Otherwise , who are promoting their ‘ True Love Never Dies ‘ album. The disc has already spawned the singles ‘ Soldiers ‘ and ‘I Don’t Apologize.’ Beginning Dec. 7, links to purchase tickets will be included here . Stone Sour / Papa Roach 2013 Tour Dates (more to be added): 1/20 — Bethlehem, Pa. — Sands Bethlehem Events Center 1/22 — Niagara Falls, N.Y. — Rapids Theatre 1/23 — New York, N.Y. — Terminal 5 1/25 — Milwaukee, Wis. — Eagles Ballroom 1/27 — Chicago, Ill. — House of Blues 1/29 — Minneapolis, Minn. — The Myth 1/30 — Kansas City, Mo. — Midland Theater (Stone Sour only) 2/1 — Amarillo, Texas — Aztec Music Hall 2/2 — Lubbock, Texas — Lonestar Pavilion 2/4 — Midland, Texas — Midland Horseshoe Arena 2/5 — College Station, Texas — Hurricane Harry’s 2/7 — Corpus Christi, Texas — Concrete Street Amphitheatre 2/8 — Pharr, Texas — Pharr Entertainment Center 2/9 — Laredo, Texas — Laredo Energy Center 2/12 — Tempe, Ariz. — Marquee theatre 2/13 — Los Angeles, Calif. — Club Nokia 2/15 — Las Vegas, Nev. — The Joint 2/16 — Salt Lake City, Utah — Salt Air 2/17 — Denver, Colo. — Fillmore [button href=”http://loudwire.com/best-rock-songs-of-2012/” title=”Next: Best Rock Songs of 2012″ align=”center”]
Twitter: @OfficialOzzy Yesterday (Dec. 3) was Ozzy Osbourne ’s birthday and if you’ve spent any time wondering how the Prince of Darkness celebrated his 64th, all you had to do was follow him on Twitter to find out. Ozzy posted the photo seen here of him working in the studio along with the tweet: “Spending my birthday tracking vocals on the new Black Sabbath album.” Although various reports have speculated that several songs for the Sabbath disc have already been recorded, guitarist Tony Iommi said that’s not the case in a recent interview. On ‘The Blairing Out With Eric Blair Show’ (via Blabbermouth ) Iommi cleared things up, explaining, “We’ve written 15 songs and we’ve played them all. But now, at the moment, we’re recording them.” He continued, “We recorded them at my house first, in England, just as demos, but now we’re doing them for real. So we’re about six tracks in now, at the moment.” Osbourne also recently went on record talking about the writing and recording process, calling it a lot of fun in comparison to their earlier years when the drugs, alcohol and egos got in the way. He talked about the music taking center stage, stating, “So what it boils down to now is the music — and that’s what got us where we are in the first place. We have come through the other side, we’re still able to work together, and that’s where the enjoyment comes from. It’s been a lot of fun making this record.” Ozzy certainly looks like he’s having fun in the studio … even while working on his birthday! [button href=”http://loudwire.com/best-ozzy-osbourne-solo-songs/” title=”10 Best Ozzy Osbourne Solo Songs” align=”center”] ?
In many ways, 2012 could be called the Year of the Woman in hard rock and metal. In genres of music that have long-been male dominated, a handful of female-fronted acts stole the show this year, making the Rock Goddess of the Year an especially intriguing category in the 2012 Loudwire Music Awards. The women below are some of rock music’s most respected artists and front some of rock’s most popular and critically acclaimed bands. Last year’s winner, Sharon Den Adel, has been left off this year’s ballot, as 2012 was a relatively quiet year for her band Within Temptation. That leaves it open for a new artist to claim the coveted crown of Rock Goddess of the Year. Check out the seven nominees below and be sure to vote in the poll below: ? Amy Lee, Evanescence After returning to the scene in 2011 with their self-titled third album, Evanescence traveled the world in 2012 to support the effort. In addition to touring overseas in the first half of the year, the band headlined the Carnival of Madness tour in the United States over the summer. All the while, the band was led by the ethereal and beautiful voice of Amy Lee . ? Angela Gossow, Arch Enemy Arch Enemy toured the world in 2012 in support of their 2011 album, ‘Khaos Legions,’ as frontwoman Angela Gossow led the charge. The band filmed their fall 2012 Latin America tour for an upcoming 2013 DVD. With a combination of beautiful looks and brutal vocals, Gossow has been leading the Swedish death metal band since 2000. ? Cristina Scabbia, Lacuna Coil Lacuna Coil unleashed one of the best albums of 2012 with ‘Dark Adrenaline.’ The Italian band joined Megadeth, Motorhead and Volbeat on the 2012 Gigantour. With a stunning voice and gorgeous looks, the band’s co-vocalist Cristina Scabbia is among the finest female singers in rock or metal. Catch Lacuna Coil on tour with Sevendust in 2013. ? Emily Armstrong, Dead Sara Dead Sara were one of the breakout bands of the year, topping our list of the Best Rock Songs of 2012 with their powerful single ‘Weatherman’ off their self-titled debut disc. As the Los Angeles act’s frontwoman, Emily Armstrong’s powerful vocals are only matched by her uninhibited stage presence. Catch Dead Sara on tour in 2013 with Muse. ? Jill Janus, Huntress Los Angeles heavy metallers Huntress delivered their debut album, ‘Spell Eater,’ in 2012, led by the seductive and talented Jill Janus . The singer describes the band’s music as ‘vicious but melodic,’ and plans on ‘conquering the world one metalhead at a time.’ Huntress toured relentlessly in 2012, and have signed on for some major 2013 festivals. ? Lzzy Hale, Halestorm Did anyone on this list have a better year than Lzzy Hale ? Her band Halestorm became the first female-fronted act to top the Active Rock chart with their single ‘Love Bites (So Do I),’ off their 2012 album ‘The Strange Case Of …’ In addition, the lovely Lzzy & co. toured nonstop in 2012, including stints on the Mass Chaos and Carnival of Madness treks. ? Maria Brink, In This Moment In This Moment unleashed their latest album, ‘Blood,’ in August, and have since taken the world by storm. Led by sultry singer Maria Brink , the band scored a Top 10 rock single with the disc’s title track, which was accompanied by a seductively stunning video. Maria & co. were also one of the standout acts on the 2012 Uproar Festival tour. ? ? 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/rock-titan-of-the-year-2012-loudwire-music-awards” title=”Next: Vote for Rock Titan 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
Frazer Harrison, Getty Images Asking Alexandria recently stated that their next album might be more radio-friendly , but before that arrives there’s a free compilation en route that definitely features music familiar to radio listeners. The group has recorded a digital EP titled ‘Under the Influence’ that will be available for free to Revolver Magazine subscribers. The set includes four cover songs, including the band’s take on such classics as Journey ‘s ‘Separate Ways,’ Motley Crue ‘s ‘Kickstart My Heart,’ Whitesnake ‘s ‘Here I Go Again,’ and Def Leppard ‘s ‘Hysteria.’ In addition, the band will tack on their latest single, ‘Run Free,’ for fans to enjoy as well. To get the free EP, simply subscribe to Revolver online here if you’re not already a subscriber. In between wrapping up their summer Mayhem Tour stint and headlining the late 2012 Monster Energy Outbreak Tour , Asking Alexandria found time to work out some new material for their next disc. Guitarist Ben Bruce said of their new music, “[The new album is] a lot more mature. [We may have] a lot of radio singles — what we’re calling radio singles, songs we’re going to push towards radio and try to accelerate our career and get to the next level and hopefully bring our old fans across with us.” But for fans who raised a few eyebrows over those comments, the guitarist assures, “[The rest of it will be] our usual balls-to-the-wall kind of stuff. We spent a long time honing in on our song structures and writing techniques and things like that, but there are still heavy songs on the record. We’re not just going to throw that away and kick our original fan base in the teeth by getting rid of all that. There will still be a lot of riffing and screaming. But we feel like we did find a happy medium between being heavy and then being light enough to be on radio, but still keeping the balls in the songs.” [button href=”http://loudwire.com/asking-alexandria-danny-worsnop-thanks-fans-support-during-sober-summer-touring/” title=”Next: Asking Alexandria’s Danny Worsnop Thanks Fans For Sober Summer” align=”center”]
Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Chevelle will finish out 2012 with their greatest hits collection, ‘ Stray Arrows: A Collection of Favorites ,’ and as with most hits compilations, there’s at least one or two new songs tacked on. In this case, fans will have a chance to check out ‘Fizgig,’ a track that upon first listen fits perfectly right alongside of the rest of the band’s favorites. The group just debuted the song via a theatrical lyric video posted at their website . What exactly does ‘Fizgig’ mean? It’s defined as a flirtatious or frivolous girl, but the word isn’t even uttered during the length of the song. However, the track itself is vintage Chevelle. It opens with a darkly haunting, industrial sound but picks up before the first words are sung. The end result is a trudging yet aggressive rocker that could have found itself just as comfortable in the grunge era of rock as it does today. With a lyric like, “ The past is on the phone. New roads don’t pave themselves ,” this may seem like the perfect bridge between the first portion of the band’s career and what’s to come, but the song isn’t so much about the group’s transition as it is an angsty ode about moving on from a relationship with Pete Loeffler deftly adding in the requisite emotion to the track. As for the lyric video, it’s equally dark and haunting as it takes place in a darkly lit abandoned theater with the lyrics precariously hanging from the rafters one by one as the song progresses. Some words take solace in the shadows while others move front and center, sharing the stage with an odd array of imagery. Chevelle’s ‘Stray Arrows: A Collection of Favorites’ arrives in stores this Tuesday (Dec. 4). Check out the ‘Fizgig’ lyric video below. Watch Chevelle’s ‘Fizgig’ Lyric Video [button href=”http://loudwire.com/chevelle-the-red-top-21st-century-hard-rock-songs/” title=”Next: Chevelle – Top 21st Century Hard Rock Songs” align=”center”]
Roadrunner Swedish progressive metal masters Opeth have the technical abilities to play almost any metal song ever written. During a tour stop in Germany, the band recently performed two legendary tracks, one of which is perhaps the world’s easiest metal song to play, mostly because it’s only two-seconds long. Opeth frontman Mikael Akerfeldt began to introduce the cover that group had planned on playing, ‘Solitude’ by Black Sabbath , but started to speak about how they had also covered Napalm Death ‘s ‘You Suffer’ in the past. After some cheers from the audience, Opeth performed ‘You Suffer’ in its two-second entirety for the exhilarated audience. Akerfeldt then went on to introduce ‘Solitude,’ a song that Opeth had played in the past. “Opeth, back in the day, in the early ’90s, we used to play this song. Back then I was really into making good-sounding rehearsal tapes, basically not proper studio demos, but you just have a tape recorder in the rehearsal room and record your band practice. And they had to be perfect, there couldn’t be any noise prior to the song or after the song, it had to be like a proper recording. I was very anal about that kind of thing.” He continues, “This song, we recorded and the drummer at the time had a cymbal on the drumstick, and it sounded perfect but in the end, he dropped the cymbal, [makes crashing noise] so I had to do it again. So don’t drop the f—ing cymbal.” Both Sabbath and Opeth fans are sure to appreciate this cover, as it’s masterfully pulled off by Akerfeldt and the boys. Opeth Perform Napalm Death’s ‘You Suffer’ and Black Sabbath’s ‘Solitude’ Live