Women In Music Events Hot 100 Billboard 200 Global 200 ... Radio Airplay + Sales Data + Streaming Data = TOP ROCK ARTISTS. His charisma shines through as one of the more interesting on-air personalities on the station. © 2019 Billboard Media, LLC. Thankfully, after an exhaustive process, they have finally found a home with Dave Ellefson’s EMP Label Group. Survivor is the band that comes to mind for most when they think of the Rocky movies (deservedly so). We all have things in life that we cling to even though we know that it’s not what’s best for us. “Like A Baller” is a tune that stands out from most Active Rock songs, providing a nice respite from the “same old same old.”. Musicians and singers who died in 2018. “The Safety Of Disbelief” is one of those songs that you never get tired of hearing. “Take You With Me” offers a side of Tremonti that is a bit divergent from his past work. That is meant as a compliment, as I firmly believe that Shinedown is at the top of the food chain for modern rock artists. The largest rock music and camping event in the U.S., featuring a stacked 2021 lineup of the best of classic and modern rock & metal! As I listened to the track several times over, I started to hear hints of Stereoside with the big, infectious hook, and some Def Leppard with the melodic, crunchy riffs. In November, Cornell’s estate released “When Bad Does Good,” one of eleven previously unreleased songs to be featured on a new career-spanning, 4-disc box set, simply titled…Chris Cornell. This song would have been perfect for the MTV era, but unfortunately, videos today just don’t have the same impact. Long before Greta Van Fleet burst onto the scene, Rival Sons were being hailed as the second coming of Led Zeppelin. All Rights Reserved. Famous deaths in 2018. A four-piece unit out of Nashville, The East Side Gamblers describe themselves as “rock and roll for people who love rock and roll.” It may sound simple and direct, but it’s an appropriate description of the band’s sound. Ozzy Osbourne’s distinct vocal style is only one part of what has made him a rock and roll icon. That signature vocal style is featured on “Take You With Me,” but it doesn’t kick in immediately. Aside from the band’s megahit cover of “The Sound Of Silence,” whenever Disturbed comes blasting through your speakers, you need to brace yourself for an onslaught led by frontman David Draiman. California Privacy Rights [3] SLASH f. MYLES KENNEDY & THE CONSPIRATORS – “Driving Rain”. The slower, moody interludes do a nice job of accenting the big, memorable hook. It’s no secret that Black Label Society is heavily influenced by Sabbath, but make no mistake, there is a lot more to “A Love Unreal” than meets the eye. Artists re-recording songs from their past (especially hits) can be a hit-or-miss proposition. Come to think of it, that description sounds like a mixture of Bowie (the melodic) and Lemmy (the barroom punk edge). [69] ANOTHER LOST YEAR – “I Found Someone”, Without Another Lost Year, this annual list may very well not exist. That’s partially because this band has somehow managed to spend nearly five decades as an under-the-radar act (at least in the U.S.), and also because they have continuously released new music with very few gaps since their debut album in 1970. What I got instead was a walk down memory lane to the heavy metal of the ‘80s where great singing and melodies were all the rage. The brainchild of singer/guitarist Rick Lambert, who began writing songs in Los Angeles in 2013, Empty Trail is now an Austin, TX based power trio. He’s the kind of guitarist that Ozzy Osbourne used to turn into a household name. The name of the album is an apt description, given the band’s reemergence following a 30-year hiatus since their debut in the late ‘80s. The main purpose for radio singles is to draw attention to a band, so that you are inspired to check out more of their music. [51] ANDREW W.K. Many of the songs on the list were heard throughout the year on SiriusXM’s Octane and on Active Rock radio stations throughout North America. You have to appreciate any band that references Spinal Tap in their lyrics (“crank it to eleven”), all the while playing their instruments with the musicality and proficiency of yesteryear. Rock could use more artists like this these days. “Aftermath” alternates between big, booming bursts of energy and subdued moments that let the song breathe. Sometimes, pure industrial bands overwhelm you in a way that puts the vibe ahead of the melody. It’s not easy to appeal to such a wide audience, but Messer has certainly lived up to their description with “Save Myself.”, [72] THE PROFESSIONALS – “Going Going Gone”. Simply put, Active Rock radio is just better when Shinedown is releasing singles off of a new album. Key Lyric:“Dark dreams they take so long to shake, erase a picture and another stays/ I’ve searched for all the ways to say, think I found a way” Why It Matters: Whether you call it stoner rock, slu… He also happens to be in a band that is one of the best in the Active Rock format. Killswitch Engage) on vocals – made their debut this year. The first thing that drew me into Underoath’s “ihateit” was the unusual use of all lowercase letters and no spacing between words. I can’t tell you exactly when I discovered Late Night Savior, but I’m fairly sure that it was on social media. All Rights Reserved. “Ghost” feels like it was written with artistic integrity taking precedence over catering to a radio sound. Moss has always looked at the top artists in the genre as his peers, so it makes sense that Stone Broken arrives on the scene with a polished sound that’s in the sweet spot of Active Rock. He has released nine previous albums and his most recent record is First Class Life, released in 2018. Audio Reign takes a refreshing approach by delivering a heavy dose of melody over this rocker that hits you like a high octane freight train. As you listen to the initial groove, you’re reminded of Van Halen’s “So This Is Love?” as well as White Lion’s cover of the Golden Earring classic, “Radar Love.” You don’t hear this kind of groove very often these days. The more that you listen to “Filthy Life” and peel back the layers, the more the song grows on you. February 19, 2021 UTC. Mixed Company instantly delivers what their artwork promises from the first note of the title track and never lets up. A phantom limb is “the sensation that an amputated or missing limb is still attached.” Taking this physical phenomenon and applying it to the loss of a person whose presence still looms large long after their passing is a clever way of showing that the impact of someone’s life lingers after their death. Fans of Myles Kennedy have been blessed with his tireless work ethic, one that produces new music regularly as he pulls double duty between Alter Bridge and Slash. [73] SAM COFFEEY & THE IRON LUNGS – “Tough”. With cover songs on the rise, it’s no surprise that Saints Of Sin, a glam rock band from the UK, chose to infuse this head-bopping pop song with some rock and roll testosterone. “Good VS Evil” may come from the band’s debut EP (The Requiem), but it sounds like the work of a band that has been around for much longer. Scherer/Batten is a dynamic duo that has close ties to Jim Peterik (Survivor). It doesn’t take guts to shout your opinion to the world when no one is listening. They are more like the blues rock bands that got lumped into the category by a lazy industry back in the day…the ones that were unceremoniously discarded with the rise of the grunge movement. They’re nothing more than a footnote in the history of hard rock. On “The Damned,” Kotzen showcases much of what you love about him with The Winery Dogs…soulful, rangy vocals, impressive bluesy guitar playing, and catchy songwriting. Stone Broken’s roots trace back to a tragic loss. Within a two week period a few years ago, the world of rock and roll lost two of its greatest icons in Lemmy Kilmister and David Bowie. Though they are rooted grunge, the band’s sound has an upbeat quality that wasn’t present in most of the music that came out of Seattle back in the day. Walking the fine line between melody and aggression, you can still understand all of the lyrics and the powerful message being conveyed. And keyboardist Derek Sherinian demonstrates that his talent goes well beyond the complexities that he is known for with Dream Theater. Because there aren’t a ton of all-female rock n’ roll bands, there’s a natural tendency to compare bands like this to the female rockers that came before them. Founded in New York City by guitarist Mark Reale, the band changed their name (Riot) at the request of Reale’s father after his son’s passing in 2012. The opening verse has a distinct classic Stone Temple Pilots vibe, before kicking into a soulful, melodic chorus infused with Active Rock sensibilities. You have to respect a band that is willing to vary their sound when they have proven that they can write within the narrow parameters that radio prefers. “Photograph” opens with a southern rock picking guitar intro, transitions to a heavy active rock sound, and then goes right back again to their southern influences. Keller is a throwback to a time when guitar gods where all the rage. They have a dark vibe that reminds you of Korn and Marilyn Manson, but they don’t sound like them either. One of the reasons that grunge and the “Seattle sound” burned so brightly and faded relatively quickly (in the scheme of things) is because of the lack of quality artists who could hold their own. Filling shoes this big was clearly no easy task, but Michael Bishop (aka Blöthar) has done an admirable job on “Phantom Limb.” Bishop is no ordinary replacement though. Then again, most songs wouldn’t. One listen to “Make You” and you’ll see why. “Rose Red Violent Blue” begins with Taylor’s pensive, emotive tone before erupting into an energetic rocker as the song crescendos into a melodic hook that lingers in your head after it ends. There are no rules being followed, no trends being chased, no obsession with finding a “fit” for radio formats…just pure, energetic, fun, anthemic rock and roll. Not surprisingly, I much prefer F2F’s version to Rhianna’s. That’s not to say that I didn’t get why others felt strongly about this mysterious band. Saying that any band is the “next Led Zeppelin” is an unfair burden to attach to any modern artist who has a much tougher climb than the legends of yesteryear in the current climate. Thanks! The next was that the reunion could have meant the end of one of my favorite bands – Slash f. Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators. Although the sound has much more of an edge, the bones of “Bring The House Down” are reminiscent of Slade’s 1983 hit, “Run Runaway.” There is an underlying frenetic rhythm to the song that makes it feel aggressive, but the melody and hook are both so catchy that you end up feeling uplifted after listening to it. The following year, they enjoyed some radio success once again with “In Your Arms.” By 1992, they were one of those bands that many lost track of. There are two ways to judge “Shadow Of Your Love”…on its own merits or as a track that almost made it onto Appetite For Destruction. In addition to featuring established artists with careers that span several decades, this list also includes a number of artists on the rise. I may have never looked past their monster-like ways to judge the music, but I never had any negative thoughts about them. Coming close to his vocal style is challenging enough. In fact, Joan Jett also gets mentioned in one of the verses. Though the reason for the song is based on bad experiences and painful losses, “Going Going Gone” still has a bit of an uplifting vibe. A friend of Scherer’s suggested that they bring in guitarist extraordinaire Jennifer Batten. We’ve seen actors and actresses cross over into music in recent years, but it’s hard to think of any that have done so with an edge that feels so genuine. If not (because of the climate of the industry), you have to imagine that an established band will scoop him up as a hired gun at some point. Too many copycats, not enough innovators. O’Riordan liked the interpretation of the song so much that she was scheduled to provide guest vocals on the track on the day of her tragic passing. [7] THE EAST SIDE GAMBLERS – “The Getaway”. Of course, Kobra And The Lotus is not your typical Active Rock band, which makes their sound that much more appealing. Before the launch of Hard Rock Daddy, Another Lost Year shared the Top 12 Hard Rock Songs of 2012 that I put out on a personal blog covering a variety of topics. And now, we get even more. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, and/or stuck in procrastination mode, “stop stalling, get a move on” and crank up the top hard rock song of 2018 to inspire you to take action! “Story Of My Life” is a high energy rocker with a bit of a California punk influence. Thankfully, bands like Sinister X are more than willing to pay homage to an era that (in my eyes) was the pinnacle of hard rock. While the actor’s status may open up some doors, the music speaks for itself. “You Can’t Rely” is so engaging that you actually forget that the singer is a famous actor as you immerse yourself in the song. It’s not that the song takes you back in time to the band’s thrash heyday the way that some of the other songs on the album do, but it does have some of the same elements that made “Fade To Black” an all-time classic and fan favorite. Hard to move mountains when you’re paralyzed, but you gotta try…”. Simply stated, “It’s Another Day” was worth the two decade wait! The energetic, impressive slap bass fills take you back in time to the heyday of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Vocalist David Reece’s biggest claim to fame may be a short stint fronting Accept, but the lead single off of Sainted Sinner’s sophomore release doesn’t make you think of the German metalers. Dolores O'Riordan, lead singer of The Cranberries, dies on January 15, 2018, at 46 years old. There are two types of hard rock/metal fans…those who are familiar with the larger-than-life shadow that GWAR casts, but not necessarily their music, and those who are diehard fans. When I heard “The Getaway” by The East Side Gamblers on the station, I wondered how I had never heard of the band before, especially with a song this good. Musically, Badflower stands out as unique. While it would have been interesting to hear what O’Riordan would have added to the song, Bad Wolves’ cover of “Zombie” is outstanding in its own right. Everything that you love about rock n’ roll is exactly what The Amorettes deliver with this kickass tune. “Rise Up” is noteworthy for both the music and the lyrics. Unlike rock stars of the past, where recognition was as important as the music, Hands Like Houses have taken a different approach. And rightfully so! With no more reason to wait to release the song, “Zombie” hit the airwaves to a great deal of enthusiasm. From the dazzling riffs and shredding of lead guitarist Lu Cachie, to the thunderous, aggressive rhythm of the rest of the band, “You Want More” is a hard-hitting beast of a song that offers a provocative, timely message. Like some of their other epic pieces, “Halo On Fire” has multiple parts, but they blend together smoothly rather than giving you whiplash as they slam on the breaks and change direction. Rock Legends Cruise is a floating music festival that's a seriously good time and it supports the Native American Heritage Association (NAHA). From Batten’s first notes, which bring back memories of Eddie Van Halen’s “Eruption,” to the upbeat, feel-good vibe of Scherer’s stunning vocals, this song works on all levels. Advertising Hopefully, they will break through with this inspired cover.