Powhertz's Favorites in Music in


2017


    Extending a 21-year-old tradition, the author and administrator of Powhertz shares with you his favorite songs of the year. Before proceeding, I could not omit to mention how exceptionnally deadly 2017 was in rock. I want to pay tribute to some great personalities of the industry who left this world in 2017, such as Tom Petty, Gord Downie (singer of The Tragically Hip), Malcolm Young (one guitarist of AC/DC), Chuck Mosley (one of the singers of Faith No More and Bad Brains), Patrick Bourgeois (singer of the B.B., pop rock band that was immensely popular in Quebec from 1989 to 1994) and Johnny Hallyday (legendary French rock singer). But most, MOST importantly, there is the disturbing tragedy of Chris Cornell and Chester Bennington. On May 18th, Chris Cornell, singer and guitarist with a grandiose course (Soundgarden, Temple of the Dog, Audioslave, solo career), is found dead by hanging in his hotel room, at the age of 52. The news is  such a shock ! Even though it is true that he's long battled depression, he was still described as an extraordinary person with lots of humor. On top of having professional success, he was the father of 3 kids. I would have never expected that he commits suicide. Some meds would be in cause in this suicide, which would be en accident according to the family. I was far from expecting that another shock would be coming just 2 months later. On July 20th, Cornell's birth date, his great friend Chester Bennington, Linkin Park singer whoi also recorded an album with Stone Temple Pilots, dies the exact same way in his home!! In his case though, that does not seem to be an accident. He was very affected by the death of his friend, and the fact that he hangs himself on Cornell's birthday is a strong symbol. Generally depressive and drug addict, he was nonetheless the father of 6 kids, and was only 41 ans years old...

For sadly too many people, Chris Cornell is the singer of Black Hole Sun. It is a serious insult to summarize this great artist's artwork to a single song! He was one of the most outstanding voices of his generation! His most famous band, Soundgarden, is among the most important 4 bands of the Seattle grunge movement. It is actually disturbing to note that the singers of 2 of the other 3 bands are also dead: Kurt Cobain of Nirvana (1994) and Layne Staley of Alice in Chains (2002), letting only Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder alive! He has no less than 15 entries in my personal annual charts, and would have had even much more if I had started this exercise before 1997 (Spoonman, Fell on Black Days, Black Hole Sun, etc.). He was still very active and was reaching #12 in my annual chart only 2 years ago, for the excellent Nearly Forgot My Broken Heart.

Chester Bennington is the voice without which Linkin Park would not have become the legendary band it has become. Like them or not, agree or not with some of their musical directions, it is the biggest band of the first decade of the new century, period! The album Hybrid Theory alone would almost have earned them this title, being sold 11 million times in the U.S.A. and 1.5 million in the United Kingdom, which is an excessive, completely crazy success for the 2000s! Chester made my annual charts 17 times, an extremely impressive total!

I think I would say that each one of them is in the top 5 of the unexpected star deaths that affected me the most in my life, alongside Kurt Cobain (Nirvana), Dimebag Darrell (Pantera, Damageplan) and Wayne Static (Static-X). Two members of the top 5, at only a 2-month interval.

Chris Cornell †

ChrisCornellTIFFSept2011

1964-2017

1999
Can't Change Me
solo
#12
2002
Cochise
Audioslave
#20
2003
Show me how to Live
Audioslave
#2
2003
Like a Stone
Audioslave
#20
2004
What you are
Audioslave
#18
2005
Your Time has Come
Audioslave
#45
2005
Doesn't Remind me
Audioslave
#48
2006
Out of Exhile
Audioslave
#37
2006
Original Fire
Audioslave
#45
2012
Live to Rise
Soundgarden
#11
2012
Been Away Too Long
Soundgarden #25
2013
By Crooked Steps
Soundgarden
#3
2013
Halfway There
Soundgarden
#46
2015 Nearly Forgot My Broken Heart solo #12
2015
Heavy is the Head
Zac Brown Band
#19

Chester Bennington †

Linkin Park-Rock im Park 2014- by 2eight 3SC0327

1976-2017

2001 One Step Closer
Linkin Park
#10
2001
In the End
Linkin Park
#44
2001
Crawling
Linkin Park
#71
2002
Runaway
Linkin Park
#12
2003
Faint
Linkin Park
#13
2003
Somewhere I Belong
Linkin Park
#32
2003
Numb
Linkin Park
#38
2004
Lying From You
Linkin Park
#11
2004
Breaking the Habit
Linkin Park #25
2007
What I've Done
Linkin Park #17
2007
Bleed it Out
Linkin Park #23
2008
Given Up
Linkin Park #23
2008
Shadow of the Day
Linkin Park #25
2009
New Divide
Linkin Park #31
2013
Out of Time
Stone Temple Pilots
#23
2014
Guilty all the Same
Linkin Park feat. Rakim
#34
2014
Rebellion
Linkin Park feat. Daron Malakian
#43

We are now almost ready for the chart! I just have to remind you the same instructions as every year before:

Legend
guitareWeak presence of electric guitar
guitareguitareSlightly loud, but acceptable for a vast majority of listeners
guitareguitareguitare A true heavyweight, sensible ears keep away!


1
A Statue of the King
Avatar
guitareguitareguitare
What an extraordinary surprise in October when this music video appeared to me on YouTube! I had no information that Avatar had went in studio, and I was absolutely not expecting that they did because they were on tour all year long in support of their album Feathers & Flesh (May 2016), except for short 2-3 week pauses. It is therefore in a state of astonishment that I've learn the release of this new video and a new concept album to come in January 2018! I listened to the song a first time and instantly liked it, but definitely not like a #1, more like a #8-10. Then, I started to listen to it in loop and I went over the top! It is a total success! It is the intensity and power of For the Swarm, my #3 of last year, in a more complete and better developed song. It is drum pedals "full blast" almost continuously, vocals more hardly worked on than ever, guitar sounds completely new for the band (during the choruses, which I love!), a melody somewhat complex that we must listen to a few times to fully get it, and a finale that leaves on a high, leaving us begging for an encore!

In all this unlikely surprise, Avatar becomes the first artist to accumulate three #1 in my personal annual charts, which I do since 1997. We may wonder whether Nirvana would have done such feat if I had started those charts a few years earlier (with Smells Like Teen Spirit in 1991, Lithium in 1992, Heart-Shaped Box in 1993 and About a Girl in 1994), but that would remain highly hypothetical because I remember that I liked SLTP more in 1992 that immediately upon its release in the Fall of 1991, and I am not convinced that Heart-Shaped Box would have been my #1 of 1993 at that time. One thing is sure, Avatar has become a legend in the Powhertz charts, and would I dare saying it, probably my new favorite band! Long live to the king!


2
Spit Out the Bone
Metallica
guitareguitareguitare
I will not surprise anyone here, because I was ending my review of 2016 by saying that Spit Out the Bone was, according to me, the best one from the excellent album Hardwired... to Self-Destruct, and that it might become an official single of the album in 2017!! And so, in November 2017, it officially became the album's 5th official single! Not meaning that it is as good as the great classic Master of Puppets, I think that this is the closest to it they've ever done. The structure, the theme, the energy remind me Master of Puppets almost as much as the excellent The Day That Never Comes reminded me of One! More than 7 minutes of joy, which go by so fast! This is in the top 5 of my favorite Metallica songs of all time, next to prestigious Master of Puppets, Battery, One and The Day That Never Comes!


3
Sultan's Curse
Mastodon
guitareguitareguitare
A very strong #3 fort, which I was convinced to be my big #1 until November 1st or so, before getting passed at the finish line! In the preparatory videos on YouTube for the new album Emperor of Sand, Mastodon repeatedly used this phrase that marked me: "No shortage of riffs!". It proved to be so true! They come back to us with a first single, Sultan's Curse, amongst their best riffs ever, and a first Grammy award for "Best metal performance", after 3 unsuccessful nominations (High Road in 2014, Curl of the Burl in 2011 and Colony of Birchmen in 2006). What an excellent track and what a comeback for the legendary American band! Once again, they exploit their great strengths: some super guitars and a wise use of their three singers.


4
God Damn
Avenged Sevenfold
guitareguitareguitare
A track that resembles no other from A7X in my opinion, while keeping the A7X signature. That's what we want! Extremely stirring verses and extremely catchy chorus that I've had stuck in my head very often this Spring and Summer. I so much did not understand why it had some trouble climbing the charts, it is incomprehensible to me!


5
The Sin and the Sentence
Trivium
guitareguitareguitare
When I heard it for the first time on August 1st, I gave it a note of "B", no more than that. But, it never stopped progressing until the very end of the year! At the end of this path, it is now obvious that it's a big "A"! The central pivot of the track is, according to me, the spectacular drumming of Alex Bent, and the rest builds up around it with great harmony! The lyrics are very interesting as well, for instance the famous "You condemn me 'cause you don't understand me" or the "Beware those who speak in tongues for they may call your name". I also enjoy very much the voices' arrangements, with the screams in completely distinct sound tracks that do not steal the whole place and just support the melodious voice. But most importantly, what a masterpiece from the drummer! I had not realized how genious it was until I see Alex Bent's video of him playing it in concert. WOW! You will find the video in question below, just below the official music video. It's worth it! Note: it's in my top 3 of the year while I'm writing this, but it ends up only at #5 by my fault, because it took me too much time before I fully appreciate it to its full value!

Note: this is a 3rd top 10 over the past 4 years for Trivium. We should now consider this American band amongst the great!



6
The King Wants You
Avatar
guitareguitare
Released on December 19th, 2017, it did not take long to take its place! Definitely less heavy than the band's average, it was still disappointing after 2 or even 3 spins, but we must really take it seriously and give it a chance, because it is a hugely underestimated song! I have great fun listening and watching this epic music video (top 2 videos of a band that always makes great videos!) with my 3 and 1-year old sons! Yes, The King Wants You is a rare song to have the versatility of being easily accessible even for such young kids, while still having something to offer to solid rock fans and musicians. I actually think that the melody must sound extremely simple to a lesser-trained ear, but it is actually pretty complex. The guitar riff is much faster than it looks, as you could fully see it by watching the following very interesting video of the band's 2 guitarists, who teach us this riff : https://youtu.be/t9J9g9tjd64 . And for having heard it live by my own ears on January 9th, 2018 in Montréal (QC), I can witness that The King Wants You is amply as good live as the studio version, which is not necessarly the case of A Statue of the King, which thrones at the top of the current chart.

I was about to forget to speak about the solo... At first sight, it seemed to me like a very chaotic solo, a little but as in Hail the Apocalypse. It is not the case, after all. It exploits very well the two guitars and grafts admirably well to the composition. And what a finale, so simple but oh so memorable!

"All hail the king" !  :-)

Advisory : absolutely don't listen to this song with a single earphone! As it is often the case with Avatar, they play a lot with the stereo balance, and the use of the two earphones or speakers is totally essential.


7
Let You Down
Seether
guitareguitare+
Seether hits the target once again! I do not really adhere to the theories of some YouTube users, who accuse it to be too similar to Take out the Gunman from Chevelle or Tool's Stinkfist. I can concede some elements of resemblance, but Let You Down definitely preserves its own personality, always totally within the bounds of the South African band's post-grunge hard rock style. It is powerful, not only in the music but just as much in the lyrics. Shaun always have that gift to hit with the right words at the right sports, as simple as the vocabulary may be. Just take the chorus for example; these are all very simple words, but used in such a great way: "So say something beautiful, say what you're keeping inside. [...] So say something meaningful, say what you're trying to hide.".


8
Now That We're Dead
Metallica
guitareguitare+
I was just unable to understand that they released this one before Spit out the Bone as a single for the album, but it's still a very good thing that it was amongst the singles, regardless of its rank. It a very large audience metal, reminiscent of their albums of the '90s, but with an absolutely unique offset drumming that I had a lot of fun to watch and listen to when the band came to Montréal in July. It is on those summer days that my "trip" for this song reached its maximum level, more than 2 months after its release to the radios and 8 months after the album's release, which I had purchased shortly after its release. 7 quickly passed minutes, for a composition that is actually not as elaborated than some other 7-minute compositions by Metallica.


9
The World is Yours
Arch Enemy
guitareguitareguitare
A bomb! I am not ready to say that I like it as much as You Will Know my Name, my favorite from the band, but it is a very good second! There are some little things that I would have done differently, but it is nonetheless a great song. The lyrics are inspiring as well. A part that particularly marked me is the: "Every empire was raised by the slave".


10
New Land
Avatar
guitareguitare
Not a bad choice of 5th official single for the excellent album Feathers & Flesh, although I would have preferred Tooth, Beak & Claw. I thought that New Land would not be as good when taken out of the album's context, but it's doing well after all. A good song, better in its tender moments than in its loud ones.


11
Rx (Medicate)
Theory of a Deadman
guitare
Huge success for the Canadian band. They score a bullseye with a practically perfect pop rock song, catchy, well arranged, delivered with emotion, intelligent, on a subject (the opiods crisis) that strikes particularly hard the band's province of origin (British Columbia). It's exactly what pop should be! At the time of writing these lines, the music video is getting close to 23 million views on YouTube, which makes it the greatest hit of their 16-year career. It is well deserved!


12
Fabuless
Stone Sour
guitareguitareguitare
The singer Corey Taylor is, once again, at his best. He is the main reason of this track's success, as the guitars are almost without melody, more to support Corey than to lead the charge. But it works very well nonetheless! "It's all downhill from here, motherfucker!"


13
Flag of the Beast
Emmure
guitareguitareguitare
First appearance in my annual charts for the U.S.-based deathcore veterans. We must say that Emmure 2017 is no longer the same as the Emmure of 10+ years ago, not at all! There were so many changes in the lineup, only the singer did not change! I liked Flag of the Beast from the first time I heard it on the radio in April, and never got bored of it. It is extremely powerful, and I like its subject as well.


14
Malagueña Salerosa
Avenged Sevenfold
guitareguitare
A7X en español!!! Surprising for sure, and I know that some Spanish-language people are complaining of the poor quality of the Spanish sung in the song, but the track's arrangement is unique and greatly successful. They manage to reach great peaks of intensity without having to violently hammer their instruments. I liked it very much!


15
The Heart From Your Hate
Trivium
guitareguitare+
I don't like very much the guitars in this track, but it's an excellent song, with a catchy melody from the voices, and excellent lyrics about the irrational emotion and energy that people put in their hate of others, especially in social medias.


16
Betray and Degrade
Seether
guitareguitare+
Strongly leaning towards grunge, the 2nd single from their latest album is once again greatly efficient. I am slightly annoyed by the "Go on, go on, go", but I like everything else. And I know that I am repeating myself, but Shaun Morgan always manages to hit the spot with simple but accurate words, for example: "Your shallowness defines you".


17
Show Yourself
Mastodon
guitareguitare
Let's agree, it isn't really metal no more. The first thing that comes to mind while I hear it, it that we did not need an elite band like Mastodon to lay this track; thousands of other bands could have done it. But they did not! No matter that it's not at Mastodon's level of talent, Show Yourself is a very good listen and keeps my interest until the end. Furthermore, the music video is funny and highly entertaining!


18
Unfuck the World
Prophets of Rage
guitareguitare+
My favorite to date from this supergroup. Excellent guitar from the great Tom Morello, topped by good lyrics.


19
Kill4me
Marilyn Manson
guitareguitare
What should have been an essential pop anthem is destroyed by completely crazy and violent lyrics! Manson knows it very well; he was aware that he was no longer scaring off people in his last albums, and he wanted to re-become the shocking provocative man. He actually called Kill4me a scary song "disguised in a pop song". We must go a little over the lyrics and see them as theaterical (note, by the way, the presence of actor Johnny Depp in the music video), and that really becomes an excellent song, very accessible.


20
Run Rabbit Run
Black Map
guitareguitare+
The only new band to have cracked my top 20 this year. A simple but efficient trio, delivering a very good rock song.


21
Steambreather
Mastodon
guitareguitareguitare
Another excellent track from the album Emperor of Sand, even better than Show Yourself (my #17) actually, but I listened to it much less often because it had a lot less airplay on the radio. Lots of details in there, for instance the triangle during the guitar solo. It is also my favorite music video of the year, an absolutely genious video that alloys mystery, suspense and so much intelligence.


22
Nimble Bastard
Incubus
guitareguitare
Very nice return for this great band of the '90s! Not their most special one, for them who were used to destabilize us with puzzling rythms and linkings (Pardon Me, Stellar, Nice to Know You, etc.) but certainly amongst their most stirring!

https://youtu.be/GlA_rQ2JfCA

23
Blood in the Cut
F.Flay
guitare+
Under her real name Kristine Flaherty, K.Flay was an interesting discovery of 2017. A somewhat pop alternative rock, but with attitude. She fully assumes her particular accent, which gives a flavour to her singing. She vaguely remembers me of Alanis Morissette, in less rock but obviously more modern. Too bad that her next songs did not manage to hook me at all, not even her big hit High Enough.

https://youtu.be/k2WcOdz96ko

24
Judas
Fozzy
guitareguitare+
Mainstream hard rock, without much surprise but surely stirring, with even a touch of emotion! I'm still not convinced of star wrestler Chris Jericho as a singer, but not to a point where it would mess up the sauce. What a success that track has become! Slowly but surely, it reached 15 million views on YouTube, for a band that was practicaly unknown before! Yes, they already had a video with over 2 million views on YouTube in the past, but let's be lucid, those were 2 million fans of Avenged Sevenfold who wanted to see this collaboration of M Shadows et fans of wrestler Jericho who were curious to see how he would do as a singer! The band Fozzy was nonetheless largely unknown and it's ready Judas that put them on the map.

https://youtu.be/lqURPBtGJzg

25
Lights Out
Royal Blood
guitareguitare+
Excellent track from Royal Blood, which fully meets expectations! A comeback in my annual chart after a one-year absence, and it comes very close to match its record, with a #24 in 2015 for Little Monster. A 3rd track in my top 30's in 4 years. When they release a new song, we stop and listen!

https://youtu.be/ZSznpyG9CHY

26
SAY10
Marilyn Manson
guitareguitare+
It is the track we've been waiting for so long (following a short teaser released last year), and surprise, he releases it almost at the same time as 2 other singles, Kill4me and We Know Where you Fucking Live! I liked all 3 very much, but it is clear that Kill4me has had advantage over the other 2. Very simple composition, but he manages to build a fascinating horror movie atmosphere, topped by a very catchy key sentence: "You say God, and I say Say Ten". How can someone make a satanic talk catchy?! Only The King of Fuck (it's his real nickname!) can do that!

https://youtu.be/otSSwS_Nh9A

27
Undead
Arthemis
guitareguitareguitare
Unlikely discovery that I've made thanks to the suggestions of online store Amazon! I'm still not fully comfortable with the lyrics, but their power metal music is absolutely great. A good little Italian band, which instantly becomes my 2nd favorite Italian band after Fleshgod Apocalypse (not like there were a whole lot of bands from Italy! :D ).

https://youtu.be/UK35WXWnniw

28
Sorry Not Sorry
Gemini Syndrome
guitareguitare+
Maybe a little too "copy-paste" of their tracks from last year, but it is a good song with an absolutely captivating and disturbing music video.

https://youtu.be/0wINQBmlVuo

29
Necessary Evil
Motionless in White feat. Jonathan Davis
guitareguitareguitare
The voices of Chris Motionless and Jonathan Davis (Korn) are merging so harmoniously, it's a highly successful collaboration. I would just have liked to see Davis in the video, though.

https://youtu.be/zeq2nOKvSno

30
He Is
Ghost
guitare
Anything but metal, but I love the guitar in the verses, and the choruses' vocal melody is very catchy. A very funny choice to release He Is as a 3rd single of album Meliora in August, almost exactly 2 years after the 2nd, the two being separated by a mini album ("EP") last year. Obviously, Ghost did not have any new material to offer in 2017, but absolutely wanted to remain active after the unbelievable scandal that made the news in the beginning of the year, as singer Papa Emeritus III allegedly fired all of his musicians!

https://youtu.be/7hMaHDTw-pI

31
New Face
PSY

My guilty pleasure of the year! I was already hooked the first time I listened to it, and I've often got it stuck in my head thereafter! It's exactly Gangnam Style's recipe, but the imitation of brasses make it nicer, if I can say!

https://youtu.be/OwJPPaEyqhI

32
Hostage Stamps
At the Drive-In
guitareguitare
Great return for this band that many were identifying as the potential "saviors of rock" in the year 2000, release year of their hit One Armed Scissor, largely untapped potential as the band splitted just one year later! I've seen them live for the first time this Summer, and that was spectacular! Probably the most energetic show I've seen in my life, thanks to the singer who's an unbelievable hyperactive!

https://youtu.be/JoNJ6AQhmFY

33
Cut it Short
Red Fang
guitareguitare+
This good American band finally has its (real) chance in my annual chart! A good little track without much pretention, but still very efficient!

https://youtu.be/wRAmSfUjBl0

34
Heartbreak and Seance
Cradle of Filth
guitareguitareguitare
The British veterans of extreme metal remain as relevant and deliver an epic performance, extremely fast, intense, deep and melodious all at the same time. It took me some time to really catch the melody, which was actually still not settled at the turn of 2018, which harms it in this chart. Otherwise, it could have easily aimed for a top 25.

https://youtu.be/DNRIaeg6EyY

35
Maximize
Amaranthe
guitareguitare+
Another positive sample of their "pop metal", although it's still not even close to the sample that made me discover them in 2014, Drop Dead Cynical!

https://youtu.be/nfk7YZJtmeo

36
Feed the Machine
Nickelback
guitareguitare+
Not only I will not make bad jokes on Canadian band Nickelback to follow the trend, I will shamelessly declare that Feed the Machine is a good song! But I must concede that it's been a long time! Their last entry in my personal annual charts was dating as far back as 2006!

https://youtu.be/rtVU--O29oY

37
Freeze Me
Death From Above
guitareguitare
Very good track from a band doing an alternative rock that's a little hard to describe, but surely integrating a little pop touch. Good song and epic video of this Canadian (Ontario) duo that I did not know despite its 16 years on the market.

https://youtu.be/sdQqgVzex_w

38
Goddamn I'm Dead Again
Sum 41
guitareguitare
Great comeback for Canadian band Sum 41, which had not visited my annual chart since the memorable We're all to Blame in 2004! Excellent punk anthem (but at the same time, not entirely punk!).

https://youtu.be/fbqsGxm7iLQ

39
9 à 5
Sally Folk
En
              français
I am very shy of saying it, but this is the only French-language song to have cracked my chart this year. I did notice the downward trend following the 4 consecutive prosperous years from 2000 to 2003, but the 11 French-language songs of last year, highest total since 2006, seemed encouraging. Then suddenly, this crash. Only the year 2010 had placed less than 6 French-language songs in my annual chart, and suddenly just a single one this year. I've been telling this for a long time, French-language rock artists do not have enough exposure. Too often, the band does not even have a YouTube channel and rely on the channel of its little label of completely disparate artists, channel to which I will not be tempted to subscribe and getting tons of notifications about artists that don't interest me. Sometimes even NO presence on YouTube at all, maybe in fear that it make them lose some of their few sales of the year... There is also the French FM radio of the Montréal area that remains so shameful. Another factor not to be ignored: the fact that numerous bands composed of French-language individuals who choose to make a career in English (Gojira, Kataklysm, Karkaos, etc., etc.). So it's multiple reasons that explains that debacle, but I will absolutely need to find ways to give this an upswing in 2018.

That said 9 à 5 by Sally Folk is hands down my favorite French-language song of the year. Very cute song on a subject into which I am totally concerned!
https://youtu.be/Z8_c6jAZgPw

40
The Free Life
Turbowolf
guitareguitare
Very good track with some development, lots of energy and a part of unexpected! I classified it as an "A" as soon as I heard it, but then I somewhat forgot it then and started listening to it again only at the very end of the year while writing this chart. I think that it would have deserved an even better fate.

https://youtu.be/pFAjEpBXJm4

41
The Cell
Gojira
guitareguitareguitare
That's fine, but I can't believe they picked it before Only Pain as an official single for the excellent album Magma!

https://youtu.be/J13GI4Xik1o

42
No Roots
Alice Merton
guitare
Pop rarely can do any better than that! It is simple and "organic" (except the kind of electronic solo before the last chorus), but catchy and well made. In interview, she was telling that it was important to her to put a very particular emphasis on each occurrence of the word "ROOTS"; she did it simply and very efficiently. Story about a girl who, as in her song, has lived in 4 different countries (Germany, U.S.A., Canada, United Kingdom) according to Wikipedia.

https://youtu.be/PUdyuKaGQd4

43
Unbreakable
Of Mice & Men
guitareguitareguitare
That song has a special meaning since it is the first new song of the band since the departure of its singer for health reasons... and the title of this song is Unbreakable! It nicely fills its role.

https://youtu.be/_3P26FaPxgk

44
I Only Lie When I Love You
Royal Blood
guitareguitare
Short and less developed than Lights Out, but still very pleasant to hear.

https://youtu.be/BermIHe03zU

45
JudasStein
Devilment
guitareguitareguitare
Not as good as their Hitchcock Blonde from last year and obviously not pushing as far as Cradle of Filth (Dani Filth's other band) does, but absolutely nothing can explain that this passes that much below the radar and get only 92,000 views on YouTube in 8 months! It is a good track! Right from the first "unleash the creature" near the beginning of the song, I am still 100% into it!

https://youtu.be/h0y0EqKLsWI

46
We Know Where You Fucking Live
Marilyn Manson
guitareguitareguitare
Horribly violent and gratuitous (in the lyrics as much as in the music video), to a point where I'm really ashamed to like that. But in all honesty, yes I like that anyway! The chorus is pretty good and the whole is giving me chills!

https://youtu.be/2KWpuVrRek4

47
Black Rose
Volbeat feat. Danko Jones
guitareguitare
"Poppier" than ever, Volbeat falls into a kind of "candy metal" that we can no longer really call metal. I does not really like this "slide", but that remains a relatively catchy song that followed me almost all year (having heard it for the 1st time on March 7th) and that still finds a way to crack into my top 50 !

https://youtu.be/mxxVuDXJtrE

48
Come Together
Godsmack
guitareguitare
Good cover of the Beatles' classic, adding some attitude to it without denaturing it at all. Particularly tangible proof that I very clearly prefer Sully Erna to John Lennon as a singer!

You're not hallucinating, this recording was really released in 2012, as the post date on YouTube shows. However, it was really released as an official single only in March of 2017, and entered the Billboard charts just before the end of March 2017.

https://youtu.be/kPi-MOxR0l4

49
Rivers
Chevelle
guitareguitare+
Subscribers of my annual charts! Like with Volbeat earlier, even a disappointing song is enough for them to rank into my top 50!

https://youtu.be/DNk5P2XFUGA

50
Black Moon
Cellar Darling
guitareguitare
Cellar Darling is a new trio from Switzerland, born from the separation of three members of well-known metal collective Eluveitie. If singer Anna Murphy takes a part of  Eluveitie's sound with her, Cellar Darling nonetheless sounds very different, with simpler and more conventional arrangements, while still standing out of the crowd with Anna's very particular instrument that we call the "hurdy gurdy". The result is good, pretty catchy and very accessible for some metal. I would recommend this song to a wide audience.

https://youtu.be/r-5ZkRL-EV0

51
Run
Foo Fighters
guitareguitare
Expectations are very high for Dave Grohl's crew, especially since its #4 (for Rope) in 2011, that could (and should) have easily been a #2 or #3. Run couldn't do otherwise than disappointing me. The ingredients are there, but it's like the cake doesn't raise completely. I did not hook on this one, but I did listen to it many times still!

https://youtu.be/ifwc5xgI3QM

52
Waking Lions
Pop Evil
guitareguitareguitare
Mixed feelings! The firs minute and  10 seconds kicks in strong, but a weak chorus then cools things off! Sad!

https://youtu.be/DOhsP6F2RmQ

53
Dark Black Makeup
Radkey
guitareguitare
Cute little rock track that I liked quickly, but I got bored of it pretty quickly too!

https://youtu.be/bSV3AROTSmI

54
Ghost Ship of Cannibal Rats
Billy Talent
guitareguitare
Some pretty standard Billy Talent... therefore good!

https://youtu.be/XaNpka54DqQ

55
Thrown into the Fire
Trivium
guitareguitareguitare
Not that inferior to the album's other singles, it was probably just released too late in the year.

https://youtu.be/MnjZqQhZYiY

56
My Champion - Berlin
VUUR
guitareguitareguitare
Released in September, but me I doscovered it only on December 29th! That's why it finds itself a little bit low, but I am convinced it deserves more, at least definitely and easily a top 50. Excellent track for a very little-known progressive metal band from the Netherlands that can boast having good musicians, a good singer and good authors-composers all at once. The (female) singer has previously worked with Devin Townsend, a highly respected figure in the industry of prog metal.

https://youtu.be/gAwDw5zXtLI

57
Novacaine
10 Years
guitareguitare+
Those veterans no longer manage to surprise me, but Novacaine is still a very defendable one in their singles repertoire.

https://youtu.be/1glGnGOpf6c

58
The Seven
Primus
guitare+
Not many people know it, but Primus, a legendary alternative band of the '90s, is still active. The Seven is obviously not the greatest performance of these great musicians, but it has that nice weird atmosphere brushing the comic, that fits well with the band.

https://youtu.be/kZVToL4LhDQ

59
The Race
Arch Enemy
guitareguitareguitare
Another very intense track by the Swedish metal band, although a lot less melodious than The World is Yours, which occupies the #9 position of the current chart.

https://youtu.be/7GXIqR7P5ZQ

60
Kolossos
Karkaos
guitareguitareguitare
Powerful return for the Montreal-based metal band! It is a bad mistake of mine; I heard it for the first time on April 28th, I liked it, but I forgot to add it to my playlists completely forgot it until I start working on the current chart at the end of December! It amply has the required qualities for a higher ranking, within the top 50.

https://youtu.be/pScb6OmjcQU

61
Can You Hear Me
Shallow Side
guitareguitare
Nice, easy-going little rock track, without having too great depth.

https://youtu.be/pMaS1jdLNxI

62
Promise Everything
Basement
guitareguitare+
Alternative rock song for anyone, without lacking attitude. Strongly inspired from the '90s, with its little touch of grunge.

https://youtu.be/IJ-YWOja248

63
Cast the First Stone
Corrosion of Conformity
guitareguitareguitare
First appearance in my annual charts for this veteran American metal band, who was celebrating its 35 years of  existence this year! A good track that could certainly have done even better in the current chart if it was not released that late in the year (November).

https://youtu.be/ljxyItzRZm4

64
Black is the Soul
Korn
guitareguitare
Not totally cumfortable with the chorus, but the verses are bewitching and the "Give me back my LIIIIIFE" are powerful!

https://youtu.be/z0EY-vQXRwc

65
Where the Wind Blows
Blacktop Mojo
guitareguitareguitare
As for Dark Black Makeup, a song that I (moderately) liked quickly, but lost some points later.

https://youtu.be/fAAlu9XZjgs

66
Living on the 110
Prophets of Rage
guitareguitare
Tom Morello will always surprise us! In a less energetic song (without going as far as calling it a ballad), he goes beyond the ordinary again by playing his guitar with a bow, as if it was a cello, during the choruses! We see that well in the song's music video. Very socially conscious lyrics too... as usual! A must-see video!

https://youtu.be/PzAvPcM7Vw0

67
Shape of You
Ed Sheeran

I hear this mega-hit a few times before discovering with much surprise that it was Ed Sheeran who was singing it. I thought it was a black-skin new artist. I could hardly be more wrong, it rather was one of the most popular singers of the moment, a white guy! Despite its baffling simplicity, we must admit that it hits the target in a very efficient way, even if I don't really like the lyrics. A little guilty pleasure in 2017, although with less intensity than with PSY's New Face.

https://youtu.be/JGwWNGJdvx8

68
Era
Opeth
guitare+
Not great in a YouTube playlist its practually mute 1:07 intro, but the song is not bad! It is the very first song that I wrote down for eventually making this list, in very early January.

https://youtu.be/98wXIjkO4i0

69
The Way of Vikings
Amon Amarth
guitareguitareguitare
Surprisingly catchy melody for such a garish song! I was not sure it would qualify for my chart, but it finally succeeded very well at getting its way in. A first show in my annual charts for these Swedish death metal veterans.

https://youtu.be/55OJ17cHeJA

70
Song #3
Stone Sour
guitareguitare
Played too much on the radio, up to a point where I was changing station when it was starting!! A cliché song that I do not admire because I know that Corey Taylor can do much better, but I still listened to it often (willingly or not!) and I sincerely think it still deserves this #70.

https://youtu.be/TgSiyDFwL9U

71
Toe to Toes
Mastodon
guitareguitare+
"Uncatchy" enough that we don't wonder why it did not qualify for the album Emperor of Sand and had to wait the release of an EP a few months later, but it's still the good Mastodon recipe, with good guitars and two complementary singers who share the task.

https://youtu.be/HDjKC_DjsWo

72
The Eagle Flies Alone
Arch Enemy
guitareguitareguitare
I did not like it right from the start, finding it a bit too cliché, but it finally ended up hooking me after a few months!

https://youtu.be/mjF1rmSV1dM

73
Get Higher
Palaye Royale
guitareguitare
Some rock n' roll as classic as possible, but it is not bad in its genre, and most importantly, I was very impressed to see the so young man who sings that!

https://youtu.be/R3feE0RCLsw

74
This is War
Bush
guitareguitare+
Totally decent return for the ex-icons of British grunge. It did relatively well on the charts, but for a reason that I ignore, it ceils at only 68,000 views on YouTube...

https://youtu.be/KObCUpDeAA4

75
I'll Find a Way
Dead Girls Academy
guitareguitareguitare
Hardcore/metalcore that doesn't have much new stuff to offer, but its little "emo" touch, its energy and its finale make it clearly catchier than average.

https://youtu.be/IorDNcIpgI0

76
Hook, Line & Sinker
Royal Blood
guitareguitare
Clearly less catchy than the first two from Royal Blood in this current chart, but nonetheless very pleasing to listen to, like pretty much anything this duo does, actually.

https://youtu.be/FgrLHKM5z4E

77
Wolves of Winter
Biffy Clyro
guitareguitare
The only one from Biffy Clyro on which I hooked up a little bit, even though it's not that I didn't try! I don't really understand the buzz around this band, but this track is interesting.

https://youtu.be/bpJvP4b5fX8

78
How did we get so Dark?
Royal Blood
guitareguitare
The "less good" amongst Royal Blood's 4 singles, but the best music video! You got to see this! The first seconds are repulsive, but it's worth watching it until the end! It becomes original, mysterious and captivating!

https://youtu.be/GwrnjtW-rfk

79
Wish You Were Here
Avenged Sevenfold
guitare+
Rock ballad that definitely won't make history, but the melody of the chorus has somewhat of an attraction.

https://youtu.be/GwrnjtW-rfk

80
Doomsday
Architects
guitareguitareguitare
Just getting up from the death (skin cancer) of their guitarist Tom Searle one year earlier, they are back stronger than ever and deliver their greatest hit to date! Nice proof of character! I don't like the singer's performance very much, but I like the music and the arrangements, reminding me a little bit of the good tracks from the very inconsistant Bring Me The Horizon.

https://youtu.be/RvWbcK3YQ_o

81
Meadow
Stone Temple Pilots
guitareguitare
STP, a band amongst the most popular of the '90s, has seen its two singers ever die over the past 2 years: Chester Bennington in 2017 and Scott Weiland in 2015! What a challenge for a band! But they are true passionates of music, and there was no way that would stop the DeLeo brothers! They called for candidates for a new singer, received "from 15,000 to 20,000" applications, auditioned hundreds of them, and finally selected the former American reality TV star Jeff Gutt. His voice resembles Weiland's so much that you could be mistaken, and it fits wonderfully with the band. The first single that comes out of this new union is far from original, but assures an appropriate transition to the the band's new era.

Note: There is surprisingly no official music video for Meadow (very surprising for the 1st single of a new album from such a big band), so I suggest you the following video, from Sirius XM, the band's first show with Jeff Gutt:
https://youtu.be/CMhiXmjA7pA

I also recommend this video of a very interesting interview with the remaining 3 original members, in which they talk a lot about Weiland and Bennington, and a little bit about their future:
https://youtu.be/SWo2J57CMiU

82
Reasons
Pain of Salvation
guitareguitareguitare
Yet another Swedish band! It is a strange mix of styles, but we cannot blame them for a lack of originality! They seem to be grabbing elements from Queen, Soundgarden and metal bands. On their Facebook page, they even cite Meshugghah (some somewhat extreme metal) within their influences! Expect to be destabilized a bit, but give them at least a chance!

https://youtu.be/i_qZpLgvdOI

83
On Our Own
Obey the Brave
guitareguitareguitare
The Quebecker metalcore band has been noticed internationally with its first album in 2012, and it is back with a new album, including the single On Our Own which, without really meeting my expectations, is nice listening to. The singer Alexandre Erian is busy these days, with a reunion of Despised Icon last year and a comeback of Obey the Brave this year!

https://youtu.be/bKsmmSntEzw

84
The Way you Used to do
Queens of the Stone Age
guitareguitare
Josh Homme once was more inspired, but it is cool listening to as long as we don't make too much expectations!

https://youtu.be/3lw6MZBmY-U

85
Shadows Inside
Miss May I
guitareguitareguitare
Nice intense track, even though I can't seem to be able to remind the melody without having to listen to it.

https://youtu.be/TgSiyDFwL9U

86
Lost in the Grey
Miss May I
guitareguitareguitare
A little less melodious than Shadows Inside, but a pretty equivalent track after all.

https://youtu.be/uY2jLCYIZg0

87
Primo Victoria
Sabaton
guitareguitareguitare
That will excuse me for The Last Stand that I did not name in 2016! Primo Victoria is a very similar song, just less memorable, for some unknown reason. A first appearance in my annual charts for these Swedish metal veterans (yes, Sweden again!).

https://youtu.be/kPVm-QkWbBQ

88
They Put a Body in the Bayou
The Orwells
guitareguitare
Clearly softer than the previous 3, it is some large audience alternative rock, inspired by the '90s and maybe even a little bit the '80s.

https://youtu.be/xvoKjjF6Yf0

89
Less Than
Nine Inch Nails
guitare
Clearly disappointing for the first single of a Nine Inch Nails album, less rock and less intelligently built, but it just steals a little place in my chart!

https://youtu.be/gDV-dOvqKzQ

90
Small Dark Lines
Threshold
guitareguitare+
Music video much more outstanding than the song, but it still land them the last step of this chart!

https://youtu.be/e9NCuOe4zJk

Songs noted, but not retained
My Champion Alter Bridge
Back from the Dead
Skillet
Flammable
Biffy Clyro
20 Below
September Mourning
Drama
Obey the Brave
High Enough
K.Flay
Blackened Karma
Rage
The Beat of your Heart
Bush
Solid Gold
The Darkness
Roadtrip
Les Chiens de Ruelles
Whole Wide World
Cage the Elephant
Passion
AWOLNATION
Roots
In This Moment

The regrets' corner


Top Sucks!

There will be a pause for the Top Sucks this year. I am in lack of inspiration! I can at least say that I've had some great deceptions in 2017. Roots from In This Moment is an excellent example of that. Just 3 years ago, they were reaching my top 10 and seemed very promising for the future. Today, the first single of their new album is so disappointing that I was switching channels when it was playing on the radio! Another deception comes from A Perfect Circle. Big comeback for Maynard James Keenan's band (also from Tool and Puscifer). I really wanted to like their first single The Doomed, but I wasn't able to! It seems so empty to me, it's a little bit like listening to the wind!



Powhertz
2018-04-10
Rankings completed on 2018-02-16, article completed on 2018-04-10

April 4th update:
Toe to Toes and The Eagle Flies Alone moved up ahead of Get Higher (#73).

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