Tenology: My Ten Favourite Rock/Metal Songs Of 2018

Well, here we are again. End of the year which means it's time to look back at all the new albums and singles I've enjoyed throughout 2018 and present them in a list of no particular order. That's right, this is NOT a "Top 10" post where the first or last song in the entry is the greatest song of the year, nor is it a ranking list of my favourite songs after listening to every Rock/Metal album released. There will be omissions and there will be no real reason for putting the ten songs I've picked in the specific order listed below, other than "because I wanted to do it this way".
Fortunately, I'll probably cover those omissions in a 2020 blog post in a similar manner to the one I'm planning for early 2019 where I'll be looking at songs from 2017 that I really enjoyed yet didn't listen to until some time in 2018. Got that? No? Too bad. One last thing before I start: I've included a Spotify playlist at the bottom of this post so you can listen to all the songs I've rated (honourable mentions and all!) whilst reading about why I liked them. It's also an opportunity for you to hear songs I really liked and would recommend in case you missed them. Right, let's do this!


1. "When The Curtain Falls" - Greta Van Fleet

When I reviewed Anthem Of The Peaceful Army a couple of months ago, I was largely indifferent to the majority of the songs due to how disappointing it was in comparison to the band's EP From The Fires. However, there were some songs I really liked and my favourite had to be lead single, "When The Curtain Falls". Great riff, shrill vocals and catchy melodies throughout, not to mention a decent solo to play us out. If you liked From The Fires but haven't listened to Anthem Of The Peaceful Army yet, you're probably better off listening to this song and maybe a handful of others instead of the whole album. Personal taste will depend on the other songs I'd recommend but regardless of what you're into, I'll always recommend this one.


2. "Firepower" - Judas Priest

Another song from an album I reviewed on the blog; don't worry, there'll be some tracks I haven't discussed before here too. The latest Judas Priest album was essentially a love letter to fans of the band's earlier material, combining good aspects of Painkiller, Screaming For Vengeance and British Steel with a modern twist. "Firepower" is a great title track and album opener with awesome riffs and fantastic vocals, exactly what was needed to remind fans that the band could still kick ass. There were other belters on the album too and who knows, maybe you'll see a few more in this post...


3. "Venom Of Venus" - Powerwolf

I only just finished writing about The Sacrament Of Sin, a great Power Metal album that contains a load of great tunes with heavy riffing and mild solos. However, for an album that's strength lies in its melodic nature, "Venom Of Venus" was the track that got me invested more than any other. The vocals steal the show, although the rest of the band bring the thunder too. However, I was also tempted to include "Fire & Forgive", "The Sacrament Of Sin" or "Fist By Fist (Sacralize Or Strike)" on this list too, although I feel like this song will stick with me longer than those.


4. "Fuchsia Machu Picchu" - Joachim Cooder

...who? Yeah, I heard this song on the radio one day and loved it. Great thumping rhythm, nice vocals, funky riffs and mystical accompaniments. I guess this is more of a Rock song than Pop, although it's probably the closest thing to Pop on this list. I haven't listened to any other songs by Joachim Cooder but if I hear something else by him/them (?) that I like, I'll be sure to check more tunes out. Until then, at least we've got this strange little number that I bet none of you ever expected to see on this list.


5. "Miasma" - Ghost

I'm mixing the formula up a bit by putting my number one favourite song of the year (from my number one favourite album of the year, as reviewed here) at the midway point of the post, rather than at the end like the last two from 2016/2017. This instrumental is fucking great and just goes from strength to strength as the song progresses. By the three minute mark, the song's taken off and before you know it, there are solos played on not just guitar and synth but also a fucking saxophone. This Metal instrumental finds a way of making a saxophone solo sound badass and for that reason alone, it deserves a spot on this list.


6. "Necromancer" - Judas Priest

Hey, look at that, Judas Priest showed up again! Revisiting some of my favourite songs from 2018 (a list that previously had about 30 different tracks in it), I tried to give songs by a wider variety of artists a chance but at the end of the day, I found myself enjoying multiple Judas Priest tracks over ones by Shinedown and Saxon. Whilst "Firepower" is probably my number one favourite off the album, "Necromancer" is a very close second. The faster tempo in the verse to give the song a driving rhythm is great and come on, if there's one thing Judas Priest knows how to do it's write awesome themes for their own mythological characters.


7. "Firewalker" - King Zebra

This was another song recommended to me that I ended up loving. Granted it might be a little similar to some of the others on this list (you can tell I definitely have a specific taste!) but when a band I've never heard of gets my attention as fast as King Zebra did with this song, I know they're worth mentioning. Fortunately for them, their song was great enough to earn a place on the full list and not just the honourable mentions so if you like NWOTHM, check this song out!


8. "Sugar Cane" - Slash, feat. Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators

This song nearly didn't make it in the list! I completely forgot about this album until I started writing the post and after revisiting a few tracks that I remembered enjoying, I found myself wanting to come back to this song over all the others. Awesome Slash riffs, fantastic Myles Kennedy vocals in the chorus and a vibe that makes it sound like the perfect song to fucking jam to in a live gig. There are some other decent tracks on the Slash album too (that I mention in my review found here) but "Sugar Cane" is probably my favourite from it.


9. "Whatever" - Thundermother

Another new song that I heard on the radio once and forgot about for a while until revisiting all of the year's best tunes. Imagine if Halestorm were just a little bit better musically and you've got "Whatever" - Thundermother. You get the same raw vocal talent but with the added benefit of better solos, percussion and general song structure. It's a shame that Thundermother seem to be going through somewhat of a tempestuous period with changing lineups and whatnot but fingers crossed the lineup from this album sticks around for some time!


10. "Rats" - Ghost

I mean, you should've seen this one coming. Even if "Miasma" is my favourite song of the year, "Rats" is a very strong second best from Prequelle. I've talked about the track before but in short, it's got everything needed to make a perfect anthematic Rock song. If you read this blog, you must've heard the song by now. You must know that I fucking love this song and album so it's no surprise that it's on this list.

What MIGHT be a surprise are some of these honourable mentions (in alphabetical order):


"Book Of Thoth" - The Sword

I thought the latest album by The Sword was OK (review here) and had several tracks I was considering for the coveted spot of an honourable mention here. However, in the end, I went with "Book Of Thoth" for containing the heavy riffs I associate with The Sword and some interesting guitar playing too. It's a more memorable song than some of my other favourites from Used Future but it's not quite as good as the tracks listed above. At least not to me, anyway.


"Dance Macabre" - Ghost

Got to fit Ghost in one last time (go fucking listen to Prequelle). Whilst "Miasma" and "Rats" are worthy of a place in the main list, I felt like I couldn't justify three Ghost songs when there were other tracks that needed a place too. Sadly for "Dance Macabre", that meant one song had to be an honourable mention and this ABBA-esque Hard Rock tune drew the short straw. Don't get me wrong though, I still love the track and would recommend it without a moment's hesitation.


"Flame Thrower" - Judas Priest

Yup, same situation with Judas Priest. I liked Firepower and multiple songs on the album grabbed me in an incredibly pleasurable way but I couldn't put three songs off it in the list, hence "Flame Thrower" ending up here instead. I think it was easier moving this song here because I'm not really into the intro that much but once the percussion comes in, everything gets much better.


"Grazed By Heaven" - Uriah Heep

Definitely my favourite song from Living The Dream and probably the most accessible track to casual fans of the band, since it has the Hard Prog sound of guitar/organ harmonies. However, it also boasts some great lengthy solos too so if you only listen to one song from the album, make sure it's this one...which will probably happen anyway, since it's the album opener and lead single.


"The New Day" - Greta Van Fleet

The last song in the post and it's another repeat band! I may have been a bit frosty to their recent album but damn, I love this song's main riff. It's like a glorious blend of early Rush and peak Led Zeppelin...and then the vocals come in. They're so fucking bad in this song, they remind me of Steve Smith from American Dad (played by Scott Grimes) when he does a pained, high pitched scream. Those vocals can work in Hard Rock tracks but when you've got a more Folksy, acoustic-guitar driven melody and softer percussion, you need more delicate vocals. If I could travel across the multiverse and find a version of this song with identical music but someone more tactful than Josh Kiszka behind the mic, this song easily would've made the main ten.

That's it for 2018! I hope you've enjoyed what I've offered on the blog and will (hopefully) continue to offer throughout 2019 too!
Happy New Year to everyone who gives a shit about that sort of thing and see you all in January!

Rapid Fire: Uriah Heep, Joe Satriani, Powerwolf

Haven't done one of these for a while but the last Rapid Fire post of the year will be looking at three albums from 2018 that I didn't get a chance to review or shine a spotlight on...until now, that is!
First up, we have an album that I've been putting off ever since discovering that Slash released an album with exactly the same name.

1. Living The Dream - Uriah Heep

One of the main reasons I didn't want to review this album after listening to it is because I felt like it wouldn't make for a very entertaining read. After all, there was nothing wrong with the album when I listened to it but at the same time, there was very little exciting about it either; it was a competent Hard Prog record by a band that still have life in them yet. Revisiting it many months later and I have to say, my opinion is more or less the exact same. It's still a decent album with some good tunes and easily forgettable filler tracks.
Album opener and lead single "Grazed By Heaven" is one of the album highlights along with guitar-driven "Take Away My Soul" but many songs go on a little bit too long and feel closer to Prog than Hard Rock, which will probably delight Uriah Heep's original fans. However, there are still plenty of great riffs on guitar and organ (occasionally simultaneously, giving it a great 70s Rock sound) and the percussion contains enough variety to prevent this from sounding like a Thunder album with the same rhythm on every song.
All in all, I'd recommend Living The Dream to fans of 70s and contemporary Hard Prog. It's a good album rooted in Rock with great Hard Prog variety although this is probably a better record for fans of longer, less energetic music that they can enjoy mid-activity or drive. That being said, there are shorter, punchier tunes for those enthusiasts so there should be something for plenty of Rock fans here.

1. Grazed By Heaven

2. Living The Dream

3. Take Away My Soul

4. Knocking At My Door

5. Rocks In The Road

6. Waters Flowin'

7. It's All Been Said

8. Goodbye To Innocence

9. Falling Under Your Spell

10. Dreams Of Yesteryear

ALBUM RATING - 7/10

Next up, we have an album by guitar virtuoso Joe Satriani!


2. What Happens Next - Joe Satriani

When it comes to awesome instrumental Rock songs, Joe Satriani generally knows what he's doing. Surfing With The Alien is a top notch record and I was excited to listen to another Joe Satriani album again, especially one with modern recording technology and no need to worry about declining vocal or technical guitar playing skill (since it's clear Joe still has it!). Album opener "Energy" kicks things off with a fast tempo and fun riffs before slowing things down with funky, bass-driven "Catbot", all with unique guitar solos and tones.
That's probably the main selling point of Joe Satriani's music; it's not just the technically proficient playing, it's the strange sounds he's able to make the guitar come out with. The use of different tones and styles separates it from sounding like a load of plain guitar soloing over 12 songs. Granted he's not the only virtuoso player to realise this is the key to being a successful artist but he's arguably one of the more distinct ones (along with Buckethead). Whilst guitarists like Eric Johnson cultivate and develop their playing into a signature sound synonymous with their name, Joe Satriani typically brings you a plentiful feast of action-packed Rock muzak to get stuck into.
This album is largely the same; there's soft Funk ("Cherry Blossoms", "Righteous"), there's fast Blues Rock ("Headrush") and music in between ("Invisible") although there's a little more emphasis on the slower, more atmospheric tunes such as the album's title track "What Happens Next". Fans of those kind of songs will probably love this album but those who preferred material like "Crushing Day", "Summer Song" and "Crystal Planet" may find themselves a little bored. Sadly, I'm one of those people although I can still appreciate the talent that went into each song.

1. Energy

2. Catbot

3. Thunder High On The Mountain

4. Cherry Blossoms

5. Righteous

6. Smooth Soul

7. Headrush

8. Looper

9. What Happens Next

10. Super Funky Badass

11. Invisible

12. Forever And Ever

ALBUM RATING - 5/10

Finally, we have an album by a Metal band that I've only just discovered due to playing their music in Clone Hero!

3. The Sacrament Of Sin - Powerwolf

Having listened to a couple of Powerwolf songs before checking this album out, I had high hopes for The Sacrament Of Sin. The songs I'd heard were decent Heavy Metal tunes, albeit a bit lacking in technical skill, and I'd heard positive things about the album too. Turns out those positive things were to be trusted as I liked this album quite a lot, although not enough to rave about it. I mean, it's great but it's no Prequelle (although there are similarities in the gothic Metal with a touch of 80s Pop tone). Album opener "Fire & Forgive" is a good heavy song to get things started although after the first few songs, the album takes a pretty lengthy rest break with multiple slower tracks ("Where The Wild Wolves Have Gone", "Stossgebet").
However, this isn't necessarily a bad thing. This is definitely an album to listen to in one sitting rather than picking and choosing random tracks out of order. Sure, you can listen to your favourites out of order and still get joy out of them but the transition between each track sounds carefully planned and the consecutive slower songs don't bring the overall pace of the album down as awkwardly as other albums that shoehorn slow tunes in between fast ones because they didn't know where else to put them. It also means that unlike other contemporary albums that go through the second half slump due to putting all the better tracks at the start, we still get some bangers towards the end of the record ("Venom Of Venus", "Fist By Fist (Sacralize Or Strike)").
I would recommend this album to Heavy Metal fans who like their music grand and awesome. The album's a well crafted product and provides a damn fine if not slightly repetitive listening experience if you let it, although fans of classic Heavy Metal (or even newer Metal bands) may find the music a little underwhelming when it comes to furious solos and complex riffs...in that there aren't really any. There are heavy rapid strumming riffs but no face-melters, just melodic ones with some mild sweeping ("Nighttime Rebel"). Luckily, songs don't need insane solos to be good so if you can listen past that, you'll be in for a treat.

1. Fire & Forgive

2. Demons Are A Girl's Best Friend

3. Killers With The Cross

4. Incense & Iron

5. Where The Wild Wolves Have Gone

6. Stossgebet

7. Nightside Of Siberia

8. The Sacrament Of Sin

9. Venom Of Venus

10. Nighttime Rebel

11. Fist By Fist (Sacralize Or Strike)

ALBUM RATING - 9/10

COMING SOON: More news and a look at my ten favourite songs from 2018!