A lot of hard rock bands had awesome singles on the charts in 2010, but which ten were the best?
Hard rock/nu metal fans were treated to some great music in 2010. It seemed that no matter when the car radio was switched to “on,” one of these songs was playing, and each song here was worthy of being cranked to the speakers’ maximum volume. So which songs of 2010 were worthy of being in the top ten? Read on to find out this author’s picks.
Honorable Mentions – Contenders for Top Ten 2010 Hard Rock Songs
Not every nu metal song released in 2010 could possibly make it on the top ten list, but there were some that came close:
- Ozzy Osbourne, “Let Me Hear You Scream” from Scream: This single was a treat for old Ozzy fans and proved that he can still rock and rock hard. Unfortunately, though, even though he has a new guitarist, this new single sounds dated. Yes, it rocks, and Ozzy fans are delighted that the Ozzman’s still “got it,” but the song itself sounds as though it could have come off any one of Ozzy’s albums in the last ten or fifteen years. Had it sounded fresher, it likely could have made it to the top ten.
- Korn, “Oildale (Leave Me Alone)” from Korn III: Remember Who You Are: Korn’s new CD suffers from Ozzy-itis. It too sounds dated, and both singles released this year sound like they would have been at home on Korn’s 2002 Untouchables CD. They’re great songs, yes, but they sound old already.
- Three Days Grace, “The Good Life” from Life Starts Now: This song, like the other singles off this CD (“Break” and “World So Cold”), seem to suffer from releasing the CD too soon. 2006’s One-X proved that Three Days Grace was legitimate in a big way, but their latest effort – while enjoyable – seems to suffer from the band’s resting on their laurels. One more rewrite could have made this single and CD a top ten worthy effort.
Top Ten Hard Rock/Nu Metal Songs of 2010
What a wonderful year for hard rock fans. Not only did Ozzy, Korn, and Three Days Grace release new albums, but fans were also treated to Godsmack’s long-awaited new CD, along with new tunes from Disturbed and others.
Without further ado, here is this author’s pick for best hard rock/nu metal songs of 2010.
- 10. “Let the Guilt Go,” Korn (Korn III: Remember Who You Are)
- 9. “The Animal,” Disturbed (Asylum)
- 8. “Cryin’ Like a Bitch,” Godsmack (The Oracle)
- 7. “Feel Like I Do,” Drowning Pool (Drowning Pool)
- 6. “Street Fighter (War),” Sick Puppies (Tri-Polar)
- 5. “Shoot It Out,” 10 Years (Feeding the Wolves)
- 4. “Parade of the Dead,” Black Label Society (Order of the Black)
- 3. “Another Day to Die,” Disturbed (Asylum)
- 2. “Say You’ll Haunt Me,” Stone Sour (Audio Secrecy)
- 1. “Love-Hate-Sex-Pain,” Godsmack (The Oracle)
This list is not meant to downplay other bands’ contributions to rock music (bands like Avenged Sevenfold’s “Nightmare,” Five Finger Death Punch’s cover of “Bad Company,” or even Soundgarden’s “Black Rain,” which was quite exciting), but it does sum up some of the great, fresh rock music available to fans in 2010.
Like the enjoying the best songs of 2009, this fan is looking forward to the next year of rock music, because every new song is always a treat.
