Top 11 Best Metal Anthems of All Time!

I've gotten away from music a little too much this month, so to make it up to my readers, its time for the baddest and the loudest list you'll ever see, and you'll be cranking it, I promise. Grab a beer, and get ready to rock!

Now, I have a criteria. This is strictly metal anthems. There will be no death metal, and no nu metal or grunge. There will only be glam if the song or band is considered metal. For example, Slayer used to be glam, but they were always metal. There will also be no classic rock bands like Foreigner or Led Zeppelin. Its just METAL! Also, only one entry per band. Makes it more difficult, and more entertaining to list.

So, here we go with the top 11 (HAD to be 11, and you know why!) songs that make us want to break out the air guitar, and rip out some air solos, while throwing the horns, and just all out jamming!

So, crank it to 11, sit back, and get ready to head bang! Ready? Too bad! We're starting!!!

Number 11: Death to All but Metal by Steel Panther Sure, I've mentioned them before, but this song HAS to be included. You can't get much more metal than calling for the death of lame acts in a song with a brutally tough guitar lick, blistering solo and piercing screams. Say what you want, but Steel Panther is partially responsible for the resurgence that metal is seeing right now.









Number 10: Bang Your Head (Metal Health) by Quiet Riot You can't have a metal countdown without this song somewhere. The press hated this band, but they didn't care, and the fans loved them. Plus, it spawned 2 legends on guitar and bass. Of course, I'm talking about Randy Rhoads, and Rudy Sarzo.

Number 9: Caught in a Mosh by Anthrax This one brought the mosh pit into the spotlight, and made parents from coast to coast consider insuring their kids before they went to an Anthrax concert.

Number 8: Soldiers Under Command by Stryper
Some of you guys are going to give me grief on this one, I know it. But this song has it all. Twin axe attack, blistering high notes, powerful rhythm section, huge chorus, and one of the most legendary opening riffs there is. Funny...I never knew they made a video for this song.







Number 7: Symphony of Destruction by Megadeth I know Megadeth has lots of better songs than this, but this one fits with the anthem format, since that's what we are going with here. Hangar 18 just doesn't have the chorus that you would want to sing along with. Sure, Peace Sells could be on here too, but I can only pick one, and everybody picks Peace Sells. We like to be different and not cliche. Wait..Wrong band. Anyway, CRANK IT UP!!!

Number 6: Master of Puppets by Metallica How could we not include this one? If this is #6, what could possibly be #1??? Be patient, my friends. This song defined a genre. This was the song that put thrash metal on the map, and blew everyone's doors off. I still remember being afraid of this album when I first heard it. Master of Puppets was my first thrash album.








Number 5: Mister Crowley by Ozzy Some of the finest guitar work ever done, and it is unmatched to this day. If I were to do an air guitar list, this song would likely be #1. I think this song also has some of Ozzy's best vocals too.

Number 4: Holy Diver by Dio Never before has there been a bigger voice from such a little guy. He is one of the 4 singers that when you hear their name, you think METAL. The other 3 are also on this list too. This song put Ronnie James Dio on the map as a solo artist. And by the way...He didn't die. He was killed by a dragon. I am convinced of this.

Number 3 Hallowed be thy Name by Iron Maiden So many to choose from Iron Maiden. I chose this one because of the guitar work, however its vocals are raw power, especially when the song kicks into full speed. Out of Iron Maiden's many masterpieces, I would rank this one definitely top 5. You can't go wrong here, and if my memory serves, this was the song that got me into Iron Maiden.

Number 2: Heaven and Hell by Black Sabbath I had a very hard time choosing this one. It was between 4 songs. This, Black Sabbath, Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, and NIB. I finally went with this because it would have required choosing between 3 Ozzy songs, and I couldn't do it. Plus, Heaven and Hell has that anthem sing along feel to it on top of the dark overtones. Plus, what would it hurt to have a second tribute to RJD?

Number 1: Painkiller by Judas Priest And, now here we are at number one. This song is so badass that it KNOWS it is #1 It even has its own drumroll to intro the song to the number one slot. Sure, Priest has lots of songs that are more anthem like than Painkiller like Metal Gods, Breaking The Law, Another Think Coming, Electric Eye, and the list goes on and on. But, this song is their most heavy hitting, and is the epitome of what a metal anthem should be. Plus, the number one song shouldn't be in my opinion a radio hit. So, get ready to blast it, and get the air guitars blazing because Painkiller is bad. Think there's a better song than Painkiller to be number one? Well, you got another think coming!




So, there you have it. The top 11 Metal Anthems of all time. I hope you enjoyed it. I sure as hell did. As always, I welcome comments. And as always, if its not METAL, TURN IT OFF!!!

1983-1988...Heavy Metal's Golden Age

I do not hide the fact that I am a fan of the 1980's heavy metal music. The music that came out during that time frame inspired me in my own music, and I judge all other metal against that era. Sadly, pretty much all of it comes up lacking.

Friends always joke with me, and tell me that I am stuck in the 80's. I tell them they are damn right, and I am proud of it. Sometimes, I will ask friends to name one album that is better than what came out during the Golden Age of metal. They will try, but are unsuccessful.

Let's take a moment and look at the masterpieces that came out during that time frame. Here are some of them off the top of my head...I'm sure I've left some off the list, but you get the point with this list:

Between 1983 and 1988, 

Iron Maiden released 3 of their greatest albums: Powerslave, Somewhere in Time, and Seventh Son of a Seventh Son. While they put out great albums before and after the Golden Age, not one album lives up to these three.

Judas Priest  released Defenders of the Faith, Turbo, and Ram It Down. Screaming For Vengeance was released in 1982. Priest is probably not the best example for this considering the latter two albums were not very well received, but you can't have a list like this without Priest. Plus, they more than redeemed themselves in 1990 with the masterpiece, Painkiller.

Stryper released Soldiers Under Command and To Hell With The Devil. Both are masterpieces. Their next release, In God We Trust was a major letdown, and the band never recovered. Although, their followup to In God We Trust which was Against The Law in 1990 was not well received, the music and songs were very good. Had this been the follow up to To Hell With The Devil, I think Stryper would have been Bon Jovi huge.

Queensryche released Rage for Order, and the iconic masterpiece, Operation: Mindcrime. The followup release in 1990, Empire was very good, but a letdown after Mindcrime, and Promised Land was a gem. The band went downhill fast after that.

Metallica released Ride the Lightning and the iconic Master of Puppets. In 1988, they released ...And Justice For All which was a good album, but nowhere near as good as the prior two. And Metallica has not come close to matching those two albums since.

Anthrax released Among The Living and State of Euphoria. By far, their two best albums.

Dokken released 3 great albums in that time frame: Tooth and Nail, Under Lock and Key, and Back for the Attack. Since then, the band has had a revolving door of musicians whose efforts will never live up to their best 3 albums.

Megadeth released Peace Sells, But Who's Buying and So Far, So Good, So What. These 2 albums were groundbreaking, however Megadeth released their crowning jewel, Rust in Peace in 1990.

RATT released their 4 best efforts, Out of the Cellar, Invasion of Your Privacy, Dancing Undercover, and Reach For the Sky during that time frame. Nothing special since then.

Slayer released their juggernaut, Reign in Blood.

Ozzy, released Bark at the Moon, Ultimate Sin, and No Rest For The Wicked. I know his first 2 albums were also masterpieces, but with these three, he was trying to adjust to losing Randy Rhoads. Not an easy feat to accomplish, but he did it, and the albums were great. No Rest for the Wicked was Ozzy's last great album.

Honorable mention to Crimson Glory, who's Transcendence album, released in 1988 is an iconic album for progressive metal. With better management, they would have been HUGE.

So, tell me why I should modernize? I say if it ain't broke, don't fix it. These BANDS can't even top their own albums written in the Golden Age, so how could some crap corporate rock band like Nickelback even hope to come close? Not to mention, these new metal bands, and even some of the bands I listed just simply write forgettable music these days, and in the days following the Golden Age.

There are several newer bands that are very good, and I do get into such as Disturbed. But, if Iron Maiden and Disturbed are playing concerts the same night, and I can only go to one, guess which one I'm going to see. If you said Iron Maiden, then you would be right.

So, if you still insist on telling me that I am stuck in the 80's, and should modernize, here is your mission if you choose to accept it: Find me a band that compares musically, lyrically, and with overall talent to the pioneers of Heavy Metal's Golden Age. If you can, I will listen, and if I think it compares, I will be honest.

However, don't hold your breath. It hasn't happened yet, and I doubt it ever will.

Could heavy metal have a second Golden Age? I hope so, and all we can do is wait and see. But in the meantime, grab Master of Puppets, throw it in the CD player, turn it up to 11, Rock the horns, and Bang Your Head because the Golden Age of heavy metal will never die!