Sandman’s Year End Picks: Top 5 Rock Songs of 2013

Overall it's been a banner year for rock.  Newer acts have come along with some great music and established acts have returned to the scene with brilliant efforts as well.  I play these songs every day on 103GBF, but my picks, while based on songs we've played, are not an indication of how successful the songs actually were on the charts.  So, here are my top 5 rock songs of 2013 based on nothing but my own opinion.  You're welcome to comment too with your faves.

#5 - Heaven's Basement "Fire, Fire"

This UK band scored a minor radio hit with this song from their album Filthy Empire.  To me, this track has everything that's good about hard rock.  We played it for a bit, but it never got any traction making it difficult to justify keeping it on the playlist.  Personally I love it!

#4 - Five Finger Death Punch F/Rob Halford "Lift Me Up"

True, the band's drummer Jeremy Spencer is from Boonville, but that's not why I like the band or their music.  It's radio rock with a big crunch behind it.  Ivan Moody is a great hard rock vocalist to begin with.  Make things better by pairing him up with Judas Priest's Rob Halford and you've got a kickass song from the album The Wrong Side Of Heaven And The Righteous Side Of Hell.  This song cranks me up everytime I hear it!

#3 - Korn "Never Never"

Hardcore Korn fans found this one a bit soft for their taste, but what many don't realize is as band members grow older and mature, so does their musical vision and their songwriting ability.  Metallica was an example of that, and so is Korn.  Their album The Paradigm Shift came out in October, marking the return of guitarist Brian "Head" Welch to the band's lineup.  This song has a great hook, a lil dubstep break and great backing harmonies. Huge hit for this band that helped to found the nu-metal genre.

#2 - Stone Sour "Tired"

Corey Taylor is a genius, simple as that.  Stone Sour was his first band, then Slipknot.  He now has both bands in the spotlight with Stone Sour having released two albums this year The House Of Gold And Bones Part I and II, and Slipknot looking poised to pop back up in 2014. "Tired" is the biggest gem on the two Stone Sour albums. Jim Root's guitar had a lot to do with that!

#1 - Alice in Chains "Hollow"   

At the beginning of this blog I mentioned 2013 saw some legendary bands make a huge return to the radio charts. Soundgarden, Pearl Jam and Alice In Chains, all giants of the 90's grunge scene are the bands I was thinking of. My #1 of 2013 though comes from Alice In Chains. Their album The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here came out in May and in six months has spawned three big hits in "Stone", "Voices" and my #1 "Hollow"!  That's my Top 5.  What's Yours?