The 200 Best Metal Songs of the 21st Century, so far – – part 2

Here it is, the second part of the list begun in The 200 Best Metal Songs of the 21st Century, so far – – part 1.

Disclaimers:

Journalists can and should try to capture the zeitgeist. The great ones do just that. Too often, though, music writers speak as if their opinion is law, and as if they’re dictating theirs to you, and as if you’re a cretin for disagreeing. Not here. All lists like this are personal to the creators; they will never be a perfect match for your tastes.

As a reminder, this isn’t a “Top 200” countdown or any such clickbait, it’s just an intentionally unranked list of 21st Century songs that mattered to me. Just me, baby, I can’t speak for anyone else. This is just an article, it isn’t the Metal Hall of Fame’s official stance. Browse through, try samples, discover new things, recall some of your own favorites that I overlooked, intentionally or unwittingly. 

• Bruce Dickinson – Afterglow of Ragnarok, Tyranny of Souls, Silver Wings. Iron Maiden’s legendary lead singer and flamethrower-wielder has been no slouch in his solo career. The entire “Mandrake Project” album is on fire, but lead track, “Afterglow of Ragnarok” is one of his best ever. 
• The Bronx Casket Co. – Little Dead Girl. Catchy Goth Grooves from this supergroup featuring Jack Frost, D.D. Verni, Charlie Calv, and Rob Pallotta.  
• The Necromancers – Servants of the Salem Girl. Gravel voice and Sabbathy, doomy retro riffs that’ll crack your lava lamp.  
• Judas Priest – Judas Rising, Nostradamus, Firepower. Two all-time great songs from mixed reaction Priest albums – – plus a bloody fantastic title track.
• Rob Halford – Silent Screams. Never doubt the Metal God. Under any circumstance.   
• Apocalyptica – Gates of Manala. The final two minutes of this song are a grandiose and epic showcase of what Metal cellos can do. 
• Life of Agony – A Place Where There’s No More Pain. It only takes 2:45 for this song to blast its way through your eardrums.  
• Coheed and Cambria – Welcome Home. In full disclosure, I don’t really get this band. But I get this song. I love the epic feel, and the perfectly-epic outro.   
• Tool – Schism, Vicarious. Don’t try to slow dance to either of these songs. 
• Alice in Chains – Black Gives Way to Blue, Check My Brain. Both songs felt like reverent, yet relevant nods to the band’s legacy and their future. 
• Ningen Isu – Toshishyun, Shitsuubushou. That guitar tone measures on the Richter scale. I don’t speak Japanese, but I know all the lyrics.
• The Dark Side of the Moon – Legends Never Die. This is a side project for everyone involved, but this song is electrifying and worthy of playing on repeat. 
• Jason Bieler and the Baron Von Bielski Orchestra – Human Head. This song had me in its grips for months. Still does. It isn’t quite Metal, but Jason Bieler most decidedly is, from his marvelous solo records to his classics with Saigon Kick.  
• Converge and Chelsea Wolfe – Viscera of Men. Hauntingly beautiful. 
• Striker – Heart of Lies, Play to Win. Straight out of Edmonton comes New Wave of Traditional Heavy Metal at its absolute finest.  
• Seven Kingdoms – Rats in the Walls. The best new American Power Metal band of the 21st century. 
• Soundgarden – Non-State Actor. The tragic swan song for one of the greatest Metal bands to ever be labeled as “Grunge.” This song just bellows and digs and snarls; it could have held its own on any of the classic Soundgarden albums.
• Joetown – My Anger Knows No Bounds. Sleazy, filthy, rancid, L.A. Guns-style Heavy Rock n’ Roll with all kinds of piss and vinegar. This song will leave you bloodied.  
• Annihilator – Psycho Ward. Annihilator delivered trademark pithy snark-with-a-message in this absolute shredder from their “Ballistic, Sadistic” album. 
• Quiet Riot – I Can’t Hold On. Not a dry eye in the house when this song plays. Standing ovation for Alex Grossi and Rudy Sarzo. Rest in Power, Kevin Dubrow and Frankie Banali. 

• Dream Widow – Angel With Severed Wings. Welcome back, Grohl-haters – – the Dream Widow album is 100% legitimate. 
• Deftones – Change (In the House of Flies). I always felt that “Around the Fur” was peak Deftones, but this song from their 2000 “White Pony” album is dark and powerful. One of their best. 
• Fear Factory – Regenerate, Virus of Faith. This. . . this blend of mechanical Thrash and Death with alternating clean and harsh vox. . . No one does it better than Fear Factory.  
• Devin Townsend/Strapping Young Lad – Skeksis, Love?, Juular, The Mighty Masturbator, Kingdom, Blackberry. Devin Townsend is the 21st Century’s mad genius. 
• Sleep Token – Chokehold, The Summoning. Metal or Metal-adjacent at least – – Sleep Token are taking Heavy music to new places in the 2020s, and young listeners are HERE for it. I was skeptical, but seeing them live made me a convert. These songs are soulful with emotional depths and changes, with bold tonal shifts that really work.  
• Mastodon – Oblivion, Crack the Skye, Megalodon, The Sparrow. These songs showcase the awesomeness of this great and unique band. 
• Primus – The Seven, The Trek, The Scheme. Tracks 2, 3, and 4 on Primus’s 2017 strangerpiece, “The Desaturating Seven,” weave a tapestry of weirdness, absurdity, kooky storytelling, insane bass chops, and compelling music.  
• Blind Guardian – Secrets of the American Gods. Only Blind Guardian could pull this off. Their devout fan base knew every word of every song on the “God Machine” album within hours of its release in 2022. 
• Arcane 13 – Arcane XIII, Hell Behind You. The “Danza Macabra” album was the Occult Doom sleeper hit of 2016. One of my top 5 albums for that year. 
• In Flames – Monsters in the Ballroom, Minus. For a few years there, every new band sounded like In Flames. This deep cut and this fan favorite showcase the reason why.  
• Who Cares? – Holy Water. Tony Iommi and Ian Gillan reunited in 2012 to release this groovy song as part of a benefit to rebuild an African music school. Why is this so obscure?   

• Four Stroke Baron – Prostitute, part 1. I have no idea what’s happening, but I’m banging my head. Devin Townsend produced this album.
• Clutch – In Walks Barbarella. Guaranteed to grow your beard another three inches, especially when those horns get going on “In Walks Barbarella.” 
• Gloryhammer – Victorious Eagle Warfare, Questlords of Inverness Ride to the Galactic Fortress!. They get a lot of hate as a comedic Power Metal band (and for their text message controversy), but these two songs rule the skies. 
• Smith/Kotzen – Scars. I’m thrilled that I got to tell Richie Kotzen directly just how incredible this song is. BTW, the Smith in that partnership is none other than Adrian Smith. 
• Evanescence – Bring Me To Life, My Immortal. I know what Evanescence is, and I know what you think of them. I don’t care; Amy Lee captured something special, something that the world needed. FYI: when she plays live now, she skips the Rap-Metal vocal parts. 
• Stryper – Take it to the Cross. Laugh all you want, this song hits hard. When Stryper get heavy, they can hang with anyone.
• Heathen – The Blight, Sun in My Hand. Heathen’s 2020 album, “Empire of the Blind,” was only their 2nd of the century, but it delivered the Bay Area Thrash goods. These guys have been quietly, raucously important since their landmark 1987 debut. 
• Raven – Surf the Tsunami. Raucous, lunatic, pure abandon; I.e.: Raven. 
• Lacrimus Profundere – Black Moon. A sumptuous, moody ballad from a widely-revered Prog-Metal band.  
• Mr. Bungle – Methematics. The album was a redo of their 1986 demo, but this song is new to the world. Where else can you hear Mike Patton’s divine lunacy paired up with Scott Ian’s GOAT rhythm guitars and Dave Lombardo being Dave Lombardo? 
• Evil Invaders – Mental Penitentiary. The song is every bit as crazy as the title indicates. Unhinged madness has rarely been so heavy and fun. Did you see him swinging upside-down from that chain in the video?

• Voivod – Planet Eaters. There will never be another Voivod. 
• Skull Fist – I Am a Slave. New Wave of Traditional Metal to give you whiplash. The drums break the speed limit; the guitar solos melt the pavement. 
• Unisonic – Unisonic. It was the first reunion of Michael Kiske and Kai Hanson. For fans yearning for the classic Helloween sound, it was almost too good to be true. And then the music lived up to our hopes.
• My Diligence – Backstabber, Flying Poney. Powerful clean vocals (at least on these songs) over heavy melodic guitars and air-drum-worthy drum parts. Their “Sun Rose” album was a hidden gem from 2018.  
• Lovebites – We Are the Resurrection, Dissonance. The Power Metal band who are poised to rule the mid 2020s.  
• Behemoth – O Father, O Satan, O Sun, Blow Your Trumpets Gabriel. If you’re wondering why people make such a big deal about Behemoth. . . 
• Icarus Witch – Misfortune Teller. What a seriously superb NWOTHM band. 
• The Bloody Hammers – The Bloodsucker Leads the Dance. Such a sick, slick, ominous, Halloween-ready bass groove. And oo, that sultry sparse piano. . .
• Flotsam and Jetsam – A New Kind of Hero. Instant classic.   
• Destruction – Thrash Til Death. From their 2001 album, “The Antichrist,” Schmier and company tore into the new century stronger than ever.  
• Unleash the Archers – Ten Thousand Against One, Green & Glass. The first: tremendous deep cut from the vanguard of the new Power/Traditional Metal scene. The second: the first single and a declaration of power from their 2024 “Phantoma” record. 
• Mike LePond’s Silent Assassins – Whore of Babylon. Mike LePond is best-know as the bassist for Symphony X. This is a little sidestep from the heaviest tunes on his side project albums. It’s just got such a sexy belly-dancer sway to it. 
• Alice Cooper – Brutal Planet. The Coop does Heavy every bit as well as the legions who he influenced.
• Aeon Zen – Seven Hills. Their “Enigma” album should be on all Prog Metal lists for 2013 and beyond. 
• Manimal – Invincible. Magnifique French Traditional Metal band. Just thinking about this song makes me want to crank it.  
• Hum – The Summoning. The Shoegaze titans absolutely cross the border into Metal. Their 2020 “Inlet” album was a wonderful, welcome surprise. 
• Death Angel – Immortal Behated. Weird song title aside, this was my personal favorite from D.A.’s triumphant “Humanicide” record. 
• Stratovarious – Abandon. Their 2014 “Nemesis” album is so good. 
• Rotting Christ – Dies Irae, New Messiah. Darkly powerful dirges from Sakis Tolis and Rotting Christ. Their 2019 album, “The Heretics” opened a lot of eyes and ears. 
• Dust Bolt – Dead Inside, Another Day in Hell. Dust Bolt deliver textbook classic Thrash for the 21st Century.  
• Sevendust – Live Again. Poignant, deeply moving tune. Well-used riff and Lajon Witherspoon’s emotive vocals pierce the ribcage.
• Darkane – Wrath Connection. That blast-beat outro is sick.  
• Armored Saint – End of the Attention Span. Never count out the Saint. They always deliver. 
• Monkey3 – Arch, Abyss. IYKYK. Trippy, immersive, Doomy, Stonery instrumental stuff.
• Black Sabbath – God is Dead? Always choose Black Sabbath. The album wasn’t exactly a grand finale, but this song has shown some staying power. Unforgettable tour.  
• Children of Bodom – Hold Your Tongue. Going again with a deep cut. “Hold Your Tongue” just struts with attitude and angry defiance, with perfect rhythm guitar chugging. R.I.P. Alexi Laiho.

 

I think that’s 200. Counting is hard.  Many, many other bands that weren’t in the list released influential and important Heavy music in the 21st Century. I will acknowledge some of them below, but for me, either:

1. I respect them, but they don’t do it for me,
2. I haven’t heard enough of their stuff to judge them fairly,
3. I love them, but prefer their music from other eras,
4. They released killer albums, I just couldn’t find a place for any of the songs in the list,
5. They’re too new to really gauge how impactful they’ll be,
6. They fucking suck, 
7. Some combination of the above. 

So without saying which is which and who is who, here’s an incomplete list of the other bands who’ve made their mark on 21st Century Heavy music. (I like most of these bands – JM)

• Lamb of God
• Corrosion of Conformity
• Trivium
• Ozzy Osbourne 
• Zakk Wylde
• U.D.O.
• John Petrucci 
• Dream Theater
• Deep Purple 
• Sleep Token
• Manowar
• GWAR
• Ministry
• Slipknot
• Accept
• AC/DC
• Ne Obliviscarus
• Jinjer 
• Liquid Tension Experiment
• Cradle of Filth
• Rival Sons
• Avenged Sevenfold
• Cannibal Corpse
• Five Finger Death Punch
• Faith No More
• Guns n’ Roses
• Megadeth
• Ronnie James Dio (Dio’s music NEVER fucking sucks, just to be clear…)
• Bring Me the Horizon
• Baby Metal
• Static-X
• Whitesnake
• Def Leppard
• Rammstein
• Killswitch Engage
• OK that’s enough, you get the point…

———–

Jack Mangan is best known in the Metal world as lead author/project runner for the “Am I Evil?” graphic novel, as a journalist with MetalAsylum.net and the official Metal Hall of Fame. and also as co-host of the popular (sporadic these days) Metal Hall of Fame and MetalAsylum.net livestreams with Rich Catino. He’s made a few guest appearances as a panelist on The Metal Voice. In an adjacent life, he was a podcast pioneer, with numerous appearances on Technorama, Dragon Page, Escape Pod/Pseudopod, and many others, including his own productions: Jack Mangan’s Deadpan, and the Podcast novel, “Spherical Tomi.” Friend him on Facebook if you can find him, but be warned: he’s not great about checking Facebook Messenger.

Disclaimer: These articles are meant to document and comment on important aspects of Heavy Metal’s broad and diverse history. The views expressed here do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the official Metal Hall of Fame. No mention of any artist should be misconstrued as an indication of intent to induct or deny admittance to the Metal Hall of Fame. We’re not dropping hints here, folks. There will be official press releases when new inductees are ready to be announced.