In the most recent issue of Metal Hammer you’ll be able to find our staff’s picks for their albums of the year, but it’s sometimes even harder to choose the one song that stands out in a 12 month period. One track that is a level above every other piece of recorded music released in 365 days. Here are Hammer’s favourite songs of the year…
Merlin Alderslade (Deputy Editor)
While She Sleeps – Four Walls
“That riff. That break. That chorus. More evidence that no other band to break in the last five years touches While She Fucking Sleeps.”
Dom Lawson (Editor-At-Large)
Napalm Death – Stunt Your Growth
“Fast, furious, inventive, intelligent and turbogrindnoisepunk-as-fuck. In and out in two minutes. No dicking about. Still vastly more exciting and adventurous than most bands half their age. This makes me want to run through my front door without opening it.”
Jonathan Selzer (Reviews/Subterranea Editor)
Secrets Of The Moon – Hole
“The past couple of years has seen a number of bands drawn to the restless, haunted spirit of ‘80s post-punk and goth, but none of them have put their face as close to its fire or proved quite as transformative as Germany’s Secret Of The Moon. Pulled out of their former black metal orbit, their new album, Sun, was a journey through a shattered world and Hole was a rite of passage though dread to incendiary deliverance, forging heart-bursting brilliance from the darkest of matter.”
Lewis Somerscales (Art Editor)
Marilyn Manson – Third Day Of A Seven Day Binge
“The whole album is a stunning return from Manson. Moving forward and embracing a style that suits what he can do these days. And doing it very very well”
Eleanor Goodman (Features Editor)
Lamb Of God – Embers
“With its classic Lamb Of God guitar tones and hooky chorus, this would have crushed regardless. But then Chino appears and trades haunting vocals with an impassioned Randy, raising it to a whole new level. Breathtaking.”
Alexander Milas (Editor-In-Chief)
Iron Maiden – The Red And The Black
“Something like a sonic victory lap, the fourth track off of Iron Maiden’s sixth studio album is as life affirming as it gets. Majestic riffs, an infectious chorus, I get chills just thinking about how this is going to go down live.”
Luke Morton (Online Editor)
Ghost – He Is
“Usually I’d use this space to hark on about some punishing noisebastards but in reality the song I’ve fallen in love with this year has been He Is. It’s as beautiful as it is haunting and a shining example of what makes Ghost unique and so loved by metal fans – despite not screaming their bollocks dry.”
