20 Rock Songs Of 2010s From Someone Who Actually Listened to Rock Music During That Time (Unlike those Billboard Chodes)

Wow, talk about a mouthful of a title. Already that ridiculous "Rock" music list has become a giant meme. Who can blame it? That list was awful! Imagine Buttholes is not Rock Music! I'm not just saying out of my personal disdain for the band, they seriously are not Rock. When I saw this list I was like "well, yeah, rock music did kinda suck the past ten years." Then I remembered what music came out in the last ten years and was like "hey, there was some good stuff in there."

Now, before we begin. I'm not a professional music critic. I'm just going to talk about stuff that sounds pleasing to me, not getting much more in depth than that. Yes, there is a lot of metal on this list. However, Metal is a subgenre of a larger umbrella genre. Plus, this is my list so I'm gonna do what I want anyway. Here are my top 20 in no particular order.

Made out of Nothing (All That I Am) - Coheed and Cambria

Let's get things started right. I love Co&Ca. I've heard people call them an emo band in recent years but I don't really understand why. They're a prog rock band telling a story with each song. That's right, each song is a part of a large story. This is definitely one of my favorite tracks off their 2010 album Year of the Black Rainbow. However, Co&Ca had several great albums throughout the 2010's. I just want to keep this list as one song per artist.

Great Expectations - The Strypes

A few years ago, Gene Simmons came out and said "Rock and Roll is dead." Then Alice Cooper said "Nah, Gene's wrong. He just doesn't listen to anything outside of his comfort zone. Have you heard of The Strypes? Those guys are awesome!" He's right! The Strypes are amazing! Every album they put out perfectly captured a decade of rock and roll in a bottle. This is off their third album and it's my favorite song on the album, it's definitely a song to jam out to.

Failure - Breaking Benjamin

I remember when Breaking Benjamin's debut album Saturate dropped. Nobody talked about them. I freaking loved Breaking Benjamin. Then We Are Not Alone dropped and everyone was talking about how great they were. I thought We Are Not Alone was okay but it was nothing compared to Saturate. I got out of them for a while, came back a few years after they released Dear Agony. No one was talking about them anymore and I found myself able to enjoy what they were putting out. Granted, nothing they put out is groundbreaking. It's just a Breaking Benjamin album and Failure was a great song to show that they were still the same band after their hiatus. I was as excited for Dark Before Dawn as I was for We Are Not Alone back in high school. For that reason alone, I put Failure on this list.

I am Above - In Flames

"In Flames is dead!" The fans cry. However, as a true Jesterhead, I have learned to appreciate what In Flames has put out over the past few years. I didn't like Siren's Charm and Battles was a little underwhelming. However, I am Above is just one of many killer tracks off of I, The Mask. This album will shove that "Rock is Dead" phrase up Gene Simmons' butt.

Dreamers Don't Sleep - Dreamshade

Dreamshade is a band from Switzerland. I had never heard their music before their album Vibrant came out but once I heard it, I couldn't get enough. Dreamers Never Sleep is a song that feels very personal to me. It feels like a song about me with lines like "Dreaming makes me feel alive." Dreamshade is one of the few metal bands I like who is talented lyrically and backs it all up musically.

Black John - Stone Sour

Stripper music.

I gotta say more? Uh...Stone Sour's output on the dual disc House of Gold and Bones was freaking fantastic. I love both albums equally and love how songs on Part 2 call back to Part 1 and mmmmm, such a freaking great couple of albums. Black John is one of my favorite songs off Part 2 because...well, like I said, it's Stripper music. Any time I hear this song, I picture a dude going into a strip club and beating the tar out of some guy getting a lap dance.

Atoma - Dark Tranquillity

The first fifteen seconds are enough to land this song on the list. Mix in a mixture of clean vocals on the verses and screams on the chorus. Bridges like the one that occur around the three minute mark are why I love Dark Tranquillity so much. Such a killer band.

Black Sails - Kalidia

Pirate metal sung by a beautiful siren who is determined to make your ship crash along the rocks.

DONE!

Hypocrite - Elephant Gun Riot

Elephant Gun Riot is a band from Washington. They also let us use their song Starlight in Keeping Justice. Hypocrite is possibly my favorite song off their eponymous album. It's just a basic rock song but definitely reminds me of something I would listen to in Middle School. It's pretty rad.

Dynamite Road - Alice Cooper

This song is off Alice's newest album Paranormal. I love it because lyrically it's just a normal rock and roll jam, a group of guys go racing in their car against the Devil on a dangerous road. However, that's what Rock and Roll is all about baby.

Severed Into Separates - Darkest hour

I had a really hard time deciding which Darkest Hour song I wanted to slap on this list. The Human Romance and Godless Prophets both came out in the 2010s as well as their eponymous album. However, the eponymous album apparently had a lot of cooks in the kitchen and I really just want to put something awesome on this list. Severed into Separates is a song that starts off sounding punk as hell but being played on a down-tuned heavily distorted guitar. It also has a killer solo.

FirePower - Judas Priest

The first track off their latest album. This song just digs right in. The intro, then the drums slowly coming in, Rob Halford screaming in your ear. Priest has been around since the 70s and they rock harder on this track than Twenty-One Pilots has their entire career. Seriously Billboard, you couldn't even put Sea of Red on your list? This entire album is awesome but this opening track prepares you for everything that's coming up.

Poisonous Shadows - Megadeth

I might have chosen this song for the wrong reason. I love this song, don't get me wrong but I honestly prefer the live version just a little more than the one on the album. Simply because of the string accompaniment. It makes an awesome song even more awesome and I always feel like I'm missing something when I listen to the album version.

Greater Than 84 - AFI

AFI is one of the first punk bands I started listening to. While they have strayed from their punk roots lately, they're still a rock and roll band. Greater Than 84 is a song about the book 1984 and is a great example of the killer rock jams that these guys are still churning out despite leaving their punk roots behind. It's definitely really catchy and that doesn't have to be a bad thing.

Cirice - Ghost

If you've been listening to these tracks one by one you've probably realized something, I love slow openings. I adore when a song opens with something simple and slow and just slowly goes all out. Cirice is one of those songs. The main riff just chugs so hard, it's great! Then the piano chorus is so beautiful, rock can be beautiful guys.

Slave to the Sword - ExMortus

I discovered Exmortus recently completely by accident. What a happy accident it was. Musically, they're like a traditional metal with a touch of the neoclassical. It sounds so damn good. Lyrically, they are songs about battles and wars. Slave to the Sword is a perfect introduction to this kick ass band.

Lost Woman Blues - Motorhead

It's a hard rockin' blues song by Motorhead. Not good enough? Too bad!

Given and Denied - Poets of the Fall

This is undoubtedly the softest song on this list. Why did I pick it? Because THIS is the song that introduced me to Poets of the Fall, a band I have slowly come to love. If this song can turn me onto such an awesome band, perhaps it can introduce others. Seriously, POTF is such a great band and they really need more love in the States.

The Doomed - A Perfect Circle

RJ, where's Tool? Well, I would put Tool on here if their fan base wasn't freaking cancer. That's right, I said the Tool fanbase is cancer. What are you gonna do? Every real Tool fan knows the fanbase is cancer. APC however, they are soooo good. I picked The Doomed off Eat the Elephant only because that song really sticks out to me today. Every song on this album is awesome! It'd been fourteen years since we had a new A Perfect Circle album and it was definitely worth the wait.

​A Mercurian Summer - Angel Vivaldi

Finally, we have my homeboy Angel Vivaldi. I have seen this dude live, I have purchased his albums, and I have used his music in my films. He is an extremely talented guitarist and I really would love to see him get the recognition he deserves. I love this man.

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I know that I'm going to get A LOT of flack for songs and bands I left off of this list. Parkway Drive, Rise Against, Anti-Flag, W.A.S.P., Anthrax, David Bowie, No Man's Project, Primus, Church of Misery, and so many others. Yes, I know I left off A LOT of terrific rock songs and there are songs and albums I haven't heard yet. I mainly wanted to make this list to bring attention to some stuff that maybe some of you missed or maybe just didn't know was out there. That's a lie, I just wanted to prove to Billboard that I know more Rock music than they do. Feel free to comment below about something you think should have made the list.