Top 20 Best Modern Metal Songs
#20: “Vice Grip”
Parkway Drive
Change is good, no matter what genre an artist is operating within. For Parkway Drive, “Vice Grip” might have initially alienated some established fans with its switch-up, but over time, it’s hard to argue with the results. Metalcore brought the band to a certain point, but this song and the album it came from saw the band expand their sound. Fresh elements were brought in, and overall, the track has a far more melodic and anthemic quality than most of Parkway Drive’s previous material. The album “Ire” was a top-30 Billboard hit and a strong seller globally, proving that the band’s decision was a successful one, at least commercially.
#19: “Phantom Bride”
Deftones & Jerry Cantrell
It’s a testament to the talent and consistency of Deftones that nearly three decades into their career, they were still capable of putting out a track like “Phantom Bride”. Joined by Alice in Chains legend Jerry Cantrell for a riveting guitar solo, this track is awesome on so many levels. It doesn’t chase trends, but it also doesn’t attempt to reinvent the wheel. Chino Moreno delivers one of his most vulnerable vocal performances, floating over shimmering guitars and understated rhythms before the cathartic climax. This one is all about mood and texture, and these masters of their craft rarely put a foot wrong with “Phantom Bride”.
#18: “Holy Roller”
Spiritbox
If you’re looking for the best word to describe the impact of Courtney LaPlante’s vocals on Spiritbox’s “Holy Roller”, we’d recommend “ferocious”. Released in 2020, the song steadily picked up momentum, eventually leading to the band getting signed by Rise Records. As far as breakthrough tracks go, this was one of the heaviest we’d heard in years. Spiritbox very clearly had technical chops, strong melodic focus, and a singer who could tie it all together. It landed highly on the US Hot Hard Rock charts, leading to a string of singles that managed to build on that early success.
#17: “The Coma Machine”
Between the Buried and Me
The episodic nature of Between the Buried and Me’s concept album “Coma Ecliptic” was always going to be a hit with the fans. However, their move away from death metal into a more progressive area was a bold choice. The band had already earned a reputation for overwhelming technical complexity, but standout track “The Coma Machine” demonstrated a stronger focus on emotional flow and progressive storytelling. The reception was positive, while being a little divided, but as time has gone on, the band’s choice to creatively pivot has been regarded as a strong one.
#16: “Square Hammer”
Ghost
Some anthems take time to win the fans over, but in the case of Ghost’s “Square Hammer”, the impact was a lot quicker. It rose to the top spot on the Billboard Mainstream Rock charts, and it made Ghost something of a household name pretty quickly. Sure, it brings all of the hallmarks of a strong metal anthem to the table. However, a song like this was built for the live arena experience - taking cues from genres well outside the metal spectrum. It takes strong songwriting instincts to come up with an end product as full-sounding as this one - and to say that Ghost knocked it out of the park would be an understatement.
#15: “In Waves”
Trivium
Although there’s a lot to be said for a band that moves their sound forward whenever they can, the reverse can also be true. Trivium had certainly run into some brick walls with past experiments, and so, the song “In Waves” and the album of the same name represented a return to basics. The song seemed like a conscious effort to really kick off the 2010s in a strong way, and the reception to the song and album reflected it. It hit the top spot on the Billboard Hard Rock charts and number 13 on the Billboard 200, while selling good numbers globally.
#14: “Blood Eagle”
Periphery
A band like Periphery could have been forgiven for sticking to their guns with their sixth studio album, but the LP “Periphery IV: Hail Stan” really doesn’t sound like a group resting on their laurels. “Blood Eagle” was an easy standout, a raw, brutal, and unrelenting piece of masterful djent and progressive metal. The playing is flawless, and their ability to maintain groove and momentum while spinning through riffs was truly outstanding. At a time when some progressive-metal acts were softening their sound, “Blood Eagle” reminded audiences that technical modern metal could still feel dangerous.
#13: “L’Enfant Sauvage”
Gojira
After a string of critically acclaimed albums, the question on everyone’s mind was exactly where Gojira would land nex as the 2000s came to a close. Even more acclaim would thankfully follow with the release of 2012’s “L’Enfant Sauvage” and its lead single of the same title. It doesn’t lose any of the intensity of previous work, but the song is very clearly tapping into an even greater depth of human emotion. The song and the album were smash hits, solidifying Gojira as legitimate giants of their era. Though subsequent releases haven’t quite reached the heights of this run of albums, they remain a defining band of the genre.
#12: “Deutschland”
Rammstein
After twenty five years as a band, many Rammstein fans would’ve forgiven the group for entering a ‘legacy act’ period. However, they very clearly still had something to say by the time 2019 rolled around. “Deutschland” became one of the most ambitious metal singles of the modern era when it was released in 2019. The song charted strongly across Europe and arrived with a cinematic video that immediately sparked international debate because of its provocative imagery involving German history. The song, of course, stands on its own two feet quite ably, but to really get the full picture, you gotta experience it as the band intended, alongside the music video.
#11: “Spit Out the Bone”
Metallica
There might not be a band who has reached higher heights within the world of metal than Metallica. However, in the years that followed their creative and commercial peak in the 80s and 90s, it’s pretty fair to say that they had some bumpy moments. That said, 2016’s album “Hardwired… to Self-Destruct” was seen by many as a return to their roots. Perhaps even more so than the overall album, the fifth and final single, “Spit Out the Bone”, was almost universally declared as one of their strongest efforts in years. Few bands can do classic thrash metal as well as James Hetfield and co., and on this track, they prove it once again.
#10: “7empest”
Tool
The expectations that came with leaving such a massive gap between releases was always going to impact our experience listening to Tool’s comeback record “Fear Inoculum”. Thirteen years was quite a long wait for the band’s fans, but when the album dropped, it was clear that one song stood out above all others. “7empest” (pronounced TEMPEST), in nearly sixteen minutes in length, managed to combine nearly everything we had come to love about the band. The song proved that ambitious, cerebral metal could still command mainstream attention in the streaming era… and it was ambitious with a capital ‘A’.
#9: “Honeycomb”
Deafheaven
The melding of black metal and shoegaze is truly the signature of modern greats, Deafheaven. After nailing their sound on 2013’s “Sunbather” and again on 2015’s “New Bermuda”, the band had established themselves as genre leaders. The first single off their next LP was “Honeycomb”, a song that struck a delicate balance between beauty and chaos. There’s almost something cinematic about the track and the way it defies the expectations that come with the style of music it portrays. In many ways, it’s the sound of a band truly reaching their maturity.
#8: “The Sound of Silence”
Disturbed
How does one approach a folk-rock classic from the 1960s as a modern metal act? Well, they say a good song can stand up in several other genres. Paul Simon was possibly quite surprised, though, to hear one of his signature songs, “The Sound of Silence”, reworked in such a dramatic fashion. Disturbed didn’t lose an ounce of the track’s original essence, though, but they instead took its core message and vibe to a different level. It has since gone on to become one of Disturbed’s most famous tracks and a modern metal classic. A great example of just how transformative a cover version can really be.
#7: “Hail to the King”
Avenged Sevenfold
When it comes to modern metal songs that managed to really break through and make a dent in the mainstream, “Hail to the King” by Avenged Sevenfold is a real frontrunner. It doesn’t dip too far into overly complex arrangements or rhythms, instead taking influence from classic rock and metal. This was a far more universally accessible sound than some of the band’s earlier work, and boy, did it pay off. The album of the same title was a chart-topper globally - including in the US and UK. The title track has since gone on to be the band’s biggest seller in terms of international sales.
#6: “Circle With Me”
Spiritbox
Like many of Spiritbox’s standout tracks, the band itself should not be ignored, of course, but it is Courtney LaPlante who is at the centre of it all. “Circle With Me”, their first ever gold single, was undoubtedly one of the strongest things they had ever dropped. Coming off the heels of breakout hit “Holy Roller”, this track was acclaimed for taking their formula to the next level. Musically, the song balances progressive metal precision with massive hooks and atmospheric textures. It has all the technical brilliance you’d expect, while never feeling in any way sterile.
#5: “Animals”
Architects
For the prolific British metalcore band Architects, eight albums in twelve years was the type of output that placed them firmly among the hardest working groups around. Tragically, their primary songwriter, Tom Searle, passed away in 2016. They did continue, thankfully, picking up steam with 2018’s critically acclaimed “Holy Hell”. The follow-up album “For Those That Wish to Exist” marked a pretty divisive change in sound, which was evident in the lead single “Animals”. In a time when many metalcore groups remained stagnant, Architects evolved. As the years go by, this song and the album it came from have only grown in stature.
#4: “Mary on a Cross”
Ghost
In this day and age, immediate success is not guaranteed. It took Ghost’s “Mary on a Cross” several years to reach its peak of commercial success - bolstered by a TikTok trend that finally saw it chart in 2022. It’s a song that provides depth, atmosphere, and melodic hooks in equal measure, one of the defining examples of the band’s signature sound in full swing. Perhaps the idea of a metal song becoming a hit through a social media platform might have seemed alien a few years ago. However, this track’s success brought new listeners to the genre that may never have wandered over on their own.
#3: “The Summoning”
Sleep Token
Yet another example of the viral machine working its magic came about when Sleep Token’s “The Summoning” managed to outstrip all expectations upon its release in 2023. Released from the album “Take Me Back to Eden”, it climbed to the top of the Spotify Viral Songs chart and received one million views on YouTube in just two weeks. Sleep Token succeeded in combining djent-style riffs, ambient passages, haunting vocals, funk grooves, and massive breakdowns inside one song without ever really sounding forced. If it proved anything, it was that metal audiences were as hungry for experimentation as ever.
#2: “Just Pretend”
Bad Omens
Released in 2022 from “The Death of Peace of Mind”, “Just Pretend” by Bad Omens was a slice of masterful alternative metal that just kept building commercial momentum. Following a healthy boost, thanks to TikTok, the song eventually hit No. 1 on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Airplay chart and also topped the Alternative Airplay chart as well. Right at the core of it all is Noah Sebastian’s vocal, which critics agreed elevated the already-strong material to a different level. While Sebastian does admit that he wrote it as a parody of what he called “butt rock radio hits”, the irony of him carving out his own radio hit in the process was not lost on him.
#1: “Can You Feel My Heart”
Bring Me the Horizon
Picking a Bring Me the Horizon song that wasn’t “Shadow Moses” or “Throne” was a tough ask, trust us. However, there’s just something undeniably special about 2013’s “Can You Feel My Heart”. Sure, it marked a real stylistic shift for the band, but the eventual impact spoke for itself. Just because it marked an evolution in their sound, though, it didn’t mean that they lost their intensity. It even had a late resurgence in popularity thanks to it going viral on social media, which took its already stellar commercial performance to new heights. To this day, it remains a signature song for the band and a staple of their live set.
But what do you consider to be the greatest metal song of the last twenty years? Let us know in the comments below.