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The Debate Rages: What are the Best Songs of the Last Five Years?

what are the best songs from the last five years

Mostly around here I concentrate on albums. Best albums of the year. Best albums of the decade. Still, kind of on a whim this morning I was thinking about the shape of heavy of the last half-decade — or rather, the shapes of it.

Different scenes moving in various directions, the emergence of the Pacific Northwest as a hotbed, the growth of West Coast psych and how in-conversation that seems to be both with California’s skater past and the current European market, itself branched out between heavy psych and ’70s traditionalism, which has also begun to take root throughout the US while, at the same time, a new generation has come up to embrace full-on stoner riffing and/or desert rock ideals.

While I have my album lists going back six years to refer to, this time around, I was wondering specifically about individual songs from the same era. What are the best songs from the last five years?

It’s not always the best album that has the best single piece of work on it, so it seemed worth asking the question separately.

Me, I go in for epics: YOB‘s “Marrow” (2014), Ancestors‘ “First Light” (2012), Colour Haze‘s “Grace” (2012), Hypnos 69‘s “The Great Work” (2011), Witch Mountain‘s “Can’t Settle” (2014), Elder‘s “Lore” (2015) definitely is worth having in the conversation, Solace‘s “From Below” (2010), Grayceon‘s “We Can” (2011), and so on.

But then you have Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats‘ “I’ll Cut You Down,” which has had a massive influence since it came out in 2011. And what about a cut like Clutch‘s “D.C. Sound Attack,” or Goatsnake‘s “Grandpa Jones,” or Graveyard‘s “Ain’t Fit to Live Here,” or Mars Red Sky‘s “Strong Reflection?” Does a track have to be long to make an impact? What if there’s a perfectly-executed two-minute verse/chorus trade? Shouldn’t that also be considered?

I guess that’s the question.

We haven’t done one of these in a while, so I’m hoping you’ll take the time to add your answers and picks for the best songs of the last five years 2010-2015 in the comments to this post. I know we’re not through 2015 yet, but we’re just trying to have some fun anyway.

Thanks to all who take the time to leave a note in the comments below.

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25 Responses to “The Debate Rages: What are the Best Songs of the Last Five Years?”

  1. Milk K. Harvey says:

    Dig this shit!
    1. Yob’s Marrow – Not a song but an ascending journey
    2. Sammal’s Aika on alkamassa – Not of this era really
    3. Harassor’s Winter’s Triumph – It’d be a dram to hear this on the radio
    4. High On Fire’s Snakes For The Divine – nobody talk please
    5. Royal Thunder’s Wake Up – wasting my time!
    6. Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats’ Death Valley Blues – ooooh
    7. Hail Spirit Noir – Against The Curse We Dream – I’d dance to this
    8. Ice Dragon’s Beard Of Thieves – the tone
    9. Living Colour’s Behind the sun – don’t belong here? sorry

  2. TVs Ross says:

    Tried to limit it to 5 but that was folly on my part. This would probably change 1,000 times a day depending on my mood but mine are probably (in no particular order):

    Mars Red Sky – “Hovering Satellites”
    The Devil’s Blood – “The Madness of Serpents”
    Royal Thunder – “Blue”
    Yob – “Nothing to Win”
    Clutch – “Mr. Freedom”
    Boris – “Cosmos Pt2”

    Honorary mentions:
    Truckfighters – “Get Lifted”
    Jex Thoth – “The Places You Walk”
    Conan – “Battle in the Swamp”
    Coffinworm – “Lust vs. Vengeance”
    Selim Lemouchi & His Enemies – “Your Way Down”
    Panopticon – “Where Mountains Pierce the Sky”
    Grayceon – “End of Days”

  3. darren says:

    in no specific order…

    Hawk as Weapon- conan
    Hexagon Riders- ice dragon
    Spellpouch- ice dragon
    Winter Sun- windhand
    The Clarity- sleep

    I so badly wanted to add Thebes from God is Good but it was 2009, dang…

  4. Edgehead1910 says:

    I’ll probably have another batch of songs tommorrow but the first 10 that sprung into my mind were (in no particular order)

    The Devil’s Blood – The Thousandfold Epicentre
    Jex Thoth – Ehjä
    Baroness – Eula
    In Solitude – Death Knows Where
    Solstafir – Fjara
    Anathema – Untouchable Part 1&2 (they belong together for me)
    Jess and the Ancient Ones – Sulfur Giants
    High on Fire – Snakes for the Divine
    SubRosa – Borrowed Time, Borrowed Eyes
    Neurosis – My Heart For Deliverance

  5. Grooverock says:

    Man, this is tough.

    Apostle of Solitude – December Drives me to Tears
    Royal Thunder – Parsonz Curse
    Monster Magnet – I Live Behind the Clouds

    Those are the three I think of first, but there are a lot of good suggestions mentioned already. Elder, HoF, the first track on the last Om album, a few good options on Colour Haze – She Said… I could probably think about it longer and list another 10-15 legit contenders. I may do that.

  6. JPLaser says:

    Inter Arma – The Cavern

  7. Deaconcrowe says:

    JJ, love these discussions/debates. Thanks for the passion & work on the site. Can’t possibly express the ridiculous amount of great music I’ve discovered here.

    High on Fire – Madness of an Architect
    Clutch – Crucial Velocity
    Sleep – The Clarity
    Kadavar – Black Sun
    Elder – Lore
    Red Fang – Dawn Rising w/ Mike Scheidt
    Corrosion of Conformity – Psychic Vampire
    Earthless – Violence of the Red Sea
    Yob – Marrow
    Graveyard – Hisingen Blues

  8. Mike M says:

    Great Topic.

    In no particular order:

    Windhand – Winter Sun
    Conan – Battle in the Swamp
    Caltrop – Perehilion
    US Christmas – Suzerain
    YOB – Marrow
    The Machine – Jam no U
    Earthless – Violence of the Sea
    Stoned Jesus – I’m The Mountain
    Truckfighters – Mastodont
    Baroness – Eula
    All them Witches – Elk.Blood.Heart
    Blues Pills – Little Sun

  9. Here are mines, those are the ones I constantly go back to :)

    1. Graveyard – Uncomfortably Numb – The solo and pre-solo part is simply mindblowing
    2. 1000mods – Track Me – The 5 minutes mark.
    3. The Socks – Some Kind Of Sorcery – Love that change in the middle of the song
    4. Pet The Preacher – The Pig & The Haunted – Dat Heaviness & this sublime solo
    5. True Widow – Four Teeth – Such a unique atmosphere…

  10. Jaki Cunha says:

    These, off the top of my head:

    Beelzefuzz – Hypnotize
    Blood Farmers – Headless Eyes
    Elder – Lore
    Faith in Jane – Samurai Psalm
    Goatess – Alpha Omega
    OGRE – Son of Sisyphus

  11. Devan says:

    No particular order…

    1 – Mars Red Sky – Strong Reflection
    2 – Graveyard – Slow Motion Countdown
    3 – Dead Meadow – That Old Temple
    4 – Uncle Acid – Valley of the Dolls
    5 – Elder – Gemini
    6 – Elder – White Walls
    7 – Sleep – The Clarity
    8 – Naam – Sky Scrapers
    9 – All them witches – Charles Wiliams
    10 – Howlin Rain – Cheroke Werewolf
    11 – Black Sabbath – God is Dead?
    12 – Electric Moon – The Cosmic Creator
    13 – Hellbender – Down the Mountain
    14 – Orchid – Mouths of Madness
    15 – Earthless – Violence of the Red Sea

    • TheLodger says:

      Lots of good stuff on here, but a disappointing lack of Neurosis. Take any track off of “Honor Found In Decay” but “my Heart for Deliverance” is fucking miraculous.

  12. Daniel Dzeta says:

    Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats – Death’s Door
    Obake – The End of It All
    Salem’s Pot – Pink Flamingos
    OM – State of No Return
    TAURUS – Increase Aloneness
    Corrections House – Serve or Survive

  13. Matt says:

    On a fist pass through my albums – most are pretty recent favorites:

    Alunah – Call of Avernus
    Brant Bjork and the Low Deserts Punks – Stokley Up Now
    C.O.C – Time of Trials
    Elder – Lore
    Monster Magnet – Gods and Punks (plus the video!)

    Maybe not the best of the best, but figured I’d throw these out there to contribute

  14. Aris says:

    1-Eyehategod. New Orleans is the new Vietnam
    2-Wovenhand. Hiss
    3-Moho. Gargantor
    4-Rwake. of grievous abominations
    5-ZU. Chtonian
    6-Tragedy. No cemeteries here
    7-Mombu. Ten harpoons ritual
    8-Earth. The driver
    9-Sunn 0))). Alice
    10-Sloath. Deep mountains

  15. Dylan Thomas says:

    1) The War On Drugs – Best Night
    2) Kurt Vile – Waking On A Pretty Day
    3) Fleet Foxes – Helplessness Blues
    4) Tallest Man On Earth – Love Is All
    5) The National – Terrible Love
    6) The Helio Sequence – October
    7) Phosphorescent – Song For Zula
    8) Mikal Cronin – Weight
    9) Morgan Delt – Make My Grey Brain Green
    10) Nothing – Dig

  16. Nige says:

    1. Orange Goblin – Heavy Lies the Crown
    2. Graveyard – Uncomfortably Numb
    3. Solace – Six Year Trainwreck
    4. Orchid – Capricorn
    5. Black Spiders – Blood of the Kings

    • WIZARD says:

      1 PRIMORDIAL Where Greater Men Have Fallen
      2 GEEZER Ancient Song
      3 MONSTER MAGNET The Duke Of Supernature
      4 UNCLE ACID Runaway Girls
      5 WOUNDED KINGS Lost Bride
      6 ASG Day’s Work
      7 JOHN GARCIA Her Bullets Energy
      8 MASTODON Black Tongue
      9 YEAR OF THE GOAT Angel’s Necropolis
      10 OCEAN CHIEF Slipsten

  17. Matt S. says:

    Surprised that no one has mentioned Pallbearer yet. As far as game changing songs over the past 5 years I’d have to go with:

    Pallbearer – Devoid of Redemption (or An Offering of Grief)
    Deafheaven – Dream House
    Inter Arma – The Cavern
    Sleep – The Clarity
    Windhand – Woodbine

  18. frobbert says:

    In no order:

    40 Watt Sun – Restless
    Charles Bradley – This World (Is Going Up In Flames)
    Golden Void – The Curve
    Om – State of Non-Return
    Audrey Horne – Youngblood
    Rose Windows – Wartime Lovers
    Kayo Dot – Library Subterranean
    Laibach – The Whistleblowers
    Yob – Marrow

  19. Lemon K. says:

    YOB – Adrift the Ocean
    Bongripper – Worship
    Black Shape Of Nexus – 60WV
    My Sleeping Karma – Ephedra
    Omega Massif – Steinernes Meer

  20. Don (aka Terata) says:

    Well, damn…I only have about 15,000 songs in that range…I would agree with any song already mentioned by Yob, Elder or HOF…and “Dawn Rising” by Red Fang. Here are some that come to mind…

    Soundgarden – “Kristi” Off Echo Of Miles.
    Monolord – “Cursing The One” Still might be my favorite this year.
    Stoned Jesus – “Black Church”
    Clutch – “The Wolfman Kindly Requests”
    Dwellers – “Creature Comforts”
    Oxcross – “Fiery Fields”
    Hark – “Clear Light Of…”
    Las Cruces – “Cocaine Wizard Woman”
    Taint – “All Bees To The Sea”
    Sheavy – “War On Titan”
    Trypticon – “A Thousand Lies”
    Fu Manchu – “Evolution Machine”
    Orange Goblin – “Bloodzilla”or “Ubermensch”, “The Fog”, “Red Tide…”
    Orchid – “Loving Hand Of God” More Sabbath than Sabbath.
    Crowbar – “Shaman Of Belief” What a riff!

    …and about 1000 other ones. Portland, OR has to be the hottest bed right now. Great music coming from out there! And Boston on the east coast. Stockholm in Europe has held the crown for a while…and there seams to be more great bands coming out of Cardiff lately. A great 5 years for rock!

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