Welcome to the Top 20 Rock Songs of 2016.  These songs are my favorite songs of the year and were not necessarily played on the radio or even shot up the charts.  They just moved me in some way good or bad!

If you missed the Top Rock Albums of 2016 or the Top Albums of 2016 (that were not Rock), just click on the link and go check them out.

It is time to start the list so here we go…

20. “Parasite (feat. John 5)” by Ace Frehley off the album ‘Origins, Vol. 1’:  I wouldn’t pick a covers song for this list if this one wasn’t so damn good.  John 5 on guitar is amazing and since this is an old Kiss song it is perfect for Ace.  I think it sounds better than the original.

19. “Raise Hell” by Dorothy off the album ‘RockisDead’:  This bluesy gem from Dorothy has such a great sound and Dorothy’s vocals are perfect for this style.  I expect big things from this band!

18. “Head Like a Hole” by Dee Snider off the album ‘We Are the One’:  The song sounds like Nine Inch Nails with it’s industrial sound and aggressive lyrics.  It is not what you would expect from Dee Snider and I think that is why I like it.

17. “Not For Sale” by Crobot off the album ‘Welcome to Fat City’:  The first of many retro bands on this list.  I guess I like that old 70’s rock sound because I can’t get enough of these bands.  This song did it for me off this album.  It takes me back to the good ol’ days of rock. The line “Who paid your Dad to be here” is perfect!  Watch the video and you will get it.

16. “I’ve Got a Gun” by Candlebox off the album ‘Disappearing in Airports’:  The whole album is spectacular, but I liked the politically charged message of this song.  They seem to be poking fun at the people going ape shit over gun ownership.

15. “We Own the Night” by Rev Theory off the album ‘The Revelation’: I have been following these guys for a while and the deliver again on this album.  I enjoyed this song the most.  It wasn’t as heavy as a lot of their songs, and sometimes that is a good thing. It was a nice change of pace for them.

14. “Bottom of the Barrel” by 3 Pill Morning off the album ‘Never Look Back’:  This might be a band you haven’t heard of and I hadn’t either.  I found them through Twitter and have loved this album.  A modern rock band and they have a great sound that it right up my alley.

13. “Save Me Tonight” by the Defiants off the album ‘The Defiants’:  This song is my Power Ballad of the Year!!  It is an old school, 80’s rock power ballad.  Man, I have missed those.  I do love this song.

12. “Be Unden!able” by Hellyeah off the album ‘Unden!able’:  This album was my top album of the year and this is the first of 2 songs on the list.  This is the type of heavy metal that I really enjoy when I want to get some hard ass music.

11. “My Woman in Black” by Scorpion Child off the album ‘Acid Roulette’:  This is a fairly new band and on their second album.  Their style is retro 70’s rock and they are unbelievable.  This song is a great representation of who and what they are.

10. “Defying Gravity” by the Veer Union off the album ‘Decade’:  This band flies under the radar a lot and they are amazing.  Consistently great songs and albums and this was my favorite off their latest album.  Modern Hard Rock with a punch.  You get 2 videos on this one.  The original track and a new acoustic version.  I love them both!

9. “Overnight” by The Wild Feathers off the album “Lonely is a Lifetime”:  One of my favorite albums of the year and this song was the one I hit repeat on more than the others.  I love the vibe of the song and the old classic rock style.

8. “Breakin’ Outta Hell” by Airbourne off the album ‘Breakin’ Outta Hell”:  If a song can sum up an album, this opening track to the album does just that.  The song is fast paced, in your face, dirty rock.  The whole album gives you that in spades.

7. “Stay” by Cavo off the album ‘Bridges’:  I don’t have too many slow songs on this list, but this one is my favorite.  A great song about someone walking away and how much it hurts and how much you want them to stay.

6. “Heavy” by Glenn Hughes off the album ‘Resonate’:  I really loved the song “My Town” off this album and is probably my favorite from the album, but I had to choose “Heavy” for this list.  If it wasn’t for “Heavy”, I am not sure I would have listened to this album in the first place.  For that reason, it is in my Top 20.  It is a straight-up rock song and one of Glenn’s finest works.

5. “Dust” by Tremonti off the album ‘Dust’:  Mark Tremonti can do no wrong.  The Alter Bridge is awesome and so is the latest Tremonti album.  This song in particular struck a chord with me.  His vocals sound amazing and it was just a beautiful song.

4. “Moth Into Flame” by Metallica off the album ‘Hardwired…to Self-Destruct”:  On my first listen to this album this was the song that struck me as outstanding and got better with every listen.  They just click on this song and it isn’t about hard pounding drums and fast playing guitar work throughout.  It has that, but the song is so much more.

3. “In the Age of the Consecrated Vampire We All Get High” by Rob Zombie off the album ‘The Electric Warlock Acid Witch Satanic Orgy Celebration’:  Rob Zombie always has one song on his album that I can’t get enough of it.  This was that song on his latest album.  I am a huge John 5 fan and love his guitar work.  The sound on this song is so cool to me.

2. “Startariot” – Hellyeah off the album ‘Unden!able’:  “Startariot” is the perfect Road Rage song for those afternoons when I am stuck in traffic.  It helped me let loose a lot of the anger that would build up after an hour sitting and not moving.  Hellyeah has saved a number of lives with this song!

The #1 Song of 2016:

#1 “When We Were Gods” by Sixx:A.M. off the album ‘Prayers for the Damned, Vol. 1’:  This song just blew me away the first time I heard it. The blistering guitar solo, the dramatic build ups and just the whole sound of the song.  It doesn’t get much better than this.

There you have it. My Top 20 Rock Songs of 2016.  I hope you enjoyed them as much as I have this year. I can’t wait to see what 2017 has in store for us with new music.  I don’t know if it can compete with 2016, but we will see…or hear!!

The next Top 20 list will be the Top 20 Songs of 2016 that aren’t rock songs, of course.  They will be a mixture of all the other genres out there.  Check it out in a couple days.