Welcome to the Top 20 Rock Songs of 2017.  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 2017 or the Top Albums of 2017 (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 – “Make It Move” by Jonny Lang off the album ‘Signs’:  The loud stomping sound that opens the song and throughout feels like a train barreling down on you.  The opening track to the album starts it all off with a bang.  The song also delivers a great message that you need to make the move and not wait on something to happen.

#19 – “I Wouldn’t Change A Thing” by Revolution Saints off the album ‘Light in the Dark’:  The supergroup that sounds like a hard rock version of Journey brings this beautiful ballad.  You don’t get too many true power ballads anymore, but they delivered a song that harkens back to the good old days of the hair band era.  Pure perfection!

#18 – “Sugar” by Degreed off the album ‘Degreed’:  Another old school sounding melodic rock band with a sugary infectious song from Sweden.  The Swedes can still bring the rock.  The band flies under the radar, but they deliver solid album after album and with songs like this how they aren’t more popular I have no idea. I also love Robin Ericsson’s vocals.  He has a great rock voice.  The musicianship is top notch as well.

#17 – “LOUD (F#ck It) by Motionless in White off the album ‘Graveyard Shift’:  Sometimes you just have to be loud and say F#ck It!!  That is so true.  This goth metal, industrial metal or metalcore band (However you want to label them) bring the heavy and fun with this song.  This one was so great to turn to 11 in the car and speed through traffic (ok, mostly I sat in traffic and thought about speeding).

#16 – “White Devil” by The Wild! off the album ‘Wild at Heart’:  I dirty, gritty rock band just bringing you straight up rock & roll.  There is nothing fancy and they don’t need to be. They have the goods.

#15 -“Program” by Living Colour off the album ‘Shade’:  Probably the heaviest song on the album and shows the old guys can still kick some serious ass.  One of the surprise albums of the year from as I didn’t realize they were still together.  Not only are they still together, they have something to say that needs to be heard.  This was a great protest song as well.

#14 – “One of Life’s Mysteries” by Harem Scarem off the album ‘United’:  I am loving the ballads this year and Harem Scarem does it again with this one.  This might be one of my favorite ballads they have ever done.  Harry Hess sounds better than ever and I am glad to see that a band that has been going strong for at least 30 years is still killing it.

#13 – “The Betrayal (Act III)” by Nickelback off the album ‘Feed the Machine’:  I didn’t really care for this album as you can see in my review, but this song was freakin’s awesome.  I see they have now since released it as a single and they should.  It takes the band a new direction which they desperately need to do.  The heaviest song on the album and worth checking out.

#12 – “Paranoiac Personality” by Alice Cooper off the album ‘Paranormal’:  The best Alice Cooper album in years and one worth grabbing.  This song was my favorite on that album.  Alice still sounds great and he has been doing this for as long as I have been alive and that is a long time.  It is heavy, dark and pretty damn catchy.

#11 – “The Madness” by Art of Anarchy off the album ‘The Madness’:  Scott Stapp doesn’t do much wrong in my book and I know I am in the minority on that one.  Although the album wasn’t as great as I hoped, it did deliver some spectacular songs to add to my Stapp collection.  The song was about his struggles that he goes through with his mental issues that have played out in the media.  I hope his road to recovery is successful.

#10 – “Everything is Alright” by The Glorious Sons off the album ‘Young Beauties and Fools’:  This was the stand out track from an album I didn’t get to spend much time with, however this song definitely caught my attention.  Straight up rock, no bells, no whistles, just a great song.  Keep an eye out for these guys.

#9 – “Angry Heart” by Otherwise off the album ‘Sleeping Lions’:  One of the heavier songs and bands on the list.  They come screaming at your full force with the power and punch to knock you on your ass.  Another great album that I loved to blast in the car.  When you find those albums, you tend to play  them a lot and this one did get played and played pretty damn loud.

#8 – “Periscope (feat. Skylar Grey)” by Papa Roach off the album ‘Crooked Teeth’:  This song slows it down before we crank it back up.  The song also features an artist that will make it on my other song list of the Top songs of 2017 that aren’t rock.  Skylar Grey is on fire right now in all areas of music.  The song is a ballad from Papa Roach that isn’t known for them.  They deliver a stellar performance.  And are they stalking someone by watching through a periscope?

#7 – “Monster” by Starset off the album ‘Vessels’:  This new and very modern rock band caught my attention with this song.  More electronic than old school rock, but the song is heavy and catchy and that is good enough for me sometimes.  It is not guitar rock and sometimes that is okay.  I like the beats and the sonics of the song.

#6 – “Long Time Coming” by Cheap Trick off the album ‘We’re All Alright’:  Cheap Trick delivers one of their best albums in years if not decades.  They went back to their old punk beginnings and brought it into the 21st Century.  The song was a fast and delivered with the gusto only they can bring.  Not only a song to listen to, but check out the whole album as you won’t be disappointed.

#5 – “Run” by the Foo Fighters off the album ‘Concrete & Gold’:  I am actually a little tired of the Foo Fighters and the whole album never grabbed me, but this song reminded me of what I do love about the band and for that it scored well with me.  The guitar riffs were awesome, the energy was contagious and the song grabs you not like not many did this year. Worth a listen.

#4 – “Bury My Dead” by As Lions off the album ‘Selfish Age’:  A brand new band on the scene that might be one of the bands that could help save rock.  A ballbuster of a song with amazing vocals (brought to you by Bruce Dickinson’s son) and great musicianship.  This is how modern rock should be done.

#3 – “How Did We Get So Dark?” by Royal Blood off the album ‘How Did We Get So Dark?’:  The title track to this amazing album.  Another new band that is killing it.  How much did I like it?  Well, it is one of the few new releases this year I actually bought on vinyl.  With all these new bands bringing the rock, it gives me hope that it won’t ever die.  It might not sound like what I grew up with, but it delivers that same energy.

#2 – “Highway Tune” by Greta Van Fleet off the E.P. ‘From the Fires’:  Speaking of new bands, I don’t think you can get any newer than these kids.  They are only 18-21 years old and they have an old soul inside of them.  The comparisons to Led Zeppelin are warranted as they have stolen everything from that band and so what.  Are they the second coming of a major rock revival?  Who knows.  But it is worth going along for the ride.

The #1 Rock Song of 2017:

“Wisdom” by Jonny Lang off the album ‘Signs’: Lang’s new album was so unexpected and so amazing.  I love how he interprets the blues and rocks out at the same time.  This song was so powerful and showed some great musicianship and vocals.  It was the one song I kept playing since it was released.  It is great that song at #20 is his and so is the #1 spot.  I guess that is why he was my #1 album of the year as well.

There you have it. My Top 20 Rock Songs of 2017.  I hope you enjoyed them as much as I have this year. I can’t wait to see what 2018 has in store for us with new music.  I don’t know if it can compete with 2017, but we will see…or hear!!

The next Top 20 list will be the Top 20 Songs of 2017 that aren’t rock songs, of course.  They will be a mixture of all the other genres out there.  Check it out tomorrow.