Tuesday, December 20, 2016

My Thoughts on the Active Rock Airplay Chart (12/20/16)

Hello degenerates, heathens, weirdos, and deviants.  I am the Rock Otaku, and I’m here to show you worlds such as hard rock, metal, punk, alternative rock, movies, TV, anime, video games, and anything that makes us scream, shout, and go nuts!

Today, I provide my thoughts on the current Active Rock airplay chart as reported on americasmusiccharts.com.  If you fellow rockers feel that I should be shredding to the Alternative chart or a Billboard chart (like the Mainstream Rock or Modern Rock Charts), then feel free to tell me in the comments.  Anyway, here’s week 9.

For this week, there’s only one new entry and one resulting dropout.  It’s a sign that the charts have, for lack of better words, become stagnant.  Not to say that this is a bad idea, as rock is more of a genre whose popularity depends on how devoted fans are to an artist, and an artist to their craft, unlike pop music where a dumb meme can make a song huge.  As a result, there have been bands that have been around here for a LONG time, with some songs being on the charts for months at a time or even an entire year, and they have no sign of slowing down unless they either blatantly suck or have sold out.  This leads to the top 10 being dominated by bands and their side teams (production, management, and especially the road crew) that have WORKED THEIR ASSES OFF to get to where they needed to be.  It’s one of the reasons why I tend to be a fan of rock bands: their commitment to their craft.  And with LET THEM EAT METAL, I also discuss the legendary bands that went the extra step in heaviness and WHY they are legends, even if their material may not have aged well.  Thus, expect some of the same old or songs that you have warmed up to outside of the single new entry.

Here’s the list in reverse order, with reviews for any new songs:

50.       Head And the Heart – All We Ever Knew (46 last week): Pretty Good.
49.       Dorothy – Dark Nights (49 last week): Great
48.       Memphis May Fire – This Light I Hold f/J. Shaddix (50 last week): Okay
47.       Lamb of God – The Duke (45 last week): Good.
46.       Three Days Grace – You Don’t Get Me High Anymore (48 last week): Meh
45.       Nonpoint – Divided.. Conquer Them (47 Last Week): Okay.
44.       Judah & The Lion – Take It All Back (44 last week): Meh.
43.       Sylar – Dark Daze (41 last week): Meh.
42.       Badflower – Animal (43 last week): Great
41.       3 Doors Down – The Broken (42 last week): Meh.
40.       Pretty Reckless – Oh My God (New Arrival):
Here’s the obvious reference for some of you:
With that guitar intro, The Pretty Reckless charge back on the radio with a vengeance.  If you have no interest in the band after “Take Me Down” tried too hard to be retro, this is more in line with what they are: loud, in-your-face, sleazy rock n’ roll!  With a riff that’s pure punk and metal and a driving rhythm that has time to slow down, this track rocks hard and provides some adrenaline.  The production is decent, being the same used for the rest of their latest album, but relying too much on retro tones.  Plus, Taylor Momsen is on fire here, matching the rest of the band in intensity.  The only flaw I can think of is the lack of a guitar solo, but that’s me and my musical preferences.  With this being the only new arrival on the chart, it’s a sign that even some variety of any kind, may it be musical style or the makeup of the band, is accepted on a chart that leans more towards testosterone for better or worse.
39.       Bleeker – Highway (40 last week): Great
38.       Metallica – Hardwired (36 last week): Good
37.       Amity Affliction – All Messed Up (37 last week): Meh.
36.       Art of Anarchy – The Madness (35 last week): Good, but Stapp keeps it from great
35.       Goodbye June – Oh No (38 last week): Great
34.       From Ashes to New – Breaking Now (39 last week): Pretty good.
33.       One Less Reason – Break Me (31 last week): Okay
32.       Blink-182 – She’s Out Of Her Mind (32 last week): Good
31.       Avatar – Night Never Ending (34 last week): Great
30.       Adelitas Way – Ready For War (Pray For Peace) (33 last week): Good
29.       Through Fire – Breathe (29 last week): Okay
28.       Sick Puppies – Where Do I Begin (30 last week): Okay
27.       Devour The Day – The Bottom (28 last week): Good
26.       Alter Bridge – Show Me A Leader (23 last week): Awesome song, too bad it’s dropping
25.       Green Day – Bang Bang (20 last week): Great
24.       Gemini Syndrome – Remember We Die (26 last week): Good
23.       Metallica – Moth Into Flame (19 last week): Great
22.       Starset – Monster (24 last week): Great
21.       Pop Evil – If Only For Now (22 last week): Good
20.       Red Hot Chili Peppers – Go Robot (21 last week): Good
19.       Sixx:A.M. – We Will Not Go Quietly (25 last week): Okay
18.       In Flames – The Truth (18 last week): Boo
17.       Kings of Leon – Waste A Moment (16 last week): Great
16.       Korn – Take Me (17 last week): Depends on the mood
15.       Dinosaur Pile-Up – 11:11 (12 last week): Great
14.       Beartooth – Hated (15 last week): Depends on the mood
13.       Chevelle – Door To Door Cannibals (14 last week): Great
12.       Breaking Benjamin – Never Again (13 last week): Good
11.       A Day To Remember – Naivety (11 last week): Good
10.       Disturbed – Open Your Eyes (7 last week): Good
9.         Five Finger Death Punch – I Apologize (6 last week): Boo
8.         Red Sun Rising – Amnesia (9 last week): Great
7.         Shinedown – How Did You Love (10 last week): Okay
6.         Green Day – Still Breathing (8 last week): Good
5.         Avenged Sevenfold – The Stage (4 last week): Good, bordering on great
4.         Metallica – Atlas, Rise! (5 last week): Great, bordering on Awesome
3.         Volbeat – Seal The Deal (3 last week): Awesome
2.         Ghost – Square Hammer (2 last week): Awesome
1.         Highly Suspect – My Name Is Human (1 last week): Definitely one of my favorites from this year.

Now for the dropouts, in order of smallest to biggest drop, and my thoughts on them falling:

27 last week: Korn – Rotting In Vain:
So this song was, well, rotting on the charts in visibility for a while, hasn’t it?  With the recent shift, one Korn song had to be the one to drop off the chart, and it had to be the one that was on there for the longest.  As a result, this song got a drop that resulted in no mercy from radio, but not bad enough like previous weeks.  You can chalk this up to Korn’s relevance today as the reason for the drop, but as I’ve mentioned, they have shown no signs of stopping, even if said relevance is low in the mainstream (the entire mainstream).  But they also need to give some time off to other interests so another band can rise up and surpass them, even if they have made music that is some of their best in a while.  Sorry for the drop, and I’ve heard great things about this track, but it was time for it to take a dip and retire as a hit.

So that’s my analysis of the chart.  Feel free to comment if you feel that I should mention other songs, or if your views on the mentioned tracks are different from mine.  If you have suggestions to improve anything I do, don’t be shy.  Constructive criticism is the best criticism in my book about how to do this.  Also, tell me if you want album reviews or even reviews in other mediums.  I’m up for suggestions.

Coming Friday: Let Them Eat Metal Continues!

Until next time, this is the Rock Otaku.  Live Loud and Play Hard.

All used references are done under the rules of fair use and are owned by their original creators. 

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