The Faction Hardest 100 Metal songs of all time revealed: Architects, Metallica, Parkway Drive top the poll

The Faction 24/7 heavy radio counted down THE HARDEST 100 this weekend, Australia’s biggest ever poll of the greatest metal songs of all time. With over 15,000 votes tallied, the countdown was a smorgasbord of ‘what a banger’s and ‘shoulda been higher’s.

Hosted by Dead Letter Circus’ Kim Benzie, The Beautiful Monument’s Lizi Blanco and Wall of Sound’s Brownie, the epic day culminated with the crowning of #1 as voted by The Faction listeners, Architects with their epic hit Doomsday.

HARDEST 100 FAST FACTS:

– Metallica and Parkway Drive were the most represented artists in the countdown with SEVEN entries each

– Australian artists were well represented with 21 of the 100 songs. Parkway Drive, The Amity Affliction, AC/DC, Northlane and Karnivool all scored multiple entries.

– The countdown reflected five decades of metal with the most popular decades the 90s (29%), 00s (27%), 10s (23%), 80s (16%) and 70s (5%)

– The oldest song in the countdown was Black Sabbath’s Paranoid (1970), the newest was Polaris’ Lucid (2017)

– The longest song in the countdown is Opeth’s “Blackwater Park” clocking in at 11 minutes, 47 seconds.

The countdown was celebrated with parties both private and public as the nation’s metalheads came together to pay respect to the history of the world’s best genre.

“The votes from The Faction listeners have produced a stunning list of songs that prove why metal is among the most successful genres in the world,” said The Faction Content Director Tim Price. “From Black Sabbath through to Architects, just as The Faction is a celebration of metal in all its forms, The Hardest 100 has well and truly delivered a flag to wave for the genre.”

The Hardest 100 was so popular it maxed out the servers, becoming easily the biggest day of streaming in the station’s history. The countdown will be replayed for those who missed out or those who want to relive it from 3pm Monday March 19 and again from midday on Sunday March 25. You can also listen to the whole list right now at The Faction’s Spotify and Apple Music Hardest 100 playlists.

Shout out to our dedicated listeners, including one listening to the countdown while taking his kids on the Giant Drop at Dreamworld and apologies to those shopping at stores who switched to The Faction for the day. Ronan Keating will be back tomorrow.

THE FACTION HARDEST 100 OF ALL TIME

1. Architects – Doomsday
2. Metallica – Master Of Puppets
3. Parkway Drive – Carrion
4. Metallica – One
5. Rage Against The Machine – Killing In The Name
6. Polaris – The Remedy
7. A Day To Remember – The Downfall of Us All
8. System of a Down – Chop Suey!
9. Tool – Forty Six and Two
10. Slipknot – Duality
11. Black Sabbath – War Pigs
12. Architects – Nihilist
13. Slipknot – Wait and Bleed
14. Deftones – My Own Summer (Shove It)
15. Tool – Stinkfist
16. Slayer – Raining Blood
17. Alexisonfire – This Could Be Anywhere In The World
18. Black Sabbath – Paranoid
19. Bullet For My Valentine – Tears Don’t Fall
20. Karnivool – Themata
21. Slayer – Angel Of Death
22. Parkway Drive – Romance is Dead
23. Meshuggah – Bleed
24. A Perfect Circle – Judith
25. Thy Art is Murder – Reign of Darkness
26. Bring Me The Horizon – Shadow Moses
27. Pantera – Walk
28. Bring Me The Horizon – Sleepwalking
29. Tool – Lateralus
30. A Day To Remember – All I Want
31. AC/DC – Highway to Hell
32. Machine Head – Davidian
33. Northlane – Quantum Flux
34. In Hearts Wake – Earthwalker Feat. Joel Birch from The Amity Affliction
35. AC/DC – Back in Black
36. 30 Seconds to Mars – The Kill
37. The Amity Affliction – Pittsburgh
38. Alice In Chains – Would?
39. Rage Against The Machine – Bulls On Parade
40. Slipknot – Psychosocial
41. Disturbed – Down With The Sickness
42. Architects – Gravity
43. Megadeth – Holy Wars… The Punishment Due
44. Northlane – Dispossession
45. Metallica – Battery
46. Parkway Drive – Smoke ‘Em If Ya Got ‘Em
47. Marilyn Manson – The Beautiful People
48. Pantera – Domination
49. Korn – Freak on a Leash
50. Faith No More – The Gentle Art Of Making Enemies
51. Metallica – Enter Sandman
52. Killswitch Engage – The End Of Heartache
53. Korn – Blind
54. Slipknot – (sic)
55. The Amity Affliction – Youngbloods
56. The Amity Affliction – Open Letter
57. Parkway Drive – Bottom Feeder
58. Slipknot – Spit It Out
59. Motorhead – Ace Of Spades
60. A Day To Remember – All Signs Point to Lauderdale
61. Dio – Holy Diver
62. Fear Factory – Replica
63. Metallica – Fade To Black
64. Hellions – Thresher
65. Rammstein – Du Hast
66. Lamb of God – Laid To Rest
67. Tool – The Pot
68. Faith No More – Epic
69. Iron Maiden – Run to the Hills
70. Parkway Drive – Sleepwalker
71. Linkin Park – One Step Closer
72. Nirvana – Smells Like Teen Spirit
73. Iron Maiden – The Number Of The Beast
74. Black Sabbath – Iron Man
75. Parkway Drive – Horizons
76. Sepultura – Roots Bloody Roots
77. Black Sabbath – Black Sabbath
78. Limp Bizkit – Break Stuff
79. Tool – Sober
80. Alice Cooper – Poison
81. Metallica – For Whom The Bell Tolls
82. Bring Me The Horizon – Drown
83. System of a Down – Toxicity
84. Karnivool – Roquefort
85. Pantera – I’m Broken
86. Metallica – Creeping Death
87. Polaris – Lucid
88. Alter Bridge – Blackbird
89. Asking Alexandria – Final Episode
90. Fear Factory – Demanufacture
91. Judas Priest – Painkiller
92. Iron Maiden – Hallowed Be Thy Name
93. Korn – Got the Life
94. Parkway Drive – Crushed
95. Mastodon – Oblivion
96. Deftones – Be Quiet And Drive
97. Opeth – Blackwater Park
98. Refused – New Noise
99. Slipknot – The Devil in I
100. Lamb of God – Redneck