Top 10 Metal Songs of 2011

Danish heavy metal outfit Volbeat graced 2011 with the single 'A Warrior's Call' from their latest album, 'Beyond Hell/Above Heaven.' The album was especially successful in Europe, where it attained Gold status in Austria, Finland, Germany and Sweden, and attaining Platinum status in Denmark. 'A Warriors Call' was written specifically for Danish boxer Mikkel Kessler, who also sang during the "fight, fight, fight, fight" portion of the song.

Ohio metalcore mavens the Devil Wears Prada made an impact in 2011 with the track 'Born to Lose' from their fourth album 'Dead Throne.' Lead singer Mike Hranica was going through some dark times when recording the album, and 'Born To Lose' is a perfect example of the intensity that makes its way through all the tracks on 'Dead Throne.' Hranica also cited Polish black metal legends Behemoth as a big influence on the heavy and dark atmosphere of the album.

All That Remains have proven to be one of the 2000s most dominant metalcore acts. Produced by Adam Dutkiewicz of Killswitch Engage fame, All That Remains' latest album 'For We Are Many' peaked at No. 10 on the Billboard Top 200 Chart. 'The Last Time' is a single that shows off ATR's more melodic side without taking away from their metal sensibilities -- proving a song can be radio friendly and head-bang worthy at the same time.

Why did we include a track from the much maligned Lou Reed & Metallica album 'Lulu' on a year-end list of the best metal songs, you ask? Simple, the album's opening track 'Brandenburg Gate' is an epic song that is everything the rest of the album should have been. From the crushing guitars to James Hetfield's "small town girl" refrain to Reed's tormented delivery of the verses, the tune is a musical tour de force. We only wish the momentum of this song carried over to the rest of 'Lulu.'

Thrash titans Megadeth have been going strong for nearly 30 years and their 2011 album 'TH1RT3EN' is no exception. 'Public Enemy No. 1' does anything but stray from that path, providing Megadeth fans with another powerful and shred-tastic track from their thrash heroes. With Dave Mustaine re-teamed with David Ellefson, Megadeth are back on top of their game. Catch them next year on the Gigantour with Motorhead, Volbeat and Lacuna Coil.

Written as a one-finger salute to their haters, Five Finger Death Punch released the monster track, 'Under and Over It' this year from their album 'American Capitalist.' The music video for the track is a throwback to the era of '80s glam rock - complete with scantily clad females, obscene luxury and many other defining characteristics of the time. Racking up millions of plays from various YouTube pages, 'Under and Over It' is one of 2011's biggest hits.

Trivium delivered their latest album 'In Waves' this past summer. The disc's second single 'Built to Fall' is a majestic tune that features frontman Matt Heafy wavering between melodic vocals and epic screams. With lines like "You’ve got your war against my head / Push that button, make it end,” this tune isn't for the faint of heart. The album gave Trivium their highest Billboard position to date, debuting at No. 13.

The success of Mastodon is unique for both popular music and experimental sludge metal. The accessibility, influence and originality of the band have shot Mastodon into a realm where few bands are greatly respected across the entire metal landscape. 'Curl of the Burl,' a raucous track that hits hard all the way through, is Mastodon's second single from 'The Hunter,' which due to its awesomeness, charted as high as No. 10 on the Billboard 200 chart.

Machine Head have shown their progression once again with the release of 'Unto the Locust.' Receiving insanely positive reviews, Robb Flynn stated to Loudwire during our interview with the frontman that 'Unto the Locust' is "something the metal world needed." The single 'Locust' seems to represent just that, as the single has racked up 1.5 million plays on the Roadrunner Records YouTube channel, while the video for the tune is simply epic.

The underdogs of the 'Big 4' of thrash have made their way to the top in 2011. Beating songs by other Big 4 members Metallica and Megadeth on this list, Anthrax's 'The Devil You Know' highlights the strengths of the legendary band. Anthrax's 2011 release 'Worship Music' celebrates the return of original vocalist Joey Belladonna after a 21-year absence from recording with the band. 'Worship Music' was met with critical acclaim and a No. 12 debut spot on the Billboard 200 chart. The awesome track 'The Devil You Know' is Loudwire's pick for the No. 1 metal song of 2011.