Our Annual Report rocks on with our list of the 30 Best Metal & Hard Rock Songs of 2023. We’ve got plenty more coming as we look back on the best in music, film, and TV of 2023, so stay tuned. Find our full Annual Report coverage here, and don’t forget to see our 30 Best Metal & Hard Rock Albums of 2023 list, too.
Picking the best metal and hard rock songs each year is never an easy task. Unlike pop music, where singles take the spotlight, finding the year’s best heavy tunes can take us off the beaten path. But once we embarked on that trail, we found a treasure trove of stellar tracks.
What we discovered was an eclectic mix of songs, ranging from standout tunes from Rock & Roll Hall of Fame acts like Metallica and Judas Priest, to dynamic cuts from newly formed bands like Better Lovers, Empire State Bastard, and Many Eyes.
A handful of these songs made big impacts on rock radio, including singles from Sevendust, Dirty Honey, and Wolfgang Van Halen’s Mammoth WVH. Others came late in the year from albums that won’t be released until 2024, including tunes from Ministry, Chelsea Wolfe, and Ihsahn.
The 30 Best Metal & Hard Rock Songs of 2023, as chosen by the staff of Heavy Consequence, offer a wide range of sounds from hardcore to industrial to extreme to melodic. See our picks in the list below.
— Spencer Kaufman
Managing Editor, Heavy Consequence