In a world being asked to “socially distance“, nothing unites a community like music and The Faction’s Hardest 100 countdown did just that, rolling out today with the biggest 100 tracks of 2019as voted by listeners and galvanizing the metal community together in a country-wide celebration.
2019 was a massive year for heavy music in Australia & the world – and as the results shook out, it was Aussies to the front with Polaris‘ Masochist taking out the top spot, followed closely by The Amity Affliction‘s All My Friends Are Dead in #2 spot – an epic battle that played out from day 1 of voting.
Polaris‘ drummer and songwriter, Daniel Furnari, spoke with Browny and Pricey just after the win was announced and expressed his surprise at the win saying “I was not expecting that! I thought we might do ok, but this is incredible, thank you so much to all the people who voted!” The song was the first single released from their recent record The Death of Me, which debuted in the Australian charts at #1 AIR record, #1 ARIA Vinyl Chart, #2 ARIA Australian Artist Chart, #3 ARIA album and has begun storming the US and EU charts as well.
The countdown was hosted by Paul Brown, Tim Price and Ebony Story – and was presented byTheMusic.com.au, and supported by iHeartRadio, Download Festival Australia, Unify Gathering, 24 Hundred & Wall of Sound!
As for stats and facts from the countdown:
– This was the first Hardest 100 Countdown where UK band Architects have not taken out the #1 spot (though they did grab #54 for their Deftones cover released in 2019)
– Northlane and Thornhill took the crown for most number of entries with 5 a piece, TOOL took out 4 spots and 3 a piece went to Slipknot, Alpha Wolf, Ocean Grove and Dealer.
– Six tracks in the Top Ten were by Australian Artists, with fifty-seven tracks by Aussies across the whole countdown, keeping a roughly consistent 60% Australian average throughout!
– The title of longest song in the countdown goes to Periphery with ‘Reptile‘, clocking in at 16:43. Eat that Tool!
– Peak listenership across the countdown was up 278% on last year’s event, showing the turn towards music in tough times and more particularly, this massive year in metal.
The Faction is going from strength to strength, with the app recently updated (update your current app version or grab it today!) to accommodate some new features, such as, profile creation, access to follow The Faction’s streaming platform playlists and Hardest 100 voting and to the Matter of Faction Podcast episodes.
The Faction has also partnered with numerous designers to provide merchandise inspired by The Faction and heavy music culture! What better way to wear your love of metal on your sleeve and support local artists.
The Faction Hardest 100 countdown will return in 2021, counting down the best heavy songs of 2020!
THE HARDEST 100 2019
1. Polaris – Masochist
2. The Amity Affliction – All My Friends Are Dead
3. Ocean Grove – Ask For The Anthem
4. Bring Me The Horizon – Ludens
5. A Day To Remember – Resentment
6. Slipknot – Unsainted
7. Northlane – 4D
8. Northlane – Bloodline
9. Make Them Suffer – Hollowed Heart
10. Thornhill – Nurture
11. Falling In Reverse – Popular Monster
12. A Day To Remember – Degenerates
13. Thornhill – Where We Go When We Die
14. I Prevail – Bow Down
15. Northlane – Talking Heads
16. Knocked Loose – Mistakes Like Fractures
17. Windwaker – My Empire
18. Ocean Grove – Junkie$
19. Alpha Wolf – Sub-Zero
20. Dealer – Crooked
21. Splinter – Innocence
22. Parkway Drive – Shadow Boxing
23. Denzel Curry – Bulls on Parade (triple j Like A Version)
24. Thornhill – Lily & The Moon
25. Ice Nine Kills – IT Is The End
26. TOOL – 7empest
27. Dealer – Grotesque
28. Slipknot – Nero Forte
29. 23/19 – Attitude Error
30. Ocean Sleeper – Light In My Dark
31. Slowly Slowly – Jellyfish
32. Alpha Wolf – No Name
33. Wage War – Low
34. While She Sleeps – The Guilty Party
35. A New Way Home – Into You
36. TOOL – Fear Inoculum
37. A Somerset Parade – Clementine
38. Gravemind – Volgin
39. Slipknot – Solway Firth
40. Windwaker – The Sitch
41. Gravemind – Phantom Pain
42. Kublai Khan TX – Boomslang
43. Ocean Grove – Sunny
44. Stand Atlantic – Hate Me (Sometimes)
45. The Gloom in The Corner – Misanthropic
46. Thornhill – Coven
47. FEVER 333 – BURN IT
48. Killswitch Engage – The Signal Fire
49. Bring Me The Horizon – Wonderful life ft. Dani Filth
50. Deadlights – Bathed In Venom
51. The Beautiful Monument – Deceiver
52. ATLVS – Mercury feat. Jamie McLees of Lotus Eater
53. TOOL – Pneuma
54. Architects – Change (In The House Of Flies)
55. Falling in Reverse – Drugs
56. Rammstein – Deutschland
57. Rumours – Incredulous
58. Alexisonfire – Familiar Drugs
59. Bring Me The Horizon – Medicine
60. Belle Haven – Forget Me
61. Dealer – Pretty Stupid
62. Ocean Sleeper – Hate Me Like You Mean It
63. Thy Art Is Murder – Death Squad Anthem
64. Thy Art Is Murder – Make America Hate Again
65. A Past In Ruins – No Going Back
66. I Prevail – Breaking Down
67. Knocked Loose – …And Still I Wander South
68. Rumours – Paralysed
69. Fit For A King – When Everything Means Nothing
70. Silverstein – Burn It Down feat. Caleb Shomo
71. The Daily Chase – Freedom/Fiction
72. (hed) p.e. – Can I Rock
73. A Swift Farewell – What You Wanted
74. Northlane – Eclipse
75. Stray From The Path – Kickback feat. Brendan Murphy
76. Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes – Crowbar
77. Kublai Khan TX – Self-Destruct
78. Mirrors – Damien
79. Northlane – Details Matter
80. Alpha Wolf – Russian Roulette
81. Reside – Replace Me
82. Beartooth – You never know
83. Slowly Slowly – Safety Switch
84. TOOL – Invincible
85. Dance Gavin Dance – Head Hunter
86. The Butterfly Effect – Unbroken
87. Thornhill – Views From The Sun
88. Pridelands – Dark Sources
89. Slowly Slowly – Creature of Habit Pt.2
90. After The Burial – Behold The Crown
91. Cog – Drawn Together
92. Counterparts – Paradise and Plague
93. Issues – Tapping Out
94. Periphery – Reptile
95. Sleep Token – The Offering
96. Void of Vision – If Only
97. Stepson – The Entire History Of You
98. Enter Shikari – Stop The Clocks
99. Dream State – Primrose
100. Osaka Punch – Drones