Top Ten Explosive Rock Songs

Hello Folks.


Earlier this year, The New Paper had a contest in which you submit your top ten songs for a chosen genre for that particular week, and if they like it, they'll give you an ipod.


I submitted the following list but they snubbed me. Fuck them.


I really wanted that damn ipod. Nonetheless, here's the list. Theme for that week was rock. Now the thing with rock is that it's very broad still, so i decided to narrow it down by selecting songs that were explosive in nature:


Each of these songs was chosen for their explosive nature. A rock song’s explosion bit is the part of the song which truly encapsulates every essence of what rock music is truly about i.e. Rawness, Pureness and Explosiveness of a distorted guitar riff which seem to radiate through our speakers and into our heads, causing uncontrollable spasms which in turn lead to the unexplainable motion of moving our heads back and forth, our eyelids half closed and our fingers picking away at the imaginary air guitar. All of us have been guilty of doing those things, right?

FEE’s EXPLOSIVE Rock Playlist
*Parenthesis indicates explosive bits of the song.
VE indicates Verse Explosiveness (max 10 pts)
CE indicates Chorus Explosiveness. (max 10 pts)


Nirvana – Lithium (0:38 secs, 1:57mins)
Grunge Gurus Nirvana kicks start the playlist with a rock song which lulls listeners with its simplistic verse, only to shatter eardrums with its EXPLOSIVE chorus. This is a simple rock song at its best. Another example of a song with the same format would be Radiohead’s ‘Creep’.
VE:5, CE: 9

Drowning Pool – I don’t care about anyone (0:37secs, 1:20mins, 2:54mins)
This heavy metal outfit from Dallas was a very promising band until their vocalist was found dead on the tour bus. Their first rock hit was, ‘Bodies’, is seriously off the charts in the EXPLOSIVE barometer. So to protect the eardrums of mainstream Singaporeans, I’ve decided to include their milder rock hit instead.
VE: 7, CE: 8

Endo– Simple Lies (0:49secs, 2:40mins)
The bass line and the drums in the verse for this song is just bliss. Perfectly synchronized with the continuous guitar riff in the verse, it sets up perfectly for the chorus. You have been warned. VE: 7, CE: 9

Breaking Benjamin – Breath (0:05secs, 1:03secs, 2:44mins)
They aren’t quite well known by the local crowd here. But ask any expatriate teenager here about them and you get a euphoric response. They are known for their melodious brand of rock and their lyrical prowess. The chorus is exceptionally brilliant, bringing listeners through a series of emotions within ten seconds.
VE: 7, CE: 9.

Creed - Bullets(0:47secs)
I was pleasantly surprised when I stumbled upon this track. The Creed we hear here is very incongruent with the songs we usually are exposed to by them. I am not complaining of course. VE: 8, CE: 9

Disturbed – Stupify (0:01secs, 0:59secs)
Formed in 1996, this hard rock band from Chicago has been around long enough to produce some of the most awesome riffs in rock history. The verse in this song is unique due to its synthesized guitar effect, while the chorus is just pure EXPLOSION. Keep an ear out for a surprising bit at 2:27mins. Go ahead.
VE: 8, CE: 9

Muse – Hysteria(0:01secs, 0:21secs, 1:03mins, 2:25mins)
They came to Fort Canning, they saw their fans, and they conquered their hearts (or ears). Muse is a band which needs no introduction. This song especially, with its EXPLOSIVE distorted bass intro, you know what you’re getting into when you listen to this song.
VE: 8, CE: 9

Korn– Twisted Transistor (0:08secs, 0:35secs, 0:43secs, 0:52secs)
Do not let the hilarious music video fool you guys. KORN is a rock making factory, and the chorus in this song just solidifies their brand of music i.e. EXPLOSIVENESS.
VE: 8, CE: 10

System of a Down – Toxicity (0:12secs, 1:13mins, 2:38mins, 3:25mins)
Not a mainstream radio band in Singapore, System of a Down’s brand of music is the sort which many stations cannot handle. It’s too raw, too rugged, and too rough. It is just, too rock. With drum beats like this, your woofers need to be made of solid titanium.
VE:9, CE: 10

Metallica – Wherever I may roam (0:30secs, 0:48secs, 2:05mins, 3:42mins, 4:14mins, 5:43mins)
Do I really need to say much? Okay, maybe two words: ORGASMIC ROCK.
VE: 10, CE: 10

And there you have it, the ten most EXPLOSIVE rock songs.



Folks, you know of other explosive songs?