Rock

HRD Radio Report – Week Ending 9/11/21

Music Critic

Sep 20, 2021 • 5 years ago • 4 min read • 121 views

HRD Radio Report – Week Ending 9/11/21

Each week on HardRockDaddy.com. The HRD Radio Report digs deeper into the weekly Active Rock charts, providing commentary, reviews, recommendations and predictions. It also features opinion pieces on chart action and the music business in general. The following is the Active Rock Mediabase Chart for the week ending 9/11/21. All exclusive HRD content is featured below the chart:

RANK (TW) RANK (LW) ARTIST SONG TITLE SPINS 1 2 FOO FIGHTERS Making A Fire 1774 2 4 PRETTY RECKLESS Only Love Can Save Me Now 1734 3 1 MAMMOTH WVH Don’t Back Down 1650 4 3 VOLBEAT Wait A Minute My Girl 1412 5 5 CHEVELLE Mars Simula 1281 6 6 DAUGHTRY Heavy Is The Crown 1216 7 9 SEETHER Wasteland 1152 8 7 EVANESCENCE Better Without You 1139 9 8 POP EVIL Survivor 1136 10 10 ATREYU Warrior f/Travis Barker 1074 11 12 HALESTORM Back From The Dead 934 12 13 BEARTOOTH The Past Is Dead 885 13 14 FOZZY Sane 831 14 16 AYRON JONES Supercharged 804 15 15 FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH Darkness Settles In 769 16 21 ASKING ALEXANDRIA Alone Again 667 17 17 GRETA VAN FLEET Built By Nations 659 18 19 IRON MAIDEN The Writing On The Wall 583 19 18 DEAD POET SOCIETY .CoDA. 566 20 23 BADFLOWER Don’t Hate Me 557 21 20 ARCHITECTS Dead Butterflies 508 22 22 COHEED AND CAMBRIA Shoulders 507 23 24 FUEL Hard 467 24 26 THRICE Scavengers 451 25 27 STARSET Infected 412 26 29 DIRTY HONEY The Wire 320 27 0 BAD WOLVES Lifeline 284 28 31 TRIVIUM Feast Of Fire 256 29 30 LILITH CZAR Anarchy 248 30 28 NONPOINT Ruthless 239 31 33 BLACK STONE CHERRY Give Me One Reason 238 32 37 DED Kill Beautiful Things 211 33 32 TWIZTID Envy f/Ice Nine Kills 211 34 34 JOYOUS WOLF Fearless 205 35 35 DROPOUT KINGS Virus f/Shayley Bourget 194 36 0 PAPA ROACH Kill The Noise 164 37 25 L.A. RATS I’ve Been Everywhere 158 38 43 DEAD SARA Heroes 157 39 36 GREEN DAY Pollyanna 150 40 41 TREMONTI If Not For You 114 41 40 DOROTHY What’s Coming To Me 111 42 49 AVATAR Going Hunting 110 43 39 KINGDOM COLLAPSE Unbreakable 107 44 42 PAPA ROACH Swerve f/Jason A. Butler/Sueco 95 45 45 WEEZER All My Favorite Songs f/AJR 93 46 44 SAUL Looking To Fight 88 47 46 THE RECORD COMPANY How High 87 48 48 BLIND CHANNEL Dark Side 82 49 47 MANESKIN I Wanna Be Your Slave 82 50 52 WAGE WAR Circle The Drain 81

PUBLISHER’S PICK OF THE WEEK (By Adam Waldman)

BLACKTOP MOJO – “Wicked Woman”

There has been a resurgence of the Led Zeppelin influence permeating the modern hard rock scene in recent years. Some sound like lost Zeppelin tracks, while others just use the bluesy, riff-driven groove of Jimmy Page to give their song a timeless, ‘70s feel. Blacktop Mojo’s “Wicked Woman” falls squarely into the latter category. It’s just another layer to peel back in the seemingly endless onion that is the ever-evolving sound of (in my opinion) the most underrated band in rock and roll today.

While there is a Zeppelin vibe to the “Wicked Woman” opening riff, it also features the intensity of Judas Priest’s “Victim Of Changes,” and the stoner sensibilities of classic Black Sabbath riffs. With each passing release, Matt James continues to cement himself as one of the best vocalists in rock today. Impassioned, soulful, and a boundless range of styles and influences makes James one of the most versatile vocalists as well. But Blacktop Mojo is more than just a lead singer that makes you stand up and take notice.

Ryan Kiefer is a throwback to the days of the guitar gods, effortlessly blending ‘70s hard rock with ‘80s shredding into a modern sound that makes him one of the most impressive guitarists in rock today. James and Kiefer are only allowed to shine because the rest of the band provides an incredible foundation. It’s not just about being tight as a unit though. There is a chemistry with Blacktop Mojo that is virtually unrivaled by other developing artists. Having seen them live in an intimate setting, I can attest that this is not manufactured with studio tools. They are simply one of the best bands around.

It may sound like a familiar refrain coming from me, but I have to wonder again if this track or this album is the one that gets them the recognition that they so richly deserve.

HRD SPIN CONTROL

Hard Rock Daddy recommends the following tracks for airplay on Active Rock Radio…

ARTIST SONG TITLE BLACKTOP MOJO Wicked Woman BLACK LABEL SOCIETY Set You Free PARALANDRA Despicable TESLA Cold Blue Steel ICE NINE KILLS/JACOBY SHADDIX Hip To Be Scared FROM ASHES TO NEW Light Up The Sky ROLLING STONES Living In The Heart Of Love SUECO Paralyzed LOVE THE HATE Solid Ground BIG WRECK (f. CHAD KROEGER) Middle Of Nowhere PSYCHO HILL Dying Day

GREATEST GAINERS…

ARTIST SONG TITLE spINcrease BAD WOLVES Lifeline 284 PAPA ROACH Kill The Noise 164 PRETTY RECKLESS Only Love Can Save Me Now 153 ASKING ALEXANDRIA Alone Again 153 SEETHER Wasteland 123