Sydney metalcore band Polaris have taken out the number spot on The Faction’s Hardest 100 of 2019.
Their track ‘Masochist’ was a late contender, dropping in November last year as the first taste of their recently released second album, ‘The Death Of Me.’
Following on the heels of Polaris were The Amity Affliction, who came in second with the song ‘All My Friends Are Dead.’ According to The Faction, the war between The Amity Affliction and Polaris was “an epic battle that played out from day one of voting”.
Ocean Grove, Bring Me The Horizon, Northlane, Slipknot and Thornhill are also featured in the top ten.
This year’s countdown was full of Australian talent, totalling at 57 per cent of the total list. 60 per cent of the top ten were homegrown artists too.
Northlane and Thornhill tied for the most number of entries in the Hardest 100 of 2019 – five tracks each, from their respective albums ‘Alien’ and ‘The Dark Pool.’
Listen to ‘Masochist’ below.
Hardest 100, which runs in a similar vein to triple j’s Hottest 100, is produced by heavy music radio station The Faction. The countdown is open to both Australian and International acts within the realms of hardcore, metal, punk and heavy rock.
When the countdown first kicked off, Wall of Sound reported Tim Price of The Faction saying, “time after time, the world over, we see that representation means everything – to be seen – so in a time where heavy music is fighting for its spot to be seen at The Grammys or The ARIAs, I want to put it to the front of mind and give the scene something to own and to feel like their voice is being heard.”
This is the first year since the Hardest 100’s inception in 2017, where Brighton metalcore outfit Architects haven’t won. Although, they did make an appearance at #54 with their cover of Deftones ‘Change (In The House Of Flies).’
The Faction Hardest 100 of 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