The Best Rock + Metal Songs of September – Staff Favorites + More

Here are the best rock and metal songs of September, 2022!

It was the most stacked month of new music so far this year with some seriously huge acts all dropping fresh tunes. Even so, plenty of newcomers and other artists dominated our listening habits this month. Beyond all the essentials, the Loudwire staff has made selections for their own personal favorites from September and it's possible you may have missed some of these. There's literally hundreds of new songs coming out each week, but nothing was as good as what you'll find below!

Follow the Best of the Month playlist here.

THE ESSENTIALS

You know these bands and you probably heard these songs the instant they came out — midnight Spotify lurkers, we see you. These were the songs that kept September roaring:

10 Years, “The Optimist”
Adelitas Way, “New Era”
Alter Bridge, “Sin After Sin”
Avatar, “Valley of Disease”
Behemoth, “Versvs Christvs”
Black Veil Brides, “Saviour II”
BRKN LOVE, “Under the Knife”
Bush, “Heavy Is the Ocean”
Clutch, “Skeletons on Mars”
Counterparts, “Bound to the Burn”
The Cult, “A Cut Inside”
Dayseeker, “Dreamstate”
Devin Townsend, “Call of the Void”
Disturbed, “Unstoppable”
Dying Fetus, “Compulsion for Cruelty”
Epica, “The Final Lullaby” ft. Shining
Exhumed, “Carbonized”
Godsmack, “Surrender”
In Flames, “Foregone Pt. 1”
Lamb of God, ‘Grayscale”
Lorna Shore, “Pain Remains I: Dancing Like Flames”
Mammoth WVH, “Talk & Walk”
Megadeth, “The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!”
Nickelback, “San Quentin”
NOFX, “Darby Crashing Your Party”
Ozzy Osbourne, “Nothing Feels Right” ft. Zakk Wylde
Palaye Royale, “Lifeless Stars”
Paramore, “This Is Why”
Pierce the Veil, “Pass the Nirvana”
Pixies, “Dregs of the Wine”
Poppy, “FYB”
Red Hot Chili Peppers, “Eddie”
Shallow Side, “The Worst Kind”
Skid Row, “Time Bomb”
Sleeping With Sirens, “Complete Collapse”
Smashing Pumpkins, “Beguiled”
The HU, “Bii Biyelgee”
The Smashing Pumpkins, “Beguiled”
Thrice, “Open Your Eyes and Dream”
VV (Ville Valo), “Echolocate Your Love”
We Came As Romans, “Golden”

STAFF FAVORITES

The stuff Loudwire's team has been obsessed with.

Philip Trapp

BAND: Dropkick Murphys
SONG: "All You Fonies"
RELEASED: Sept. 14

It's good to know that Woody Guthrie still gets invoked in rock music in 2022. Is it not? The iconic Dust Bowl folk troubadour who birthed Bob Dylan by writing songs for the working person and against fascism bore a hole in the middle of the 20th century. Today, punk legends Dropkick Murphys bring Guthrie's words to life on This Machine Still Kills Fascists, their new album that recreates classic Guthrie yarns. "All You Fonies" is a perfect example. Other singles from the effort, "Two 6's Upside Down" and "Ten Times More," go just as hard.

BAND: Taipei Houston
SONG: "The Middle"
RELEASED: Sept. 13

Didn't you know? Metallica fans can find Lars Ulrich's two adult sons, the musicians Myles Ulrich and Layne Ulrich, making anthemic rock under the name of Taipei Houston. With a retro-futuristic style that mines classic sounds from the garage to the arena, the duo reached a high point this month with the gristly "The Middle," their latest single. It follows Taipei Houston's first official track, July's "As the Sun Sets." Both noisy alt-rock bangers prove the provenance of their creators. And there's sure to be much more rock from the rock star progeny, perhaps even a debut album. Nepotism, be damned!

BAND: Nancy Wilson
SONG: "Amigo Amiga"
RELEASED: Sept. 28

Heart guitarist and co-vocalist Nancy Wilson hits a tender note on her latest solo single, "Amigo Amiga." It's a touching tribute song for Taylor Hawkins, the Foo Fighters drummer and friend of Wilson's who died at 50 in March. The tune's title comes from affectionate nicknames the pair had for each other. Wilson worked with Hawkins on Taylor Hawkins & The Coattail Riders' 2019 song "Don't Look at Me That Way." Hawkins appears on "Party at the Angel Ballroom" from Wilson's 2021 solo album, You and Me. Tributes to the late drummer continue to show his impact on music and on others.

Todd Fooks

BAND: Drowning Pool
SONG: “A Devil More Damned”
RELEASED: Sept. 22

Drowning Pool vocalist Jasen Moreno does a good job flipping back between clean and filthy singing in this song about a cursed soul. Written and recorded pre-pandemic, the long awaited new album from DP sounds like it was conceived in a pandemic world, full of angst and anger.

BAND: He Is Legend
SONG: “Lifeless Lemonade”
RELEASED: Sept. 23

North Carolina alternative metal act He is Legend have a ferocious new song in “Lifeless Lemonade.” Thunderous downpicking creates an apocalyptic groove throughout, and vocalist Schuylar Croom says their upcoming album Endless Hallway is their most aggressive to date. Out Nov. 11, if you like heavy music and haven’t heard this band before, this new album is probably a warm pool to jump into.

Lauryn Schaffner

BAND: Electric Mary
SONG: “3 Days Gone”
RELEASED: Sept. 22

This track has so much energy that I can imagine it as the absolute perfect show opener, and it has the potential to be a crowd favorite, too. It’s the perfect dirty, gritty rock ‘n’ roll song to introduce people to Electric Mary if they’ve never heard them before — it certainly perked my ears.

BAND: Dead Pony
SONG: “All Dressed Up for Nothing”
RELEASED: Sept. 22

Dead Pony’s latest release has one of the most infectious melodies I’ve heard in a long time. I’ve been randomly humming it since I first heard it, and songs don’t get stuck in my head unless I’m really captivated by them — that’s saying something considering it’s from the band’s debut EP. There’s a really airy and light feeling to the track, despite the fact that it’s about being let down by a romantic interest, which is something that we’ve all experienced at one point or another. 10/10 for melody and sound, plus bonus points for relatability.

Rabab Al-Sharif

BAND: Regulate
SONG: “Hair”
RELEASED: Sept. 21

Who says harcore can’t bring hooks? This catchy track from Regulate features a feel-good riff that’s sure to lift your spirits and proves that this NY hardcore band isn’t afraid show a more melodic side. If you like what you hear you should check out their sophomore self-titled album, which just dropped Sept. 30.

Chad Childers

BAND: Astralux
SONG: “Desert Dream”
RELEASED: Sept. 14

When you know, you know! Los Angeles-based Astralux only formed in 2021 and officially filled out their lineup earlier this year, but the band has quickly graduated to buzzy status in the L.A. music scene. It’s easy to see why when you’re dropping material as catchy as the new single “Desert Dream” from their forthcoming album of the same name. It’s got a ‘70s glam stomp beat to it that has been put to good use by Wolfmother, The Black Keys and Tame Impala amongst others over the past decade. This earworm should be a guaranteed “repeat” after your first listen.

BAND: Bones UK
SONG: “Cheap Love”
RELEASED: Sept. 26

After an impressive 2019 debut album that yielded a Grammy nomination, Bones UK appear ready to move on to their second release. And if “Cheap Love” is any indication, the sky’s the limit. Singer Rosie Bones shows some vocal dexterity with her melodic lament about the struggle to find the desire to push forward in this world on days when you may not be feeling it. “It’s about sometimes not particularly liking the planet we live on and doing whatever you can to find a reason to keep dancing,” she explains of the song. Take a listen, get pulled in and enjoy this dose of motivation.

BAND: Moon Fever
SONG: “Live Fast Die Young”
RELEASED: Sept. 22

Sometimes you just need a song to crank, and over the last month, Moon Fever’s “Live Fast Die Young” seems to do the trick. The four-piece ride the high energy rock grooves, with vocalist Triston Bracht bringing a certain swagger with his vocal rasp and attitude. The song lives up to what the title says, so turn this all the way up and live in the now!

BAND: Stone Foxes
SONG: “Time Is a Killer”
RELEASED: Sept. 15

Who’s the scariest villain this Halloween season? If you listen to the new Stone Foxes song, that would be “time.” The San Francisco outfit summoned up a bluesy stomp to compare the concept of time to a “bone chiller” and a “fright night thriller,” unrelenting in nature leaving victims in its wake. Close your eyes and you can almost envision this being an Arctic Monkeys song, as it has that certain bluesy swagger the band has perfected over the last two decades. You can find this standout on Stone Foxes’ On the Other Side album, due Nov. 18.

BAND: WHIMZ
SONG: “PM2”
RELEASED: Sept. 26

Synth rock and doom metal aren’t often two things that go together, but damn if the peanut butter and chocolate don’t mix perfectly here. WHIMZ is the new collaborative effort between Blackwater Holylight’s ethereal sounding vocalist Sunny Faris and Night Heron’s Cam Spies, with “PM2” following the recently released “AM1.” The song has a certain cinematic flare, evoking dark night energy serving as the backdrop to Faris’ vocals. It’s a hypnotically engaging track that serves the upcoming PM226 album (it’s due Oct. 28) well.

Graham Hartmann

BAND: Darko US
SONG: “Evolving”
RELEASED: Sept. 26

Darko US is one of the highest graduates of the Mick Gordon School of Sonic Brutality. So if you’re looking for music similar to the DOOM (2016) or DOOM Eternal soundtrack, listen to Darko’s second album, Oni. With a guest verse from rapper Shaolin G, Darko dug deep to bring you one of the heaviest tracks of 2022 so far, topped off with a final breakdown that’ll give you stinkface for days.

BAND: Liquify
SONG: “Arrival on Solaria”
RELEASED: Sept. 19

Where to even start with Stoned Meadow of Doom? The YouTube channel drops new stoner rock/metal albums just about every day, and somehow most of them tend to hit the spot when you’re looking to space out on that sweet leaf. One of the community’s favorite acts is Liquify, who released a highly-lauded record, Illusionary Reality, in 2021. Perhaps a more digestible follow-up, 2022’s Arrival on Solaria EP contains just one song with a spacey 10-minute intro followed by 10 more minutes of fuzzed-out riffs and stargazing solos. Inhale. Enjoy!

Joe DiVita

BAND: Hoaxed
SONG: “The Call”
RELEASED: Sept. 1

I first caught wind of Hoaxed when I saw their name on a poster for a North American tour with headliners Amorphis, a band I’ve held dearly for many years. At the time, the duo (vocalist/guitarist Kat Leo and drummer Kim Coffel) only had a four-song EP out, which was plenty mesmerizing, particularly “Candle Master.” Since, they’ve inked a deal with Relapse Records and are set to release their Two Shadows debut full length just three days before Halloween — how fitting!

Anyway, “The Call” is a spellbinding track with rolling drums and hypnotic riffs, the perfect foundation for Kat Leo’s enchanting voice, which is bathed in some light effects for a more ghastly impact. Add this band to all of your Halloween playlists and please, PLEASE keep listening well beyond metal’s favorite holiday.

BAND: Antropofagus
SONG: “Hymns of Acrimony”
RELEASED: Sept. 15

I haven’t been this stoked for SLIME TIME since I was a kid watching Nickelodeon. Okay, that’s a lie — Morbid Angel reignited my love of all things slimy — but I needed a clever setup to introduce you all to “Hymns of Acrimony” from Italian bringers of dripping death, Antropofagus.

They’ve got all the chunky Trey Azagthoth-isms down, a cross between “Where the Slime Live” and “God of Emptiness” at times, but it’s not full on clone status with this four-piece. Antropofagus actually released their first record in 1999, but disbanded for a while and have been on a five-year release gap since 2012, now readying their fourth album, Origin for an Oct. 28 release.

BAND: Morbikon
SONG: “Cursed to March on Shattered Limbs”
RELEASED: Sept. 13

Morbikon — new name, familiar faces! This is the black metal project featuring Land Phil and Dave Witte of Municipal Waste, as well as …And Oceans and Finntroll vocalist Seth. Their debut record, Ov Mournful Twilight is due on, you guessed it, Oct. 28 as metal’s release schedule always cozies right up to Halloween each October.

“Cursed to March on Shattered Limbs” is decisively old school, ‘90s black metal, a style that when done in all the right ways, perfectly recaptures that old, cold second wave spirit. What’s a bit surprising is the injection of melodic guitar harmonies that have more in common with Iron Maiden than the sinister brands purveyed by the likes of Naglfar, Dark Funeral or even Dissection, though the acoustic parts bookending the track are delightfully reminiscent of the latter.