10 Best Rock Songs Of 2011 (So Far)

This power rock ballad showed us a side of Corey Taylor we had not yet heard in his previous work with Slipknot and Stone Sour. While it was a quieter, more vulnerable song than Slipknot's core fan base would like to hear; many others loved this song from the band's second album 'Audio Secrecy'.

The members of Creed cleverly replaced Scott Stapp with a more talented/like-able vocalist named Myles Kennedy. On their third recorded outing, cleverly named 'AB III', Myles Kennedy even stepped up to handle some lead guitar duties. Pretty impressive to play lead with phenom Mark Tremonti standing to your left. The new album's subject matter was much darker than previous efforts and the first single 'Isolation' is a good representation of the descent.

With mostly negative reviews of Motley Crue's current tour, it's a good thing Nikki Sixx has this band to fall back on. While the Crue probably rakes in much more cheddar, Sixx A.M. still makes music that is relevant to today's audience. Their sophomore record 'This is Gonna Hurt' was accompanied by a book of the same title, much like their debut; 'The Heroin Diaries'. Someone should tell Nikki he doesn't have to write a book every time Sixx A.M. does an album.

Everybody's favorite song about V.D. proved to be one of the biggest hits so far this year, even though it was probably not expected to be. The song is one of just 5 new songs recorded to fill out the band's live disc 'Time for Annhilation...On the Record and On the Road'. The first single from the album, 'Kick in the Teeth', was also a huge hit and one of the biggest songs of 2010.

One of the best songs of 2011 comes from a band who was largely unknown prior to the release of this song. About two years ago I heard the attached version of this song which features Seether's Shaun Morgan on vocals as well. It's probably a good thing they re-recorded this for their debut 'Vices and Virtues', the duet with Shaun sounded more like Seether's song than it did their's.

The band's focus on catchy melodies, which started with the 2008 album 'Overcome', has benefited the band very well. All That Remains is still incredibly heavy on most of their album, but throw a few melodic tunes in the mix as well. You can see the band headlining this year's Dirt Fest on August 13th at the Birch Run Expo Center. They will definitely be rocking one of 2011's best songs; 'Hold On'.

Their first new album since the one off release of 'Careless Whisper' put the band in a tough spot; how do you follow up a surprise hit that no one saw coming? The answer: Go country! This track again showed the band branching out stylistically and paid off big time. This song has carried the number one spot here on our countdown almost every week since it's release. It's March release may be the only thing that kept it from being the best rock song of 2011.

The band Skillet busted into the mainstream with their 2009 release 'Awake', not many know that this was their 9th studio album. The band that formed in 1998, have had three massive singles from the record including this one that gained speed just this year. Spreading one album's success that wide is a difficult task, it has only been accomplished by bands like Nickelback, Shinedown,Theory of a Deadman, and a few others.

The masked rap rock group Hollywood Undead became a surprise hit a few years ago with their ironically titled 'Swan Songs'. They dodged the sophomore slump on the strength of their massive lead single 'Hear Me Now'. The band quieted critics who believed they would not be as successful without Aron "Deuce" Erlichman, who left the band on poor terms in early 2010. I don't know about you, but I always feel better after dropping a deuce.

Grand Rapids' Pop Evil started out this year strong on the wings of this track from the upcoming album 'War of Angels' (due out July 5th). The Dirt Fest performers look to follow up the breakout success they enjoyed with their debut 'Lipstick on the Mirror'. If having 2011's best rock song so far is any indication, they are well on their way to exceeding those hopes.