Music has always been an incredibly important part of my life. Growing up, I used music as a way to connect to people and strengthen my relationships with my friends and family, meaning that it very quickly became one of the most prominent aspects of my personality. Being raised listening to the heavier side of music, and attending my first Download Festival at the age of 4, my music taste was shaped very early into what it is now. So, without further ado, here are my top 10 bands of all time:
1 – Motionless in White
Starting off strong, we have Motionless in White. Their first album, Creatures, came out in 2010, around the same time that I began finding my own music. Straight away, Motionless in White and their fans helped me to realise that being alternative, or anything other than ‘the norm’, is completely okay. Their music has carried me through my life, with each release from them only boosting my love for them. Motionless in White have a musical gift that is stronger than any other band that I’ve ever listened to.
Download Festival 2015 was the first time that I saw Motionless in White live, followed by their Manchester show in 2016 for the Beyond The Barricade Tour. Since then, I have lost count of the amount of times that I’ve seen them play live.
It’s safe to say that I am completely, and unforgivably, obsessed with this band.
2 – Bring Me The Horizon
Bring Me The Horizon had almost the same impact on me as Motionless in White, and have held me captive in their music for the majority of my adolescence. I’ve always admired the band for their ability to change up their music, and their courage to portray any sound that they felt was right. From their 2010 album, There is a Hell Believe Me I’ve Seen It. There is a Heaven Let’s Keep it a Secret, to their 2013 Sempiternal, to 2015’s That’s The Spirit, Bring Me The Horizon kept their music true to themselves, making each album ever so different to its predecessor.
In June of 2023, I saw Bring Me The Horizon headline Download Festival, where they completely heightened my standards for live music. Following that, I had to get tickets for their January 2024 tour, where they blew my mind even more. Throughout the many years of listening to them, Bring Me The Horizon have never failed to impress me.
3 – I Prevail
I Prevail have been one of my top bands since I first found them, around the time that they released their first album, Heart Vs. Mind, in 2014. Their albums combine heartfelt emotions, and pent-up aggression to deliver records that are for every single mood. Basically… there’s never a bad time to listen to I Prevail.
With two vocalists, Brian Burkheiser and Eric Vanlerberghe, I Prevail’s music remains as some of the most interesting art in the industry. Topped off with their distinctive riffs and rough music, they’ve really created their own, impressive sound.
I Prevail continue the high standards into their live music, performing every show like it’s their last one. I’ve seen the band play at Download Festival twice, and have also been to a headline show of theirs, and each time, the passion that they’ve shown on-stage has absolutely blown me away.
4 – Bad Omens
I found Bad Omens more recently than the other bands on this list, after the release of their latest album, The Death of Peace of Mind, which came with some of my favourite songs, including ‘Concrete Jungle’, ‘The Grey’, and ‘Who are you?’. This album allowed me to find their others, ultimately leading to their 2020 Finding God Before God Finds Me (Deluxe) becoming one of my overall favourite albums.
In January of this year, I saw Bad Omens supporting Bring Me The Horizon, where I fell madly in love with the band. Now, I cannot go a single day without listening to the band, whether it’s one song, or their entire discography. I find it impossible to grow tired of their music, despite how much I listen to it.
5 – In This Moment
Maria Brink, the vocalist of In This Moment, has always been one of my biggest idols. Having gone through thick and thin, she still holds herself worthy, and isn’t afraid to show off who she is. In This Moment are another one of the bands that are responsible for making me who I am today. The band’s latest album, Godmode, came out last year, bringing back my love for them after the 2020 album, Ritual.
In 2018, I saw In This Moment play at Download Festival, where they hypnotised the huge crowd with their performance. With the quality of their music and the creativity that took over their set, I think they are one of the best live bands to exist. It’s been years since I saw them live, and I’m desperate to see one of In This Moment’s headline shows.
6 – Sleep Token
Sleep Token are definitely quite high up on my list of favourite bands. Their music is so different to everything in the music industry, and it’s opened up a whole new idea of music and what people can do with sound. ‘The Summoning’ ripped through the music industry, and lured so many of us into its grasp, mesmerised by its beauty.
The band’s most recent album, Take Me Back To Eden, came with 12 songs, including ‘The Summoning’, but not one of them was anything close to disappointing. Take Me Back To Eden was how I found Sleep Token, and it sent me into a spiral of listening to their entire discography, including their first album, Sundowning, which was released back in 2019. Listening to their music allows me to feel as though I’ve been taken to another world, and slowly chips away at all the stress and worry from day-to-day life.
Now, Sleep Token have taken over my music taste, dominating most of my playlists, left me yearning to see them live, and have become one of my go-to bands to listen to.
7 – Ice Nine Kills
I love horror movies as much as the next person, but I don’t think anyone loves them as much as Ice Nine Kills do. The band have dedicated two of their albums, with multiple versions of each, to their horror obsession, basing each song on a different movie. This theme has been taken into their live music too, making for some of the most theatrical sets that I’ve ever witnessed.
The band’s 2015 album, Every Trick In The Book, came before their horror-themed records, basing each track on a piece of classic literature. From this, came my favourite, and quite possibly the best ode to Romeo and Juliet, ‘Star-Crossed Enemies’, and another one of my favourites, ‘Me, Myself & Hyde’, based on Robert Louis Stevenson’s Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
8 – Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac, to me, is a band that I don’t listen to every single day, but when I do, it gives me the exact same feeling as the first time that I listened to them. Especially with ‘Rhiannon’, ‘Gypsy’, and ‘Seven Wonders’, their music helps me remember what is so incredible about music, and delivers a refreshing sense. Fleetwood Mac reminds me to live life to the fullest, and to take every breathing moment as a new opportunity to do more in the world. They remind me of spring, and comfort, and all of the positive things in the world. The music that they created in all of their years is some of the most incredible music that will ever be made, in my opinion.
9 – Nickelback
Yes, Nickelback are on my top 10, and no, I’m not going to apologise for it. To say that they have been putting out nothing but absolute gems of music since 1996, the amount of backlash that Nickelback get is insane.
Nickelback played a key part in my childhood, and they were always being played, whether it was in the house, or in the car… they were everywhere. The nostalgia that comes from listening to Nickelback’s music is enough to make them one of my all-time favourite bands, but the quality of their music makes them one of the best bands to ever exist, in my opinion. Although ‘Rockstar’ is a classic, and is pretty much the gateway song into the Nickelback universe, I think that every track from their 2008 album, Dark Horse, outranks ‘Rockstar’. Dark Horse came with the fun, ‘let-loose’ songs like ‘Something in Your Mouth’, ‘Burn it to the Ground’, and ‘Shakin’ Hands’, but also with ‘If Today Was Your Last Day’, and ‘Gotta Be Somebody’, which contribute to the variety within the album.
Nickelback are one of the bands that never fail to make me happy, which is exactly what listening to music is all about.
10 – Pierce The Veil
Pierce The Veil are another band from my childhood. They’re a band that practically pulled me into my emo phase, and really helped me in finding my own taste in music. In other words, without Pierce The Veil, and the help of a few others, I wouldn’t have found my own, personal taste in music, and probably would never have fallen in love with music in the first place.
Before their hiatus, which started in 2016, the band released Selfish Machines, Collide With The Sky, and Misadventures, each delivering songs that are like no others. ‘Hold On Till May’ from Collide With The Sky, left so many people indebted to Pierce The Veil, and thankful for what the band had given them with that track alone. To this day, ‘Hold On Till May’ holds such a special place in my heart, and has made me feel more human than any other song ever has.
