HRD Radio Report – Week Ending 10/25/15

HRD RADIO REPORT 

The HRD Radio Report showcases the weekly Active Rock Mediabase Charts (compiled by AllAccess.com), and appears every Tuesday 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.

Many of the artists featured on the Active Rock charts have already been reviewed on HardRockDaddy.com.

Click on the hyperlinked song titles to read song reviews, and the hyperlinked artist names to read album reviews.

The following is the Active Rock Mediabase Chart for the week ending 10/25/15.  All exclusive HRD content is featured below the chart:

2015 Mid-Year Recap: HRD Radio Report Active Rock and Octane Big ‘Uns Countdown

CHART	CHART	ARTIST	SONG TITLE	RADIO
POSITION	POSITION			SPINS
THIS WEEK	LAST WEEK			THIS WEEK
1	3	BREAKING BENJAMIN	“Angels Fall”	1951
2	1	RED SUN RISING	“The Otherside”	1870
3	4	CHRIS CORNELL	“Nearly Forgot My Broken Heart”	1536
4	2	POP EVIL	“Footsteps”	1485
5	7	BRING ME THE HORIZON	“Throne”	1447
6	6	PAPA ROACH	“Gravity”	1350
7	5	SHINEDOWN	“Cut The Cord”	1164
8	9	DISTURBED	“The Light”	1006
9	12	HALESTORM	“I Am The Fire”	933
10	14	FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH	“Wash It Away”	928
11	13	GHOST	“Cirice”	856
12	8	FOO FIGHTERS	“Outside”	772
13	18	THREE DAYS GRACE	“Fallen Angel”	757
14	15	SEVENDUST	“Thank You”	746
15	17	DISTURBED	“The Vengeful One”	668
16	11	THE STRUTS	“Could Have Been Me”	667
17	19	ASKING ALEXANDRIA	“I Won’t Give In”	647
18	16	STARSET	“Halo”	638
19	21	SEETHER	“Save Today”	596
20	22	LIKE A STORM	“Become The Enemy”	538
21	20	FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH	“Jekyll And Hyde”	475
22	23	ARCS	“Outta My Mind”	420
23	25	WE ARE HARLOT	“Someday”	388
24	26	TRIVIUM	“Until The World Goes Cold”	376
25	27	TRAPT	“Passenger”	368
26	30	THEORY OF A DEADMAN	“Blow”	331
27	32	IN THIS MOMENT	“Big Bad Wolf”	321
28	28	WILSON	“Right To Rise”	317
29	31	ISLANDER	“Cold Speak”	308
30	24	MUSE	“Mercy”	305
31	33	NATHANIEL RATELIFF / NIGHTSWEATS	“S.O.B.”	283
32	34	AWOLNATION	“I Am”	250
33	36	FROM ASHES TO NEW	“Through It All”	242
34	37	PARKWAY DRIVE	“Vice Grip”	224
35	41	NOTHING MORE	“Here’s To The Heartache”	207
36	39	MUMFORD & SONS	“The Wolf”	176
37	38	BRIDGE TO GRACE	“Everything”	176
38	75	SHINEDOWN	“State Of My Head”	171
39	44	TURBOWOLF	“Rabbits Foot”	165
40	35	P.O.D.	“This Goes Out To You”	156
41	40	SEPARATIONS	“Dream Eater”	152
42	43	ATREYU	“Do You Know Who You Are”	144
43	52	HIGHLY SUSPECT	“Bloodfeather”	134
44	46	ART OF DYING	“Everything”	132
45	42	BUTCHER BABIES	“Never Go Back”	126
46	47	FIRST DECREE	“Stop”	122
47	45	MIGGS	“Ordinary”	122
48	49	RUBIKON	“Live That Lie”	102
49	60	GODSMACK	“Inside Yourself”	97
50	48	I PREVAIL	“Crossroads”	97

PUBLISHER’S PICK OF THE WEEK by Adam Waldman

GEMINI SYNDROME – “Eternity”

Other than the fact that it feels like an “eternity” until Gemini Syndrome’s sophomore release drops (early 2016), there is no explaining why the first single from the upcoming album hasn’t gained major traction on Active Rock radio.  Well, there might be an explanation, but it has absolutely nothing to do with the music.  The band has already proven that they connect with Active Rock audiences with songs like “Stardust” and “Mourning Star” off of their 2013 debut album, Lux.  “Eternity” has everything that you want in an Active Rock song…in-your-face intensity from the first note, the uniquely cool melodic vocals of Aaron Nordstrom, thunderous drums, emotive backing vocals, a heavy rhythm.  Am I missing something?  One look at the chart this week, and you can easily find thousands of wasted spins on songs that are barely rock, much less “active.”  When songs like this don’t get the attention that they deserve, you have to wonder about the state of the format.

 

 

HRD SPIN CONTROL (by Adam Waldman and Jon Loveless)

Each week, we will share the songs that we think should be added to rotations, alongside the songs that we feel should be dropped from rotations, either because they are a bad fit for the format, or because they have run their course and it’s time for a new single from the artist.

SPIN IT…

GEMINI SYNDROME – “Eternity”

SHALLOW SIDE – “Stand Up”

WAYLAND – “Bloody Sunrise”

SKINDRED – “Under Attack”

AUDIOTOPSY – “The Calling”

STITCHED UP HEART – “Finally Free”

UGLY KID JOE – “She’s Already Gone”

 

DROP IT…

Nate Rateliff & The Nightsweats – “S.O.B.”

Ghost – “Cirice”

Awolnation – “I Am”

In This Moment – “Big Bad Wolf”

Mumford & Sons – “The Wolf”

The Arcs – “Outta My Mind”

P.O.D. – “This Goes Out To You”

 

 

THE BREAKDOWN by Jon Loveless

KING OF THE HILL

As the early trends last week suggested, there is indeed a new #1 on the Mediabase Active Rock airplay chart.  Breaking Benjamin enjoyed a strong surge (airplay up 13% week to week) to claim the top spot with “Angels Fall”.  Last week’s top song, “The Otherside,” from Red Sun Rising was actually stable, so the change was very much a case of Breaking Benjamin taking the spot rather than the newcomers losing it.  Chris Cornell remains at #3, but could find a rapidly climbing song from Bring Me The Horizon threatening his chance for a solo chart topper.

 

 

NOTABLE CHART MOVEMENT

Halestorm and Five Finger Death Punch both break into the Top 10 this week…

Two new arrivals in this week’s Top 20 with Seether and Like A Storm both moving up…

In This Moment & Islander both reach the Top 30 with singles that had previously suffered declines in position.  (Islander having been at the same position five weeks ago before slipping back in the chart)…

Three new songs enter the Top 40 this, including “State Of My Head,” the latest from Shinedown who make a strong debut…

The Top 50 has two other new entries this week, as new singles from Highly Suspect and Godsmack make their chart debuts.

 

 

 THREE UP & THREE DOWN

MOVING UP

Breaking Benjamin – “Angels Fall”

Halestorm – “I Am The Fire”

Five Finger Death Punch – “Wash It All Away”

 

DROPPING DOWN

Pop Evil – “Footsteps”

Shinedown – “Cut The Cord”

Foo Fighters – “Outside”

 

 

FUTURES REPORT

This week saw early trends hold true and land Breaking Benjamin in the top spot.   If (and that’s certainly far from a sure thing) the same thing happens over the next week or two, then it could very well be that Bring Me The Horizon bypasses Chris Cornell and denies the Soundgarden frontman the solo #1 song that he appeared destined to have just a few weeks back.  The question is whether radio will allow that to happen, given the obvious affection it collectively has for ‘90s-era bands and stars.

 

WRAP-UP

That’s all for this week.  Tune in to HardRockDaddy.com every Tuesday for the HRD Radio Report. \m/