Bangers ‘n Thrash: Our Top 15 Favourite Breakdowns

After a hard day’s work it’s always nice to unwind and have a mosh to the beefiest breakdowns you can lend your ear drums to! We got our Chief Editor Jack and heavy writers Huw and Sam to give us their Top Five favourite breakdowns, and the results are chug-filled and pretty darn intense! Check out the Spotify playlist (you should follow it + AAA’s account, just sayin’) along with each writer’s reason as to why they love the track’s brutality.

WARNING: There’s nothing djentle about this playlist!

Sam’s Top 5

Northlane – Quantum Flux

It’s pretty common knowledge in the AAA office that Northlane is a favourite of mine, as ‘Singularity’ is my favourite album of all time. Quantum Flux was the tune that well and truly put Northlane on the map and is a heavy-hitting, mosh-opening monster from the outset. It’s also a commonly known fact I think Jon Deiley is a songwriting genius, and as soon as I hear the words “SET ME FREE”…well just make way for my windmilling arms!

Polaris – Regress

Why these guys aren’t signed already, I will never know. That’s what makes Regress so good though, insanely heavy 7-string guitars mixed with beefy bass and the perfect amount of aggression and melody. And who doesn’t love a brown note in their breakdown every now and then!

The Ghost Inside – Dear Youth (Day 52)

It was tough to narrow it down to just one ‘Ghost Inside song, literally every song is filled with an eruptive breakdown capable of collapsing small cities. However the post chorus breakdown takes Dear Youth (Day 52) to another level, and the outdo “alive and well” part gets me every time.

Void of Vision – Blacklist

Void of Vision have been known to drop a monster mosher every now and then, but Blacklist is certainly up there in terms of making me want to throw a chair through a window and flip tables. Short and sweet, the build-up alone makes me feel powerful enough to bench press 400kg’s. Once it drops…I turn into the Hulk.

Stick To Your Guns – Nobody

Stick To Your Guns may not have the biggest breakdowns but they are mighty bloody powerful! You know a breakdown is big when all the vocalist needs to say is “ooh”. I was very late to the Stick To Your Guns party after only having heard Amber previously. However, Nobody got me straight back on the bandwagon and I haven’t looked back. The beatdown like breakdown is just the ripper sauce on top of an already beef filled tune!

Jack’s Top 5

A Day To Remember – Mr Highway’s Think About the End 

If I’m ever after some stress relief or a bit of a pump up this is pretty much my go to track. I’m a bit disappointed with their new album ‘Bad Vibrations’ so I recommend delving into their back catalogue for some actual heavy hitters, like Mr Highway’s Think About The End. The song starta brutal, and Jeremy McKinnon’s call to “Disrespect your surrounds” is impossible to resist…well for me it is anyway!

Bring Me The Horizon – Antivist

I’m one of those people who only heard of BMTG from their latest, world dominating, album ‘That’s The Spirit’, and as such I’m slowly dipping my toes into their *MUCH HEAVIER back catalogue. Antivist is fast, hard, aggressive as heck, and full of super fun swear words to scream (or whisper when you’re on public transport and have to contain your inner angst or risk being chucked off the train). Oliver Sykes knows how to whinge, so if you also like a good whine crank Antivist and “Question everything!”.

*Don’t believe me? Check out The Comedown on ‘Suicide Season’

A Day To Remember – I’m Made of Wax, Larry, What Are You Made of?

So yeah, ‘Homesick’ is my favourite ADTR album (and one of my fav of all time). For that reason it’s hard to not love I’m Made of Wax, Larry, What Are You Made of?, as it’s by far ADTR’s best anthem. The breakdown is announced by a cheeky cough, that suggests ”are you ready to listen to me?”, before the exploding into “Everybody’s out to get me!”, accompanied by some super thick and tasty hardcore rhythms. This song is the perfect blend of pop sensibilities and hardcore angst.

Enter Shikari – Sorry You’re Not A Winner

This track was my first ever initiation into the hardcore realm of music. Since Sorry You’re Not A Winner, Enter Shikari have evolved into synth-core lords back in Britain. Jagged rhythms, crunchy guitars, and guttural vocals make this song a winner for many, but for me the real gold is the atonal breakdown conclusion. It doesn’t sound good, but you’re not listening to this to satisfy your craving for nice keyboard soundscapes…

Hellions – Hellions 

They may be the only Aussies on my list, but Hellions are fierce enough live to take on any of the other international heavyweights. They ended their set with their self-titled single when I saw them at The Brightside, and the crowd reaction was a if they all had firecrackers in their pants. The bullet-like fret work in the breakdown is impressive, but combined with the rough AF vocals the song as a whole is 2:38 of pure brutality. Make sure you’re not sitting or standing next to anyone before you press play on this beast!

Huw’s Top 5

Foo Fighters – Monkey Wrench

This is a great song by the Fooeys, but the legendary part that everyone loves comes is the amazing screaming singing by Dave Grohl near the end. I can clearly remember hearing that for the first time and going “wow”, then listening to it all day. Unfortunately Dave can’t seem to manage the scream live these days without numerous pauses for breath, but the original recording is more than good enough. The chorus and verse are highly enjoyable, but that part of the song alone warrants countless repeats each week!

Amon Amarth – Victorius March

As one of the greatest live bands around it makes sense for Amon Amarth to draw some songs about by putting in a sweet breakdown, and Victorius March has one of the best of all! Unlike many other heavy bands, Amon Amarth take the time to put real feeling into their instrumentation, and the guitar solo during the song’s breakdown would be suitable as soundtrack for a massive Viking battle. Complete with thundering drums and euphoric guitar licks, Victorius March is definitely one for the playlist.

Pantera – Floods (or any Pantera song tbh!)

It’d be hard to deny that Pantera basically invented groove metal. With that in mind it was very hard to pick just one Pantera song, but Floods, with it’s simple but effective grind of a breakdown, takes the cake. Other notable examples include Throes Of Rejection and Cemetery Gates.

Rage Against The Machine – Wake Up

Rage had some awesome breakdowns during their day, and the recurring breakdowns throughout Wake Up secure it a place on this list. I can clearly remember listening to the main bridge of the song before the big finale at school with my friend, just in awe at the dynamics of the band. There’s no denying the pure awesomeness of this band, and Wake Up is just one examples of many.

Godsmack – I Stand Alone

Godsmack probably doesn’t feature on too many lists about breakdowns, but there’s no denying the one in their biggest hit I Stand Alone is pretty cool. With a chunky sounding guitar tone, the mixture of chords and riffing makes for a great listen. You can rock to it, you can chill out to it, you can listen to it with friends, or you can listen…alone. Any way it goes down well!