On July 15th, Australian national youth broadcaster triple j wil stage the first-ever Hottest 100 of Like A Version.
A celebration of the impact and legacy of one of the most successful segments of Aussie radio's modern era, Like A Version, the listener-voted Hottest 100 of Like A Version will follow a similar format as triple j's iconic annual Hottest 100 countdowns.
Like A Version is a weekly segment in which triple j invites a musician or band into the studio and tasks them with not only performing a song of their own but also performing a song they love by someone else. Those covers are called Like A Versions and a staggering amount of them have made it into the Hottest 100 proper over the years. The segment has also served as a major crossover moment for acts on the verge of national or international stardom.
Over 800 Like A Version performances are eligible to be voted into the countdown. Those 800 were all broadcast before the cut-off date of November 30th 2022, meaning there are roughly 18 years of contributions to consider. Amongst those 800 are several classic Like A Versions by bands existing within the metal and metal adjacent genre space.
With this in mind, we've compiled a list of the very best of these Like A Versions below. Listed in alphabetical order, this list features unique takes on songs by some of heavy music's biggest names and some very heavy readings of songs by some of the world's biggest acts in other genre spaces, these are the Best Heavy 'Like A Versions' of All Time.
Best Heavy 'Like A Versions' of All Time
Alex Lahey - Welcome To The Black Parade (My Chemical Romance)
Alexisonfire - I'm Stranded (The Saints)
Alkaline Trio - The KKK Took My Baby Away (The Ramones)
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BUGS - Charlie (Mallrat)
Clowns - Alone With You (Sunnyboys)
Denzel Curry - Bulls On Parade (Rage Against The Machine)
Dead Letter Circus - Killing In The Name Of (Rage Against The Machine)
DZ Deathrays feat. Nerve- Rock Star (NERD)
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In Hearts Wake - All The Good Girls Go To Hell (Billie Eilish)
In Hearts Wake - Vice Grip (Parkway Drive)
Karnivool - Hey Now (London Grammar)
Laura Jane Grace and Chuck Ragan - Greenback Dollar (The Kingston Trio)
Luca Brasi - How To Make Gravy - (Paul Kelly)
Northlane - Get Free (The Vines)
Ocean Grove - UFO - (Sneaky Sound System)
Shihad - Ace of Spades - (Motorhead)
PUP - You Don't Get Me High Anymore (Phantogram)
Polaris - Black Fingernails, Red Wine (Eskimo Joe)
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Stand Atlantic - Righteous (Juice WRLD)
Silverchair - Yellow Submarine (The Beatles)
sleepmakeswaves - Children (Robert Miles)
Something With Numbers - Sex From the Bong (Cypress Hill/Kings of Leon)
These New South Wales - Tubthumping - (Chumbawamba)
The Bennies - He'll Never Be An Ol' Man River (TISM)
The Gaslight Anthem - Sitting. Waiting, Wishing (Jack Johnson)
Thornhill - Supermassive Black Hole (Muse)
Tonight Alive - Affirmation (Savage Garden)
Tom Morello - Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap (AC/DC)
Trophy Eyes - Every Breath You Take (The Police)
Violent Soho - Lazy Eye (Silversun Pickups)
WAAX - Good Luck (Basement Jaxx)
Yours Truly - Don't Look Back In Anger (Oasis)
Voting for the Hottest 100 of Like A Version is open now and closes at 12 pm AEST on Monday, July 10th, 2023.
If you enjoyed this list, then head over to our list of heaviest songs to ever make the Hottest 100 now.
Listen To The Best New Heavy Tracks On Our Metal Maniacs Playlist
