1. "Code Name: Raven" (2008)
"There's no virtue in killing a man, but neither is there virtue in being afraid to stand."

For a while, I considered "Code Name: Raven" my favorite song of all time. I'm not sure if I would still give this song that title anymore, but I certainly have no problem calling it my favorite House of Heroes song. "Code Name: Raven" is a driving and dynamic rock number that tells the story of a French spy in WWII who's homeland has been invaded. Speaking boldly about having the courage to defend your homeland and protect the people you love, "Code Name: Raven" makes you think deeply and sing loudly.

2. "By Your Side" (2008)
"And we were soldiers then, our bodies in the sand / and like that sand through our hands, go our grandest plans."

The chorus is an important part of any song. Oftentimes it is used to tie the song together and provides the hook that makes a song memorable (and sometimes it's even called the hook). In this case, House of Heroes use different lyrics in the chorus to continue telling the story while STILL making it really easy to sing along. "By Your Side" is a tragic story that is probably all to real for many during that time period, but it doesn't end without offering a sense of hope for eternity with God (it did, after all, contain the lyrics that would later become the name of the album). This tear-jerker features some of the band's best songwriting, and Tim Skipper's voice also shines here.

3. "In The Valley of the Dying Sun" (2008)
"All through the night, I wrestled the angel to undo the curse that burdened me all of my life."

AJ Babcock's baseline here. So good. In an interview with JFH back in 2008, Tim called the instrumental portion of this song a sci-fi cowboy adventure, and as strange as that might sound, it is a pretty accurate description. Loosely based on the story of Jacob wrestling with God in the Bible, "In the Valley of the Dying Sun" garnered the band some much deserved recognition.

4. "Field of Daggers" (2008)
"I see a new day coming, maybe tomorrow / woe to the king of nothing."

A B-side from years prior, "Field of Daggers" was reworked onto The End Is Not The End as a beautiful song about spiritual warfare and the hope we have in Jesus. From the quiet militant drums in the intro to the beautiful strings in the false ending, "Field of Daggers" is nothing short of a masterpiece.

5. "Choose Your Blade" (2013)
"Choose your blade, we shall dance in the blood and the rain."

In "Choose Your Blade," the main character faces his personified sinful nature in an epic battle while reflecting on the path that led him to that moment. The imagery in this song, both musically and lyrically, is quite powerful and the Spanish guitar is a nice touch. It's a little sad that such a fantastic song did not end up on one of their studio releases, but it certainly makes the B-sides album it resides on, The Knock-Down Drag-Outs, that much more special.

6. "Friday Night" (2005)
"I see the light, but the dark is so accommodating."

A House of Heroes classic, "Friday Night" starts off quietly with Tim singing before bursting into a fun rock number. Bassist AJ Babcock gets a chance to show off his chops on the second verse and second chorus before lead vocal duties switch back over to Tim for the bridge and final chorus. Though it's pretty fun musically, there are a lot of weighty lyrics here about pride.

7. "Ghost" (2009)
"She told me that she loved me, disappointment in her eyes / I said mama I love you too / gonna make you proud one day / a month before I got out, they told me mama passed away."

Inspired by Bruce Springsteen's album The Ghost of Tom Joad, lead singer Tim Skipper wanted to write a sad song with no resolution--thus "Ghost" was born. This song was originally released on a digital EP called The Acoustic End and then later added to the track list of the retail version of The End Is Not The End alongside "New Moon" (but sadly, replacing "The Young And The Brutal"). This tragic story is about a man who made poor choices in his youth, beautifully accompanied by intricate acoustic guitar picking and a steady brushed snare to set the song's moody tone.

8. "Comfort Trap" (2012)
"I'm not looking for consolation /Maybe I could settle for compensation."

"Comfort Trap" is a satirical piece about getting caught in a rat race for the American dream. One of the band's most abrasive songs, "Comfort Trap" demands more than just a casual listen. The verses are quiet with a tip-toeing electric guitar and Colin Rigsby tapping on the rim of his snare, but the song bursts into a heavy rock anthem in the choruses and bridge making a powerful contrast that is only rivaled by their most recent song "God." I think my jaw dropped the first time I heard this song.

9. "Love Is For The Middle Class" (2010)
"If all I had was love, would I still be lovely?"

"Love Is For The Middle Class" is a really interesting social commentary on love and money. It's a driving pop/rock sound somewhat similar to Relient K's pop/punk days, and the song never really lets up on the gas.

10. "Angels of Night" (2012)
"Angels of night / hide in the half-light / praying for souls / lost and found like mine."

There really aren't any other songs remotely like "Angels of Night" in the House of Heroes discography--mostly because it's epic without ever really drawing attention to itself. The ambient sounds in the intro, the gentle drumming on the floor tom, the wandering guitars--it all works so well--but it's Tim's versatile vocals that shine brightest here. Thematically, the song is about having hope while going through trials.

11. "Baby's A Red" (2008)
""Red, red, baby's a red / She's blood red / baby's a red / the feds said lock her in lead, she's red but I love her."

Why did House of Heroes have to make a song about falling in love with a communist so dang catchy? As fun as it is ridiculous, "Baby's A Red" plays more to the band's comical side. The bouncy drum beat and gang vocals set the playful tone for this song, matched with clever and thought-provoking songwriting: "Oh red, if the bombs fall on our lands / Then our politics won't matter / Only that I loved you until death."

12. "Galveston" (2010)
"I believed / That we had what it would take / But the best laid plans can fail / And the surest levees break / And make just mud."

This B-side track didn't make the final cut of Subarba because the band didn't think it would fit with the record after having abandoned the idea of doing a concept album. This song was released as an exclusive bonus track for Suburba on Amazon MP3 and the song was later re-released on their B-sides album The Knock-Down Drag-Outs. It's another fun pop/punk-ish song with a fantastic drum beat and a blazing guitar solo.

13. "Burn Me Down" (2010)
"Is a kingdom just beyond reach / Or is it hidden where it's plain to see?"

Packed with fuzzy guitars and swirling synthesizers this song finds Tim pondering the mystery of eternity while growing in zealousness for God. Though Suburba had to fight to get out of the shadow of The End Is Not The End, one area they set this record apart was by creating interesting vocal patterns. "Burn Me Down" definitely highlights their growth there.

14. "Dangerous" (2008)
"Hey, hey, this is dangerous / waste the night away with us / even if we never find our way back to love / the desperate and the faithful are the ones we can trust."

Yes. Another song from The End Is Not The End. It's just that good of an album. If you don't have it, go get it.

15. "God Save The Foolish Kings" (2010)
"And we fight 'cause we'd rather break our bones than brave this loneliness / And we draw blood 'cause we're just trying to draw out some significance."

After the success of the effortlessly epic The End Is Not The End, the band followed up with more intentionality in doing "big" songs. They even started going borderline rock opera's on a few songs for Suburba. "God Save The Foolish King" is one such song. It's dramatic. It's dynamic. It's fun. It's also one of the band's more popular hits. The female vocalist is none other than Stephanie Smith who later married lead singer Tim Skipper.

16. "Serial Sleepers" (2005)
"Wake the dead / serial sleepers slay with words unsaid."

"Serial Sleepers" definitely grabbed my attention when I first heard it--though I really didn't get into the band until their sophomore release. Despite it's short length, "Serial Sleepers" is an exceptionally powerful song about spiritual and emotional apathy. The accompanying music video is pretty interesting to watch too.

17. "In The End" (2016)
"Like a lion running to the slaughter / I'll come for you daughter / I'll come for you in the end."

"In The End" is the only song I included on my list from the band's latest album Colors. It's not that I don't consider the songs from Colors to be up to par with the rest of their material, it's just that the album's strength comes from the whole of the project rather than the sum of it's parts (and not just because it was a concept album). "God," "Feel," and "Pioneer" were all songs that made the short list for my top 20 before getting cut (I've always found Axel to be the most developed of the three main characters) but as I mentioned in my review of Colors, "In The End" stands out on it's own. It is a love song of sorts sung from the perspective of the protagonist, Eric to his love interest, Joni. From the first moment I heard this song as a demo in July of 2015, I knew they had something special on their hands. Everything seems so carefully crafted here from the poetic lyrics to the soft vocals to the Lion King-styled humming.

18. "We Were Giants" (2012)
"We were giant swans."

Kidding. The lyric doesn't actually say that. But if you are familiar with this song and have never heard anyone joke about that, this is a life-changing moment for you. Go listen to it again and try not hear Tim Skipper sing "we were giant swans" instead of the actual lyric "we were giants once." In all seriousness, this a beautiful song about reflecting on the past. This mid-tempo number, driven by acoustic guitars and a steady drum beat, is pretty straightforward for the band, but with near-flawless execution, somewhat mysterious lyrics, and the infectious hook, this is strong moment in the band's discography.

19. "Touch This Light" (2012)
"If I could see what you see in me / If I could push through the crippling fear / Then I would run with the raging wind / Then I would live again."

Another very spiritual song without ever being blatantly spiritual, "Touch This Light" is an aggressive radio-rock tune that is really catchy, and has a strong instrumental finish.

20. "A Fire Only We Know" (2014)
"Is a bravery inside you still clinging to your clothes / like smoke from a fire only we know."

This is the only song from the Smoke EP to make this list, for similar reasons listed above for "In The End" -- it stands out as an unassuming gem among the band's more energetic brand of rock. "A Fire Only We Know" is a reflective song with simplistic lyrics that are intriguing but relatively unclear. The character in the story is definitely reflecting on a romantic relationship as a young adult/teenager, but it is uncertain if he is still with this person or not.

Honorable Mentions: I feel like it's almost a crime not to at least mention one of the band's more significant moments: "Angels In Tophats, Cups Full Of Blood." The marriage between the music and the story in this song was an important step for them to go on to create several tracks listed above. Other mentions: "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da" from their Beatles EP, their Christmas mash-up "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen / Joy to the World," and the beautifully penned "Something of an Optimist" from What You Want is Now. Also, the sing-along quality of "Pioneer," the monster riff on "Feel" and the abrasive transitions on "God" are all exceptionally memorable. AND, as if I didn't already include enough songs from TEINTE, I'd also like to give a shout out to "If," "Lose Control," and "The Young & The Brutal."