The Rock 2000: Blindspott's ‘Nil By Mouth’ voted #1 in 2026 historic NZ win

It’s been over 20 years in the making, but ‘Nil By Mouth’ by local legends Blindspott has taken out the #1 spot in this year’s Rock 2000.

Their win is historic for New Zealand music, marking the first time a Kiwi act has topped the countdown in over two decades, dethroning legends System Of A Down, Metallica and Limp Bizkit.

Blindspott’s debut track has featured in every list since 2003, circling the top 10 for almost a decade and peaking at #2 in 2024, before finally claiming the crown.

Blindspott drummer Shelton Woolright shared his reaction to the historic win with The Morning Rumble's Bryce Casey.

"We’re just so thankful that everyone is still playing it and appreciating it," he said.

"It always gives us a kick. We gave that song to the fans years ago, so it’s more theirs than ours now."

The Top 10 Songs of The Rock 2000 for 2026

10. ‘No One Knows’ - Queens of the Stone Age

9. ‘Master of Puppets’ - Metallica

8. ‘Black’ - Pearl Jam

7. ‘Blind’ - Korn

6. ‘Nutshell (Unplugged)’ - Alice in Chains

5. ‘The Pot’ - Tool

4. ‘For Whom The Bell Tolls’ - Metallica

3. ‘Break Stuff’ - Limp Bizkit

2. ‘Chop Suey!’ - System Of A Down

1. ‘Nil By Mouth’ - Blindspott

New Zealand’s landmark victory sits alongside strong local representation, as an all-time high of 229 Kiwi songs made this year’s cut.

Blindspott carried 17 additional tracks in the mix, but it was fellow local rock heavyweights Shihad and Devilskin that proved their staying power, each securing 22 entries and reaching #13 and #19 respectively.

With well over a million combined votes submitted, this year’s countdown also produced the biggest shake-up to the Top 20 ever recorded.

Nine songs surged into the upper tier, most noticeably Queens Of The Stone Age's ‘No One Knows,’ which rocketed 200 positions from #210 last year to #10.

However, it still couldn’t move countdown stalwarts like Metallica and System Of A Down, who held seven of the 20 spots between them.

With more than 115,000 people voting, 19% from overseas, this year is proof that not only does rock music hold strong, but Kiwi rock is among the best in the world.

To all who voted, listened, complained ‘should’ve been higher’, and belted along - thank you! It’s time to put another edition of The Rock 2000 to bed, till we rise again next year.

Dive further into The Rock 2000 with rova's Votetrackr