100 Greatest Metal Songs of All Time

The Top 10: Metal's Defining Songs

1. 1

   Paranoid

   (1970)

   Black Sabbath

   Written in twenty minutes as filler, released as the single that made heavy metal a chart genre. Two minutes fifty of the riff that started it all.

   Also ranked: #1 Greatest Metal Albums · #12 Greatest Rock Songs · #54 Classic Rock Songs

2. 2

   Master of Puppets

   (1986)

   Metallica

   Eight and a half minutes of thrash architecture: the riff, the clean interlude, the harmonised solo and a lyric about addiction that still gets stadiums shouting "Master!".

   Also ranked: #2 Greatest Metal Albums · #23 Greatest Music Videos · #55 Greatest Rock Songs

3. 3

   Raining Blood

   (1986)

   Slayer

   Rain, a scream and the fastest riff in metal. The closing track of Reign in Blood and the sound extreme metal has been chasing since.

   Also ranked: #3 Greatest Metal Albums · #3 Greatest Thrash Metal Bands · #5 Greatest Metal Bands

4. 4

   Hallowed Be Thy Name

   (1982)

   Iron Maiden

   A man waiting for the gallows, a gallop and Bruce Dickinson's finest vocal; the song Maiden fans and Maiden themselves rank first.

   Also ranked: #4 Greatest Metal Albums · #2 Greatest Metal Bands · #28 Greatest British Rock Bands

5. 5

   Painkiller

   (1990)

   Judas Priest

   Scott Travis's opening drum solo, Rob Halford's screams and a solo that redefined Priest; heavy metal at its most heavy metal.

   Also ranked: #5 Greatest Metal Albums · #4 Greatest Metal Bands · #36 Greatest British Rock Bands

6. 6

   War Pigs

   (1970)

   Black Sabbath

   The air-raid siren, the lurching riff and the most quoted anti-war lyric in rock; the song that opens Paranoid and closes most Sabbath shows.

   Also ranked: #1 Greatest Metal Albums · #12 Greatest Rock Songs · #54 Classic Rock Songs

7. 7

   Ace of Spades

   (1980)

   Motörhead

   Lemmy's bass, a gambler's creed and 2:49 of the most recognisable song in heavy music. The bridge between punk and metal in one track.

   Also ranked: #9 Greatest Metal Albums · #8 Greatest Metal Bands · #47 Greatest British Rock Bands

8. 8

   Walk

   (1992)

   Pantera

   One riff, in 12/8, that has been played at every metal show, sports arena and wrestling entrance since 1992. Dimebag's most famous three notes.

   Also ranked: #8 Greatest Metal Albums · #5 Greatest Thrash Metal Bands · #7 Greatest Metal Bands

9. 9

   Holy Wars… The Punishment Due

   (1990)

   Megadeth

   Thrash's most complex single: two songs stitched together, Marty Friedman's solos and Mustaine's fastest riffing, opening Rust in Peace.

   Also ranked: #6 Greatest Metal Albums · #2 Greatest Thrash Metal Bands · #6 Greatest Metal Bands

10. 10

    Crazy Train

    (1980)

    Ozzy Osbourne

    "All aboard!", Randy Rhoads's riff and the song that made Ozzy a solo star and the guitar the centre of eighties metal.

    Also ranked: #17 Greatest Metal Albums · #59 Greatest Rock Songs

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The Canon: Ranks 11–40

11. 11

    Iron Man

    (1970)

    Black Sabbath

    The riff every beginner learns first, the robot voice and the most recognisable song in the Sabbath catalogue.

    Also ranked: #1 Greatest Metal Albums · #12 Greatest Rock Songs · #54 Classic Rock Songs

12. 12

    Enter Sandman

    (1991)

    Metallica

    The Black Album's opener and metal's most-played song on radio and at stadiums, with a riff Kirk Hammett wrote at three in the morning.

    Also ranked: #2 Greatest Metal Albums · #23 Greatest Music Videos · #55 Greatest Rock Songs

13. 13

    The Trooper

    (1983)

    Iron Maiden

    The Charge of the Light Brigade as a twin-guitar gallop; Maiden's most famous riff and Eddie's most famous cover.

    Also ranked: #4 Greatest Metal Albums · #2 Greatest Metal Bands · #28 Greatest British Rock Bands

14. 14

    Holy Diver

    (1983)

    Dio

    Ronnie James Dio's signature song: dragons, tigers and the voice that defined classic metal singing.

    Also ranked: #10 Greatest Metal Albums · #12 Greatest Metal Bands

15. 15

    Angel of Death

    (1986)

    Slayer

    Reign in Blood's opener, Tom Araya's scream and a lyric about Josef Mengele that made the album a scandal and a landmark.

    Also ranked: #3 Greatest Metal Albums · #3 Greatest Thrash Metal Bands · #5 Greatest Metal Bands

16. 16

    One

    (1988)

    Metallica

    A soldier with no limbs, a machine-gun riff and Metallica's first video; the song that took thrash to MTV and the Grammys.

    Also ranked: #2 Greatest Metal Albums · #23 Greatest Music Videos · #55 Greatest Rock Songs

17. 17

    Breaking the Law

    (1980)

    Judas Priest

    Two and a half minutes, one of the most famous riffs in metal and a video with the band robbing a bank. Priest's calling card.

    Also ranked: #5 Greatest Metal Albums · #4 Greatest Metal Bands · #36 Greatest British Rock Bands

18. 18

    Run to the Hills

    (1982)

    Iron Maiden

    Bruce Dickinson's introduction to the world, a gallop about the conquest of the Americas and Maiden's first top-ten single.

    Also ranked: #4 Greatest Metal Albums · #2 Greatest Metal Bands · #28 Greatest British Rock Bands

19. 19

    Children of the Grave

    (1971)

    Black Sabbath

    Master of Reality's centrepiece: the down-tuned riff that invented doom and the drum pattern that invented thrash.

    Also ranked: #1 Greatest Metal Albums · #12 Greatest Rock Songs · #54 Classic Rock Songs

20. 20

    Cowboys from Hell

    (1990)

    Pantera

    The riff that reintroduced Pantera as a groove-metal band and the song that gave the genre its name and its swagger.

    Also ranked: #8 Greatest Metal Albums · #5 Greatest Thrash Metal Bands · #7 Greatest Metal Bands

21. 21

    Highway Star

    (1972)

    Deep Purple

    Machine Head's opener and the model for every fast metal song after it: Blackmore's neoclassical solo and Ian Gillan's screams.

    Also ranked: #5 Classic Rock Songs · #29 Greatest Metal Albums · #57 Greatest Rock Songs

22. 22

    Stargazer

    (1976)

    Rainbow

    Dio, Blackmore and Cozy Powell on the eight-minute epic that invented power metal and epic doom in one go.

    Also ranked: #30 Greatest Metal Albums · #88 Greatest Classic Rock Bands

23. 23

    The Number of the Beast

    (1982)

    Iron Maiden

    The spoken intro, Dickinson's scream, the gallop and the controversy; the song that made Maiden the biggest metal band on earth.

    Also ranked: #4 Greatest Metal Albums · #2 Greatest Metal Bands · #28 Greatest British Rock Bands

24. 24

    Hangar 18

    (1990)

    Megadeth

    Area 51, an eleven-solo guitar duel between Mustaine and Friedman and the most famous instrumental section in thrash.

    Also ranked: #6 Greatest Metal Albums · #2 Greatest Thrash Metal Bands · #6 Greatest Metal Bands

25. 25

    Heaven and Hell

    (1980)

    Black Sabbath

    Dio's Sabbath debut and the song that proved the band could survive Ozzy; the mid-song acceleration is one of metal's great live moments.

    Also ranked: #1 Greatest Metal Albums · #12 Greatest Rock Songs · #54 Classic Rock Songs

26. 26

    For Whom the Bell Tolls

    (1984)

    Metallica

    Cliff Burton's distorted bass intro, the bell and a Hemingway lyric; the Ride the Lightning track that made Metallica sound enormous.

    Also ranked: #2 Greatest Metal Albums · #23 Greatest Music Videos · #55 Greatest Rock Songs

27. 27

    Electric Eye

    (1982)

    Judas Priest

    Priest's set-opener for forty years: the "Hellion" intro, surveillance-state lyrics and a chorus built for arenas.

    Also ranked: #5 Greatest Metal Albums · #4 Greatest Metal Bands · #36 Greatest British Rock Bands

28. 28

    Peace Sells

    (1986)

    Megadeth

    The bassline MTV News used as its theme and Mustaine's sharpest lyric; thrash's first crossover single.

    Also ranked: #6 Greatest Metal Albums · #2 Greatest Thrash Metal Bands · #6 Greatest Metal Bands

29. 29

    Caught in a Mosh

    (1987)

    Anthrax

    The song that taught the world what a mosh pit was; Anthrax's most famous riff and the East Coast thrash anthem.

    Also ranked: #24 Greatest Metal Albums · #4 Greatest Thrash Metal Bands · #17 Greatest Metal Bands

30. 30

    Aces High

    (1984)

    Iron Maiden

    Churchill's speech, a Battle of Britain lyric and Maiden's fastest gallop; the live opener of the World Slavery Tour.

    Also ranked: #4 Greatest Metal Albums · #2 Greatest Metal Bands · #28 Greatest British Rock Bands

31. 31

    Freezing Moon

    (1994)

    Mayhem

    Black metal's most famous song: the funereal riff, Attila Csihar's vocals and an atmosphere no band has matched.

    Also ranked: #22 Greatest Metal Albums · #1 Greatest Black Metal Bands · #18 Greatest Metal Bands

32. 32

    Pull the Plug

    (1988)

    Death

    Chuck Schuldiner's most famous riff and the song that defined death metal's early sound; a set closer to this day for the Death to All tours.

    Also ranked: #20 Greatest Metal Albums · #1 Greatest Death Metal Bands · #13 Greatest Metal Bands

33. 33

    Hammer Smashed Face

    (1992)

    Cannibal Corpse

    Death metal's signature song: Alex Webster's bass break and the track Jim Carrey requested for Ace Ventura.

    Also ranked: #65 Greatest Metal Albums · #3 Greatest Death Metal Bands · #36 Greatest Metal Bands

34. 34

    Roots Bloody Roots

    (1996)

    Sepultura

    Down-tuned, tribal and enormous; the song that took Brazilian metal to the world and pointed the way to nu-metal.

    Also ranked: #25 Greatest Metal Albums · #6 Greatest Thrash Metal Bands · #16 Greatest Metal Bands

35. 35

    South of Heaven

    (1988)

    Slayer

    Slayer slowed down and got scarier; the ominous opening riff is one of the most recognisable in extreme metal.

    Also ranked: #3 Greatest Metal Albums · #3 Greatest Thrash Metal Bands · #5 Greatest Metal Bands

36. 36

    Fade to Black

    (1984)

    Metallica

    Metal's first great ballad: acoustic verses, an electric climax and a suicide lyric that got Metallica accused of going soft in 1984 and worshipped since.

    Also ranked: #2 Greatest Metal Albums · #23 Greatest Music Videos · #55 Greatest Rock Songs

37. 37

    Mr. Crowley

    (1980)

    Ozzy Osbourne

    The organ intro, the occult lyric and two Randy Rhoads solos regularly voted among the greatest ever recorded.

    Also ranked: #17 Greatest Metal Albums · #59 Greatest Rock Songs

38. 38

    Cemetery Gates

    (1990)

    Pantera

    Pantera's power ballad and Dimebag's most emotional solo; the harmonic squeal at the end became his signature.

    Also ranked: #8 Greatest Metal Albums · #5 Greatest Thrash Metal Bands · #7 Greatest Metal Bands

39. 39

    Sabbath Bloody Sabbath

    (1973)

    Black Sabbath

    The riff Ozzy called the heaviest the band ever wrote, and a song that shows how far Sabbath's arrangements had come by 1973.

    Also ranked: #1 Greatest Metal Albums · #12 Greatest Rock Songs · #54 Classic Rock Songs

40. 40

    You've Got Another Thing Comin'

    (1982)

    Judas Priest

    Priest's biggest American hit and a chorus that closes every show; the song that made Screaming for Vengeance a platinum album.

    Also ranked: #5 Greatest Metal Albums · #4 Greatest Metal Bands · #36 Greatest British Rock Bands

Modern Classics: Ranks 41–70

41. 41

    Chop Suey!

    (2001)

    System of a Down

    Armenian folk melody, screamed verses and a chorus about faith; the nu-metal era's strangest hit and its most enduring, past a billion streams.

    Also ranked: #43 Greatest Metal Albums · #70 Greatest Rock Songs · #3 Greatest Nu-Metal Bands

42. 42

    Schism

    (2001)

    Tool

    Odd time signatures, Justin Chancellor's bassline and a Grammy; the song that made Tool a mainstream band without changing anything.

    Also ranked: #40 Greatest Metal Albums · #71 Greatest Rock Songs · #10 Greatest Metal Bands

43. 43

    Duality

    (2004)

    Slipknot

    The chorus that made Slipknot an arena band, and a video shot in a fan's house that the band then destroyed.

    Also ranked: #44 Greatest Metal Albums · #2 Greatest Nu-Metal Bands · #11 Greatest Metal Bands

44. 44

    Freak on a Leash

    (1998)

    Korn

    Jonathan Davis's scat vocals, the bullet-time video and nu-metal's biggest single; a Grammy-winning clip and a top-five album.

    Also ranked: #48 Greatest Metal Albums · #1 Greatest Nu-Metal Bands · #20 Greatest Metal Bands

45. 45

    Killing in the Name

    (1992)

    Rage Against the Machine

    Sixteen repetitions of a line that got it banned from radio and to No. 1 in the UK in 2009; the most famous protest song in metal.

    Also ranked: #41 Greatest Rock Songs · #51 Greatest Metal Albums · #7 Greatest Nu-Metal Bands

46. 46

    Laid to Rest

    (2004)

    Lamb of God

    The New Wave of American Heavy Metal's anthem, with Chris Adler's drumming and Randy Blythe's roar; the song every metalcore band learned from.

    Also ranked: #49 Greatest Metal Albums · #25 Greatest Metal Bands · #84 Best 2000s Rock Bands

47. 47

    Blood and Thunder

    (2004)

    Mastodon

    "White whale, holy grail!": Leviathan's opener and the riff that made Mastodon the great American metal band of the 2000s.

    Also ranked: #41 Greatest Metal Albums · #14 Greatest Metal Bands · #37 Best 2000s Rock Bands

48. 48

    Flying Whales

    (2005)

    Gojira

    A slow build, a tapped riff and the heaviest chorus in French metal; Gojira's signature song and a live centrepiece.

    Also ranked: #45 Greatest Metal Albums · #24 Greatest Metal Bands · #28 Greatest Death Metal Bands

49. 49

    Ghost of Perdition

    (2005)

    Opeth

    Ten minutes of growls, clean vocals and prog dynamics; Opeth's most-played song and the best entry point to the band.

    Also ranked: #42 Greatest Metal Albums · #10 Greatest Death Metal Bands · #15 Greatest Metal Bands

50. 50

    Square Hammer

    (2016)

    Ghost

    The hook that took Ghost from cult to arenas, and a song modern metal radio has never stopped playing.

    Also ranked: #55 Greatest Metal Albums · #76 Greatest Metal Bands

51. 51

    Bleed

    (2008)

    Meshuggah

    A single rhythmic figure, played for seven minutes at a difficulty that took Tomas Haake months to master; the definitive djent song.

    Also ranked: #46 Greatest Metal Albums · #26 Greatest Metal Bands

52. 52

    Pull Me Under

    (1992)

    Dream Theater

    Progressive metal's only real hit single, eight minutes long, and the song that made Images and Words a gold record.

    Also ranked: #47 Greatest Metal Albums · #35 Greatest Metal Bands

53. 53

    Bat Country

    (2005)

    Avenged Sevenfold

    Hunter S. Thompson, twin-guitar harmonies and a video MTV played on a loop; the song that took Avenged Sevenfold mainstream.

    Also ranked: #56 Greatest Metal Albums · #35 Best 2000s Rock Bands · #46 Greatest Metal Bands

54. 54

    My Curse

    (2006)

    Killswitch Engage

    Metalcore's biggest song: Howard Jones's chorus over Adam Dutkiewicz's riffs, and a Guitar Hero staple.

    Also ranked: #57 Greatest Metal Albums · #48 Greatest Metal Bands · #83 Best 2000s Rock Bands

55. 55

    Down with the Sickness

    (2000)

    Disturbed

    "Ooh-wah-ah-ah-ah": the most imitated vocal intro in nu-metal and the song that made Disturbed a stadium act.

    Also ranked: #10 Greatest Nu-Metal Bands · #36 Best 2000s Rock Bands · #96 Greatest Metal Bands

56. 56

    My Own Summer (Shove It)

    (1997)

    Deftones

    The riff, the shark video and the moment Deftones stopped being a Korn peer and became an art band.

    Also ranked: #54 Greatest Metal Albums · #5 Greatest Nu-Metal Bands · #38 Greatest Metal Bands

57. 57

    Wait and Bleed

    (1999)

    Slipknot

    The debut single that introduced the masks to the world and earned Slipknot their first Grammy nomination.

    Also ranked: #44 Greatest Metal Albums · #2 Greatest Nu-Metal Bands · #11 Greatest Metal Bands

58. 58

    Man in the Box

    (1991)

    Alice in Chains

    The talk-box riff and Layne Staley's harmonies with Jerry Cantrell; grunge's heaviest hit and a metal-radio fixture ever since.

    Also ranked: #42 Greatest Rock Songs · #50 Greatest Metal Albums · #54 Greatest Rock Artists

59. 59

    Epic

    (1989)

    Faith No More

    Rap verses, a metal chorus and a flopping fish in the video; the song that opened the door to funk-metal, rap-metal and nu-metal.

    Also ranked: #52 Greatest Metal Albums · #8 Greatest Nu-Metal Bands · #28 Greatest Metal Bands

60. 60

    Davidian

    (1994)

    Machine Head

    "Let freedom ring with a shotgun blast": the opening track of Burn My Eyes and the riff that carried heavy metal through the mid-nineties.

    Also ranked: #53 Greatest Metal Albums · #43 Greatest Metal Bands

61. 61

    One Step Closer

    (2000)

    Linkin Park

    "Shut up when I'm talking to you!": the single that introduced Hybrid Theory and the best-selling nu-metal band.

    Also ranked: #39 Greatest Rock Songs · #96 Best 2000s Songs · #99 Greatest Metal Albums

62. 62

    Black No. 1 (Little Miss Scare-All)

    (1993)

    Type O Negative

    Eleven minutes of gothic doom with a joke in every verse; Peter Steele's signature song and a Halloween standard.

    Also ranked: #59 Greatest Metal Albums · #41 Greatest Metal Bands

63. 63

    Closer

    (1994)

    Nine Inch Nails

    Industrial metal's most famous song and most infamous lyric; the video is one of the most banned in MTV history.

    Also ranked: #25 Greatest Music Videos · #58 Greatest Metal Albums · #68 Greatest Rock Songs

64. 64

    This Love

    (1992)

    Pantera

    Clean verses, a chorus like a punch and Dimebag's best solo of the Vulgar Display era.

    Also ranked: #8 Greatest Metal Albums · #5 Greatest Thrash Metal Bands · #7 Greatest Metal Bands

65. 65

    Hell Bent for Leather

    (1978)

    Judas Priest

    The song, the motorcycle and the leather: the moment heavy metal found its image, on stage every night since.

    Also ranked: #5 Greatest Metal Albums · #4 Greatest Metal Bands · #36 Greatest British Rock Bands

66. 66

    Fear of the Dark

    (1992)

    Iron Maiden

    The crowd sings the guitar melody before the band plays it; Maiden's greatest live moment of the last thirty years.

    Also ranked: #4 Greatest Metal Albums · #2 Greatest Metal Bands · #28 Greatest British Rock Bands

67. 67

    N.I.B.

    (1970)

    Black Sabbath

    Geezer Butler's wah-bass intro and a love song sung by Lucifer; the debut album's most-covered track.

    Also ranked: #1 Greatest Metal Albums · #12 Greatest Rock Songs · #54 Classic Rock Songs

68. 68

    Creeping Death

    (1984)

    Metallica

    The Exodus story with a "Die!" chant that stadiums still shout; the Ride the Lightning song Metallica has played most.

    Also ranked: #2 Greatest Metal Albums · #23 Greatest Music Videos · #55 Greatest Rock Songs

69. 69

    Symphony of Destruction

    (1992)

    Megadeth

    Mustaine's simplest riff and biggest hit; the song that took Megadeth to arenas in the Countdown to Extinction era.

    Also ranked: #6 Greatest Metal Albums · #2 Greatest Thrash Metal Bands · #6 Greatest Metal Bands

70. 70

    Indians

    (1987)

    Anthrax

    The war dance, Joey Belladonna's Native American heritage and Anthrax's most political and most-moshed song.

    Also ranked: #24 Greatest Metal Albums · #4 Greatest Thrash Metal Bands · #17 Greatest Metal Bands

Foundations and Deep Cuts: Ranks 71–100

71. 71

    Black Metal

    (1982)

    Venom

    The song that named a genre; crude, fast and gleefully blasphemous, it was the blueprint for the Norwegian second wave.

    Also ranked: #39 Greatest Metal Albums · #7 Greatest Black Metal Bands · #31 Greatest Metal Bands

72. 72

    Evil

    (1983)

    Mercyful Fate

    King Diamond's falsetto and Hank Shermann's riffs on the opener of Melissa; the song that showed metal could be theatrical and extreme at once.

    Also ranked: #38 Greatest Metal Albums · #9 Greatest Black Metal Bands · #92 Greatest Metal Bands

73. 73

    Circle of the Tyrants

    (1985)

    Celtic Frost

    Tom G. Warrior's "Ugh!" and a riff that death, black and thrash bands have all claimed as their own.

    Also ranked: #70 Greatest Metal Albums · #8 Greatest Black Metal Bands · #80 Greatest Metal Bands

74. 74

    A Fine Day to Die

    (1988)

    Bathory

    The acoustic intro, the Viking lyric and eight minutes that turned Bathory from proto-black metal into an epic.

    Also ranked: #33 Greatest Metal Albums · #4 Greatest Black Metal Bands · #32 Greatest Metal Bands

75. 75

    Transilvanian Hunger

    (1994)

    Darkthrone

    Four minutes of hypnotic tremolo on a four-track; the sound raw black metal has been copying for thirty years.

    Also ranked: #34 Greatest Metal Albums · #2 Greatest Black Metal Bands · #37 Greatest Metal Bands

76. 76

    I Am the Black Wizards

    (1994)

    Emperor

    Symphonic black metal's signature song, written when Ihsahn and Samoth were teenagers.

    Also ranked: #26 Greatest Metal Albums · #3 Greatest Black Metal Bands · #22 Greatest Metal Bands

77. 77

    Chapel of Ghouls

    (1989)

    Morbid Angel

    Trey Azagthoth's most famous riff and the song that set death metal's technical bar in 1989.

    Also ranked: #21 Greatest Metal Albums · #2 Greatest Death Metal Bands · #23 Greatest Metal Bands

78. 78

    Slowly We Rot

    (1989)

    Obituary

    The crawl, the sludge and John Tardy's vocal; death metal's most-imitated slow song.

    Also ranked: #64 Greatest Metal Albums · #4 Greatest Death Metal Bands · #56 Greatest Metal Bands

79. 79

    Blinded by Fear

    (1995)

    At the Gates

    Slaughter of the Soul's opener and the song American metalcore was built on; the riff has been borrowed by a hundred bands.

    Also ranked: #36 Greatest Metal Albums · #7 Greatest Death Metal Bands · #42 Greatest Metal Bands

80. 80

    Heartwork

    (1993)

    Carcass

    Harmonised leads over precision death metal; the title track that defined melodic death metal.

    Also ranked: #35 Greatest Metal Albums · #9 Greatest Death Metal Bands · #62 Greatest Metal Bands

81. 81

    Left Hand Path

    (1990)

    Entombed

    The Boss HM-2 buzzsaw tone, a six-minute epic and the outro that became a Swedish death metal signature.

    Also ranked: #63 Greatest Metal Albums · #8 Greatest Death Metal Bands · #57 Greatest Metal Bands

82. 82

    Crystal Mountain

    (1995)

    Death

    Chuck Schuldiner's most melodic composition and Symbolic's centrepiece; death metal as songwriting rather than assault.

    Also ranked: #20 Greatest Metal Albums · #1 Greatest Death Metal Bands · #13 Greatest Metal Bands

83. 83

    Sons of Northern Darkness

    (2002)

    Immortal

    Immortal's most anthemic song and the one that made black metal safe for festival main stages.

    Also ranked: #68 Greatest Metal Albums · #5 Greatest Black Metal Bands · #50 Greatest Metal Bands

84. 84

    Pleasure to Kill

    (1986)

    Kreator

    German thrash's most violent song and a direct link to death metal; Mille Petrozza's bark over blast speed.

    Also ranked: #71 Greatest Metal Albums · #10 Greatest Thrash Metal Bands · #34 Greatest Metal Bands

85. 85

    Bonded by Blood

    (1985)

    Exodus

    Bay Area thrash's founding anthem and Paul Baloff's finest moment: "Murder in the front row!".

    Also ranked: #72 Greatest Metal Albums · #8 Greatest Thrash Metal Bands · #33 Greatest Metal Bands

86. 86

    Practice What You Preach

    (1989)

    Testament

    Testament's most-played song and the one that took them closest to the Big Four's commercial tier.

    Also ranked: #73 Greatest Metal Albums · #7 Greatest Thrash Metal Bands · #29 Greatest Metal Bands

87. 87

    Elimination

    (1989)

    Overkill

    Bobby Blitz's most famous chorus and East Coast thrash's signature song.

    Also ranked: #74 Greatest Metal Albums · #9 Greatest Thrash Metal Bands · #84 Greatest Metal Bands

88. 88

    Solitude

    (1986)

    Candlemass

    Epic doom's founding hymn: Johan Längqvist's operatic vocals and a funeral-pace riff.

    Also ranked: #37 Greatest Metal Albums · #30 Greatest Metal Bands

89. 89

    Funeralopolis

    (2000)

    Electric Wizard

    Ten minutes of the heaviest doom ever recorded, ending in a riot; the sound of Dopethrone in one song.

    Also ranked: #61 Greatest Metal Albums · #52 Greatest Metal Bands

90. 90

    Dragonaut

    (1992)

    Sleep

    Sleep's Holy Mountain's opener and the stoner-doom song everyone learns the riff to.

    Also ranked: #62 Greatest Metal Albums · #51 Greatest Metal Bands

91. 91

    I Want Out

    (1988)

    Helloween

    Power metal's most famous chorus and the single that made Helloween Germany's biggest metal export of the eighties.

    Also ranked: #80 Greatest Metal Albums · #21 Greatest Metal Bands

92. 92

    The Bard's Song (In the Forest)

    (1992)

    Blind Guardian

    An acoustic ballad that entire festival crowds sing unaccompanied; power metal's campfire anthem.

    Also ranked: #81 Greatest Metal Albums · #39 Greatest Metal Bands

93. 93

    Nemo

    (2004)

    Nightwish

    Symphonic metal's biggest single: Tarja Turunen's voice, an orchestra and a chorus that crossed into European pop charts.

    Also ranked: #97 Greatest Metal Albums · #44 Greatest Metal Bands

94. 94

    Balls to the Wall

    (1983)

    Accept

    The stomp, the chant and Udo Dirkschneider's rasp; German metal's greatest arena anthem.

    Also ranked: #85 Greatest Metal Albums · #79 Greatest Metal Bands

95. 95

    Denim and Leather

    (1981)

    Saxon

    The NWOBHM's own anthem, written about the fans who made the movement; a set-closer for forty years.

    Also ranked: #84 Greatest Metal Albums · #60 Greatest Metal Bands · #86 Greatest British Rock Bands

96. 96

    Am I Evil?

    (1980)

    Diamond Head

    The riff Metallica covered so often that many fans think it is theirs; the NWOBHM's most influential song.

    Also ranked: #83 Greatest Metal Albums · #61 Greatest Metal Bands

97. 97

    Rock You Like a Hurricane

    (1984)

    Scorpions

    Hard rock at the metal border and the most-played German song on American radio; the riff every cover band knows.

    Also ranked: #60 Greatest Rock Songs · #75 Classic Rock Songs · #47 Most Famous Bands

98. 98

    Wasted Years

    (1986)

    Iron Maiden

    Adrian Smith's finest song, a synth-guitar intro and a lyric about touring that became a fan hymn.

    Also ranked: #4 Greatest Metal Albums · #2 Greatest Metal Bands · #28 Greatest British Rock Bands

99. 99

    Symptom of the Universe

    (1975)

    Black Sabbath

    The riff that thrash metal was built on, a decade early, and Sabotage's heaviest moment.

    Also ranked: #1 Greatest Metal Albums · #12 Greatest Rock Songs · #54 Classic Rock Songs

100. 100

     Victim of Changes

     (1976)

     Judas Priest

     Seven minutes of twin guitars and Rob Halford's earliest screams; the song where heavy metal's operatic side begins.

     Also ranked: #5 Greatest Metal Albums · #4 Greatest Metal Bands · #36 Greatest British Rock Bands

Write a riff Sabbath would nod at.

Type "doom metal, down-tuned, Ozzy-style vocals" and Sonx builds the full track, lyrics and all.