20. Blackened - Metallica
Almost every song that opens every album in the top ten of my 100 favorite metal albums list is on THIS list. Which brings us to "Blackened". For years before I stumbled on a version of ...And Justice for All that featured bass, I had no problem ignoring the daft production. That's 'cause the drums finally don't have that reverberated '80s treatment, (and anything that makes Lars sound better = a good thing), but also because these jams are the best batch in Metallica's songbook. "Blackened" is the only song Jason Newsted got credit on and go him. Tight and complex as the rest of the album, but trashier than everything except "Dyers Eve", this is just about as good as Metallica ever got.
19. Dying - Obituary
Superb Scott Burns production and fo sho one of the best death metal albums ever made, Obituary's sophomore effort Cause of Death naturally features the band's best song as well, the almost instrumental "Dying". There's only four lines in this song and they don't come till almost the end. Also meaning of course they come after killer riffs for days, including one of the dumbest and greatest chunk breakdowns in history. I bought this album almost solely because of this song after I listened to it at a used CD store and had previously no idea who Obituary was as I was an overall noob to death metal. Having acquired most of their albums since and generally always liking what I heard, (this is their third entry on my list after all), my ears are still most pleased by "Dying".
18. Blood and Thunder - Mastodon
There seems to be a three-brilliant-album streak rule with many a metal band. Remission was solid enough of a debut for Atlanta's Mastodon, but Leviathan, Blood Mountain, and especially Crack the Skye just bring the house down. Skye is great for being a prog masterpiece far above a metal one and I could've easily picked something out from Mountain for inclusion here even though more oddball melodies and classic rock influences were creeping in amongst the progginess. But "Blood and Thunder", (again an album opener), belongs on this list toweringly so above all other Mastodon cuts. This opening riff is slamming as hell and as usual, Brann Dailor cannot at all control his drum-fill-gasms, making the whole song sound like an unhinged beast. And Clutch's incredibly likable Neil Fallon is on it. Least us forget.
17. Blinded By Fear - At the Gates
Moooooore album openers still. This one stemming from the best metal album of any kind, At the Gate's Slaughter of the Soul. "Blinded By Fear" remains the most covered ATG song as it should. This was yet another one that my first death metal band learned and another band I'm friends with also performed it live on an occasion or two. So we did our part and contributed to the "most covered" record. I first heard about this album in a Guitar Player magazine article from the late 90s which listed it as essential death metal to get. Twenty years later, it's just as essential. Every song on it could make any metal songs list and it would be perfectly fitting. "Fear" was crafted by the band as the ultimate album opener and success by leaps and bounds did they achieve. If you don't like this song, go sit in the corner.
16. Dechristianize - Vital Remains
Thanks to Vital Remains, I can no longer hear the most epic piece of music ever composed, (Carl Orff's "O Fortuna"), without thinking about killing Christians. These guys are both brilliant and assholes for starting Dechristianize off with that before I got a chance to with one of my albums in one of my bands. But said Excalibur theme leading into Glen Benton proclaiming "Let the killing...begin!" and then of course the nearly nine minute piece of genius that is the title track was one of the greatest things I ever heard then and now. My old guitar player picked this album up, said it was the best death metal he ever heard, and then played me this song. At which point I came in my pants. Everything here works from the brutal as spiked-balls riffs to the fastest blast beats ever committed to record to the no bullshit, best guitar harmony of all the times.
15. Summoning Redemption - Morbid Angel
Speaking of blasphemous excellence, let's have some Morbid Angel! The letter G ended up being the last great MA album at this writing as Heretic is flawed as shit and Illud Divinum Insanus, well, let's not even go there. Eric Rutan was back on Gateways to Annihilation, Steve Tucker was throwing down most all the lyrics, Pete Sandoval's drum sound was triggered garbage, and the overall style of the music was more sluggish and oozing. "Summoning Redemption" features all of these things as well as arguably the best extreme metal vocal performance there is by Tucker. This song is just evil incarnate. That main riff is demon summoning and Tucker's deity-defying demand to "...know the light of the promised land" gets me growling along every time.
14. Bitter Peace - Slayer
Leave it to Jeff Hanneman to, sans one song, singlehandedly write the greatest Slayer album. I know that only me and my former bandmates in my first death metal band Wretched Disciple think this but still, fuck ya'all, Diabolus in Musica is Slayer's masterpiece. Rather than do what they've been doing since Christ Illusion, (trying to recapture older glory), Slayer cira-1998 was experimenting with their well defined style. Hanneman wanted to change up his writing and Diabolus ended up being the band's stab at groove metal, though with some of the most complex arrangements in Slayer history. Even if you're not a fan of the world's greatest thrash band making dem asses shake as well as banging heads, you need your hearing checked to not like "Bitter Peace". The opening riff is infectious and it's overall just a brilliant piece, (get it?), of songwriting.
13. Tornado of Souls - Megadeth
There are few finer riffs in all of metal than the ones in "Tornado of Souls". Furthermore and once again, the breakdown here is just as good as music gets. It's one of those "Everybody just shut up and headbang" moments when it comes on in a room with a group of people. Or if it's just you in your car. Easily one of the best parts to any song. Rust In Peace is hard if at all to top in album form when it comes to metal and shit, pick your poison far as songs go. I have another one on the way, so that shows ya right there how at least THIS metalhead digs the Dave Mustaine excellence. There's a reason the two Daves, Nick Menza, and Marty Friedman are still regarded as the golden line-up of Megadeth. Listen to this breakdown and just try not to bow down.
12. One By One - Immortal
I picked up Sons of Northern Darkness on the blind at Rolling Stones Records after hearing the name "Immortal" thrown around a few times. They looked like an evil version of Kiss with axes on the cover so I was in. Then I played this in my car on the way to work, (in winter mind you, which is the ideal time to listen to anything black metal related, FYI), and needless to say it woke me up. Rarely have I bought something I'd never heard and been so impressed, metal or not. "One By One" was the song that jolted me to life that random morning at 3 AM and I love it as much now if not more. Every riff in this song just keeps getting better and the production is astounding. Horgh's drums in particular sound gargantuan. It's on the short list as one of the heaviest songs of all time and easily Immortal's best.
11. Immortally Insane - Pantera
Years as a Pantera fan, (to the point of them arguably being my favorite metal band), it's rather ludicrous that I didn't know that "Immortally Insane" existed until about maybe five years ago. Well, it did show up originally on the Heavy Metal 2000 soundtrack which was both a soundtrack and movie that I completely ignored. I was and remain an album guy, so b-sides and whatnot usually allude me for a spell. Case in point here. But alas, when my brother stumbled upon this and sent it to me by saying "This is the greatest Pantera riff of all time", I was needless to say intrigued. And he was right. Clearly the band themselves knew this, as almost the entire song is that same riff played over and over again. Because really, how can you fuck with this? Dimebag is almost Tony Iommi in the riff department. Exhibit A right goddamn here son.
10. One - Metallica
As much of a cliche it may be to consider "One" the best Metallica song, I care not. The best track off the band's best album has always held that distinction for me. As well as many others. I'm one of those Metallica fans that actually likes (The Black Album) and will make no apologies for doing so, but I also agree with most metal head friends of mine that everything else they've done since is garbage. "One" on the other hand very much isn't. The entire metalfied end of this song that Lars can't play live anymore is worthy of all the praise and the entire song as a whole shows off what Metallica was always best at, which was excellent arrangements. "One" builds as good if not better than most epics ever have.
9. Slaughter of the Soul - At the Gates
When At the Gates reunited and went on tour, they opened their set with the title track from the metal album that will never be topped, Slaughter of the Soul. And me standing elbow to elbow with a bunch of other smelly, white, metalhead males proceeded to lose my goddamn mind and blow out my voice screaming along all evening. I hardly remember actually WATCHING them live as I was far too busy headbanging. "Slaughter" is the ultimate ATG song and perfectly encapsulates why this is the best extreme metal album of all time. Every riff destroys, Tomas Lindberg rips his vocal chords, the breakdown is ridiculously awesome, the production is flawless, and it's heavy as a sack of heavy things. The best thing to ever come out of Sweden right here.
8. Sothis - Vader
I think the only death metal album that my brother bought before I did was Vader's Live In Japan. This is double odd since both of us almost always ignore live albums to begin with and my brother isn't that much of a death metal head. But "Sothis" was the first track after the intro on said live album and after skimming it at Rolling Stones Records, c'mon now, how could you not be hooked? This is arguably the best DM song of all time. There's few examples of a song who's numerous riffs are so relentlessly headbanging. Poland's Vader have always been excellent and "Sothis" originally stemmed from their second album De Profundis, which you guessed it, is solid as ever. This song, which was my introduction to this band, has never ceased amazing me.
7. Unleashing the Bloodthirsty- Cannibal Corpse
And just beating out Vader by a hair in the "best death metal song ever" category, it's the closest thing the genre has to a household name, Cannibal Corpse. It is rather fitting that these guys would come out on top. Going as strong as ever still today, there's really only like two Corpse albums that aren't great and 1999's Bloodthirst may trump them all. Much of this has to do with it being their only album that the mighty Colin Richardson produced, who should be required by law to be the only man allowed to produce every metal album made by anyone. But of course another big part of the excellence is the almost title track "Unleashing the Bloodthirsty". Alex Webster, (another mighty fellow), penned the music and lyrics and it's his masterpiece. THEE Cannibal Corpse breakdown is in this song and the rest of the riffs could destroy Catholicism if given the chance.
6. Legions of the Dead - Testament
Now when it comes to "heavy", there is everything else and then there is "Legions of the Dead". Amazingly Andy Sneap mixed Testament's greatest achievement The Gathering, the reason it amazes is because Sneap is one of the things that's wrong with modern metal as his sound-replaced, punched-in "every album sounds exactly the same" sound is utterly loathsome. This album on the other wang sounds like glory. Chuck Billy and Eric Peterson were kind of without a band when they cut The Gathering so, as the album title dictates, they simply gathered three A-listers to help out. Dave Lombardo, James Murphy, and Steve DiGiorgio all appear and clearly this trick worked wonders. "Legions of the Dead" destroys everything in it's path. Billy's vocals are straight up cookie monster-esque and this is straight-up as ferocious as thrash metal has or will ever get.
5. Angel of Death - Slayer
From this point on, all these songs appeared on my 100 favorite songs list so for the two people reading this who saw that one, the surprises are mostly over. "Angel of Death" at any given time I can rightly consider the all time definitive metal song. And as you can see, damn well the best. This is the Slayer jam to rule them all, no question. Public Enemy had the right mind to sample it brilliantly and who are you to talk shit about anything off It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back? Written about one of real life's most evil men, (Nazi physician Josef Mengele), and of course penned solo by the only Slayer guitarist that matters Jeff Hanneman, "Angel" is a classic and always will be. It's impossible to imagine what the metal world would be like without this song's existence, so Mr. Hanneman, we salute thee!
4. Neogenesis - Enslaved
The twelve minute closer to Enslaved's third masterpiece in a row, (2004's Isa), is the haunting, gorgeous, and of course still much heavy "Neogenesis". This was my favorite Enslaved song after the first time I heard it as this entire album had me under it's trance willingly. The eerie and melodic intro with those chanty, clean Viking vocals gives way to thrashy goodness and then bounces back with excellent guitar solos, more double bass, and keyboards soaring over it all. And then at about the 8:40 mark, this song kicks into arguably my favorite thing in any song made by humans. The three-plus minute slow as fuck stoner/classic rock riff that they play the shit out of to send it all home is what all music should be. Plus Ivar Bjørnson's lead over it is as good as lead guitar playing gets. If not more gooder.
3. A Vampire Bit My Balls - Maggot Twat
Now we arrive at my five year old daughter's favorite song, Maggot Twat's "A Vampire Bit My Balls". And just so you know, we call it "The Vampire Song" when my daughter routinely asks to listen to it every car ride. Parenting done right. But anyway, The Twat sadly is no longer with us as they decided to call it quits within the last year which did and still brings me a sad face like you wouldn't believe. Thankfully, I saw this band numerous times live, each show ranking as the best I'd ever seen. And each one ended with "The Vampire Song". Everything I and everyone should love about this band is here, namely "how the hell is he doing that?" wammy riff awesomes and some of the most hilarious lyrics of all time. Did Bob Dylan ever pen anything as brilliant as "Now my dick is all evil, it keeps me up all night long. I can't go out in the daytime without a coffin on my shlong"?. Exactly.
2. Painkiller - Judas Priest
The only song from cow's around the world's least favorite metal band Judas Priest to appear on this list yes, but also, look how high. Go team. Priest's first album to feature former Racer X's skinsman Scott Travis opens with the title track "Painkiller" and you'd have to put a gun to my head to admit that anything else this band has or will ever do will top it. There might not be a riff in the entire cosmos that kills more than this one. Rob Halford, (who never ceases to amaze even into his 60s), has never been more impressive than he is on this one as well and Glenn Tipton and K.K. Downing likewise rip their most perfect dual lead. It goes to show you that a band as great as Death can do a cover of this song on what I think is their best album and this would still end up being probably the best thing THEY ever did as well. Can't fuck with the Priest or the "Painkiller".
1. Holy Wars...the Punishment Due - Megadeth
For a change, I actually didn't know what was going to top one of my lists when I began making it. I knew that "Holy Wars...the Punishment Due" was a contend-uh for sure, but I was a little pleasantly surprised that it ended as high as it did. To label this song as my favorite in the history of metal just sounds right. Rust In Peace could be my favorite metal album as well when the mood hits me right anyway, but the track that kicks off Megadeth's high watermark is utterly perfect. A six and a half minute epic, two part suite with lyrics about both the Northern Ireland Conflict and the Punisher because sure why not, "Wars" also features Dave Mustaine's finest guitar solo. Which I would go as far as to say is the best metal guitar solo ever played. Sorry Dimebag. Dave Mustaine seems to be on a quest to prove that he's one of the most impossible musicians on earth to work with and enough word blips to make him sound like Ted Nuggent's doppelganger, but credit where it is due, (huh, huh, puns); the man and his band knows how to do metal like goddamn bosses.
