I'm working on making a list of my favorite guitar riffs from all genres, but I thought I would list my favorite heavy metal riffs by band. The songs are not in any particular order.
Since I’m just talking about the riffs in songs here, you may notice a few songs on this list that I’ve stated I dislike, but I’m only referring to the riff in the song. If there’s a glaring song you think should be on this list that I left out, it’s safe to assume I simply haven’t heard it.
Songs in bold are among my favorite all-time guitar riffs.
Anthrax
A.I.R.
Bathory
Enter the Eternal Fire
Raise the Dead
I've never heard a riff that sounds anything like the one on Enter the Eternal Fire. It's not one of my all time favorites, but it's certainly very memorable.
Black Sabbath
Iron Man
Hellhammer
Ready for Slaughter
Bloody Pussies
Judas Priest
One For The Road
Rocka Rolla
Winter
Cheater
Never Satisfied
Run Of The Mill
Dying To Meet You
Tyrant
Sinner
Rapid Fire
Metal Gods
Breaking the Law
United
You Don’t Have To Be Old To Be Wise
Living After Midnight
While Judas Priest is often hit or miss for me, they have a large percentage of my favorite riffs on this list.
Megadeth
Last Rites / Loved To Deth
Holy Wars…The Punishment Due
Metallica
The Four Horsemen
Jump In The Fire
Seek & Destroy
Fight Fire With Fire
Ride the Lightning
For Whom The Bell Tolls
The Call of Ktulu
Battery
MASTER OF PUPPETS
The Thing That Should Not Be
Orion
…And Justice For All
One
Harvester of Sorrow
To Live Is To Die
Dyers Eve
Enter Sandman
Sad But True
Ain’t My Bitch
Frantic
Yeah so Metallica is awesome. If you couldn’t tell by the enormous emphasis I put on Master Of Puppets…it’s one of my favorite riffs of all time, mainly because it’s overlaid with sweep picking.
It’s more than just that though.
I’m mainly a fan of slower riffs where I can hear the notes being played, and because this riff is played with sweep picking, it gives the appearance of being a slow riff where you can hear the individual notes, even though the riff is being ‘played’ insanely fast. Simply magical.
Onslaught
Damnation / Onslaught (Power from Hell)
Pantera
This Love
Sarcófago
Nightmare
Of all of the riffs on this list, Nightmare might be the most brutal of them all, just in the way that it is played.
Slayer
Black Magic
Tormentor
Chemical Warfare
Haunting the Chapel
Jesus Saves
South of Heaven
Quote:
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Metal Storm / Face the Slayer
I moved this song to the end to talk about it more specifically. In compiling this list, I realized that there is not just 1 riff in this song I like, or 2, or even ****ing THREE riffs I like, there’s four riffs in this song that I like. It’s currently the only song in existence that I know of that can claim such a thing. Show No Mercy is an often forgotten Slayer album, but I see this riff as living proof that King and Hanneman were simply destined to play together.
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Anyway, as far as Slayer riffs go, South of Heaven is by far my favorite. Slayer seemed to place more emphasis on the riff in their earlier material compared to notables such as Reign In Blood. I always found Reign In Blood curiously addicting to listen to as the riffs are basically unintelligible, but the random guitar playing I find very appealing.
Venom
Live Like an Angel (Die Like a Devil)