Top 100 Metal Songs: The Top Ten

UPDATE 1/5/2010: Check out my new list, The Top 50 Metal Albums of The Last Decade

In case you're coming here from a search and missed the earlier installments, here they are: Introduction, 100-91, 90-81, 80-71, 70-61, 60-51, 50-41, 40-31, 30-21, and 20-11. Now, the top ten.

#10: “Who Do You Love?” by George Thorogood & the Destroyers
Move It On Over (1978)

Maybe it’s not pure metal, but it certainly is very hard, bluesy rock with a very metal attitude. Since blues-inspired hard rock is the origin of heavy metal, it certainly fits. The lyrical style, talking about how cool and scary the vocalist is, foreshadows the vocal stylings of such later outfits as White Zombie, Mercyful Fate, Motörhead, and Danzig, among others. George’s growly voice also foreshadows the vast majority of 90’s metal vocalists. Not only that, but the simple, powerful riff throughout the tune is also echoed by later metal groups. This song definitely deserves a place in the top ten.

#9: “Cemetery Gates” by Pantera
Cowboys from Hell (1990)

This song goes through the style of such later Pantera hits as “This Love” and “Hollow”: mellow verses interspersed by a powerful chorus. The chorus in this one, however, has one of the greatest metal riffs ever composed, sounding almost like black metal. The solo may not be one of the late Dimebag Darrell’s best, but it certainly fits the eerie, confused, and angry tone of the song, which marks a transition from Pantera’s earlier (and disowned) hair metal style to their later thrash metal virtuosity. No true metal fan can dispute the placement of this classic on the top ten list.

#8: “Faget” by Korn
Korn (1994)

The album marked a transition in the metal world by itself, but this song is the culmination of the abuse-inspired rage of the album (the epitome of the less healthy, questioning angst comes at the end, with “Daddy”). It’s a message to all the people who teased Jonathan Davis as a child, and it’s a strong message at that: “I’m just a pretty boy, whatever you call it. You wouldn’t know a real man if you saw it. It keeps going on day after day, son, you FAKE! . . . I’m sick and tired of people treating me this way every day. Who gives a fuck? Right now I got something to say to all the people who think that I’m STRANGE, that I should be out of here locked up in a CAGE! You don’t know what the hell to fuck now anyway. You got this pretty boy feeling like I’m enslaved. To a world that never appreciated shit: YOU CAN SUCK MY DICK AND FUCKING LIKE IT!” With that, the rage comes out, and the most perfect moment on the album, and in the nu-metal revolution, is realized. (Sorry for the profanity to anyone that’s offended, but you can’t truly appreciate it without said profanity.)

#7: “Ring of Fire” by Johnny Cash
??? (1963)

This one may seem a bit out of place. But it really isn’t. For one thing, the band Soil (of “Halo” fame) have it played over the speakers every time before they take the stage. The imagery is also characteristically metal: any time they speak of love, the discussion includes the pain and everything else that goes along with it. On my playlists, this one seems perfect as a bridge between “Down in a Hole” by Alice in Chains and “This Love” by Pantera.

#6: “Stone the Crow” by Down
NOLA (1995)

Phil Anselmo makes the top ten twice with this song (the other is “Cemetary Gates”). The most impressive thing about it is the beautifully melodic, southern-sounding riff through the verses, punctuated by Anselmo’s angry voice in the choruses and fully complemented by a great solo and guitar outro by Pepper Keenan. This is definitely the best track ever laid down by an all-star heavy metal side project, and it’s the most perfect blend of southern rock and heavy metal.
(Incidentally, yes the album is named after New Orleans. Not only that, but on their second album, released in 2002, there is a song called “New Orleans Is a Dying Whore.” Prophecy? No, just a moral criticism—or perhaps a lament for lost morals—which ultimately sounds strange coming from a group like this one.)

#5: “Mother” by Danzig
Danzig (1988)

To this day, and probably forevermore, Danzig will be best known for this song on his first solo album. It’s a warning to parents: don’t let your kids listen to Danzig. He will corrupt them, making delinquents out of your sons and whores out of your daughters. “Mother, tell your children not to hold my hand. Tell your children not to understand. Oh, Mother! Father! Do you want to bang heads with me? Do you want to feel everything? Oh, Father! Not about to see your light, but if you want to find hell with me, I can show you what it’s like, ‘til you’re bleeding!” The song has great riffs in chorus and verse, and concludes with one of John Christ’s better guitar solos.

#4: “Clean My Wounds” by Corrosion of Conformity
Deliverance (1994)

Pepper Keenan makes a second appearance in the top ten, this time also on vocals. Strangely enough, he had no place in the remaining 90. This one has one of the best staccato riffs ever written, and is incredibly catchy (it reminds me of “Who Do You Love?”). Not only that, but Keenan’s low-key voice (not to be confused with Maynard James Keenan) is a welcome replacement to CoC’s prior frontman’s voice. Keenan’s guitar solo also has a hint of the southern influence, but there is nothing to detract from the absolutely incredible riff in the verses.

#3: “13 Years of Grief” by Black Label Society
Stronger than Death (2000)

Zakk Wylde’s message to kids: “You’re so fucking tough, so motherfucking bad. 13 years of grief is all your folks ever had. Just an ignorant cunt, talking such shit.” Sure, metal is about rebellion from society. But listen to your parents, and respect them. When you’re 13 you shouldn’t be rebelling against them. If you do, you’ll probably end up with “6 months in the hole. Yeah, son, look at you now.” The riff is pure, unadulterated, bottom-heavy BLS biker metal, but the real star of the show here is Zakk’s absolutely amazing guitar solo, surpassing all of his other solos, including those done for Ozzy. Any fan of guitar solos or of biker metal needs to check this one out. And this concludes the good ol’ southern boy portion of the list.

#2: “The Nameless” by Slipknot
Volume 3: The Subliminal Verses (2004)

This song calcifies (hope I don’t leave you behind on that reference) the promise of Slipknot: in the early 2010’s these guys will be looked at in the same way that Metallica was looked at in the early 1990’s. It is the culmination of their most brilliant album (written and recorded in 8 months instead of 2 after a hiatus when the band members explored side projects to expand their horizons, most notably Stone Sour). It fully realizes the power of all nine members of the band, and the themes of Volume 3 (the interplay of control, love, hate, and obsession) are belted out in pure Slipknot fashion. The best part of it is the contrasting voices of Corey Taylor: the adoring, obsessed melodic and the furious, powerful, dominating force of his scream. The two voices begin as distinct, each with a separate role of love or hate, and by the end they become confused in the greatest crescendo ever written for a heavy metal song, as the narrator loses his grip on right and wrong or love and dominating obsession before finally screaming, repeating, and reinforcing the words “You’re mine!” I recommend this song so highly that I would call it the single best heavy metal song ever written. I could listen to this one over and over all day long, and it would never get old. Of course, you may be asking, if it’s the best ever written, why is it number two? Read on for the number one pick . . .

#1: “Mercyful Fate” medley by Metallica
Garage Inc. (1998)

Sure, it’s a cover. But it only makes sense to be at the top spot on the list. Mercyful Fate had 5 songs on the list, and Metallica had 10 besides this one. This medley combines some of the best writing in the metal world with some of the best performing in the world ever, period. James Hetfield’s voice obviously can’t match King Diamond’s range, but it’s always a good one, and the sound of Metallica’s guitars is the best in the business (although I can’t say the same for the drums on St. Anger or the bass on . . . And Justice for All). The gods of heavy metal go through five of Mercyful Fate’s best early tracks in this 11 minute, 11 second heavy metal epic (Metallica’s longest studio track): “Satan’s Fall,” “Curse of the Pharaohs,” “A Corpse Without a Soul,” “Into the Coven,” and “Evil,” (forgive me if I missed one) including not only riffs and lyrics but also several solos. (They said that they loved the work so much that they couldn’t possibly pick just one.) The songs flow together perfectly because of Mercyful Fate’s consistent writing, and Metallica even weave back and forth between the songs instead of simply painting by number. The band’s enthusiasm for Fate’s work shows through in their highly energetic and accelerated performance. Once again, this song is one that I could put on “repeat” for a full 24 hours.
(I don’t know if this cover was why he did it, but King Diamond sang “Happy Birthday” to James at a concert where Hetfield and Ulrich attended.)

UPDATE 7/31/06: Does this list piss you off? Do you think you have good suggestions for a brand-new list? Go here and give me your suggestions!

UPDATE 9/20/09:

I've given up on making a new list. My tastes have gotten so much heavier and less mainstream (Opeth, Necrophagist, Death, Bloodbath, etc.) and I've been adding so many more albums all the time that I've realized making a list like this--which is truly complete and fair--is a hopeless endeavor. I still like everything on this list, but I listen to it less all the time.

If you want to see a list of my favorite bands as it stands now, this is what I took off my Facebook page:

Alchemist, Alice in Chains, Amon Amarth, Amorphis, Apocalyptica, Artillery, At the Gates, Baroness, Behemoth, Black Sabbath, Blood Tsunami, Bloodbath, Candlemass, Johnny Cash, Cephalic Carnage, Coal Chamber, Corrosion of Conformity, Crimson Moonlight, Cryptopsy, Cynic, Dååth, Danzig, Dark Tranquility, Death, Deftones, Dethklok, DevilDriver, Diablo Swing Orchestra, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Dimmu Borgir, Disillusion, Disturbed, Down, Dream Theater, Eluveitie, Eryn Non Dae, Extol, Godsmack, Gojira, The Haunted, John Lee Hooker, Iced Earth, In Flames, Tony Iommi, Iron Maiden, Isis, King Diamond, Korn, Lacuna Coil, Lake of Tears, Led Zeppelin, Living Sacrifice, Mar De Grises, Mastodon, Megadeth, Mercyful Fate, Meshuggah, Metallica, Monster Magnet, Motörhead, My Dying Bride, Necrophagist, Nevermore, Nile, Nine Inch Nails, Opeth, Orphaned Land, Ozzy Osbourne, Pantera, Psyopus, Ram-Zet, Rammstein, Red Harvest, Sepultura, Slipknot, Soilwork, Sotajumala, Soul Embraced, Spineshank, Static-X, Suffocation, Swallow the Sun, Theatre of Tragedy, Therion, Tool, Type O Negative, Volbeat, White Zombie, Black Label Society

I've also disabled comments, as I think 100 is enough.

I hope everyone will accept that I now admit my list was narrow-minded, but I needed the Internet to introduce me to the great stuff (I don't know anyone else who listens to death metal, and I don't think I've ever met anyone who does). In this vein, anyone who needs to be introduced to all kinds of metal you can't hear on the radio should check out MetalCast, the best podcast ever.

UPDATE 1/5/2010: Check out my new list, The Top 50 Metal Albums of The Last Decade

Top 100 Metal Songs 20-11

UPDATE 1/5/2010: Check out my new list, The Top 50 Metal Albums of The Last Decade

All the previous installments:
Introduction, 100-91, 90-81, 80-71, 70-61, 60-51, 50-41, 40-31, 30-21

#20: “Supernaut” by Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath, Volume 4 (1972)

I have to admit, when I set out to make this list I didn’t expect this to be the highest Black Sabbath song. In fact, it’s one of the least well-known songs from their first four albums. It’s not even one of their dark songs. It’s an extremely energetic song about (I think) drugs. It’s exactly the kind of song you want to hear when you’re in a really good mood. The main riff is awesome, and the solos make the song incredible. There’s a great guitar solo by the capable Tony Iommi and even an entertaining drum solo by Bill Ward. I suspect that it’s Sabbath’s answer to the accusations of the time that they couldn’t play. Steve Huey of All Music Guide said “the crushing "Supernaut" is one of the heaviest tracks the band ever recorded.” Enough said.

#19: “Man in the Box” by Alice in Chains
Facelift (1990)

This bottom-heavy song of abuse is the best written by this Seattle band. While he is abused, he is defiant, unlike most of their other heroin-depressed songs. “I’m the dog who gets beat. Shove my nose in shit. Won’t you come and save me?” It even has some of the best interplay of vocals between Layne Staley and Jerry Cantrell, and one of Cantrell’s better guitar solos.

#18: “Jailbait” by Motörhead
Ace of Spades (1980)

This song has everything that makes Motörhead great: a raunchy, high energy riff paired up with irreverent lyrics sung by Lemmy Kilmister’s uniquely raunchy voice. “Teenage baby you’re a sweet young thing. . . . You’re jailbait and I just can’t wait. . . . Love that young stuff.” The solo is even entertaining, even though it’s nothing special.

#17: “Down with the Sickness” by Disturbed
The Sickness (2000)

If this song doesn’t make you want to smash into the person next to you, nothing will. Descent into madness is the order of the day. The song begins with Draiman’s famous “evil monkey scream” along with decidedly White Zombie/Godsmack-inspired guitars, and everyone can get into the chorus. “Open up your hate and let it flow into me. Get up, come on get down with the sickness. You mother get up, come on get down with the sickness. You fucker get up, come on get down with the sickness. Madness is the gift that has been given to me.” It’s really too bad that the edited version has to cut out the insane rant near the end, because it’s filled with some of the most anger ever distilled into musical form.

#16: “Nothing to Gein” by Mudvayne
L.D. 50 (2000)

This is perhaps one of Mudvayne’s most thoughtful songs. It’s written from the perspective of Edward Gein, first and foremost mother’s little boy and in his later years a model mental patient, and you can look up on Google what he did in between (hint: Hitchcock’s Psycho was based partly on him, and so was Buffalo Bill from The Silence of the Lambs). They handle the material somewhat sensitively, trying to figure out what made him the way he is, but definitely with a Mudvayne twist. The song moves through extremely heavy parts with screaming vocals and singing, and even goes through a funky part. “Masturbate, celebrate the fields of death with skin upon my face. Life, submissiveness. Hypnotizing the ignorant a little boy’s best friend is always his mother, at least that’s what she said. Life of a simple man taught that everyone else is dirty and their love is meaningless. . . . If I soak my hands in others’ blood am I sick? If I wash my hands in others’ blood am I sick? . . . If I bathe myself in others’ blood am I sick?”

#15: “Greed” by Godsmack
Awake (2000)

This is exactly why Godsmack is the new millenium’s answer to White Zombie. They take no prisoners and give no apologies with their heavy, raw riffs and Sully’s perfect metal voice. There’s nothing that immediately jumps out as particularly brilliant about their music, until you realize that they have put their finger on the pulse of heavy metal and understood exactly what makes us love it. This song is the best example of that purification of metal: they have heated it, purified it, and forged it into Damascan steel.

#14: “Forty Six & 2” by Tool
Aenima (1996)

Although this is one of their little-known songs, it really is the quintessential Tool song. I don’t really know how to describe it, except as a complex blending of unusual bass and guitar riffs overlaid and gilded with Maynard James Keenan’s sometimes delicate and sometimes powerful voice.

#13: “More Human Than Human” by White Zombie
Astro-Creep: 2000 (1995)

This is the most memorable song ever performed by Mr. Zombie. Everyone knows the porno-esque bass line at the beginning, made complete with the sounds of a woman moaning in ecstasy. The lyrics simply talk about how invincible and scary Rob is as the epitome of all the bad things about society in the world of Blade Runner. “More human than human” is the company’s motto in that movie, the company that makes replicants. He even quotes the big bad guy near the end: “I want more life, fucker.” You could either mosh or grind to this song if you wanted to, and I think that’s what makes its appeal so wide.

#12: “Into the Coven” by Mercyful Fate
Melissa (1983)

The pretty little intro music deceives you, and then it turns to a more dramatic metal sound and you realize what you’re in for. “Howl like a wolf” King Diamond sings in his falsetto, “and a witch will open the door.” He wants you to be Lucifer’s child. The whole song has this perfect air of bad Satan-themed horror movie, and that’s one of the reasons we love King and company. The solos also complement the loping rhythm of the music as well on this as on any of MF’s tracks. If you want a dramatic song that will send chills up and down your spine, this is the one to listen to, and King minces no words about why you’re here to enter his coven: “My soul belongs to Satan.”

#11: “Master of Puppets” by Metallica
Master of Puppets (1986)

I’ve heard this one so many times I don’t even need to listen to it again to write this review. This could rightly be considered the predecessor to “One” on Justice, and although it’s generally not as highly rated I have placed it ahead of that particular epic. While “One” has a particularly heavy and fast climax, this one is heavy and powerful the whole way through, and the main riff is the best that Metallica has ever written. The lyrical imagery is at least equally as powerful as that in “One,” with the continuing theme throughout the Puppets album (all-encompassing, abusive control by some dominant entity) powerfully present: “Master! Master! Where’s those dreams that I’ve been after? Master! Master! You promised only lies! Laughter! Laughter! All I hear or see is laughter. Laughter! Laughter! Laughing at my cries!” This theme is echoed by such later giants as Tool (“Prison Sex”), Alice in Chains (“Man in the Box”), Megadeth (“Captive Honor”), and Black Label Society (“Counterfeit God”). It’s even better live, when 80,000 people scream “Master” along with the band (or at least that was the seating capacity of the packed former Mile High Stadium where I saw them the first time in 2000), or when they play “Sanitarium” when the song hits the mellow part and then pick up where they left off when “Sanitarium” is over, or how they replace the words “You’re dedicated to how I’m killing you” to end with “how I’m f*ing you”. Here’s what Steve Huey of All Music Guide said:

Even though Master of Puppets didn't take as gigantic a leap forward as Ride the Lightning, it was the band's greatest achievement, hailed as a masterpiece by critics far outside heavy metal's core audience. It was also a substantial hit, reaching the Top 30 and selling three million copies despite absolutely nonexistent airplay. Instead of a radical reinvention, Master of Puppets is a refinement of past innovations. . . . Everything about it feels blown up to epic proportions (indeed, the songs are much longer on average), and the band feels more in control of its direction. You'd never know it by the lyrics, though -- in one way or another, nearly every song on Master of Puppets deals with the fear of powerlessness. Sometimes they're about hypocritical authority (military and religious leaders), sometimes primal, uncontrollable human urges (drugs, insanity, rage), and, in true H.P. Lovecraft fashion, sometimes monsters. Yet by bookending the album with two slices of thrash mayhem ("Battery" and "Damage, Inc."), the band reigns triumphant through sheer force -- of sound, of will, of malice. The arrangements are thick and muscular, and the material varies enough in texture and tempo to hold interest through all its twists and turns. Some critics have called Master of Puppets the best heavy metal album ever recorded; if it isn't, it certainly comes close.

(Emphasis added, and liberally applied.)

And finally, the moment you've been waiting for, the Top Ten.

UPDATE 1/5/2010: Check out my new list, The Top 50 Metal Albums of The Last Decade

Top 100 Metal Songs 30-21

UPDATE 1/5/2010: Check out my new list, The Top 50 Metal Albums of The Last Decade

People just now beginning to come to my blog (and there are a lot more since the last installment, according to Site Meter) probably won’t be all that interested in my list. But it is something that I began (back in June, I think), and I intend to finish it.
In case you missed them . . .
Introduction, 100-91, 90-81, 80-71, 70-61, 60-51, 50-41, 40-31

#30: “The Ripper” by Mercyful Fate
A Tribute to Judas Priest – Legends of Metal (1997)

I’m not exactly big on Judas Priest, but this song, as performed by Mercyful Fate, really rocks. Instead of the normal loping rhythm that characterizes Mercyful Fate’s songs, this one goes in a more ominous fashion with basically a narrative coming from King Diamond. The solo isn’t much to talk about, but it’s the vocal style that makes this song so great, as it’s the only such example from the scariest Dane.

#29: “Big Truck” by Coal Chamber
Coal Chamber (1997)

Dez’s scary voice is done perfect justice by the crunchy guitars on this one. The verses are full of pent-up energy, the bridge builds on that energy, and the chorus lets it all out in excellent rhythmic fashion. In essence, this is a perfectly written and executed example of the late 90’s metal style.

#28: “Push It” by Static-X
Wisconsin Death Trip (1999)

This song is the flagship of the crazy “evil disco” band. It’s characterized by a danceable beat played too fast for normal dancing, and Wayne Static’s early voice style (nearly death metal in parts, but certainly all his own, alternating between low and high screams).

#27: “Stillborn” by Black Label Society featuring Ozzy Osbourne
The Blessed Hellride (2003)

This song is definitely the best of Zakk Wylde’s later work (I consider this the first album of his “later” work, although in time it may be considered part of his early work). The most interesting thing about it is that normally Zakk plays for Ozzy without providing any backup vocals. Their voices blend well on this song, however, and it seems the godfather of heavy metal (and of Zakk’s son, Hendrix) is paying respect to his axeman of over 10 years. The main riff is rather unusual fare, by any standard, and definitely deserves a listen, and the solo is in the upper echelon of Zakk’s solo compositions.

#26: “Prince of Darkness” by Megadeth
Risk (2000)

This song is similar to #30 (“The Ripper”) in that it’s a narrative about a scary protagonist, and the verses are ominous. Dave Mustaine’s unusual voice is strangely appropriate for the role of the devil. The song builds up for about a minute and a half before going into the first verse. The bottom-heavy riff in the bridge alone would make this song good, and about 4 minutes in he lets you think the song is over before going into one of the best and most dramatic conclusions ever written for a metal song.

#25: “My Own Summer (Shove It)” by the Deftones
Around the Fur (1997)

The main riff is what makes this song. Which is good, because that’s pretty much all there is. There is a bridge, but it leads back into the main riff. The verses and choruses use the same basic riff (except one verse is sans guitar), but in the choruses it’s made heavier. Chino Moreno’s unusual voice sounds eerie in the verses, and downright scary in the chorus. Definitely a keeper among the late 90’s style.

#24: “South of Heaven” by Slayer
South of Heaven (1988)

This is the first album where Slayer attempts writing songs that go at less than full-throttle. So instead of relying on speed, they had to write something scarier. It pays off. The intro is ominous (I’ve used that word too many times today) and the verses blend guitars and drums well at all parts. The solo is standard Kerry King fare (in other words, very solid) and Tom Araya’s angry voice has never worked better. Alex Henderson of All Music Guide:

When it comes to death metal, no band is more convincing than Slayer. For other bands, focusing on death, Satanism, the supernatural, and the occult became a cliché; but Slayer's controversial reflections on evil always came across as honest and heartfelt.

#23: “Thoughtless” by Korn
Untouchables (2002)

This song is the best example of Korn’s continuing ability to be original and relevant in the music world after 9 years in the business (now they’ve been around for 12 years and are slated to release a new album in the first part of December). They are still Korn, but in this album they recover from what would seem to be a slight rut in a transition period in which, ironically, they saw their highest level of popularity. The song is characteristically emotional, but instead of pent-up rage and frustration this song has an air of defiance, as if they know they’ve beaten all opposition. The song has an amazing primary riff, and Jonathan Davis’s vocal moves are all here (his unique metal interpretations of singing, screaming, and almost-jazz scatting), but with more refinement. Bradley Torreano of All Music Guide:

They delivered Untouchables, an album that shows them building on their previous sound and emphasizing its strengths. The use of melody is more important than ever, allowing Jonathan Davis to utilize his wide palette of vocal tricks. . . . Korn understand that the overall sound of hip-hop works because of the sonic stew that producers create through samples. The band does the same with instruments, cutting the chugging riffs of the past and replacing them with edgy soundscapes that are equally as menacing. There isn't even a rapped verse here, save for Davis' rhythmic scatting at moments, further distancing the band from the scene it helped create. But by cutting away some of the fat and finding new ways to deliver their trademark roar, Korn manage to offer a strong and lean album that maintains their place as innovators in a genre with few leaders.

#22: “Sober” by Tool
Undertow (1993)

This song has everything that’s good about Tool. Maynard James Keenan’s vocal abilities are surpassed in the metal community only by Corey Taylor’s (of Slipknot), and he sings and screams on this track as well as he ever has. The unusual interplay of bass and guitar on this song is stronger on this one than on any other Tool song save one. And the writing, while not as complex as on their later albums, is still complex and unique to this band. This one will continue to be a staple of rock radio stations and conversations between metalheads for decades to come.

#21: “Fade to Black” by Metallica
Ride the Lightning (1984)

I suppose you could count this as Metallica’s first attempt at a ballad. Of course, it’s not your traditional 80’s power ballad at all. Instead, it’s much more dark and depressing, something that perhaps Metallica originated in metal music (Black Sabbath’s darker efforts were more theatrical, drawing on strange images involving the devil and impersonal war). The chorus riff is echoed by later bands, like Alice in Chains. The bridge gives you just a taste of the climax to the song, which is one of the best ever: “No one but me can save myself but it’s too late. Now I can’t think, think why I should even try. Yesterday seems as though it never existed. Death greets me warm, now I can just say goodbye. Goodbye.” Then we get about two minutes of pure Metallica guitar goodness, eschewing vocals in favor of guitars. Steve Huey of All Music Guide:

[Fade to Black] is an all-time metal classic; it begins as an acoustic-driven, minor-key ballad, then gets slashed open by electric guitars playing a wordless chorus, and ends in a wrenching guitar solo over a thrashy yet lyrical rhythm figure.

Jump to . . .
20-11, and the Top Ten

UPDATE 1/5/2010: Check out my new list, The Top 50 Metal Albums of The Last Decade

Top 100 Metal Songs 40-31

UPDATE 1/5/2010: Check out my new list, The Top 50 Metal Albums of The Last Decade

In case you missed them . . .
Introduction, 100-91, 90-81, 80-71, 70-61, 60-51, 50-41

#40: “Five Finger Crawl” by Danzig
Satan’s Child (1999)

Like “Wicked Pussycat,” this is a great song on a mediocre Danzig album. However, lyrically a song about strangulation fits perfectly in Glenn’s catalog. Contrary to many other songs on the list, the verses make the song and the chorus serves mainly to break it up, although I wouldn’t demean the powerful chorus in any way.

#39: “Children of the Grave” by White Zombie
NIB (1994)

Black Sabbath was far ahead of its time when they wrote this song because in White Zombie’s hands it doesn’t sound like a cover song—it sounds like it would fit perfectly in between “El Phantasmo and the Chicken Run Blast-O-Rama” and “Blur the Technicolor.” The main riff chugs along and Rob Zombie makes it his own vocally, in the White Zombie style rather than the Rob Zombie style. They use what sounds like news excerpts about the Sharon Tate slayings, also characteristic of White Zombie. J also nails the solo, although it sounds better in the capable hands of Tony Iommi.

#38: “Hurt” by Johnny Cash
American IV: The Man Comes Around (2002)

Nine Inch Nails, although an industrial band, has had a huge impact on the darker and more self-destructive side of heavy metal. The song, however, is in much better hands with the Man in Black. It would fit perfectly between any of the songs on Alice in Chains’s Jar of Flies or Sap, or even in Staind’s Dysfunction (i.e. before they sold out).

#37: “No More Tears” by Black Label Society
Sonic Brew (1999)

Zakk Wylde reinterprets his 1991 Ozzy song by detuning it beyond all measure of sanity and turning it into crazy biker-metal. While his vocals don’t shine as much on this song as they do in some of his other efforts, the guitar virtuoso in Wylde is embodied in this lick. The solo is for all intents and purposes the same as in the original, but a bit embellished.

#36: “Buried Alive” by Mercyful Fate
9 (1999)

Birds chirping and digging sounds . . . very peaceful. But not for long. “The poison is still in your veins. The poison I slipped in your drink.” This “Cask of Amontillado”-inspired song is definitely the best in the Danes’ later catalog, with the normal chugging tempo and King Diamond’s growl/falsetto present and mini-solos abounding. “He’s starting to struggle now, oh the fool! Moonlight shining in his drool. I slammed the shovel straight between his eyes. ‘Stay down!’ I screamed, ‘You’re here to die!’”

#35: “Down in a Hole” by Alice in Chains
Dirt (1995)

While nothing could match the darkness of Johnny Cash’s interpretation of hurt, this is a close second. Layne Staley’s always-pained voice is emphasized by Jerry Cantrell’s mournful, melodic tune. The lyrics are also nearly as dark as those of “Hurt”: “Down in a hole and I don’t know if I can be saved. See my heart decorated like a grave. . . . I have been guilty of kicking myself in the teeth.” There is also a hint of hopefulness that detracts from the darkness, but overall the sound is better than Cash’s “Hurt.” Steve Huey of All Music Guide had a lot of good to say about Dirt:

Dirt is Alice in Chains' major artistic statement and the closest they ever came to recording a flat-out masterpiece. . . . Cantrell's technically limited but inventive guitar work is by turns explosive, textured, and queasily disorienting, keeping the listener off balance with atonal riffs and off-kilter time signatures. Staley's stark confessional lyrics are similarly effective, and consistently miserable. Sometimes he's just numb and apathetic, totally desensitized to the outside world; sometimes his self-justifications betray a shockingly casual amorality; his moments of self-recognition are permeated by despair and suicidal self-loathing. Even given its subject matter, Dirt is monstrously bleak, closely resembling the cracked, haunted landscape of its cover art.

#34: “Die, Die, My Darling” by Metallica
Garage Inc. (1998)

Nobody covers Danzig tunes like Metallica. “I’ll be seeing you again. Yeah, I’ll be seeing you in hell. So don’t cry to me oh baby. Your future’s in an oblong box.” They match the Misfits’ tempo, even raising the ante in that department, but make the song much angrier with heavier guitars and more gravel in the voice. It’s simple (as a punk cover must be) but effective.

#33: “This Love” by Pantera
Vulgar Display of Power (1992)

This is arguably the best song on what is definitively Pantera’s best album. Eerie verses give way to powerful, angry verses. “You keep this love! Thing! Love! Child! Love! Toy! You keep this love! Fist! Love! Scar! Love! Break! You keep this love! Love Love! You keep this love! Love! Love! You keep this love!” Who would have ever thought the word “love” could sound so violent? “I’d kill myself for you. I’d kill you for myself.” Once again, Steve Huey of All Music Guide:

One of the most influential heavy metal albums of the 1990s, Vulgar Display of Power is just what is says: a raw, pulverizing, insanely intense depiction of naked rage and hostility that drains its listeners and pounds them into submission. Even the "ballads," "This Love" and "Hollow," have thunderingly loud, aggressive chorus sections. . . . Pantera's thick-sounding, post-hardcore power metal and outraged, testosterone-drenched intensity would help pave the way for alternative metal acts like Korn and Tool; Vulgar Display of Power is the best distillation of those virtues.

#32: “Son of the Morning Star” by Danzig
Danzig 4 (1994)

This tune is a very introspective one from the perspective of Satan’s offspring. “Am I more damned than thou? Should I wear torture’s crown?” The chorus is a perfect example of John Christ’s guitar prowess, and the drums are not to be overlooked. “Shall I bask in God’s light? Shall I fall one more time?” Every time I hear the words “I fall,” I get a sensation up the back of my neck that nothing else can give me.

#31: “One” by Metallica
. . . And Justice for All (1988)

This song is the legendary musical narrative of a soldier rendered dead to the world by a land mine. The sounds of war at the intro are drowned out by the music, which is all the soldier can hear. “I can’t remember anything. Can’t tell if this is true or a dream.” After all this brilliant song-writing, the gods of heavy metal get it right about halfway through, turning it into a pure classic moment of thrash metal. “Darkness imprisoning me, all that I see, absolute horror, I cannot live, I cannot die, trapped in myself, body my holding cell. Land mine has taken my sight, taken my speech, taken my hearing, taken my arms, taken my legs, taken my soul, left me with life in hell.” When they perform it live, the word “land mine” is always emphasized by fitting pyrotechnics. It then goes out on a nearly two-minute guitar solo worthy of the greatest guitar players who have ever lived. Wow, does Steve Huey do all of the classic metal reviews?

This time around, the fourth song -- once again a ballad with a thrashy chorus and outro -- gave the band one of the unlikeliest Top 40 singles in history; "One" was an instant metal classic, based on Dalton Trumbo's antiwar novel -Johnny Got His Gun and climaxing with a pulverizing machine-gun imitation.

Jump to . . .
30-21, 20-11, and the Top Ten

UPDATE 1/5/2010: Check out my new list, The Top 50 Metal Albums of The Last Decade

Top 100 Metal Songs 50-41

UPDATE 1/5/2010: Check out my new list, The Top 50 Metal Albums of The Last Decade

In case you missed them . . .
Introduction, 100-91, 90-81, 80-71, 70-61, 60-51

#50: “One-Winged Angel” by 植松伸夫 (Nobuo Uematsu)
Final Fantasy VII Reunion Tracks (1997)

This one is along the same lines as Carl Orff’s “O Fortuna.” It’s technically classical in style, but it still feels metal. This song played during the final battle of Final Fantasy VII, and I have to admit that I just let the music play for almost an hour before I actually got around to doing any fighting. In fact, I went and got a better stereo to hook up to the Playstation instead of using the TV’s normal speakers. It’s extremely dramatic.

#49: “Lord of This World” by Corrosion of Conformity
NIB (1994)

These good old southern boys did an excellent job of covering the 1971 Black Sabbath classic, making it sound like something in between Ozzy’s first band and Zakk Wylde’s Black Label Society.

#48: “Bodies” by Drowning Pool
Sinner (2001)

This was quite possibly the most popular song in the country for at least a month around August of 2001 (the album was released in June). The hook is very addicting: “Let the bodies hit the floor!” It’s too bad the original vocalist died of a heart defect, because these guys were good enough and popular enough to turn nu-metal around and save it from the likes of Puddle of Mudd and Trapt, but alas, it was not meant to be.

#47: “Solitaire Unraveling” by Mushroomhead
XX (2001)

This is certainly the best song by this two-vocalist masked band. They’ve been accused of ripping off Slipknot, but in reality they started wearing masks before they ever heard of Slipknot. They certainly don’t sound anything like them. One vocalist has a heavy, scratchy voice, and the other has an eerie, nasally voice. The song itself defies description, but suffice to say that it gets the adrenaline pumping.

#46: “Toxicity” by System of a Down
Toxicity (2001)

I’m not much of a percussion man, but the drums probably push this song from the bottom half of the list up to the top. The chorus is especially powerful: “You! What do you own, the world? How do you own disorder, disorder?” Serj Tankian’s unique voice and the band’s unique Armenian-influenced style shine through as well in this criticism of the American culture of waste.

#45: “Iron Head” by Rob Zombie featuring Ozzy Osbourne
The Sinister Urge (2001)

The most iconic scary guy of heavy metal from the 70’s and 80’s joins with the same for the 90’s and 00’s for this one, and as always Ozzy’s voice contrasts well with that of the other vocalist, especially on the point-counterpoint chorus.

#44: “Brave New World” by Motörhead
Hammered (2002)

The legendary Lemmy Kilmister hasn’t lost any of his style or talent in his 25 years in the business (as of ’02). This one, however, gets away from the militaristic, sexist, or druggy lyrics that we’re used to from the man with the wart, and instead returns to the more serious side of “1916.” The deepest lines in the song: “God is on your side but I don’t think that you’re on his. If Jesus showed up now he’d be in jail by next week!”

#43: “Dead Bodies Everywhere” by Korn
Follow the Leader (1998)

It opens with single bass notes and eerie music that sounds like a demented music box, and then it pounds your face on the choruses. The verses are almost devoid of guitar, instead being carried by Fieldy’s clicky-deep bass. Jonathan Davis’s anger is evident on this cry for independence. I even used the following lyrics as my senior quote for the yearbook: “What’s your vision you see, what do you expect of me? I can’t live that lie.”

#42: “Tourniquet” by Evanescence
Fallen (2003)

“My God, my tourniquet, return to me salvation. Do you remember me? Lost for so long. Will you be on the other side or will you forget me? I’m dying, praying, bleeding, and screaming. Am I too lost to be saved? Am I too lost?” If the lyrics alone don’t send tingles up your spine, you should listen to Amy Lee’s powerful, beautiful (and Grammy-winning) voice through this crisis of faith. “My wounds cry for the grave. My soul cries for deliverance. Will I be denied? Christ, tourniquet, my suicide.” Johnny Loftus of all music guide said:

"Tourniquet" is an anguished, urgent rocker driven by chugging guitars and spiraling synths, with brooding lyrics that reference Evanescence's Christian values . . . . The song is Fallen's emotional center point and defines the band's sound.

#41: “Change (In the House of Flies)” by Deftones
White Pony (2000)

This eerie, sexy metal song appeared in the most memorable scene of the movie Queen of the Damned, in which Stuart (Stewart?) Townsend was in a tub with Aaliyah, rose petals floating on the surface, and she drank his blood. This disturbing sensuality is punctuated with visions of people suffering. That’s not why the song’s great, though. Chino Moreno’s lyrics sound like the poetry of a serial killer, with images of someone “changing” into something better, and him pulling off that person’s wings and laughing.

Jump to . . .
40-31, 30-21, 20-11, and the Top Ten

UPDATE 1/5/2010: Check out my new list, The Top 50 Metal Albums of The Last Decade