The 30 Most Iconic Metal Riffs Of All Time
I've had a lot of requests for some rhythm-based videos recently so I decided to go all-in and make this absolute monster riff lesson!
I picked 30 of the most iconic riffs of all time (no more than 1 per band) that I really feel embody the spirit of Metal guitar and have been mega influential in the genre's evolution.
They range from absolute beginner to ridiculously advanced so there's something for guitarists of all abilities here.
Good luck and don't forget to share your progress with everyone in the Discord server!
0:00 Playthrough
6:09 Intro and prerequisites
8:15 Painkiller (Judas Priest)
10:12 Master Of Puppets (Metallica)
12:46 Bleed (Meshuggah)
15:35 Stabwound (Necrophagist)
19:21 Refuse/Resist (Sepultura)
22:03 Walk (Pantera)
25:26 Doomsday (Architects)
29:28 As I Am (Dream Theater)
30:36 Redneck (Lamb Of God)
33:51 Silvera (Gojira)
34:59 Crazy Train (Ozzy Osbourne)
38:32 Symphony Of Destruction (Megadeth)
39:21 Iron Man (Black Sabbath)
42:01 Duality (Slipknot)
44:23 Sonne (Rammstein)
45:46 Bewitched (Candlemass)
47:34 Tears Don't Fall (Bullet For My Valentine)
49:37 Slaughter Of The Soul (At The Gates)
52:20 Am I Evil? (Diamond Head)
53:05 Madhouse (Anthrax)
54:44 My Curse (Killswitch Engage)
58:54 Raining Blood (Slayer)
1:01:03 I Am The Black Wizards (Emperor)
1:04:15 Crystal Mountain (Death)
1:06:15 Blind (Korn)
1:07:42 Holy Diver (Dio)
1:09:30 2 Minutes To Midnight (Iron Maiden)
1:11:59 Blood And Thunder (Mastodon)
1:14:20 Unholy Confessions (Avenged Sevenfold)
1:16:05 Downfall (Children Of Bodom)
Comments (19)
can you upload tabs in pdf??
Sorry man can't for this one due to there being so many different tracks. You can use free software like tuxguitar to ooen the GP file!
Beautiful 😻
I’m currently struggling with the Bleed riff. Bradley, do you up pick the 1/8 note after the gallop?
To do it correctly the entire riff needs to be alternate picked! Currently uploading the video walkthrough that will explain!
Oh man, that Bodom riff is sick. Definitely one I’ll have to learn
new fav Beanley Hall video
Glad you enjoyed it man!
Hope you don't mind Bradley but I created a Spotify playlist for this https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1XLlI8gRuYMkICqjkLqwA2?si=14034943df304add
Fuck yessss
Downfall by Children of Bodom sounds like the Corneria music from Starfox 😅
Thank you Bradley, this is pure gold - not just for playing but helping me find music I haven't listened to before. Looking forward to having a go at quite a few of these and maybe eventually all of them (I haven't tried alternate tunings yet). Just on the alternate tunings, I replied to Shahar Bar comment about not being able to see notes. The different tunings hasn't played nice with the PDF.
Yeah thanks for raising the PDF thing, will try address that!
May be just on my end, but the PDF and GuitarPro files seem somewhat corrupt, the notes don't show up for some riffs (even though they sound correctly on the GP file).
Nope, not just you, the PDF isn't showing quite a few. I just had a play in Guitar Pro and it relates to the different tunings. If you look under "Tracks", the default selection is "6 String Standard". Pain Killer and Master of Puppets are showing, but Bleed doesn't show up until you select "7 String Eb". Fairly easy solution if you've got Guitar Pro, but not if you need the PDF. Guessing it's only printing what it's currently showing on the screen.
I'd like to nominate "3 days in darkness" by Testament and the main riff from "Slowly we rot" by Obituary for the next batch!
This will keep me busy for a while! Thank you!
Excellent!
Nice man Thanks 👍