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So you want to be a metalhead?

Intro- Stereotypical metal is generally metalcore (think Avenged Sevenfold) or Nu-metal (think Slipknot)-

thats not the stuff I listen to because generally its garbage. There are six primary genres off of which all

the other subgenres stem and Ill describe and give examples of all of them.

Heavy/Traditional Metal- This music is generally either from the very beginning of metal or is an

imitation of music from that period. Most people trace this back to two bands- Led Zeppelin and Black

Sabbath. In terms of understanding the roots of the metal movement, these songs are best-

The Wizard by Black Sabbath- This demonstrates how heavily blues influenced early metal- Black

Sabbath started off as a blues band- this track is basically just a blues song with heavy guitar distortion.

Achilles Last Stand by Led Zeppelin- Personally I dont think of Zep as metal but they did have a lot of

influence on the genre. This song does have a very metal song structure though and demonstrates how

they are one of the more influential bands in metal.

Stone Cold Crazy by Queen- Probably the last band you expected to find here, but most 80s metal

bands were heavily influenced by Queen. The guitar riffs and tempo of this track demonstrate that in a

big way.

Wherever I May Roam by Metallica- For their first 4 albums, Metallica was very much a thrash metal

band, but on the Black Album they toned things down and I consider it to be much more heavy metal.

This is one of my favorite songs from that album.

The Czar by Mastodon- A modern example. I really have no idea where to classify Mastodon but I love

them so much I had to include them.

Thrash Metal- The more famous classic metal bands are going to fall here. Thrash is extremely fast,

usually characterized by a lot of open E-string tremolo picking and double bass drum. The big four of

thrash, Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer and Anthrax are the bands youll hear about most often so Ill cover

them most heavily, but I can give you further recommendations if it piques your interest.

Creeping Death by Metallica- You can put basically any Metallica song from Kill Em All, Ride the

Lightning, Master of Puppets or And Justice for All here. This is just a personal favorite.

Tornado of Souls by Megadeth- My favorite metal guitar solo period and a really brilliant song start to

finish. Megadeth is basically a more cerebral version of Metallica- they use far more riffs per song and

write in a much more progressive style.

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Angel of Death by Slayer- Hailed in its time as the heaviest song ever written itd be a crime to leave

this off but I doubt youll like it much. Slayer are thrash gods and have the best live show of anyone Ive

ever seen to this day

Caught in a Mosh by Anthrax- Anthrax took themselves a lot less seriously than did the other three big

four bands. Their lyrics tend to aim for humor or less serious topics, and they use clean vocals.

Symptom of the Universe by Black Sabbath and Lighting to the Nations by Diamond Head- two very

early examples of thrash

Fear of the Dark by Iron Maiden- A different sound entirely but I still enjoy it a lot, this song in

particular is an epic

Beneath the Wheel by DRI- This is an example of crossover thrash, basically a collection of hardcore

punk bands that became thrash bands when thrash was big.

Death Metal- I dont listen to a lot of death metal but it definitely has its place- a lot of the most

impressive songwriting is found here, particularly by progressive death bands. Generally its like heavy

metal kicked up a notch- more bass drum and bass guitar, more guitar distortion and growled vocals.

Crystal Mountain by Death- This is the band for which the genre is named. Great song, though

honestly its not a tremendous example of death metal.

The Drapery Falls by Opeth- Again not a great example of death metal, but it is progressive death and

theres a decent chance youll enjoy it which in the end is the focus here.

Black Metal- This stuff is too much even for me. I really doubt youd enjoy any of it but if youre

interested a couple bands I can tolerate from this genre are Burzum and Behemoth

Groove Metal- This stuff is more or less Pantera and their knockoffs. There are people who would get

mad at me for saying that but its true.

Pantera- Revolution is my Name, Cowboys from Hell, Cemetery Gates, Fucking Hostile, Drag

the Waters, Psycho Holiday, Mouth for War

Beautiful Mourning by Machine Head- Cool band, a sort of groove/thrash hybrid sound that has

gotten very popular in the modern metal scene

Doom/Stoner/Southern metal / Sludge- This is probably where you will find the most bands that youll

enjoy- its my favorite type of metal. Doom is a modernization of Black Sabbath- really slow, bassy stuff

which can be fun- honestly you have to be stoned to get the full effect. Stoner metal has the same bassy

sound but is generally more up tempo and has a different vocal style, Southern metal is more or less

really heavy blues music with usually hilarious lyrical themes as youd expect. The sludge sound is

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described well by the word sludge- low, really distorted guitar sound and pounding the shit out of the

drums. Vocals range from yelling to Ozzy Osbourne imitations.

Dragonaut by Sleep This is my favorite doom track, very heavily influenced by Sabbath and has a

prime example of a doom metal guitar riff.

Funeralopolis by Electric Wizard A massive jam at 50 BPM, this band takes some patience but theyre

very influential and make for great blazing music.

Supa Scoopa and Mighty Scoop or 50 Million Year Trip by Kyuss- Kyuss are THE quintessential stoner

rock/metal band.

Albatross by Corrosion of Conformity and Lifer by Down- Southern Metal

Freya by The Sword- Toned down doom metal, the Sword kicked ass opening up for Kyuss and they

have a really unique sound.

Time Travelling Blues by Orange Goblin- A very underrated band, kind of a psychedelic stoner metal

band who you might also call sludge.

Behind the Line by Black Rainbows- Italian sludge

Serving time in the Middle of Nowhere by Eyehategod- Heavy ass sludge, great riffs. I covered it on

guitar, check it.