Top 10 Hardest Heavy Metal Riffs of All Time

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#10: “Fight Fire with Fire” (1984)

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Metallica

There’s a good reason why a classic band like Metallica is just cracking the number ten spot on our list. It isn’t a slight on the band’s legacy or technical merit, but rather a commentary upon just how far heavy metal has progressed since the 1980s. That said, Metallica songs like “Blackened” and our entry pick, “Fight Fire with Fire,” are also considered to be “classic” for a reason. Specifically, the latter features an opening thrash salvo that solidifies frontman James Hetfield as a true Riffmaster General. Hetfield’s playing here demands total control in order to not sound sloppy, while the riff behind the harmony that comes out of the solo section also requires utmost precision, so the melodies can shine.

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#9: “The Grip Tightens” (2012)

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Revocation

Boston’s Revocation underlines our aforementioned point about heavy metal progression. The technical prowess of bandleader Dave Davidson is, quite frankly, out of control. [1] However, it’s the fact that Davidson is actually able to harness control over the band’s songwriting that makes Revocation so great. “The Grip Tightens” is taken from the band’s “Teratogenesis” EP from 2012, and wastes no time in getting the ball rolling with some serious shred. Its opening riff is a dexterous exercise in excess, played quickly and with extreme aggression. That same riff returns around a minute-forty, only cut in time and played for headbang-able effect. Yet, throughout it all, Revocation keeps the song together with memorable composition and craft.

Megadeth

It’s not a stretch to say that there wouldn’t be bands like Revocation if Megadeth hadn’t been paving the way in the 1980s. Dave Mustaine and a revolving lineup of co-guitarists helped blaze a trail for technically impressive thrash, performing at a level rarely attained by their peers. Songs like “Loved to Deth” and “Holy Wars…The Punishment Due” are great examples of this, but it might be “Tornado of Souls” that’s Megadeth’s finest hour. Ten seconds in, and we can already tell this tune is a banger, thanks to a twisting and serpentine main riff. It reappears prior to the solo section, as well, but if we’re being honest, “Tornado of Souls” is also the sum of its creative parts: a speed metal masterclass.

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#7: “Raining Blood” (1986)

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Slayer

To replicate the sound of Slayer is to invite the sound of unbridled chaos into your heart forever. This is what’s brought to the table by “Raining Blood,” a defining moment from the band’s thrash metal career. This song is actually covered quite often, and it should be said that the most iconic aspects of “Raining Blood,” the opening harmony and breakdown section, aren’t exactly difficult to play. Substantially more challenging is getting the feeling right to the verse riffs and bringing order to the chaotic riff that appears after that opening harmony. It’s easier said than done, and it’s the Slayer version of “Raining Blood” that tames these animalistic riffs into submission.

Strapping Young Lad

We’re cheating a bit and including two different songs from the 2005 album “Alien,” from the Canadian metal act, Strapping Young Lad. We’re doing this specifically in reference to a 2019 article from Metal Hammer, where former Strapping member Byron Stroud singled these out as particularly intense. It’s easy to see why, too, since Strapping main man Devin Townsend sounds practically possessed on these tracks. The man who wrote the epic “Planet of the Apes” for his own solo project commands riffs here that defy all reason and logic. “Skeksis” is a rhythmic, mathematical nightmare with its opening riff, while the other piece contains a breakdown riff that makes our minds melt just thinking about its ridiculous complexity. We surrender.

Meshuggah

The kings of Djent, there is none higher. Sucker MCs…well, we’re not sure if there’s any out there who wanna step to Sweden’s Meshuggah, but we highly suggest they don’t. This highly influential act has actually resisted that “djent” label in the past, although it could be argued that Meshuggah almost certainly inspired that scene to take off. “Bleed” pleads this case further, a polyrhythmic madhouse of ideas that cultivates all of the complexities that go into the best Meshuggah tunes. Specifically, the layers of “Bleed’s” main riff, and how it links from one section of the song to the other is both subtle and powerful. The sort of idiosyncratic brilliance that Meshuggah does best.

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#4: “Stream of Consciousness” (2003)

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Dream Theater

Dream Theater are rightfully proclaimed as one of progressive metal’s true kings, a day 1 pick for that genre’s proverbial Mount Rushmore - we’d also probably add Sweden’s Opeth to that monument. The band has always explored a variety of moods, but its “Stream of Consciousness” that presents DT at arguably its heaviest period. The track is taken from 2003’s “Train of Thought” LP, and is very much indicative of that album’s metallic pedigree. “Stream of Consciousness” presents the best sort of arrangement: one that never drags, despite the song’s 11 minute-plus runtime. The breakdown section around half way feels analogous to the rhythmic drive of the song’s opening riff, a progressive-metal feel that’s challenging and flashy, sure, but also thoughtful and dynamic.

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#3: “Mother Man” (1991)

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Atheist

The world of death metal, like prog, possesses many different facets. Florida’s Atheist, however, managed to combine the two genres with a discography that influenced legions of admirers. “Mother Man” serves as our introduction to Atheist’s sophomore LP, “Unquestionable Presence,” and it's some serious, scorched earth shiz. The song incorporates dizzying bass lines as an appetizer, before all hell breaks loose around the forty second mark. This main opening riff to “Mother Man” is one that features complex time signatures and virtuoso musicianship at all levels. Then, Atheist continues the assault with a section around the 2 minute mark that’s maddening to comprehend. It’s The Riff as High Art.

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#2: “Self Bias Resistor” (1995)

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Fear Factory

Fear Factory have incorporated a lot of different sounds over the years, from death metal to goth. At the root of their style, however, is a pummeling repetitiveness that owes a lot of influence to industrial music. As a result, “Self Bias Resistor” is a song that demands perfection from its player, particularly with their riffing hand. Guitarist Dino Cazares is arguably the best at this sort of approach, guiding “Self Bias Resistor” with skill and accuracy. It’s not easy sounding like a machine, but Fear Factory’s music manages to come across as inhuman yet emotionally satisfying. Cazares not only impresses on the song’s opening, but also a subtle shift as “Self Bias Resistor” comes out of the first chorus. It’s heavy, awesome stuff.

Death

If Death’s Chuck Schuldiner were alive today, then it’s highly likely that he’d still be exploring furthermost reaches of heavy metal’s progressive pastures. Tragically, “Bite the Pain” comes from Death’s final studio album before Schuldiner succumbed to brain cancer in 2001. That said, this closing track served as a truly brilliant calling card, one that distilled all of Death’s sonic progression. “Bite the Pain” starts off slow and melodic, getting increasingly heavier, before a cluster of complexities start making our heads spin. Then the chorus hits, and we wave the white flag. “Bite the Pain” is heavy, aggressive and intellectual. It’s heavy metal polished to a surgical sharpness, and it strikes with a musicality that’s difficult to beat.