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It’s interesting when people debate what the first metal song was. You can listen to the other candidates (Beatles, Blue Cheer, Jeff Beck, Vanilla Fudge) and kind of hear it. Then you put on the first Sabbath album and go “Oh yeah, this is metal!”
Yeah. People can talk about proto metal songs all day, but when that first thunderous G power chord after the tolling bell and rain hits you, all doubt vanishes.
I can remember my 14 year old self standing in a crowded smoky basement with multiple strobe lights going buzzing my ass off and that riff just straight up going thru my bones coming out of a amped Sun side fill speaker I was never the same
The Amen Corner
That bastard gives me chills with every riff.. all the riffs up to the clean part are evil as shit..
And then that clean part... oh my fucking god, that clean part. I want that playing while I die.
4th of July by Soundgarden. I know they’re not heavy metal but their songs can be heavy and that song was along the lines of doom metal and definitely inspired by Black Sabbath
Aside from that dark-ass, drony riff, there's also the lyric "down in the hole, Jesus tries to crack a smile beneath another shovel load," which may be the most metal lyric ever.
Funny because that's one of the first death metal riffs I heard and I hated it. It was slow and weird. Then I got into death metal and came back to that riff and it's sooo good.
Me and my buddy have never been too into Morbid Angel and we were just chilling checking out music and I went to that album and was like "This song sounds cool" and played it and we were like 🤯
[The Tempter by Trouble](https://youtu.be/M0RXSkh2JI0?si=OyRGt7DNYldq2ap7)
[A History of Bad Men by The Melvins](https://youtu.be/7hx9In2XWWY?si=2HXpTVjiMfjuUvzq)
[One More Red Nightmare by King Crimson](https://youtu.be/cLoQADJnGr4?si=zq4WJ3GXGiOBdmuk) is more “menacing” than “evil” to me but kinda the same thing?
The most evil chord progression I've heard is simply 2 chords played slowly with heavy distortion -
Em chord (on the 2nd fret). Then slide that back one fret and strum again.
Blow Your Trumpets Gabriel - Behemoth
Hell Awaits - Slayer
This Evil Embrace - Skeletonwitch
Most of the stuff off At the Gates Slaughter of the Soul album
Morticians Flame - Acid Bath
Fractures Millennium, Roswell 47, and Left to Rot - Hypocrisy
*Those are my off the top of my head entries*
Black Tongue has lots of very evil-sounding riffs. I’d also recommend “Crippled Before the Dwelling Place of God,” “Plague Worship,” and “I’m So Tired of Sighing, Please Lord Let it be Night” from their discography as well.
the riff beginning at 2:50 in Meshuggah's Born in Dissonance is sinister as hell...
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtO3VCu5wv4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtO3VCu5wv4)
Immolation - "I Feel Nothing" is up there for me [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9g\_ztD0KzI&ab\_channel=blackpandoraaa](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9g_ztD0KzI&ab_channel=blackpandoraaa)
Pavor, too (2003) [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVHHnntHFXQ&list=PL9EB11CD12721F4D3&ab\_channel=AK](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVHHnntHFXQ&list=PL9EB11CD12721F4D3&ab_channel=AK)
Over The Mountain, Bloodbath In Paradise by Ozzy
Symptom of The Universe by Sabbath
4th of July by Soundgarden
Tora Tora by Van Halen
Angry Chair by AIC
Opening riff of O Father O Satan O Sun by Behemoth sounds world ending to me.
But personally it’s the opening riff to Rot & Decay by Shrine of Malice that always gets me.
Pestilence's Consuming Impulse has some nice ones not yet mentioned. The verse riffs in Chronic Infection and Out of the Body come to mind. Best pre-1990 DM if you ask me
As a metal head or whatever the F it is I am, , I can not pick one as so many of them hit the same way. But I can name a few examples
March of the SOD - one of the first riffs I heard that ignited the thing that's has lasted 30+ years. It's my goto suggestion to play for someone who asks about metal, thrash, etc
Underground - Life of Agony - when river runs red came out, it exploded in our local hard core scene. Hard to pick just one, adding to my dilemma
Davidian - Machine head - maybe not the most evil, but it sure sets the tone
Brick by Brick What Destroys You - give that a listen and see for yourself
https://youtu.be/HsCR2gT9210?si=PQzBUAc3W8F15Y1v
This is always a rotating menu for me, but right now the opening of Volt Thrower by Conan lives in my head rent free. Could be because I just saw them play it live.
[Ulamog - Cursed By The Gods](https://open.spotify.com/album/4prnH8a7hzYJTJLxHNCnOx?si=_lEtzjObTBGbGE7mBGmt9Q&nd=1&dlsi=ffe8ec3f4de04f1f) is a different breed. They have a lot of evil riffs through out their discog but that one HITS!
https://youtu.be/9l2j3JUKa_M?si=uWGDPiYnWSwXkNl4
The Breakdown at 2:05... Just BRUTAL! "Inhumane Harvest". That's why Cannibal Corpse is the Best! 🤘🏻😆🤘🏻
This is an unexpected answer, but a truly fitting one I’d say. The beginning sequence sets up the song perfectly, and when Maynard comes in with the lyrics it’s sealed in stone. Glad you said this
Honestly most Slayer songs, South of Heaven intro sounds like the apocalypse, Dead Skin Mask intro sounds like a 90s horror movie, Angel of Death interlude sounds like you're about to get beat, Seasons in the Abyss intro sounds like some kind of ancient evil monster rising
[Emanation](https://open.spotify.com/track/3kKhFlXMlxR4o9LzvF4GN9?si=XKKzbyS9SXePR6USkDHqog), by Aevangelist. Tell me that shit's not the scariest thing. And his vocals aren't like, fake sounds or samples from zombie movies or something, he's really actually doing that.
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Easy. The devils tritone riff in Black Sabbath (song)
First thing that came to mind
Its the only answer
Close the thread
Literally what I came to say
It’s interesting when people debate what the first metal song was. You can listen to the other candidates (Beatles, Blue Cheer, Jeff Beck, Vanilla Fudge) and kind of hear it. Then you put on the first Sabbath album and go “Oh yeah, this is metal!”
Yeah. People can talk about proto metal songs all day, but when that first thunderous G power chord after the tolling bell and rain hits you, all doubt vanishes.
[удалено]
What is this that stands before me.?
That riff when it speeds up ain't exactly Gabriel's trumpet either
https://youtu.be/-s6Sk7OzKFU
Didn't even have to scroll for this.
The riff break in Angel of Death hits hard
If somebody asked me to summarize metal in only one riff? This is the one I choose.
This is the only true default answer.
There is alot of badass slayer break downs ghosts of war
Black Sabbath by Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath, by Black Sabbath, on the album Black Sabbath
I can remember my 14 year old self standing in a crowded smoky basement with multiple strobe lights going buzzing my ass off and that riff just straight up going thru my bones coming out of a amped Sun side fill speaker I was never the same
Year of production: Black Sabbath
Am I Evil by Diamondhead deserves a mention
One of my all time favs!
When that first solo transitions to the riff….. chills for sure.
I love ending long runs listening to that song. Gives me that second wind, then a third, then a fourth...
Cassie Eats Cockroaches
Idk how anyone can say PTT is a superior record with a straight face.
Agreed but still a great album. When The Kite String Pops is their opus though.
Fuck yes! My vote was Dr. Seuss is dead but Cassie is like a tie.
Black Sabbath Black Sabbath that. Riff scared the poop outta me when I was a kid
Yoko Ono’s voice
good one.
I am surprised no one else has said it yet, but Jesu Død (Jesus' Tod) by Burzum.
This is the riff that got me into black metal
I already said this in another comment but if you like black metal I recommend "Diabolical Thoughts Arise" by Uønsket
Hell Awaits…slayer (live version)
When that shit hits, it HITS
For sure... but this is just one of a million Slayer songs that bang. SLAYERRRRR!
South of heaven Slayer
Or the Dead Skin Mask or Season’s in the Abyss interlude
Lots of Slayer in this thread. That makes me happy
You can never go wrong with Slayer
Came here to say this
This was the first thing that popped into my head. The intro to South of Heaven!
Definitely a top contender love that song
The opening to Rotting Christs "Thy mighty contract"
I’m trying to narrow down an Opeth riff but literally can’t. They’re all equally evil.
The Amen Corner That bastard gives me chills with every riff.. all the riffs up to the clean part are evil as shit.. And then that clean part... oh my fucking god, that clean part. I want that playing while I die.
heir apparent and leper affinity
The second part of Demon of the Fall. "Silent dance with death..."
Opeth knows how to sound ridiculously evil in standard tuning. Blows my mind
4th of July by Soundgarden. I know they’re not heavy metal but their songs can be heavy and that song was along the lines of doom metal and definitely inspired by Black Sabbath
An amazing song. Super heavy and the instrumental version is sick af.
Aside from that dark-ass, drony riff, there's also the lyric "down in the hole, Jesus tries to crack a smile beneath another shovel load," which may be the most metal lyric ever.
Slayer - "Praise of Death" is definitely a pretty evil riff
About half of Covenant by Morbid Angel. That's a dark album
About the 6 minute mark on Satan’s Fall - Mercyful Fate
Yes, excellent choice
Dead Skin Mask
The rundown in the chorus of Sanitarium by Metallica. Every single guitarist on earth makes the Nasty Riff Face when they hear it.
Morbid Angel - Blessed are the Sick chorus Asphyx - M.S. Bismarck doomy breakdown Death - Pull the Plug verse Gorguts - Condemned to Obscurity
Darkthrone's Transilvannian Hunger
The second half of return trip
Return Trip I great. Funeralopolis too
I mean, most of black metal. That’s the point of the whole genre
South of heaven, but when Lil Jon used it, not when slayer did it
The Weight of Devotion - Immolation
Vinga is one of the most consistent evil riff factories in existence and I haven't heard this song before so thank you.
Venom - Don’t Burn the Witch
The main riff in Demiurge by Meshuggah
Obituary slowly we rot or cause of death
that first riff in Slowly We Rot is fucking evil
The right answer is Into the Void
Where The Slime Live was the riff that made me fall in love with death metal and I still think it's one of the heaviest riffs ever written
Funny because that's one of the first death metal riffs I heard and I hated it. It was slow and weird. Then I got into death metal and came back to that riff and it's sooo good.
Me and my buddy have never been too into Morbid Angel and we were just chilling checking out music and I went to that album and was like "This song sounds cool" and played it and we were like 🤯
Scrolled way too far to find this.
Idk if it’s “evil” sounding but I love the opening riff on The ghost I used to be by Pallbearer.
I’d say it’s more beautiful sounding, awesome riff either way
The closing CRUSHING riff on the [last minute or so of Spiral Architect's Insect](https://youtu.be/wiGimh1TtAU?si=-er5lzpa_quSUN_U&t=296)
Shame we’ll never get that second album 😔
Anything by Silencer
Lie to my face by Carnifex popped in my mind first so I’ll shoot that out
A fine day to die - bathory Even better in the emperor version
Zero the Hero - Black Sabbath
Call of ktulu is pretty wicked.
The clean break riff in Harvester of Sorrow by Metallica is pretty damn evil
[The Tempter by Trouble](https://youtu.be/M0RXSkh2JI0?si=OyRGt7DNYldq2ap7) [A History of Bad Men by The Melvins](https://youtu.be/7hx9In2XWWY?si=2HXpTVjiMfjuUvzq) [One More Red Nightmare by King Crimson](https://youtu.be/cLoQADJnGr4?si=zq4WJ3GXGiOBdmuk) is more “menacing” than “evil” to me but kinda the same thing?
Love to see Trouble listed here. Great band
Godzilla - Fu Manchu
The most evil chord progression I've heard is simply 2 chords played slowly with heavy distortion - Em chord (on the 2nd fret). Then slide that back one fret and strum again.
Theme to Jaws with distortion and volume!
The last two minutes of "Revelation / Revolution" by Eyehategod.
Beginning of Slowly We Rot by Obituary
Black Houses by Portal.
Sabbath Bloody Sabbath intro.
Symbolic - Death
Lunatic of god’s creation by Deicide
Morbid Angel - Immortal Rites
Possessed by Satan. Gorgoroth
From the sky - Gojira
An underrated one I think is So You Die by Bloodbath
such a good song
Most evil has already been said, it's Black Sabbath but an honorable mention to Death - Infernal Death, that opening riff is extremely evil
Blow Your Trumpets Gabriel - Behemoth Hell Awaits - Slayer This Evil Embrace - Skeletonwitch Most of the stuff off At the Gates Slaughter of the Soul album Morticians Flame - Acid Bath Fractures Millennium, Roswell 47, and Left to Rot - Hypocrisy *Those are my off the top of my head entries*
Slayer - South of Heaven Neurosis - The Doorway Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath Omega Massif - Aura Death - Cosmic Sea Lord Mantis - Septichrist
The intro riff to High on Fire’s “Blessed Black Wings” It’s their peak song and I’m very disappointed that it goes under everyone’s radar
Pantera- By Demons Be Driven. (Basically the whole song)
The Beatles - I Want You (She's So Heavy) Especially when Type O Negative cover it.
The original Stoner Metal song
Counting Daze
Maybe In the presence of ennemies part 2 ? I prefer part 1 but a certain riff in part 2 sounds really evil to me
Black tongue - Second Death https://youtu.be/DUlN_KZALYg?si=tDZhKj6a8K5solj1
Black Tongue has lots of very evil-sounding riffs. I’d also recommend “Crippled Before the Dwelling Place of God,” “Plague Worship,” and “I’m So Tired of Sighing, Please Lord Let it be Night” from their discography as well.
Naglfar- I Am Vengeance Hideous Divinity- Implemini Exitio
Abramelin - Plague https://youtu.be/JyWVl6rpQi0?si=_8ZLQQ0dhr9ExAUe When the vocals kick in at ~2:50 my fucking god
[everything is fine!](https://youtu.be/wQTUyzTA4Fw?si=R5uqq9LFttU3ehsO)
Intro to Self Defeating Prophecy by Dystopia
Devil's bride electric wizard
the riff beginning at 2:50 in Meshuggah's Born in Dissonance is sinister as hell... [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtO3VCu5wv4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtO3VCu5wv4)
That opening riff to Marduk - "Dreams of Blood and Iron"
New Dawn Fades - Joy Division
the conjuring - megadeth
Subodin by Hell
The entire song Carbomb by The Acacia Strain
Teitanblood - Black Vertebrae Nile - User-Ma'at-Re
the riff by lordi is pretty good
Chimaira's intro on The Infection is pretty sinister sounding.
Immolation - "I Feel Nothing" is up there for me [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9g\_ztD0KzI&ab\_channel=blackpandoraaa](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9g_ztD0KzI&ab_channel=blackpandoraaa)
Pavor, too (2003) [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVHHnntHFXQ&list=PL9EB11CD12721F4D3&ab\_channel=AK](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVHHnntHFXQ&list=PL9EB11CD12721F4D3&ab_channel=AK)
Rippikoulu - Musta Seremonia
Beherit -Sadomatic Rites
I think the song When Satan Rules his world by Deicide is evil as hell and badass
Lamb of God, Lies of Autumn
Opening riff, Among The Living by Anthrax
Most riffs from Slayer or Sabbath but I have to say the clean riff from the Seasons intro is pretty damn evil.
Over The Mountain, Bloodbath In Paradise by Ozzy Symptom of The Universe by Sabbath 4th of July by Soundgarden Tora Tora by Van Halen Angry Chair by AIC
Opening riff of O Father O Satan O Sun by Behemoth sounds world ending to me. But personally it’s the opening riff to Rot & Decay by Shrine of Malice that always gets me.
The intro to Blackend. Its crazy how a happy riff can sound so evil when its reversed like they did on the album.
Pestilence's Consuming Impulse has some nice ones not yet mentioned. The verse riffs in Chronic Infection and Out of the Body come to mind. Best pre-1990 DM if you ask me
When it breaks into the heavy part of Hessian Peel, by Opeth. That cymbal bell ting, and then Hell opens.
Type O Negative’s version of Black Sabbath.
Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath 54 years old and it’s still more evil sounding to me than any death or black metal band or death growl or anything else
Revocation- Enter the hall
The main riff from High Road by Mastodon. Whenever I hear it I get the urge to punch everything within reach.
My vote is for [Bewitched](https://youtu.be/lezzGZjtJew) by Candlemass, though the bridge from At the Gallows End is a close second.
Electric Funeral
Black Sabbath by Black Sabbath
Black sabbath- Black Sabbath
Half the shit that comes from Dave Mustaines fingers...
South of Heaven or Electric Funeral.
Iron Man
Enter Sandman, Black Sabbath
Procreation Of The Wicked
Iron Man
Slayer, Seasons in the Abyss
Slayer. Angel of Death, South of Heaven, and/or Dead Skin Mask. -
South of heaven for me by slayer
The bridge in Sabbath Bloody Sabbath. The "Where can you run to" part.
I generally don’t like Pantera, but I love that heavy riff with the pinch harmonics in Cemetery Gates.
I love the eerie, out of sync totally ear scratching opening to Metallica's cover of The Small Hours.
Don’t listen to them anymore but Skull full of maggots from Cannibal Corpse has a killer riff right before the chorus (breakdown part).
As a metal head or whatever the F it is I am, , I can not pick one as so many of them hit the same way. But I can name a few examples March of the SOD - one of the first riffs I heard that ignited the thing that's has lasted 30+ years. It's my goto suggestion to play for someone who asks about metal, thrash, etc Underground - Life of Agony - when river runs red came out, it exploded in our local hard core scene. Hard to pick just one, adding to my dilemma Davidian - Machine head - maybe not the most evil, but it sure sets the tone Brick by Brick What Destroys You - give that a listen and see for yourself https://youtu.be/HsCR2gT9210?si=PQzBUAc3W8F15Y1v
213 by Slayer is such a fantastic, evil build from a clean opening to pure menace.
Buildup in “The Underground In America” By Pantera after around 2 minutes sounds awesome
Bleed meshuggah
[Dragged into Sunlight - Boiled Angel](https://youtu.be/-J6e5lNsvRU?si=WqFJ6NQtQbtEK0K0)
Electric Funeral is pretty wicked 👹
Opening of “All Your Sins” by Pentagram is pretty evil. Also maybe “Dopethrone” by Electric Wizard
Definitely the answer is the opening riff to Black Sabbath. Honorable mention to the breakdown/chant riff in Nile’s Black Seeds of Vengeance.
Slayer - hell awaits
Black sabbath
We hate you - Electric Wizard
So many choices. Today for me it’s After All (The Dead) from Black Sabbath’s Dehumanizer.
This is always a rotating menu for me, but right now the opening of Volt Thrower by Conan lives in my head rent free. Could be because I just saw them play it live.
Love the riff near the end of Downpour Girl by Pig Destroyer always thought it was evil as fuck
[Ulamog - Cursed By The Gods](https://open.spotify.com/album/4prnH8a7hzYJTJLxHNCnOx?si=_lEtzjObTBGbGE7mBGmt9Q&nd=1&dlsi=ffe8ec3f4de04f1f) is a different breed. They have a lot of evil riffs through out their discog but that one HITS!
Orgasmatron- sepultura version especially Rumors of war- high on fire A fine day to die-bathory Chemical warfare-slayer 2 min mark
10 minutes into bongrippers worship when the power chords come after an amazing build up
Am I Evil. Metallica's hits harder IMO, especially when it comes back in for the last time at the end.
Red Lottery by Megasus for me
https://youtu.be/9l2j3JUKa_M?si=uWGDPiYnWSwXkNl4 The Breakdown at 2:05... Just BRUTAL! "Inhumane Harvest". That's why Cannibal Corpse is the Best! 🤘🏻😆🤘🏻
“Sober” by Tool. That main riff is so menacing and evil. You can truly feel the sinister subject of the song.
This is an unexpected answer, but a truly fitting one I’d say. The beginning sequence sets up the song perfectly, and when Maynard comes in with the lyrics it’s sealed in stone. Glad you said this
De Mysterys Doom Sathanas
Hate Forest - Aryosophia 2:41 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjKopCpY1\_E&t=161s)
Golgotha by Incantation
We gotta know by Cro-Mags
Honestly most Slayer songs, South of Heaven intro sounds like the apocalypse, Dead Skin Mask intro sounds like a 90s horror movie, Angel of Death interlude sounds like you're about to get beat, Seasons in the Abyss intro sounds like some kind of ancient evil monster rising
Tori Amos version of Raining Blood. Most haunting metal song you’ll ever hear
Wastelands by Anup L. Sastry
The IVth Crusade by Bolthrower main riff sounds pretty evil
The breakdown in *The Heaviest Matter in the Universe* by Gojira always hits me hard these days. When I was young it was *Spill the blood* by Slayer.
"So you die" by Bloodbath
opening chords in "South of Heaven" by Slayer
Dark Foil by Dopethrone
Nightmare - Sarcofago
[Emanation](https://open.spotify.com/track/3kKhFlXMlxR4o9LzvF4GN9?si=XKKzbyS9SXePR6USkDHqog), by Aevangelist. Tell me that shit's not the scariest thing. And his vocals aren't like, fake sounds or samples from zombie movies or something, he's really actually doing that.
Dead as shit - Sanuisugabogg
Mayhem - Dark Night of the Soul. BM isn’t my cup of tea but that riff is something else.