For many people, an interest in metal music is what sparks a desire to learn the guitar. There’s something undeniably appealing to the sound of heavily distorted guitars.
Unfortunately, many songs within the genre require quite a bit of technique, which could prove to be difficult for beginners. The following songs (many of which are classics in the genre) are a great starting place for building metal chops.
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Contents
“Enter Sandman” by Metallica
Metallica’s catalog of songs is filled with classics, but none has the wide appeal that Enter Sandman has. This song is what really allowed Metallica to capitalize on a mainstream audience.
In fact, the entire world is familiar with this track from Metallica’s self-titled album (known as the “black album”). Love it or hate it, Enter Sandman definitely has some fun riffs throughout the track.
That is one of the biggest reasons why this is a prime choice for someone starting out on metal guitar. Chances are likely that you’re familiar with this song, which will help you learn the song much faster.
“Paranoid” by Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath’s song, Paranoid, is one of the foundational metal songs that you need to add to your repertoire. This is one of the true classics, and just about everybody loves it.
For the most part, the song is fairly easy, relying mostly on power chords to get the job done. There’s quite a bit of palm muting in this song as well, which is a staple technique in metal music.
If you’ve never played lead guitar, Paranoid also provides a great entry into this as well. The guitar solo isn’t terribly complex compared to other songs found in the genre.
Of course, you might not get the same sound as Iommi does. However, much of that has been attributed to his prosthetic fingertips.
“Symphony Of Destruction” by Megadeth
Whenever Metallica is mentioned, Megadeth usually isn't too far behind in the same conversation. Dave Mustaine’s personal history with Metallica has been one of the most famous stories within the metal genre.
With songs like Symphony Of Destruction, Megadeth proved they had songs of equal caliber to match Metallica’s energy. This song has quite a catchy hook for a metal song, putting some pop songs to shame.
The guitar parts in this song rely mostly on simple rhythmic riffing. Attempting the lead will take a little more effort, however.
“Bottom” by TOOL
TOOL is one of those bands that is insanely popular despite not having much mainstream exposure. However, those that take the time to discover TOOL’s catalog quickly become addicted to the band’s unique sound.
In some ways, TOOL mixes progressive rock and metal elements, sometimes adding a bit of art rock aesthetics. Every member in the group is a master in their own domain, which only helps.
The song, Bottom, from the album, Undertow, is a great choice for a beginner wanting to learn TOOL songs. It relies quite a bit on power chords based on the drop D tuning.
You will have to spend a little time getting the short bursts of tremolo picking down during the main riff. However, it’s so infectious that you won’t have trouble motivating yourself to learn to play it cleanly.
This song is especially great because of the Henry Rollins feature, and the music around it. If you’ve never heard this song before, this section alone is worth checking out.
“Breaking The Law” by Judas Priest
Judas Priest was one of the many bands at the forefront of pushing the metal sound into the mainstream. This band had a distinct mixture of fun, lightning riffs, with a metal aesthetic that is commonplace today.
One of the band’s biggest hits is, undoubtedly, Breaking The Law. Even if you’ve only had minimal exposure to metal, you are probably familiar with this song’s classic chorus.
Breaking The Law has a lot of riffing throughout the song. This will teach you to be consistent in your playing.
“Crazy Train” by Ozzy Osbourne
Crazy Train is another very popular choice that many beginner guitarists start with when learning metal songs. After all, it does have one of the greatest intros ever written for a song.
The best part about the song is definitely the opening guitar line. Aside from the opening bass riff, this guitar line is the song’s identifying tag.
Many guitarists stop learning the song after they’ve mastered the opening riff. Sure, the rest of the song isn’t as epic, but there are some great riffs and chord combinations here.
“Whole Lotta Love” by Led Zeppelin
You’re probably wondering just what in the heck Led Zeppelin is doing on this list. This band isn’t generally considered metal, so what gives?
The truth is that, at one point in time, Led Zeppelin was one of the heaviest bands around. Much of what the band did musically has found its way into common metal songwriting techniques.
Take the song, Whole Lotta Love, for instance. This track has quite a bit of palm muting bookended by an iconic riff.
Led Zeppelin really did pave the way for rock music being built from guitar riffs. Plus, their name literally implies that their sound is heavy.
“The Trooper” by Iron Maiden
Speaking of riffs, one of the most iconic riff-heavy metal tracks is Iron Maiden’s The Trooper. The guitar part features a descending melody broken into 4 different segments, which is quite catchy.
Of course, this guitar part is then harmonized, with another guitar playing a simple melody over top. It’s one of the earliest examples of highly orchestrated guitar parts playing metal music.
The Trooper found quite a bit of popularity in the early 2000s, thanks to the video game, Guitar Hero. This track was featured more toward the difficult levels, though it’s a blast to play on the real guitar.
If you’re in a metal band with other guitarists, The Trooper is an excellent song for everyone to learn. Everyone will have endless fun adding their guitar parts to the song’s layers.
“Am I Evil?” by Diamond Head
Diamond Head’s track, Am I Evil? is a classic from the early 1980s. It’s perhaps most famous for the fact that Metallica has covered it.
This song is incredibly easy for any beginner with power chord knowledge. The beginning of the track features a signature march that can be heard throughout all metal genres.
In that regard, Diamond Head’s classic track is quite influential.
“The Wicker Man” by Iron Maiden
Looking for an easy riffer to add to your collection of metal songs? You’ll definitely want to consider taking a look at Iron Maiden’s The Wicker Man.
For the most part, you’ll only need to know your power chords, as the main riff is built from them. Some light palm muting is thrown into the riff for that classic metal sound.
“Rammstein” by Rammstein
There are only a few bands that could get away with naming a song the same name as their band. Rammstein, everyone’s favorite German metal group, is one of the select few, and for good reason.
This song has some fairly easy moments, particularly the intro, which features a riff incorporating some power chords.
“Seek And Destroy” by Metallica
Metallica’s early catalog is a great preview of how the band’s sound would gradually evolve over time. The Kill ‘Em All album is quite raw, though it shows plenty of promise to be fulfilled in coming years.
Seek And Destroy comes from this album, and is probably the best-known track out of the bunch. Which is a little surprising considering it wasn’t an official single, although it was the band’s first recorded song.
This track has a signature opening lick that is relatively easy but does have some string skipping. Aside from that, it’s simple metal riffing with a solo that is a little more difficult.
“Shepherd Of Fire” by Avenged Sevenfold
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Whether you consider Avenged Sevenfold to be a metal band can be open for debate. However, their track, Shepherd Of Fire, certainly is composed similarly to some of the most iconic metal songs.
The intro in this song is pretty simple, relying mostly on sustained notes. From there, some riffs built around basic power chords are featured.
With that being said, the solo is going to take quite a bit more work to get under your belt. However, that should be expected with just about any song you learn, regardless of the genre.
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