Some songs hook you from the first moment… Songs with memorable riffs, sounds, or dark vibes.
Judas Priest – Painkiller
Painkiller was released in 1990, the title track of the album of the same name by the legendary British heavy metal band Judas Priest. The lyrics tell the story of Painkiller, the character featured on the album cover, who is a cyborg superhero that saves mankind from destruction.
This song has one of the most iconic drum intros and solos in heavy metal, pure energy delivered by Scott Travis.
Slayer – South of Heaven
This song and the studio album came out in 1988.
The slow and somber guitar riff creates a brutal tension that transforms into a heavy pace.
Black Sabbath – Black Sabbath
The bells and the riff defined an era.
The self-titled track Black Sabbath opens their first album, also named after the band (1970), which begins with a church bell. This sound, combined with the sound of dense rain and guitarist Tony Iommi’s imposing riff, produces the unsettling atmosphere that gave birth to heavy metal.
Slayer – Angel of Death
The initial scream is a landmark in thrash metal music, performed by Slayer’s singer, Tom Araya, that serves as an opening to the lyrics that describe Josef Mengele’s human experiments during World War II.
This track is part of the Reign in Blood (1986) album.
Accept – Fast as a Shark
This intro is part of an old popular German song from 1820 called Ein Heller und ein Batzen (A penny and a batzen). First, it was used as a drinking song by students, and then it became a German military song during World War II.
The song begins with the sound of a record player needle dropping a vinyl record, followed by vocals singing the folk song, which is then abruptly cut off by a high-pitched scream made by Accept’s singer, Udo Dirkschneider, and fast-paced heavy metal.
The intention was to create a strong contrast between an old, happy melody and the song’s fast pace. I’ve always liked that frenetic cut they make before the song starts.