For heavy metal fans, the songs on this list are obvious. But say you are new to the genre, the tracks below represent a primer on heavy anthems. If you are starting a band, you might do well by attempting to cover these in the garage. Your parents are likely to put up with the racket once they hear you making your way through these iconic riffs and grooves.
So, for new-to-metal fans or those who don’t think they like heavy metal, here are three muscular anthems from the 1970s everyone should know.
“War Pigs” by Black Sabbath
If I were to introduce someone to Black Sabbath, I’d begin here. Yes, you can argue for “Paranoid” or “Iron Man”, but everything one needs to know about the early days of heavy metal can be absorbed in eight minutes of “War Pigs”. Tony Iommi offers a masterclass in heavy blues across a multitude of riffs. Ozzy Osbourne delivers one of his best vocal performances in a timeless anti-war epic. And the band’s rhythm section, the drummer Bill Ward and the bassist Geezer Butler, ground the sprawling arrangement in a deep, stoner groove. It remains a landmark heavy metal anthem.
Generals gathered in their masses,
Just like witches at black masses.
Evil minds that plot destruction,
Sorcerer of death’s construction.
“Immigrant Song” by Led Zeppelin
Robert Plant’s distant screams atop Jimmy Page’s galloping riff offer a warning. With full-on Viking vibes, Led Zeppelin’s classic track describes a kind of domination. Not of land or people, but a proto-heavy metal group mining American roots music and transforming it into groundbreaking rock and roll. Many have debated whether Led Zeppelin should be considered a heavy metal band. Nonetheless, “Immigrant Song” demands throwing the horns when it’s cranked, perhaps settling the question after all.
The hammer of the gods,
Will drive our ships to new lands,
To fight the horde and sing and cry,
Valhalla, I am coming.
“Overkill” by Motörhead
While the first two entries highlight heavy metal’s infancy, Motörhead closed the decade with a ferocious classic. Metallica and other Bay Area thrash bands owe a great debt to Lemmy Kilmister and his London trio. Phil Taylor, Motörhead’s drummer, was nicknamed “Philthy Animal”. Listening to Taylor’s double-bass drum intro brings to mind The Muppets’ unhinged percussionist. One can imagine Animal going ballistic on “Overkill” with the same energy a young Lars Ulrich likely displayed while studying Taylor’s fast playing.
Only way to feel the noise is when it’s good and loud,
So good I can’t believe it, screaming with the crowd.
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