TOP 13 ALL-TIME DEFINITIVE HEAVY METAL TRACKS

TOP 13 ALL-TIME DEFINITIVE 

HEAVY METAL TRACKS

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No apologies. No remorse.

Love 'em or leave 'em —

these are the greatest 
metal tracks ever. 
Why 13? Why not!

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Black skinny jeans? Check. High top "Chucks?" Check. Bullet belts? Check. Super long hair? Check. Pale white skin? Check. Loads of unbridled angst? Check. Wailing vocals? Check. Shredding guitars? Check. Spine-snapping double kick? Check. These tracks defined REAL metal. No cheesy arena rock. No soulless nü-metal. So let's crank it up, and rip the knob off!

13.

DR. KNOW

"War Theater"

Wreckage in Flesh

(1988)

Although the band evolved

stylistically over the years,

in the late '80s, Dr. Know

created straight-up metal.

And it was beautiful, baby!

 12.

MEGADETH

"Peace Sells"

Peace Sells...

But Who's Buying?

(1986)

After nearly 30 years, this

track still holds up nicely.

Dave Mustaine's riffs remain

 fresh-sounding, and his lyrics

are as relevant as ever. 

11.

SLAYER

"Seasons in the Abyss"

Seasons in the Abyss 

(1990)

This one marked a melodic 

step forward for the architects

of thrash — and it's perhaps

the crowning jewel of the

band's catalogue.  

10.

IRON MAIDEN

"Wrathchild"

Killers

(1981)

Prior to the band's platinum-

selling pop era, Iron Maiden

combined raw-sounding metal

with street-smart punk to

create music that was, at the

time, exciting and dangerous.

9.

PANTERA

"Cowboys From Hell"

Cowboys From Hell

(1990)

With the release of its electrifying

1990 major label debut, Pantera 

revolutionized metal music in a

similar vein as such pioneers as

Black Sabbath, Judas Priest,

and Metallica. And this track

was a bona fide game-changer!

8.

BLACK SABBATH  

"The Mob Rules"

Mob Rules

(1981)

In many ways, the Dio version

of Black Sabbath was an overall

stronger, more efficient band than the

original Ozzy-fronted configuration.

This track was the pick of the litter. 

7.

 MOTÖRHEAD

"Doctor Rock"

 Orgasmatron

(1986)

With a seemingly endless slew

of iconic hits from which to

choose, pinpointing one particular

Motörhead classic is no easy

feat. However, this track is

exactly what the doctor ordered!

 6.

ANVIL

"Metal on Metal"

Metal on Metal

(1982)

Even a dopey band can deliver

once in a while. And "Metal

on Metal" delivers in spades.

Simply put, it's what I crave!

 5.

OVERKILL

"Elimination"

The Years of Decay

(1989)

An amazing studio band

and an amazing live band,

possessing impeccable

musicianship and incredible

songs. A-limination, indeed!

4.

ANTHRAX

"A.I.R."

Spreading

the Disease

(1985)

This New York-based thrash 
combo hit the bull's-eye with the 
opening  track of its 1985

major label debut. 30 years later, 
few have ever matched 
Anthrax's marksmanship. 

 3.

METALLICA

"Seek and Destroy"

Kill 'Em All

(1983)

Believe it or not, Metallica

was once cool. In fact, the

band's first fistful of records

were loud, brash, innovative

and — extremely cool.
"Seek and Destroy" captures
the band at its nut-busting,

pre-driveling best.

2.

JUDAS PRIEST

"The Ripper"

Sad Wings of Destiny

(1976)

Judas Priest gets it done in a 
concise and creepy three-minute 
blaze of lo-fi glory. Even by

today's metal standard,
"The Ripper" still kills — literally.

1.

NUCLEAR ASSAULT

"Critical Mass"

Handle With Care

(1990)

Embraced as warmly by the music 
biz "machine" as a bastard stepkid 
showing up at the family reunion, 
Nuclear Assault never was invited 
to rock's "Champagne Room." 
However, the band possessed
more street cred than most of its
contemporaries. Its unique brand of
no-holds-barred, politically incorrect
metal made this choice a no-brainer.

Okay, dudes — there you go. I hope that everyone had as much fun with this one as I did. Feel free to discuss, share and berate!

-Christopher Long
(July 2014)

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