Heavy metal music has been around for more than five decades, captivating millions of fans around the world.
Heavy metal music transports you into a world of chaos and power. Its songs encourage you to explore your dark side, embrace individuality, and embrace life itself.
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath were an iconic band in their day. At a time when fringe-and-boots ’70s metal was all the rage, their guitars resonated with sin, Lars Ulrich’s machine-gun bass drum assaults provided a thrill, and Ozzy Osbourne’s haunting observations of a “figure in black which points at me” made you shudder. It truly was Black Sabbath for everyone.
The band’s heavy metal music playlist is essential for fans of the genre. It includes both original songs by the band and covers by other acts.
On Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the 100 greatest metal songs ever, Black Sabbath earned four spots. Their track “War Pigs” comes in at number five on the list followed by “Paranoid,” at 13 and Ozzy Osbourne’s solo classic, “Crazy Train,” at six.
This fiery guitar-riff-laden masterpiece is one of metal’s greatest classics. It revolutionized NWOBHM with its powerhouse riff and intense production, paying homage to Motorhead and AC/DC at its core.
Tony Iommi’s first song as lead vocalist of Sabbath was “Black Sabbath”, an instantly recognizable track that showcased his guitar skills and gave the vocals a dark edge that set it apart from other Sabbath tracks of its time.
Budgie
Budgie is a heavy metal band from Cardiff, Wales that formed in 1967 and released their debut album in 1971.
Their sound is a blend of progressive rock and metal that draws inspiration from bands like Sabbath. However, their songs are also witty and full of quirky charm. Their first three albums were definitely highlights of their career; however, as time went on they began sounding dated.
In 1981, they released their most celebrated album, Nightflight. Though often criticized as being too derivative of other bands’ work, this record proves to be an improvement over earlier work and even a good attempt at becoming something other than just another Sabbath clone.
The album opens with the instrumental ‘Breaker,’ which features the same sort of guitar riff used on many later albums but in a more refined manner. While there’s not much else to it than just some repetitive rhythm section, it still manages to make for an effective opener.
Finally, “Homicidal Suicidal,” is one of their standout songs and a driving metal doom piece covered by Soundgarden among others. Another classic Budgie track, ‘Crash Course In Brain Surgery’, brings Tony Bourge’s fast riffs together with Burke Shelley’s proto-Rush vocal delivery for an unforgettable combination.
Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper has been a rock n’ roll legend for over five decades, his cleverly ironic tunes and teenage anthems inspiring everyone from Harry Nilsson to Motley Crue. He’s also been known as an actor, alcoholic, and golf star – yet continues to sell millions of albums and tour around the world.
The legendary shock rocker’s heavy metal music playlist features classic hits and live tracks, almost a replica of 1995’s budget-priced Playlist: The Very Best of Alice Cooper, released to commemorate his thirty-fifth anniversary of his debut album.
This song is one of Cooper’s most beloved and is often performed live. The tale unfolds about a boy with nightmares, with fiery guitar solos from Glen Buxton.
It is an exemplary example of the band’s evolution from loose psychedelic freak rock to aggressive hard rock. The track begins with an ominous piano introduction that sets the scene for them to hit hard with a driving bass line and horns, plus Cooper’s gruff vocals adding extra spice.
This track was the debut single from Love It To Death, featuring the group working with Bob Ezrin to polish their songwriting and reach commercial success. It hit Billboard charts and became a staple of their live performances. The ensuing tour featured elaborate shock rock acts such as Cooper’s mock execution in an electric chair during “Black Juju.”
WASP
WASP was formed by Blackie Lawless in 1982 and has become one of the iconic bands on the West Coast metal scene. They hail from Los Angeles’ legendary metal scene that produced Van Halen, Motley Crue, Ratt, Quiet Riot, Guns N’ Roses, Great White and Stryper – to name just a few!
The band began as a sleaze-based hard rock act, but soon evolved into heavy metal music. Their image was controversial due to their shocking Alice Cooper meets Kiss stage antics and they also gained notoriety for their music censorship fight with the PMRC (Public Music Review Committee) during the 1980s.
Frontman Blackie Lawless was the only original member of this band, consisting of Don Costa (ex-Quiet Riot), Randy Piper and Chris Holmes. Later they were replaced by Frankie Banali on drums and Bob Kulick on guitar.
Over their career, they’ve produced some outstanding albums such as 1988’s Headless Children and 1993’s The Crimson Idol. Despite lineup changes and lawsuits, the band has continued to create powerful metal anthems.
Golgotha, WASP’s latest album, is another fiery blast of riffs and rockers that should please any fan of their past work. It follows in the footsteps of Babylon and Dominator with highly melodic metal anthems that also include ballad-esque moments. With this record, WASP has cemented themselves as a key presence in metal music history.
Killing Joke
Killing Joke are one of the founding fathers of industrial metal. They have had an immense impact on many bands such as Metallica, Amen, Helmet, Econoline Crush, Dead by April, Nine Inch Nails, Nouvelle Vague Fear Factory and Foo Fighters – to name just a few!
Their first album, 1980’s ‘Killing Joke’, was a dark blend of post punk and militaristic rhythms that helped pave the way for industrial metal. It spawned many chart hits including “Love Like Blood” and “Eighties.”
With their 1982 album ‘Revelations’, the band took their sound to a higher level. Coleman’s vocals became more distorted and guitars and drums had an overall louder presence.
The lead single from the album, ‘Wardance’, began with an electronically modulated cough and ended with a massive tribal beat. It had a distinct sound from the debut album but still maintained an ominous atmosphere.
They reunited in 2010, welcoming back original bassist Youth and drummer Paul Ferguson. On their 2010 ‘Lord Of Chaos’ LP, Absolute Dissent, the original line-up including Coleman and Walker returned to their early sound for the first time in 28 years.
Their reappraisal has been long overdue, and this latest release is one of their finest albums in decades. Check out ‘Lord Of Chaos’ below, or pre-order the album here. Additionally, the band are gearing up for their ‘Honour The Fire Tour’ this spring; tickets can be purchased here.
Venom
Venom is one of the most iconic and successful metal bands, their music having had an immense effect on the industry. Their style fuses speed, death and power metal elements together for an unparalleled experience.
Cronos’ leader, Cronos, has never wavered from his principles or commitment to keep pushing forward no matter what obstacles come his way. This commitment has enabled them to take their show around the world and create a unique stage set unlike any other metal band today.
After this years tour, Venom have joined forces with Continental Concerts to organize a series of concerts in Germany. The first show, entitled ‘Lucifer Rising Festival’, sees Venom performing alongside 4 other classic black metal bands.
Fans have an opportunity to witness the band performing live once more before year-end. Stay tuned for further announcements regarding future concerts and shows!
Venom are currently working on their next album which is set for release in December 2018. It will include 13 fierce new songs that pay homage to their classic sound, featuring some of their most popular and influential tracks from their career with plenty of fury and anger!