Items12The creator’s order
  1. 1Would?Would?Mike Starr's menacing solo bassline opens a devastating tribute to late Mother Love Bone singer Andrew Wood. Jerry Cantrell's dark, chorus-heavy guitar riffs and Layne Staley's haunting, soulful clean vocal harmonies on the chorus create an overwhelming emotional weight without a single scream.0
  2. 2OutshinedOutshinedChris Cornell's song for Soundgarden rides a lurching, drop-D riff with an off-kilter rhythm that keeps the groove slightly unbalanced. Kim Thayil's guitar gives it heft, and Cornell moves from bluesy, low verses to a soaring chorus that shows off his remarkable range. Proof that a heavy song can…0
  3. 3Change (In the House of Flies)Change (In the House of Flies)Deftones are masters of tension and release. Chino Moreno's hushed, breathy verses float over Abe Cunningham's crisp, spacious drumming before Stephen Carpenter's low-tuned guitar drops like a concrete slab on the chorus. The contrast between the whispered and the crushing is what makes it heavy,…0
  4. 4OblivionOblivionThe opening track of Crack the Skye proves that progressive sludge metal can feature gorgeous three-part vocal harmonies. Drummer Brann Dailor, bassist Troy Sanders and guitarist Brent Hinds trade melodic vocal leads over spiralling classic rock guitar riffs.0
  5. 5SoberSoberPaul D'Amour's hypnotic, pulsing bassline anchors an escalating masterclass in psychological tension. Maynard James Keenan's clean, impassioned vocals rise from restrained spoken confessions to an overwhelming, full-throated crescendo beneath Adam Jones's crushing power chords.0
  6. 6No One KnowsNo One KnowsJosh Homme and Dave Grohl construct an irresistible rhythmic juggernaut. Homme's dry, staccato down-tuned guitar chops and smooth, velvety croon lock into Grohl's explosive drum fills, proving heavy rock can be incredibly danceable and infectious.0
  7. 7Midlife CrisisMidlife CrisisBuilt on a sampled drum loop from Simon and Garfunkel's Cecilia, Faith No More fuse alternative metal with funk grooves and cinematic pop. Mike Patton glides effortlessly from rhythmic hip-hop cadences to operatic, choir-backed clean choruses of massive dynamic power.0
  8. 8Take My Bones AwayTake My Bones AwayGeorgia outfit Baroness turn sludge metal into a radiant, uplifting stadium anthem. John Baizley's impassioned, melodic bellow leads triumphant dual-guitar harmonies and driving four-on-the-floor percussion that burst with pure cathartic joy.0
  9. 9Square HammerSquare HammerGhost deliver the ultimate modern arena rock earworm. Built on an infectious keyboard fanfare and driving hard rock guitar crunch, Tobias Forge's velvety melodic clean vocals turn occult theatricality into an undeniable, fist-pumping pop-metal triumph.0
  10. 10Heaven and HellHeaven and HellBlack Sabbath's rebirth with Ronnie James Dio produced one of the most majestic epics in metal history. Tony Iommi's driving minor-key guitar chords and Geezer Butler's rolling bassline underpin Dio's impassioned operatic clean vocals, building to a frantic guitar-solo sprint.0