Getting people together to discuss the 'Greatest Anything of All Time' not only brings out the most passionate arguments for and against, but also quite a few mentions that you've never even heard of. It's an undertaking that the great minds at Rolling Stone have leaned into over the years -- from the Greatest Singers to the Greatest Guitarists -- and now they're branching out into the world of Heavy Metal.
Listen to Masters of Metal and more on the free Audacy app
In an attempt to name the '100 Greatest Metal Songs of All Time,' Rolling Stone gathered a group of writers and music critics -- who also happen to be headbangers themselves -- to debate more than 300 worthy songs over several months and give their final rankings. Take a look below and see if you agree...
U.K. metal heads Venom kick off the celebration at 100 with their 1981 track "Welcome To Hell," preceded in the list by a number of essential bands like Crowbar, Helmet, Girlschool, Cannibal Corpse, Warlock, Dream Theater, and Anthrax's collaboration with Public Enemy.
Diving deeper into the list, honorable mentions are abound from SoCal cyco-metal-punks Suicidal Tendencies and New York Hardcore favorites Life Of Agony, to the dark Industrial pummelings of Rammstein, GODFLESH, and Type O Negative. Of course, the masters themselves Metallica, Slayer, and Megadeth make the list, sometimes more than once; and who could forget the O.G.s like Judas Priest, Dio, Iron Maiden, or Motörhead? But topping the list, however, is Black Sabbath with their eponymous 1970 single "Black Sabbath."
"I was asleep and I felt something in the room, like this weird presence," bassist Geezer Butler told Rolling Stone in 2016 regarding the origins of the song “Black Sabbath." "I woke up in a dream world, and there was this black thing at the bottom of the bed, staring at me. … It just freaked me out," he added."
As Rolling Stone says perfectly: "Today, 'Black Sabbath' exudes the same raw, infernal majesty," as it did when first released. "It’s both scary and fun at the same time. It’s the feeling all metal bands have been chasing ever since and it still reigns supreme."
Listen to Black Sabbath Radio and more on the free Audacy app
While you're in a headbanging mood -- follow more of Audacy's all-new stations like Ripchord, Masters Of Metal, IndustriALT, Don't Metal In My Affairs, Venom, Arena Rock, Wake Up and Rock, and The Roots of Rock for those who crave the early days.
LISTEN on the Audacy App
Sign Up and Follow Audacy
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram