100 Greatest Rock Guitar Riffs and Metal Guitar Riffs

It’s a known fact that guitar riffs are insanely popular in the rock and metal world. Guitar riffing in various subgenres of rock and metal has made jaws drop. This article offers a detailed perspective on the best rock guitar riffs and metal guitar riffs.

A guitar riff serves as a thematic idea for a song which adds the signature element of musical ideas. In simple terms a guitar riff is the main musical theme of the song which may be heard one time or at different times during the song. A riff could be a sequence of chords or a flurry of notes that emphasize a signature sound in a song. Since early days in music, guitar riffs have mesmerized audiences with their unique augmentation. In rock music guitar riffs form the core signature sound of a musical idea. A riff brings out the melodic groove that connects with the listener in a subconscious state.

Riffs are the mainstay of a song that may be repeated at different intervals of the song, or just once as the song opens, or during the chorus.

Rock riffs and metal riffs are excessively popular with individuals learning to play the guitar. Rock riffs and metal riffs encompass elements of groove, melodic aspects and brutal poetic sound aesthetically, and that’s the reason we find novice guitar players emulating riffs of their favorite rock songs.

Guitar riffing in the 60s took a new direction with many bands experimenting with song structure. The guitar riffs at different stages of the song became hugely popular with progressive bands of the 60s and 70s and the trend has continued with bands in the progressive rock and progressive metal domain. Heavily distorted guitar riffs are a manic rage in heavy metal and its extreme subgenres. Many metal guitarists use brutal distortion patches while playing their riffs at various stages in a song. Rock guitar riffs in the past and present have emphasized poetically to captivate minds and hearts.

Riffing techniques among guitar players vary in accordance with the song and picking preferences. Guitar players with strong alternate picking and economy picking often come up with mesmerizing riffs that come to life with a flurry of notes and chords. Many guitar players showcase complex guitar riffs in various extreme metal genres.

A riff may be a simple two chord progression or a number of notes that augment sound, either way riffs should add dynamism to the structure of song composition. In rock and metal, it’s often guitar riffs that help a song go further in a musical direction. Rock guitar riffs and metal guitar riffs have always been and will always be popular with music aficionados. In the days ahead it’s going to be to be a feast of guitar riffs in different music genres. Keep listening and keep churning out those monster guitar riffs.

The list below encompasses an epic list of rock guitar riffs and metal guitar riffs that have enslaved hearts and minds. This list is not an attempt to rank songs in accordance with riffs; it’s just a celebrative showcase of the best guitar riffs.

100 Greatest Rock Guitar riffs and Metal Guitar Riffs

  1. Walk- Pantera
  2. Smoke on the Water- Deep Purple
  3. Smells Like Teen Spirit- Nirvana
  4. Whole Lotta Love- Led Zeppelin
  5. Back In Black- AC/DC
  6. Paranoid- Black
  7. Sweet Child O’ Mine- Guns N’ Roses
  8. Sunshine of Your Love- Cream
  9. Voodoo Child (Slight Return)- Jimi Hendrix
  10. You Really Got Me- The Kinks
  11. Breaking The Law- Judas Priest
  12. Symphony of Destruction- Megadeth
  13. Alive- Pearl Jam
  14. Killing in the Name- Rage Against The Machine
  15. Are You Gonna Be My Girl- The Jets
  16. Enter Sandman- Metallica
  17. Day Tripper- The Beatles
  18. Holy Diver- Dio
  19. Layla- Derek and The Dominos
  20. Every Breath You Take- The Police
  21. Are You Gonna Go My Way- Lenny Kravitz
  22. Eye of The Tiger- Survivor
  23. Ace of Spades- Motorhead
  24. I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll- Joan Jett and The Blackhearts
  25. Born to Be Wild- Steppenwolf
  26. Money For Nothing- Dire Straits
  27. All Right Now- Free
  28. Spirit of Radio- Rush
  29. Rational Gaze- Meshuggah
  30. Sweet Home Alabama- Lynyrd Skynyrd
  31. The Trooper- Iron Maiden
  32. Pretty Vacant- Sex Pistols
  33. Sharp Dressed Man- ZZ Top
  34. Pull Me Under- Dream Theater
  35. My Sharona- The Knack
  36. Hammer Smashed Face- Cannibal Corpse
  37. Rock You Like a Hurricane- Scorpions
  38. Man on The Silver Mountain- Rainbow
  39. Outshined- Soundgarden
  40. Hocus Pocus- Focus
  41. Roadhouse Blues- The Doors
  42. Beast and the Harlot- Avenged Sevenfold
  43. Barracuda- Heart
  44. Walk This Way- Aersomith
  45. Seven Nation Army- The White Stripes
  46. Caught In A Mosh- Anthrax
  47. ‘Runnin’ With The Devil- Van Halen
  48. Carry On Wayward Son- Kansas
  49. Zero Tolerance- Death
  50. Satisfaction- The Rolling Stones
  51. Down With the Sickness- Disturbed
  52. Sultans of Swing- Dire Straits
  53. Motorcycle Emptiness- Manic Street Preachers
  54. Diamond Head- Am I Evil
  55. Hysteria- Muse
  56. Balls to the Wall- Accept
  57. Man in the Box- Alice In Chains
  58. Take Me Out- Franz Ferdinand
  59. Blitzkreig Bop- The Ramones
  60. Architect of Pain- Exodus
  61. How Soon Is Now?- The Smiths
  62. Run To You- Bryan Adams
  63. Scar Tissue- Red Hot Chili Peppers
  64. Blood and Thunder- Mastodon
  65. Money- Pink Floyd
  66. Do I Wanna Know? – Arctic Monkeys
  67. Monkey Wrench- Foo Fighters
  68. Freezing Moon- Mayhem
  69. Scream For Silence- Children of Bodem
  70. Sex Type Thing- Stone Temple Pilots
  71. Don’t Fear the Reaper- Blue Oyster Cult
  72. Say it Ain’t So- Weezer
  73. Pinball Wizard- The Who
  74. Long Train Runnin’- The Doobie Brothers
  75. I Got Mine- The Black Keys
  76. Ozzy Osbourne- Crazy Train
  77. Wanted Dead or Alive- Bon Jovi
  78. Owner of a Lonely Heart- Yes
  79. Clenching the Fists of Dissent- Machine Head
  80. Hello from The Gutter- Overkill
  81. Fools Gold- The Stone Roses
  82. Stillborn- Black Label Society
  83. Hedonism (Just Because You Feel Good)- Skunk Anansie
  84. Pleasure to Kill- Kreator
  85. Bohemian Like You- The Dandy Warhols
  86. Arise- Sepultura
  87. Witching Hour- Venom
  88. Oh Well- Fleetwood Mac
  89. Welcome Home- King Diamond
  90. No Love Lost- Carcass
  91. In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida- Iron Butterfly
  92. I Believe In a Thing Called Love- The Darkness
  93. Angel of Death- Slayer
  94. Dehumanized- Symphony X
  95. No Surprises- Radiohead
  96. The Bucket- Kings of Leon
  97. Lateralus- Tool
  98. Should I Stay Or Should I Go- The Clash
  99. Waking the Demon- Bullet for My Valentine
  100. Celebrity Skin- Hole

TAGS : rock guitar riffs metal guitar riffs list rock songs genres subgenres

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