There seems to be a lack of discussion of great metal riffs.

I'll start the ball rolling...

Anthrax - 'Keep it in the Family'
Scott Ian's crunchy opening on this one is amazing. If it wasn't for the cheesey vocals of Joey Belladonna, this song would be perfect.

Nailbomb - 'World of Shit'
Totally brainless brutality from Newport and Cavlera. So simple, but completely destructive.

Raging Speedhorn - 'Thumper'
Heavy as fuck - great stuff for inciting violent behaviour

Megadeth - 'Peace Sells'
Dave Ellefson's opening bassline is arguably the best thing in the song. Rumour has it that Dave Mustaine wrote it, but it's one of the most effective opening sections in a metal song.

Black Sabbath - 'Symptom of the Universe'
They explored the 'evil chord' on their eponymous debut album, but this one's a lot faster and crunchier.

Black Sabbath - 'Supernaut'
It just grooves!

Pantera - 'Domination'
So many great riffs in this one, but my personal favourite is THAT ending. Almost no melody at all with focus on rhythm and brutality. It's mainly comprised of one chord.

Carcass - 'Corporeal Jigsore Quandary'
Utter sludge. Do drums count as a riff?

I'll post more here soon.

Come on guys! The inclusion of the riff is the cornerstone of any great metal anthem!

And no-one's even mentioned my deliberate ignorance of Smoke on the Water with all it's shambolic 'caveman on a guitar' awfulness.

I'll supply some more...

Ministry - 'Stigmata'
Debatably, this is a keyboard riff. If so, it is the finest keyboard riff ever written. Industrial metal at it's finest.

Metallica - 'Master of Puppets'
Ok, so they are pretty rubbish at the moment. But the chromatic opening section and infectious main riff in this song are still great fun to play. If anyone can tell me what time signature that is, I'd be very greatful.

Pantera - 'Walk'
Slightly obvious, but it really grooves in it's eccentric 'metality'

Primus - 'Tommy the Cat'
Les hops around on one leg with his eyes closed, spitting vocals out at 666 mph and just as a sideline, happens to deliver this bass-riff. Bastard.

Rage Against the Machine - 'Know Your Enemy'
Two completely inspired riffs for the price of one. Learn it on guitar and play it for months.

White Zombie - 'More Human Than Human'
Slide Guitar has never been so heavy.

etc...

Am I the only one here who LOVES riffs?

quote:

Originally posted by Duncan Black:


Am I the only one here who LOVES riffs?

I've been listening to this "old-school" stuff lately, Venom, Hellhammer, Exodus, etc. Tons of great riffs all over the place. That's why I'm really loving this stuff. In my book, though, nothing beats some of those classic Carcass riffs, including the one you listed above.

Sweet Leaf has a pretty nasty riff.

There's a ton of great riffs on Jane Doe by Converge. It almost makes up for the howling banshee vocals.

I know they're not known for great riffs but We Hate You by Electric Wizard is absolutely crushing.

Sweet Leaf is a great one.

It's been ripped off by everyone including the Red Hot Chilli Peppers and The Beastie Boys. In fact I think I ripped it off a few times.

A good riff should make you wanna fuck like a beast....so, clearly, the greatest ever riff is 'Jailbreak' by AC/DC.

I once looped the riff on a tape and played along with for hours...never getting to the rest of what is an extraordinary song in its' own right.

I focus on riffing, so I'm a big fan of good riffs. I'm also still a fan of some old school thrash and feed off that stuff!

Exodus - Piranha, love the opening

Sepultura - Arise

Anthrax - I am the Law

Metallica - Into the Never, not a huge fan of that disk, but that opening riff is sweet.

Trivium - Becoming the Dragon (about 1:50 into the song)