An introduction to Western heavy metal: the masterpieces that changed the history of metal

Death Of MeAsking Alexandria

ASKING ALEXANDRIA – The Death of Me (Official Music Video)

It’s a track by a British alternative metal band that enjoys strong popularity, especially among young people.

This song showcases their signature extreme guitar sound and standout death-growl vocals, making it a classic whose even more intense-than-typical heavy metal sound becomes irresistibly addictive.

Green MachineKyuss

KYUSS – Green Machine (HD)

A song by the American rock band Kyuss, who played a central role in the stoner metal genre that fuses metal and psychedelic rock.

Taken as a single from their second album, “Blues for the Red Sun,” this track’s thick band sound and driving pace will get your adrenaline pumping.

Its guitar tone leans more toward blues than metal, which might surprise listeners accustomed to more mainstream metal bands.

With its distinctive yet catchy band sound, this number reaffirms the possibilities of the metal genre.

Home Sweet HomeMötley Crüe

Mötley Crüe – Home Sweet Home (Official Music Video)

A song by Mötley Crüe, a representative band of the stadium rock movement characterized by large-venue live shows and strong commercial appeal.

Featured on their third album, Theatre of Pain, released in 1985, it’s a rock ballad that begins with a lyrical piano accompaniment.

Although metal bands are often thought to play only hard-hitting tracks, the world of ballads woven from their high level of musicianship is truly stunning.

Covered by numerous artists, this number reveals a new side of Mötley Crüe.

PapercutLinkin Park

Papercut [Official HD Music Video] – Linkin Park

From the late 1990s to the early 2000s, there was a boom in a music genre called nu metal.

Because it sold so extraordinarily well, countless similar bands were mass-produced, and the movement drew plenty of criticism.

Yet in the 2020s, more and more young bands are openly citing nu metal as an influence, and it’s worth emphasizing again that nu metal has firmly taken root as one of the foundational roots of the great tree that is metal.

Among the bands labeled as part of the nu metal wave, Linkin Park achieved massive success by skillfully weaving elements of electronica and hip-hop into tasteful band arrangements and wielding melodies so powerful they shake the heart.

Their impact on the scene was so great that many bands rushed to imitate their sound, and there was some backlash precisely because they became so overwhelmingly popular.

Papercut is the opening track from their debut album Hybrid Theory, released in 2000, which has sold over 30 million copies worldwide.

It’s a quintessential early-era track for them: a heavy sound infused with scratching and synced elements, featuring Mike Shinoda’s razor-sharp rap intertwined with the late Chester Bennington’s emotional melodies and shouts.

Even more than 20 years after its release, giving it another listen proves it’s still unbelievably cool.

Make me BadKorn

Korn – Make Me Bad (Official Video)

A track by an alternative metal band known for their distinctive, biting sound.

This song also carries their trademark edge, and stands out as a heavy metal classic with its weighty, technical guitars and thick, sludgy bass.

As I DieParadise Lost

Paradise Lost – As I Die | Official Music Video

A track by Paradise Lost, renowned as pioneers of genres like death-doom and gothic metal, and more popular on the European continent than in their native UK.

Featured on their third album, Shades of God, this groundbreaking number showcases a metal sound that symbolizes the band’s shift toward a more melodic direction while retaining their death-doom roots.

The arrangement, driven by a heavy beat and intensely distorted guitars, offers a deeply satisfying listening experience that epitomizes gothic metal.

It’s a song that reveals the band’s evolution and is recommended even for listeners who are new to gothic metal.

Round And RoundRatt

RATT – Round And Round (Official Music Video)

A song by Ratt, one of the representative bands of the LA metal scene that flourished in the 1980s.

Featured on their debut album Out of the Cellar, the track’s heavy guitar riff with palm muting and its catchy melody—despite the heaviness—really get you pumped.

Some people might think metal songs have hard-to-understand vocals or are so fast you can’t tell what’s going on, but this track lets you enjoy the coolness of rock along with metal’s weight and depth.

It’s a great recommendation for metal beginners as well.