1 Welcome to the Jungle – Guns N’ Roses
2 Enter Sandman – Metallica
Metallica’s self-titled or “Black Album” is arguably the record that made them household names and Enter Sandman was a big reason behind its success (although Nothing Else Matters is another must-hear song, with rock royalty Elton John calling it “one of the greatest songs ever written”). The catchy entry riff will get your head banging, while James Hetfield delivers lyrics that sound like a dark nursery rhyme and Lars Ulrich pounds his drums as best he can. But the undoubted star here is lead guitarist Kirk Hammett, whose virtuoso solo midway through the piece propels this track into the god tier.
3 Them Bones – Alice In Chains
Seattle’s grunge scene produced some of the best angst-filled music ever and one of the few bands still going is Alice in Chains, despite the tragic death of singer Layne Staley in 2002. Indeed, guitarist and fellow vocalist Jerry Cantrell recently released a very strong solo album called Brighten (featuring the superb single Atone). But it was in the early 90s when Alice in Chains were at the peak of their powers, and Them Bones is the short but formidable opener on the band’s outstanding Dirt album. Built around a doom-laden riff and languid vocal harmonies, the song really soars with a monster guitar solo just after the halfway point. Fun fact: the song features on the popular video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas as part of the Radio X playlist.
4 Black Dog – Led Zeppelin
If you don’t like Led Zeppelin, do you even like rock music? Their fourth album, released in 1971 and selling over 37 million copies to-date, is their magnum opus, featuring the epic Stairway to Heaven and favourites such as Rock and Roll and When the Levee Breaks. The album opens with Black Dog, on which Robert Plant croons suggestive rhyming couplets while the rest of the band play a stop-start groove around John Paul Jones’s chunky bass and John Bonham’s masterful drumming. There is, naturally, a sumptuous Jimmy Page solo to conclude the start of a very special record.
5 The Grudge – Tool
Back when Tool fans only had to wait 5 years for new music, Lateralus arrived in 2001 to stake an early claim for album of the century. The record rumbles into gear with this masterpiece of Danny Carey’s tribal rhythms, Adam Jones’ grinding guitars, Justin Chancellor’s majestic bass and Maynard James Keenan’s soaring vocals, including that 24-second roar at the 7-minute mark. It is the ultimate release of frustration and cathartic relief. Keenan’s lyrics switch between obtuse references to Saturn ascending (which no doubt has some cosmic significance) and the very simple repeated chant of “Let go” to round things off. Across 8-and-a-half minutes, The Grudge takes the listener of powerful, pummelling, profound aural journey. It’s one of those songs that still sounds soul-bendingly fresh 20 years after it dropped.
6 Ghost of Perdition – Opeth
The heaviest and longest track on the list, Swedish progressive metal geniuses Opeth kicked off their 2005 album Ghost Reveries with this beautiful beast. Lulling the listener in with a few gentle chords, they produce a fantastic “scare-drop” to blast into a brutal burst of brash riffs. As you’d expect from a song that exceeds 10 minutes in length, they change the pace and tone a few times, with softer sections and more melodic moments interspersed between the almighty chugging guitars and relentless double-kick drums. Opeth don’t write boring songs, so while it can take some time to get your head around the growls, it’s well worth sticking with the band for their sheer musical ingenuity. More recently, they’ve mellowed a little and frontman Mikael Åkerfeldt has switched to clean vocals. The band are still making brilliant music, as 2019’s bilingual (available in both English and Swedish versions) In Cauda Venenum attests.
7 All My Life – Foo Fighters
It would be almost too obvious to include Smells Like Teen Spirit on this list, so instead I’m going with Nirvana alumnus Dave Grohl’s band Foo Fighters and the first cut from their 2002 album One by One. This was the Foos at their boldest, loudest and best, delivering a chugging riff and sing-along chorus that satisfy full stadiums. From experience I can confirm that they are an excellent live band, even if you can’t really see them through hundreds of taller people. It’s hard to tell if the refrain “Done, done, and I’m onto the next one” is a critique of consumerism or just Dave ticking off his shopping list, but it sure makes for a memorable tune.
8 Going Under – Evanescence
The greatest thing about Evanescence is Amy Lee’s incredible voice. Not just the way she hits the high notes, but the way she nails every note. The opener to the band’s multi-platinum Fallen album also showcases their underrated song writing ability. Built around a grungy riff and catchy chorus, Going Under also features a cool little guitar solo and some subtle piano work that is a signature of Evanescence’s sound.
Top Female Vocalists in Rock and Metal
It is a bit of a crime that Lee is the only female vocalist on this list, but if you want a few other leading ladies of rock and metal, check out: Hayley Williams of Paramore (especially the early stuff); Courtney Love, particularly Hole’s Live Through This and Celebrity Skin; Lacey Sturm of Flyleaf (first three albums); Lzzy Hale of Halestorm; Heart’s Ann Wilson; and I highly recommend the latest album from Taylor Momsen’s band The Pretty Reckless, Death By Rock And Roll.
9 Prayer – Disturbed
Disturbed’s musical journey is an unusual one. They started out at the turn of the century as a successful metal band but were not widely known beyond the genre until relatively recently. Their debut album The Sickness from 2000 has sold over 5 million copies, but it wasn’t until 2002’s Believe that they first hit the number one spot on the US Billboard 200 chart. Prayer is the first and arguably best track from a second album that was neither difficult nor disappointing. Although their records continued to sell well, the music always deserved more attention than it got. Then in late 2015 came a cover version of Simon and Garfunkel’s The Sound of Silence, which has over 750 million views on YouTube and was nominated for a Grammy. The haunting rendition has helped to immortalize Disturbed and its enigmatic vocalist David Draiman.
10 Highway to Hell – AC/DC
No true hard rock top 10 list would be complete without a nod to one of the genre’s most famous exponents, the forever young AC/DC. It was a tricky choice from a band with so many good album openers, but 1979’s Highway to Hell gets the nod. The iconic opening riff is one of the best the band ever wrote, the simple chorus is memorable and fun, and of course there’s a killer guitar solo in place of a third verse. The band might be on the highway to hell, but with this track listeners are in headbanging heaven.