Best Heavy Metal Songs of the 1970s

The Top Ten
1 Stargazer - Rainbow

I voted because it should be higher than a light in the black. Just check out the live videos on Utube

This is a metal masterpiece in every sense.

2 A Light in the Black - Rainbow

For me this is the most developed metal song of the 70s - it's very fast, long (8+ min) and technical. All its elements are metal - drums, guitars, vocals. Perfect composition and performance. Not to mention Dio vocals and Ritchie Blackmore epic solo.

3 Paranoid - Black Sabbath

Agree, this isn't metal, it's hard rock at best. Melody of the vocal line is very simple and sounds like a children song which gives the song a poppy, sing-along vibe. For me this is power pop (power pop =hard rock + pop) and this explains why this is the most pop-ular Black Sabbath song.

Not metal, it's hard rock and the vocals are very cheesy to be metal...

4 Dissident Aggressor - Judas Priest
5 Highway Star - Deep Purple

This is right. It's a very early prototype of speed metal.

One of the fastest songs of that time

6 Burn - Deep Purple

This song showcased many aspects of metal music that became typical for metal later: there's nothing poppy or catchy in it, vocals are very powerful and kinda difficult, especially the sustain of about 8 seconds. Drumming is excellent as well as the guitars. Overall, this song is pretty complex and technical for the early 70s.

7 Bird of Prey - Uriah Heep

A great song, no doubt. And yes, I agree with zxm - the intro scream is incredible. The song was released in 1970.

Listen the opening riff and scream

8 Ride the Sky - Lucifer's Friend

Listen the riff

9 Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath

Same with Iron Man, more like doom than heavy metal.

10 Stained Class - Judas Priest
The Contenders
11 Iron Man - Black Sabbath

Maybe this one is more metal, but still closer to the doom metal than to the heavy metal

12 Hard Lovin' Man - Deep Purple

The first metal song ever should be higher than #15, I guess. Speed, gallop, screams, operatic vocals - this song combines all basic elements of the future metal music. Typical Iron Maiden songs have the same characteristics.

13 War Pigs - Black Sabbath
14 Snowblind - Black Sabbath
15 Supernaut - Black Sabbath
16 Heaven and Hell - Black Sabbath

This is the best metal song by Black Sabbath but it's not 70s, it's 1980.

17 Sabbath Bloody Sabbath - Black Sabbath
18 N.I.B. - Black Sabbath

I agree with somekindofaguy - this isn't metal.

100% Blues Rock, no doubt.

19 Into the Void - Black Sabbath

OK, this is metal mostly. But not more than the Children of the Grave or the Under the Sun

20 Stone Cold Crazy - Queen

First proto-thrash metal song, but still you could call it heavy metal somehow

Freddie vocals are pretty aggressive here.

It's metal, but mostly the instruments only.

21 Children of the Grave - Black Sabbath

This is the most metal Black Sabbath song in the '70s!

22 Smoke On the Water - Deep Purple

Only the legendary riff is 100% metal but the rest of the song is not metal so I don't consider this song metal. It's hard rock for the most part.

This song is a hard rock song mainly

23 Child in Time - Deep Purple

This song is mostly metal - its length (10 min), progressive song structure, vocals, screams, intensity and the solo are metal. There are some small non-metal elements but hey, it was 1970 and the term "metal" didn't even exist.

The instrumental part in the middle of the song is metal!

This deserves to be higher

Just listen the solo

24 Stormbringer - Deep Purple
25 Speed King - Deep Purple

It's really a speed king

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