Top 10 Best Metal Songwriters

The Top Ten

Steve Harris

Stephen Percy "Steve" Harris is an English musician and songwriter best known as the bassist, occasional keyboardist, backing vocalist, primary songwriter, and founder of the British heavy metal band Iron Maiden. He's led the band since its formation in 1975.

The more recent songs have even better lyrics with deeper meanings like war and religion. A Matter of Life and Death has great lyrics, from For the Greater Good of God, which is about how religion causes war, to Lord of Light, which is about Lucifer, the fallen angel. I just went on Genius lyrics and read the explanations for The Great Unknown lyrics, and it was really deep. Best songwriter from the best band.

Honestly, there should be a lot of room between Steve and anyone else. The man is responsible for some of the best and most complicated metal known to music lovers.
Dave Mustaine

David Scott "Dave" Mustaine (born September 13, 1961) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, actor, and author. He was the original lead guitarist of Metallica before being dismissed in 1983. Afterward, he formed the band Megadeth, where he became the lead vocalist and primary creative force.... read more

Dave Mustaine has such a unique style: aggressive riffs (Holy Wars, Skin o' My Teeth), grooving drum lines (Take No Prisoners, Wake Up Dead), passionate lyrics (In My Darkest Hour, Sweating Bullets), awesome bass lines (Peace Sells, Poison Was the Cure), and ripping solos (Hangar 18, Kick the Chair). Everything goes in tandem so well, and this is why Megadeth has created many masterpieces over the years.

Songs are metal and not about silly demons, religious stuff, mythology, death, and crime. If it's about social, economic, political, and ecological causes, then it's Megadeth we are talking about.
James Hetfield

James Alan Hetfield was born on August 3, 1963. He is an American musician, singer, and songwriter known for being the co-founder, lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, and main songwriter for the American thrash metal band Metallica. He helped form the iconic thrash metal group in 1981 after answering... read more

Just my favorite one. I love the lyrics of ONE that terrify and put you in that situation - the loneliness. Nothing Else Matters is also nice. Enter Sandman is one of my favorites too. Fade to Black, The Unforgiven, etc., are also nice. DIVYANSHU requests you to vote for it!

This guy. Come on, the best rock god ever!

Come on, he is the best. I know it and you know it. His lyrics make you think and make your dreams.
Jeff Hanneman

Jeffrey John "Jeff" Hanneman was an American musician, best known as a founding member and guitarist of the American thrash metal band Slayer. He co-wrote many of the band's most iconic songs, including "Raining Blood" and "Angel of Death." Hanneman was with the band from its inception in 1981 until... read more

Angel of Death, Reign in Blood, South of Heaven, Disciple, Mandatory Suicide. Quality, not quantity.

We will miss forever your evil tunes. RIP, my great guitar player.

R.I.P. Jeff. You should be number one.
Tuomas Holopainen

Tuomas Lauri Johannes Holopainen, born on December 25, 1976, is a Finnish songwriter, multi-instrumentalist musician, and record producer. He is primarily known as the founder, leader, keyboardist, and main songwriter of the symphonic metal band Nightwish. Holopainen has also studied both jazz and classical... read more

A songwriting genius. Strongly influenced by film music composers such as Hans Zimmer and Ramin Djawadi, Holopainen is a master of melody. With his band Nightwish, he has surrounded himself with outstanding musicians.

Tuomas is often known as "Metal Mozart." Clearly, that means the music he writes is out of this world. Honestly, he should be in Hollywood. That's how good he is.

Nobody can beat the greatest songwriter in metal, Tuomas Holopainen. He wrote great songs for Nightwish, and they were great masterpieces regardless of who the singer is!
Mikael Åkerfeldt

Lars Mikael Åkerfeldt is a Swedish musician, best known as the lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter of the progressive death metal band Opeth. He was also the vocalist for the death metal supergroup Bloodbath, contributing to three albums before leaving the band in 2012.... read more

This Swede is one of my favorite songwriters to study. He's the primary songwriter of Opeth. Every riff you hear in Opeth's discography (meaning hundreds) was made by him. Every folk-style acoustic guitar melody in Opeth's discography was made by him. He's not the lead guitarist, so he doesn't do the technical solos (that would be Peter or Fredrik's job), but he writes and plays the melodic solos (about 60% of their solos).
He's the one who arranges these 10-minute songs full of different parts and diverse musical territories. He's a great lyricist. He IS Opeth. If you like metal or rock and want to improve your songwriting, I strongly recommend studying this genius.
Chuck Schuldiner

Charles Michael "Chuck" Schuldiner (1967-2001) was an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He was the founder and leader of the band Death, widely considered one of the pioneers of the death metal genre. Schuldiner passed away from brain cancer on December 13, 2001, and is often referred to as... read more

My number one vote for the greatest metal songwriter! He was spiritual and philosophical, covering many subjects in psychology and science-based themes. Most other metal songwriters focused on death, war, the end of the world, and even partying. Chuck Schuldiner changed the game for the better. His song structures were experimental, and his choice of melodies was unique and anointed by some higher power, to say the least.
My favorite album, "The Sound of Perseverance," focused on the human struggle with life and death. He addressed mental, emotional, and psychological abuse in the song "Bite the Pain." He used his Jewish influences in songs like "To Forgive is to Suffer" and "Flesh and the Power It Holds." He knew how to construct the perfect solos and rhythms, whether they were chaotic like in "Scavenger of Human Sorrow" or melodic and beautifully ancient like in "Voice of the Soul."
He never wrote a bad album and focused on mastering his craft, changing the game with each album released within one to three years of each other. He was consistent but not repetitive, technical when needed, and simple when required. To top it off, he had soul when he played - not like the soul Dimebag Darrell had, but his soulful expression came from his thoughts and psyche.
Tony Iommi

Anthony Frank Iommi, known as Tony Iommi, is an English guitarist, songwriter, and producer. He's best known as the lead guitarist and a founding member of the pioneering heavy metal band Black Sabbath. At age 17, he lost the fingertips of his right middle and ring fingers in an industrial accident.... read more

What? He is a genius. He should be in the top 5.
John Petrucci

John Peter Petrucci is an American guitarist, composer, and producer, best known as a founding member of the progressive metal band Dream Theater. He is widely recognized for his technical proficiency and complex compositions. Despite his acclaim among musicians and fans of progressive metal, he remains... read more
Ronnie James Dio

Ronnie James Dio (born Ronald James Padavona. July 10, 1942 - May 16, 2010) was an American heavy metal singer, songwriter, and musician. He led and performed with several bands including Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Dio, and Heaven & Hell.... read more

The Newcomers

?
Zakk Wylde

Zakk Wylde is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. He is best known for his work as a guitarist with Ozzy Osbourne. Wylde also founded the heavy metal band Black Label Society, where he serves as the lead guitarist and vocalist.
?
Charlie Benante

The Contenders

Jon Schaffer

Jon Ryan Schaffer is an American heavy metal musician, best known as the guitarist and only remaining original member of the Florida-based band Iced Earth. He formed the band in 1985 under the name Purgatory. Schaffer has remained the principal songwriter and driving force behind the group throughout... read more

By far the best metal lyricist of the '90s. Just listen to Dante's Inferno. That will do it.
Maynard James Keenan

Maynard James Keenan, often referred to by his initials MJK, is an American musician, record producer, winemaker, and actor. He is best known as the vocalist for the Grammy Award-winning progressive metal band Tool.
Keenan is also the lead singer of the bands A Perfect Circle and Puscifer, which... read more

The best, hands down. Before voting for Metallica, Iron Maiden, and Megadeth blindly, take a minute to listen to Tool and learn to appreciate the lyrics. They are about real, meaningful stuff. I'd say the best songwriter of the last 20 years.

His lyrics reach way beyond conventional and even rational thought. He plays on the psyche of every listener and pushes them to either learn more or question what is.

He's by far the best there is. Whether you're talking about technical genius with his syllable coordination or overall storytelling, in every way this man is the greatest writer there is.
Ritchie Blackmore

Richard Hugh "Ritchie" Blackmore is an English guitarist and songwriter best known for his work with the hard rock and heavy metal bands Deep Purple and Rainbow.
In 2004, Guitar World ranked him number 16 on its list of the "100 Greatest Metal Guitarists of All Time," and in 2011, Rolling Stone... read more

His songs are so perfectly written that they should be compiled in a "Songwriting Handbook" and studied carefully. Ritchie Blackmore knows how to write melodic metal, but it's classy melodic, not cheesy melodic. Try "Gates of Babylon" and "Stargazer" (Rainbow).
Glenn Tipton

Glenn Raymond Tipton is an English guitarist and songwriter. He is best known as the lead guitarist for the heavy metal band Judas Priest. Tipton joined the band in 1974 and has contributed to many of their classic albums.
King Diamond

Kim Bendix Petersen, better known by his stage name King Diamond, is a Danish heavy metal musician. He is known for his extensive vocal range, usually sung in falsetto. King Diamond was originally known as the vocalist for Mercyful Fate but has become renowned for his horror-themed concept albums released... read more
Mat Sinner

Mat Sinner is a bassist, vocalist, songwriter, and record producer from Stuttgart, Germany. He is best known as the bassist and primary songwriter for the metal band Primal Fear. He is also the founder of the band Sinner and has been involved in several other musical projects, including Voodoo Circle... read more
Jeff Waters

Jeff Waters (born February 13, 1966) is a Canadian metal musician best known as the guitarist, primary songwriter, and founder of the metal band Annihilator. He's recognized for fast riffs and solos and has frequently taken on roles as lead singer, bass player, engineer, and producer. He has owned Watersound... read more

Incredible gift for riffs, solos, and melodies.
Adrian Smith

Adrian Frederick "H" Smith is an English guitarist, best known as a member of Iron Maiden. He contributes as a songwriter and performs live backing vocals on some tracks. Smith has been part of Iron Maiden during several key periods in the band's history, originally joining in 1980 and returning in 1999... read more
Bruce Dickinson

Paul Bruce Dickinson (born August 7, 1958) is an English musician, airline pilot, and broadcaster. He's best known as the lead singer of Iron Maiden and for his solo career.
Outside music, Dickinson worked as a commercial pilot for Astraeus Airlines and flew Iron Maiden's converted charter aircraft... read more

Second best songwriter in the band. Nobody beats Steve Harris.
Jerry Cantrell

Jerry Fulton Cantrell Jr. is an American musician, singer-songwriter, and guitarist best known as the founder, lead guitarist, co-lead vocalist, and primary songwriter of the rock band Alice in Chains. He has also released solo albums and contributed to various collaborations. Cantrell's guitar work... read more
Cliff Burton

Clifford Lee "Cliff" Burton (February 10, 1962 - September 27, 1986) was an American musician best known as the second bass guitarist for the American thrash metal band Metallica. He performed on the band's first three studio albums: Kill 'Em All (1983), Ride the Lightning (1984), and Master of Puppets... read more
Michael Weikath

Michael Ingo Joachim "Weiki" Weikath is a German musician and songwriter, best known as a founding member, guitarist, and backing vocalist of the power metal band Helloween. He played a crucial role in shaping the band's early sound. Helloween is considered one of the pioneers of the power metal genre... read more

Consider Keeper of the Seven Keys alone. He should be in the top 10!
Blackie Lawless

Blackie is a genius and hands down the best songwriter in heavy metal. Just listen to The Crimson Idol. Every song is a masterpiece!
Tobias Sammet

Tobias Sammet (born November 21, 1977) is a German metal musician best known as the vocalist and primary songwriter for the power metal band Edguy. He is also the founder, lead singer, and principal creative force behind the metal opera project Avantasia.... read more

With each subsequent album, Sammet keeps writing great lyrics for both of his bands. Avantasia, in particular, requires very demanding lyrics since some albums follow a story, and he always delivers!

He writes music and lyrics for two active bands in parallel!
Till Lindemann

Till Lindemann is a German singer, songwriter, musician, actor, poet, and pyrotechnician. He is best known as the lead vocalist and frontman of the German Neue Deutsche Härte band Rammstein. Lindemann is also known for his solo project, Lindemann, and for his provocative and theatrical performance style... read more