Top 10 Songs that Were Important in the History of Metal Music

The songs do not have to be Metal songs though they have to at least have some Historical effect on metal music
The Top Ten
1 Hard Lovin' Man - Deep Purple

This song isn't better than Highway Star (1972) but it came out before Highway Star, in 1970, and for this reason I think Hard Lovin' Man was more important. To me Hard Lovin' Man was the first true proto-metal song ever - all basic metal elements were there, including vocals with systematic screams. Highway Star perfected the ideas.

First gallop, fast and furious instrumental, melodic vocals, it was a revolutionary year in Hard Rock, with Immigrant Song, First Sabbath, Layla, but this one seems to me a little bit ahead and more influential to Metal.

2 Highway Star - Deep Purple

Zxm is right - riffs and solos are metal. Vocals are metal, too, including some details like the amazing intro scream - to this day, many metal songs start with impressive intro screams. And the speed of the song - metal music became known for its speed.

The riffs, the solo.

3 Stargazer - Rainbow
4 Welcome to Hell - Venom
5 Phantom of the Opera - Iron Maiden

The best and the most epic metal song on the album that made metal a thing (1980). And Iron Maiden became the most prominent band of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal (commonly abbreviated as NWOBHM).
This song clearly demonstrated that Iron Maiden followed Deep Purple's formula for metal - fast classically inspired songs and not Black Sabbath's formula - dark but slow bluesy songs.

6 Stone Cold Crazy - Queen
7 Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath

This song has some psych/hard rock style mixed in it.

8 A Light in the Black - Rainbow

To me this is the most developed and most technical metal song of the 70s - all its elements are metal. Plus epicness, speed and perfect performance (guitars/solo, vocals, drums).

9 Burn - Deep Purple
10 The Exorcist - Possessed
The Contenders
11 Cowboys From Hell - Pantera
12 Ace Of Spades - Motorhead
13 Master of Puppets - Metallica

One of most iconic heavy metal songs ever created. Recognizable riff, fast rhythm, two melodic solo sections, it has it all.

14 Blitzkrieg Bop - Ramones

This isn't a metal song. But it was influential towards metal songs.

15 Practice What You Preach - Testament
16 Territory - Sepultura
17 Iron Man - Black Sabbath
18 Raining Blood - Slayer
19 Pull the Plug - Death
20 Refuse/Resist - Sepultura
21 Breaking the Law - Judas Priest
22 Lights Out - UFO
23 Balls to the Wall - Accept
24 Misirlou - Dick Dale

I don't know if metal guitarists were inspired by it. But this song is one of the earliest song having rapid alternate picking (tremolo picking/one string picking). Which can be seen often in most metal songs. Plus, Dick Dale was one of the fewest (or only guy) guitarist who could blow up his amp at that high watt.

25 The Sign of the Southern Cross - Black Sabbath
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