Black Sabbath top greatest heavy metal song countdown ahead of Metallica
Rolling Stone have published their latest list
Last updated 17th Mar 2023
Black Sabbath’s seminal 1970 song ‘Black Sabbath’ has been named the greatest heavy metal song of all time.
Perennial list makers Rolling Stone published The 100 Greatest Heavy Metal Songs of All Time countdown this week, which was voted for by writers and critics who work for the magazine, and also contributors to rock and metal publications.
Black Sabbath’s 1970 masterpiece ‘Black Sabbath’ was named the best heavy metal song ever ahead of Metallica’s ‘Master of Puppets’ at No.2 and Motörhead’s ‘Ace of Spades’ at No.3.
The opening track on Black Sabbath’s landmark debut album ‘Black Sabbath’, ‘Black Sabbath’ has been referred to as the first doom metal song, and, alongside the rest of the record, it has been credited with being pivotal in the development of the heavy metal genre.
Lavishing ‘Black Sabbath’ with praise, Rolling Stone wrote: "Today, ‘Black Sabbath’ exudes raw, infernal majesty; it’s both scary and fun at the same time. It’s the feeling all metal bands have been chasing ever since and it still reigns supreme."
The rest of Rolling Stone’s Top 10 is made up of Judas Priest’s ‘Breaking The Law’ (No.4), Black Sabbath’s ‘War Pigs’ (No.5), Ozzy Osbourne’s ‘Crazy Train’ (No.6), Black Sabbath’s ‘Iron Man’ (No.7), Slayer’s ‘Raining Blood’ (No.8), Dio’s ‘Holy Diver’ (No.9) and Iron Maiden’s ‘Run to the Hills (No.10).
As always with these kind of countdowns, The 100 Greatest Heavy Metal Songs of All Time list has been met with some backlash online.
Many have criticised Rolling Stone for including rock acts who arguably shouldn’t be categorised as metal, including Living Colour, AC/DC, Led Zeppelin and Evanescence.
Others have noted the absence of certain songs from the Top 100 including Iron Maiden’s ‘The Number of the Beast.’
Writing on Machine Head’s official website, Rob Flynn thanked Rolling Stone for including their classic song ‘Davidian’ on the list but lambasted them for not featuring any tracks by Exodus and Testament.
"Bay Area Thrash Metal is still an extremely vital and powerful force in music, and it wasn't just Metallica that brought it to the World,” Flynn argued.
“Upon formation, Exodus were literally the most exciting band around. Crafting timeless songs like 'Bonded By Blood', 'A Lesson In Violence', or their own 'pit anthem' – 'The Toxic Waltz', all deserve similar honours on such a list. When I was a teenager growing up in the Bay Area, I cannot express how important and influential Exodus and guitarist Gary Holt were and remain. Without Gary, there is no Robb Flynn. Without Exodus, there is no Machine Head.”
He added: "And when it comes to Testament? The word that continues to flash before my eyes is ‘impact.' I can assure you that every single Rock/Metal guitar player on the face of the planet's collective jaws hit the floor when they heard Alex Skolnick play. His adding of classical arpeggio sweeps into songs like 'Over The Wall', and 'Disciples Of The Watch', was game changing.
“Soon everybody from Kirk Hammett of Metallica to Glenn Tipton of Judas Priest was doing it. The commanding bellow of singer Chuck Billy was an absolute precursor to the Death and Black Metal vocal that would soon follow and continue until this day. That's undeniable impact.”
The 20 greatest heavy metal songs ever, according to Rolling Stone:
1 - Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath
2 - Metallica - Master Of Puppets
3 - Motörhead - Ace Of Spades
4 - Judas Priest - Breaking The Law
5 - Black Sabbath - War Pigs
6 - Ozzy Osbourne - Crazy Train
7 - Black Sabbath - Iron Man
8 - Slayer - Raining Blood
9 - Dio - Holy Diver
10 - Iron Maiden - Run To The Hills
11 - Metallica - One
12 - Living Color - Cult Of Personality
13 - Black Sabbath - Paranoid
14 - Rainbow - Stargazer
15 - Slayer - Angel Of Death
16 - Iron Maiden - Hallowed By Thy Name
17 - Ac/Dc - Back In Black
18 - Led Zeppelin - Immigrant Song
19 - Megadeth - Peace Sells
20 - Ratt - Round And Round
Music News: The greatest Black Sabbath albums revealed
23 rock bands named after movies, including Black Sabbath:
Black Sabbath
Previously called Earth (and prior to that The Polka Tulk Blues Band), Black Sabbath named themselves after their own song 'Black Sabbath', which took its moniker from the 1963 horror anthology film of the same name starring the legendary Boris Karloff.
Black Sabbath (1963)
A poster for the 1963 Black Sabbath movie starring Boris Karloff.
Them
Northern Irish rockers Them, whose timeless anthem 'Gloria' launched Van Morrison's musical career, named themselves after the 1954 science fiction monster movie Them!
Them! (1954)
A poster for the 1954 horror movie Them!
White Zombie
In 1985, the then 20-year-old Rob Zombie – born Robert Cummings – named his band after the 1932 horror movie White Zombie starring Bela Lugosi. The highly influential movie is widely considered the first feature length zombie film, and it even inspired Cummings' stage name.
White Zombie (1932)
Bela Lugosi and a zombie in 1932's White Zombie.
Five Finger Death Punch
After watching Quentin Tarantino's 2004 martial arts classic Kill Bill: Volume 2, the Las Vegas metallers toyed with calling themselves Five Point Palm Exploding Heart Technique in homage to the character Pai Mei's fearsome killing technique. Although fascinated with the concept, former drummer Jeremy Spencer told Michigan Live in 2013: "That didn't sound cool. So, we changed it to Five Finger Death Punch."
Kill Bill 2 (2004)
Uma Thurman (The Bride / Beatrix Kiddo) and Gordon Liu (Pai Mei) in 2004's Kill Bill 2.
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden bassist and founder Steve Harris came up with the band's name after watching the 1939 movie The Man in the Iron Mask, which featured an iron maiden torture device.
The Man in the Iron Mask (1939)
A still from the 1939 movie The Man in the Iron Mask.
Gojira
The French heavy metallers take their name from Gojira, the original Japanese name for Godzilla. The 1954 Japanese kaiju film directed by Ishirō Honda is widely regarded as a classic of cinema.
Gojira (1954)
A poster for the 1954 movie Gojira – aka Godzilla.
My Bloody Valentine
It's widely reported that the influential Irish shoegaze band are named after the 1981 Canadian slasher film My Bloody Valentine. However, MBV vocalist and guitarist Kevin Shields claims that it was only a few years after they formed that they discovered they shared their moniker with a "really crap terrible Canadian film."
My Bloody Valentine (1981)
A still from the 1981 horror movie My Bloody Valentine.
Misfits
Glenn Danzig named his highly influential horror punk band after Marilyn Monroe's final movie, 1961's The Misfits.
The Misfits (1961)
Marilyn Monroe in 1961's The Misfits.
Godspeed You! Black Emperor
Canadian purveyors of apocalyptic post-rock, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, are named after the 1976 Japanese documentary film God Speed You! Black Emperor, directed by Mitsuo Yanagimachi. The film follows a group of motorcyclists called the Black Emperors.
God Speed You! Black Emperor (1976)
God Speed You! Black Emperor the movie (1976)
The Searchers
The Merseybeat group took their name from the epic Western film The Searchers, starring John Wayne and directed by John Ford.
The Searchers (1956)
John Wayne in 1956's The Searchers.
Mogwai
Scottish post rockers Mogwai are named after the ultra-cute little furry creatures in classic 1984 movie Gremlins, who turn into monstrous gremlins if you feed them past midnight.
Gremlins (1984)
The cute lead Mogwai called Gizmo in Gremlins.
Mudhoney
The first of three consecutive acts named after Russ Meyer movies, Seattle grunge pioneers Mudhoney took their moniker from Meyer's 1965 movie Mudhoney.
Mudhoney (1965)
A still from Russ Meyer's 1965 movie Mudhoney
Faster Pussycat
In 1985, a good three years before Mudhoney formed, Los Angeles hard rockers derived their name from the Russ Meyer's movie Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! about three go-go dancers who embark on a kidnapping and murder spree in the California desert.
Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! (1965)
A still from Russ Meyer's 1965 movie Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!
Motorpsycho
With Mudhoney and Faster Pussycat having already taking their monikers from Russ Meyer flicks, Norwegian psych-rockers Motorpyscho named themselves in homage to Meyer's ultra-violent 1965 film Motorpsycho.
Motorpsycho (1965)
A still from Russ Meyer's 1965 movie Motorpsycho
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
San Francisco alt-rockers Black Rebel Motorcycle Club are named after Marlon Brando's motorcycle club in the 1953 film The Wild One.
The Wild One (1953)
Marlon Brando and his Black Rebels Motorcycle Club in The Wild One (1953)
Atreyu
American metalcore band are named after the character Atreyu in Michael Ende's fantasy book The NeverEnding Story and its 1984 movie adaptation.
The NeverEnding Story (1984)
Atreyu in The NeverEnding Story (1984)
Bring Me The Horizon
Although not directly named after a movie or character, Bring Me The Horizon took their memorable moniker from a line spoken by Captain Jack Sparrow in the 2003 movie Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. Sparrow, played by Johnny Depp, says: "Now, bring me that horizon!"
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) in the 2003 movie Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.
Billy Talent
Canadian rockers Billy Talent took inspiration for their band name from the character Billy Talent, played by Callum Keith Rennie, in the 1996 mockumentary Hard Core Logo.
Hard Core Logo (1996)
Callum Keith Rennie (Billy Talent) in Hard Core Logo.
They Might Be Giants
Brooklyn alt-rockers They Might Be Giants are named after the 1971 comedy mystery film of the same name starring George C. Scott and Joanne Woodward.
They Might Be Giants (1971)
The poster for 1971 movie They Might Be Giants.
Eppu Normaali
One of Finland's most popular rock bands, Eppu Normaali is a Finnish translation of "Abby Normal" from Mel Brooks' 1974 comedy horror movie Young Frankenstein.
Young Frankenstein (1974)
In Mel Brooks' 1974 comedy horror movie Young Frankenstein, the character Igor (pictured) confesses he took the monster's brain from someone called "Abby Normal."
The Damned
Although the gothic rockers haven't confirmed or denied it, it's reported that guitarist Brian James named the group after the 1969 historical drama movie The Damned.
The Damned movie (1969)
A still from 1969 movie The Damned.
Fine Young Cannibals
The Birmingham pop rockers, who scored chart hits with 'She Drives Me Crazy' and 'Suspicious Minds', are named after the 1960 film All the Fine Young Cannibals starring Robert Wagner and Natalie Wood.
All the Fine Young Cannibals (1960)
Robert Wagner and Natalie Wood in All the Fine Young Cannibals (1960).
Duran Duran
Admittedly they're NOT rock (despite being 2022 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees) but Duran Duran are named after Dr. Durand Durand, Irish actor Milo O'Shea's character from the 1968 sci-fi movie Barbarella.
Barbarella (1968)
Dr. Durand Durand in Barbarella (1968).