Memorable riffs

Henrik Main

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Aug 10, 2002
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I'll admit that I'm a sucker for good riffs. My head instantly starts banging when I listen to some death metal and a cool riff kicks in. I've noticed that my friends and I have different opinions when it comes to what a cool riff is. I'm going to list some of my favourite riffs (be it a pure guitar riff, or a combination of guitars/synths), and I'd like to see what your favourite riffs are.

Some of my favourite riffs (edit: Seems as if I have too much time. Those riffs are probably all of my favourite riffs. Ever.):

Black metal/related genres

Main riff (verse) - Enslaved - Fenris, and my favourite riff ever:
Enslaved - Fenris - 5:15 to 6:32
Alghazanth - Horns And Feathers - 1:43 to 1:54
The main chorus riff in And Oceans - In Silent Rain - 0:46 to 1:11
Borknagar - The Winterway - 5:28 to 5:51
Darkthrone - In The Shadow Of The Horns - 4:06 - 4:30
Opening riff and chorus in Dimmu Borgir - Hunnerkongens Sorgsvarte Ferd Over Steppene
Opening riff in Dimmu Borgir - Architecture Of A Genocidal Nature (0:00 to 0:20)
Dødheimsgard - Utopia Running Scarlet - 1:10 to 1:37
Opening riff in Emperor - Ye Entrancemperium
Main riff in Emperor - I Am The Black Wizards
Emperor - Beyond The Great Vast Forest - 4:16 to 4:45
Enslaved - Alfablot - 0:00 to 0:34
Enslaved - Svarte Vidder - 0:00 to 0:51
Post-chorus riff and verse in Enslaved - Slaget I Skogen Bortenfor
Enslaved - Heimdallr - 0:48 to 1:12
Enslaved - Midgards Eldar - 2:48 to 3:40
Enslaved - Vetranott - 7:26 to 8:18
Chorus in Gehenna - A Witch Is Born
Immortal - Sons Of Northern Darkness - 0:00 to 1:00
Opening riff - Immortal - Unsilent Storms In The Northern Abyss
Immortal - A Sign For The Norse Hordes To Ride - 0:00 - 0:20
Verse in Mayhem - Pagan Fears
Mid-tempo passage with the bass riff in Mayhem - Life Eternal
Satyricon - Taakeslottet - 0:00 to 0:18
Satyricon - Forhekset (Megiddo version) - 0:34 to 0:54

Death metal/related:

Autopsy - Robbing The Grave - 0:00 to 0:24
Behemoth - Horns Of Baphomet-Fai - 3:33 to 5:25 (a lot of different riffs)
Almost all Blood Red Throne riffs from "Affiliated With The Suffering", but especially this, my favourite DM riff:
Blood Red Throne - Chaos Rising! - 1:36 to 1:59
A lot of Cannibal Corpse riffs, especially these:
Cannibal Corpse - Pounded Into Dust - 0:16 to 0:32
Cannibal Corpse - I Cum Blood - 0:00 to 0:36
Cannibal Corpse - Beyond The Cementary - 0:00 to 0:30
Cannibal Corpse - Worm Infested (main one/chorus)
Cryptopsy - The whole of Defenestration, Abigor, Benedictine Convulsions and Slit Your Guts
Cryptopsy - Serial Messiah - 0:58 to 1:32
Decapitated - Perfect Dehumanization - 1:05 to 1:38
Decapitated - Mother War - 0:00 to 0:30
Defleshed - Abrah Kadavrah - 0:00 to 0:35
Deicide - Behead The Prophet - 0:00 to 0:36
Dies Irae - Zohak - 0:00 to 0:15
Dying Fetus - Born In Sodom - 0:33 to 0:58
Dying Fetus - We Are Your Enemy - 0:07 to 1:02
Dying Fetus - Fornication Terrorist - 0:00 to 0:14
Dying Fetus - Institutions Of Deceit - 0:00 to 0:28
Immolation - Failures For Gods - 0:00 to 0:30
Morbid Angel - Maze Of Torment - 0:59 to 1:08
Entire Morbid Angel - Unholy Blasphemies
Morbid Angel - Fall From Grace - 0:44 to 1:02
Nile - Chapter For Transforming Into A Snake - 0:00 to 0:20
Nile - Opening Of The Mouth - 1:03 to 1:26
Origin - Slowly We Rot (verse and outro)
Pessimist - The Stench Of Decay - 0:58 to 1:17
Suffocation - Infecting The Crypts - 0:00 to 0:44
Suffocation - Bloodchurn - 0:00 to 0:28
Suffocation - Despise The Sun - 0:35 to 1:20
Suffocation - Dephts Of Depravity - 0:00 to 0:38
Vader - The Blood Of Kingu - 2:29 to 2:47
Vader - The World Made Flesh - 0:08 to 0:21
 
Thats some detailed list there lol i'll just agree with you on all that because im lazy.

Sounds ghey but i really like the riffing on Stampin' Ground's "Officer Down" that song really makes me want to beat stuff :lol:
 
Atheist - Brains' first riff, the solo is also absolutely awesome
Darkthrone - Unholy Black Metal - the song itself isn't made of many riffs, so i'd say the entire song :p
Coprofago - The Ghost Inside - The first riff too
Electro Quarterstaff -
Cryptopsy - Phobophile - again, the first riff...
Cynic - Textures - 1:48-2:03
Gorguts - "Inverted" and "Faceless Ones" - the first riffs are insane
Kralizec - Kralizec - 3:30-3:46
Lethargy - Grieve into the eyes that bleed - the first riff is great, too bad it's only played at the beginning
Mastodon - Ol'e Nessie - the first riff
Spawn of Possession - Hidden in Flesh 2:20-2:36
Virus - The Queen of The High Ace - 1:50-2:18
 
wow no one has mentioned In Flames, the best riff writers ever.

in flames - jotun main riff, colony main riff, every riff in zombie inc, every riff in emnoby the invisible, subterranean main riff etc etc...

arch enemy - enemy within, silverwing - all riffs, angel claw - all riffs

nevermore - narcosynthesis, inside 4 walls, the river dragon has come, engines of hate, all riffs, sound of silence - riff before first verse, seven tongues of god, beyond within...the list goes on

cob - mask of sanity, everytime i die

dimension zero - silent night fever

dissection - nights blood
 
Devy_Metal said:
wow no one has mentioned In Flames, the best riff writers ever.

in flames - jotun main riff, colony main riff, every riff in zombie inc, every riff in embody the invisible, subterranean main riff etc etc...

arch enemy - enemy within, silverwing - all riffs, angel claw - all riffs

nevermore - narcosynthesis, inside 4 walls, the river dragon has come, engines of hate, all riffs, sound of silence - riff before first verse, seven tongues of god, beyond within...the list goes on

cob - mask of sanity, everytime i die

dimension zero - silent night fever

dissection - nights blood