10 Best Metal Ballads Of All Time

For a band that supposedly started the hair metal genre, it's strange to not see any monster ballads in the Roth era of Van Halen. Despite all of the major tropes that come with inventing the party side of heavy metal, picking up an acoustic guitar and slowing down the tempo wasn't really something that clicked with David Lee Roth's iteration of the band outside of a few piss takes. Once Roth stepped out though, some change was definitely in order when Sammy Hagar entered the fold.

From the first notes of 5150, Hagar had a lot to prove filling Dave's shoes, but songs like Love Walks In were bold new steps for Van Halen. Whereas other songs on the record like Good Enough and Summer Nights still had that fun-loving attitude accounted for, this slower tune with Eddie primarily behind the keys was something different, as Hagar talks about the spiritual power that love can bring.

All things considered, this is probably the most comfortable fit for the band on the album, with Michael Anthony's impressive vocal harmonies fitting in right next to the radio-friendly melodies at the forefront. Even though Van Halen has the pleasure of being the first and best at almost everything when it comes to hair metal, it turns out that they can tug on your heartstrings and shred your brain all at the same time.