10 Best Opening Tracks In Metal

While some offshoots of metal music like sludge metal or stoner rock tend to settle the listener into a metallic trudge, thrash has always been a genre with speed at its forefront. As the genre entered its golden age at the end of the 80's, Megadeth started off their masterstroke Rust in Peace with one of the genre's most intense musical journeys.

As Dave Mustaine starts with an impressive syncopated guitar run, the rest of the band follow suit before the track jettisons into its hard-edged tempo. The lyrics from Mustaine pull no punches either, as he denounces the heinous acts of religious leaders who go to war over their beliefs. Once the thrash-flavored anarchy comes to a halt with an acoustic guitar passage, an even heavier riff takes its place for the second half "The Punishment Due."

The tempo may have slowed down for this section, but the tune is no less intense with the ominous vocals and the face-melting guitar leads by Marty Friedman. Once you've trudged your way through the brutal riff, Mustaine's harmonic runs signal the oncoming metal assault as the double-bass prances across your brain. Just when you're at your breaking point, the song comes to a halt, bringing a stellar ending to just the opening of one of Megadeth's most intense albums.