10 Greatest Headbanging Metal Songs

The '70s were where metal started to really come into its own. Ever since Black Sabbath started off with their debut release at the beginning of the decade, the first seeds had been sown for the next generation to come out with one headbanging riff after another. While bands like Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin were digging into the heavy groove more than anyone, you can't really have a good metal banger without Judas Priest.

Right out of the gate, Priest came out ready to kill on tracks like Victim of Changes and Hell Bent for Leather, and yet we had to wait until the beginning of the '80s to get their first top-to-bottom classic on Breaking the Law. Beyond just the metallic subject matter of rebelling against authority, the only real reason that you come here is for that guitar line, whose simple construction made it perfect for any metalhead young or old to bang their head to.

As if the opening line wasn't good enough, the breakdown section when Rob Halford screams "YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE" will have any rock fan at least throwing up the horns by the end of the song. The heaviness would only go up from here, but this is a great example of old school metal in its prime.