10 Greatest Headbanging Metal Songs

Whenever you're crafting a metal anthem, you need to make sure that the core of the tune is pretty simple. Hell, since the beginning of rock and roll, some of the greatest songs don't have to rely on too much other than a couple of chords and a lot of attitude. Even though the same rules still applied, Tool was one of the first bands that proved you could headbang in an odd time signature.

If taken as a whole, a song like Schism should be an incoherent mess, with a time signature that keeps changing practically every other measure. However, the emphatic stabs that Justin Chancellor makes on his bassline are so infectious that it practically pulls your head in with it. Though this is probably the closest to hypnotism that you'll ever get when listening to metal, you're let off the hook when the heavy section kicks in, where all of the offbeat accents suddenly start to fall into place.

More than just a complicated prog rock tune, Schism is one of the few songs that makes you feel like you've had a transcendental experience while doing nothing except bang your head. You may have been used to the traditional bangers in 4/4, but this song has been responsible for opening many listeners' musical third eye.