10 Greatest Metal Anthems Of All Time

Metal as a genre is something that relies on sounds that have a certain size to them. From the loud guitar riffs to the pounding rhythm section, the sounds of metal music speak to the more primal side of the brain and make you want to go absolutely berzerk.

Over the genre's 40 years of existence, songs have come out that define all that metal stands for. Instead of writing 4 minute catchy songs, the real accolade that metal bands hope to achieve is writing the ultimate metal anthem. From the pulse-pounding double-bass to loud detuned guitars, anthems are feats that are not so easy to pull off. The song's construction must be the perfect mix of heaviness and catchiness so that it can reach every corner of the metal demographic.

However, the most important element of making a song anthemic almost has nothing to do with the band or even the songwriting. It's how the song carries over to many different people so fans will be banging their heads and flashing the horns every time they blast the song. Here's to the hymns of metal that took the genre from niche audiences to global forces.

It might be a little too early to call this record a metal classic, but all of the greatest elements of the genre are present in this Slipknot scorcher.

After the song's intro riff on a detuned guitar, the song builds before drummer Joey Jordison leads you into the song with one of the most definitive headbanging drum beats of the modern age. From there, Corey Taylor comes in and delivers some of his most infectious vocal shrieks which, while still screaming throughout the verses, has a specific cadence as it drags the listener to the next word.

The chorus is where the song really shines, with the melodic fluctuations in Taylor's delivery that gives way to the gang vocals of "PSYCHOSOCIAL." The subject matter of the song rings true to metalheads as it talks about how society seems to be eating itself from the inside. Though the percussion drives the song, the real stars are Mick Thomson and Jim Root, whose solo work across the ending are the perfect blend of melodic taste and fiery shredding.

Even if you weren't a devotee of the maniacal 9, "Psychosocial" turned every rock fan around the globe into honorary Maggots.