10 Greatest Metallica Riffs EVER
5. Creeping Death
Going into a Metallica release, most fans can expect a bunch of riffs that turn your brain inside out. Whether it's because of the off-kilter timing of the lick or the fact that James Hetfield's right arm is stronger than most mortal men, every single one of these riffs leave you dumbfounded as to how they were even conceived.
Even though Metallica could have continued to complicate things from one record to the next, Creeping Death is a classic example of doing a lot with a little.
Arriving at the last few minutes of Ride the Lightning, this twisted tale of the biblical plagues of Egypt has been lauded as one of the band's best for years now. So you'd probably expect something really complicated right? Wrong. Rather than stuff every single idea they have into the mix, James Hetfield chugs away on just one chord with a little inflection tacked on at the end for good measure.
A riff this stupid would have been laughed out of the room of any other thrash band, and yet the speed and precision that comes across feels like it has the Metallica brand stamped on it. It also doesn't hurt that to actually play this song with all downstrokes like James Hetfield would leave most guitarists in agony.
Creeping Death is certainly not reinventing the wheel in terms of musical complexity, but when you have a riff this badass, what more do you really need?