Metal On Metal: The 20 Greatest Heavy Metal Songs With The Word "Metal" In The Title
As we all know, besides being the greatest musical style in the history of mankind, heavy metal is also one of loudest and proudest. Fans fly the metal banner with pride and what better way for bands to show their allegiance to the cause than by name checking the genre in the title of their greatest heavy metal anthems? We are all part of the “Metal Militia,” so dedicated to it we can’t get our “Mind Over Metal” because we’re such “Heavy Metal Maniac”s and wish we lived in “Metal Metal Land” where we could study “The Book of Heavy Metal,” carefully turning the page of course since we’re wearing “Gloves Of Metal,” and worshiping the “Metal Gods” during this awesome “Metal Age.”
The following is our list of the top 20 heavy metal and hard rock songs with the word “metal” in the title. Honestly, it was hard to cut this list down to a mere 20 songs. I mean, Manowar alone have at least SIX songs with the word “metal” in the title and how do you choose between two songs as equally awesome as “Metal Daze” and “Gloves Of Metal”? And there’s more. How can we not include T.T. Quick’s “Metal Of Honor” or H Bomb’s “Coup De Metal” or Piledriver’s “Metal Inquisition” in this list? But alas, such hard choices are one of the duties in our post in the “Metal Command” so as an added bonus on the final page of this article you’ll find a list of 20 runners up that while great didn’t have the metal, I mean mettle, to make it to the top 20.
Exciter “Heavy Metal Maniac”
These pioneering Canadian speed metal merchants make their allegiance to the genre clear on the title track to their 1983 debut album.
Dream Evil “The Book of Heavy Metal”
Reading and headbanging go hand in hand for the Swedish metalheads who profess their religious beliefs to include prayer and exclusive worship of “the heavy metal gods.”
Sodom “Witching Metal”
One of the Big 3 of Teutonic thrash metal, Germany’s Sodom make mincemeat of the English language on this song but it rages so hard you won’t care that the lyrics make little sense.
Blotto “Metal Head”
Granted, this joke band best known for the ‘80s novelty hit “I Wanna Be A Lifeguard,” might not be an actual metal act but they pay tribute to the genre in loving fashion and the video is so silly you got to watch it.
Raven “Mind Over Metal”
Yet another tome to the power of metal music itself, this revered New Wave Of British Heavy Metal band were big enough to headline over Metallica in 1983 on the ‘Kill ‘Em All For One’ tour and are still ripping clubs to shreds with their exciting live show to this day.
Exodus “Metal Command”
Any thrash band worth their salt had a song in their catalog about the links between heavy metal music and armed combat and this Bay Area powerhouse’s song “Metal Command” is one of the fiercest.
HammerFall “The Metal Age”
Much like the thrash bands, nearly every European power metal band has a song with “metal” in the title. In the metal age there are no posers.
Steel Panther “Death to All but Metal”
Speaking of posers, the jury’s out on whether these Los Angelos rockers are a metal parody or tribute but people eat up their profane lyrics and silly videos and heck, the song really ain’t that bad.
Possessed “Death Metal”
The revered Bay Area thrashers gave name to a genre with this post-Slayer techo-speed tour de force.
GWAR “Metal Metal Land”
The greatest live band in the known universe paint a pretty picture of a place where everything is loud and you always hear your favorite band. Sounds like heaven. R.I.P. Dave Brockie.
Sammy Hagar “Heavy Metal”
OK, admittedly, The Red Rocker is not very metal however, this song did appear in the movie Heavy Metal and it is called “Heavy Metal” and plus it friggen’ rocks so just go with it.
Saxon “Heavy Metal Thunder”
Not only does this song by the long-running British metal champions kick all kinds of ass, it also gets its name from the phrase in Steppenwolf’s classic “Born To Be Wild” which many feel helped give the entire genre it’s name.
Manowar “Gloves of Metal”
Considering these New York based power metal pioneers have at least six songs with the word “metal” in the title it was hard picking just one for this list but when they sing “The sound of metal so loud it cracks the beams / Played by warriors called the Metal Kings” the choice is obvious.
Anthrax “Metal Thrashing Mad”
It was hard to pick between this and “Fistful Of Metal” but this anthem and concert favorite from one of thrash metal’s “Big Four” rages just a little bit harder.
David “Rock” Feinstein featuring Ronnie James Dio “Metal Will Never Die”
Featuring one of heavy metal’s greatest voices, this song appeared on an album by Dio’s cousin and Rods guitarist David “Rock” Feinstein, and was one of the singer’s last recordings.
Anvil “Metal on Metal”
Before the much loved documentary Anvil! The Story of Anvil, these Canadian metal vets were best known for this anthem from their 1982 album of the same name.
Venom “Black Metal”
These English dirtbags created a genre, actually several genres, with the filthy sounds of this song, and the 1982 album of the same name, which contains the immortal line “Lay down your souls to the gods rock n’ roll!”
Quiet Riot “Metal Health (Bang Your Head)”
Say what you want about this band but their 1982 album of the same name was the first heavy metal album to reach the #1 spot on the Billboard 200 and was the first taste of the genre for many an ‘80s metal newb.
Judas Priest “Metal Gods”
This song from the band’s landmark 1980 album British Steel is about man’s reliance on machinery and the dangers of technology but most people thought it was about the band themselves who were the first hard rock group to proudly wave the heavy metal banner and identify themselves as a “Heavy Metal” band.
Metallica “Metal Militia”
Sure they’re strayed from the true path of metal (or is it the path of true metal?) occasionally but give ‘em a break already. Let’s review the tape, this is a song about a militia that loves the sound of heavy metal, performed by a band with “metal” in their very name, from a record that was originally supposed to be titled Metal Up Your Ass. Does it get any more metal than that? The answer is none. None more metal.
20 More “Metal” Anthems That Didn’t Make The List
1. Metal Church “Metal Church”
2. Helix “Heavy Metal Love”
3. Helloween “Metal Invaders”
4. Cradle Of Filth “Devil To The Metal”
5. Death Angel “Devil’s Metal”
6. Majesty “Heavy Metal Battlecry”
7. Accept “Metal Heart”
8. Piledriver “Metal Inquisition”
9. T.T. Quick “Metal of Honor”
10. H Bomb “Coup De Metal”
11. Cacophony “Speed Metal Symphony”
12. Kick Axe “Heavy Metal Shuffle”
13. Grave Digger “Heavy Metal Breakdown”
14. The Great Kat “Metal Messiah”
15. Blue Öyster Cult “Heavy Metal & The Black And Silver”
16. Warlock “Metal Tango”
17. Sabaton “Metal Machine”
18. Heavy Metal Army “Heavy Metal Army”
19. Pegazus “Metal Forever”
20. Circle Jerks “American Heavy Metal Weekend”