Heavy metal’s all about pushing music to extremes. As a result, we frequently see bands stretch their songs well past the 10-minute mark – but what about the other end of the spectrum? Entire subgenres have been built around nasty-sounding artists making as powerful a point as they can in as little time as possible. So, here are 10 songs in metal that didn’t even need to be a minute long to be awesome.
Napalm Death – You Suffer (Scum, 1987)
Probably the most famous grindcore track of all time, You Suffer enjoys pride of place in both Napalm Death’s debut album, Scum, and the Guinness Book Of World Records: its 1.3-second runtime makes it the shortest song ever recorded.
Korn – Twist (Life Is Peachy, 1996)
Jonathan Davis loves to scat over nu metal. So, on Twist, Korn made that the crux of an entire song, their singer’s rabid babbling making it sound even more anarchic. By the time it’s over, you’re still as perplexed as when it began.
Judas Priest – The Hellion (Screaming For Vengeance, 1982)
This 42-second introduction is one of the greatest guitar moments in metal. As the introduction to both Screaming For Vengeance and the immortal Judas Priest anthem Electric Eye, The Hellion instantly flaunts K.K. Downing and Glenn Tipton’s revolutionary twin-guitar style.
Tenacious D – Classico (The Pick Of Destiny, 2006)
Classico is Tenacious D to a tee: sublime silliness on top of ridiculously talented musicianship. Hearing Kyle Gass translate classic masterpieces to acoustic guitar while Jack Black swears and blabbers about kick-ass rock offers everything you need to know about their dynamic.
Converge – Vengeance (No Heroes, 2006)
Although Converge are no strangers to dishing out concise bludgeonings of metalcore, Vengeance is one of the most brief songs to their name, fully condensing their onslaught into 58 seconds. It’s some top-shelf aggro for people in a hurry.
Electric Wizard – The Hills Have Eyes (Dopethrone, 2000)
Midway through Dopethrone’s spaced-out, weed-stenched doom metal, Electric Wizard switch gears into a brief segue of lush bass. We don’t know if The Hills Have Eyes is an ode to Geezer Butler’s Bassically but, since the Wizard are major Black Sabbath fans… probably.
Dethklok – Deththeme (The Dethalbum, 2007)
The opening theme to classic metal TV show Metalocalypse tells you everything you need to know about Dethklok: it’s brutal and, with its lyrics containing strings of random “doodily-doo”’s, also brilliantly stupid. Nonsensical songwriting rarely feels this ingeniously appropriate.
Minor Threat – Straight Edge (Minor Threat, 1981)
We’ll admit it: we’re bending the rules by including Minor Threat on a “metal” list. However, Straight Edge deserves its dues for inspiring an entire lifestyle that’s since transcended hardcore and music in general. All that impact in 45 seconds? Amazing!
Gama Bomb – Shitting Yourself To Live (The Terror Tapes, 2013)
Unabashed lovers of all things stupid, Irish thrashers Gama Bomb gave their genre one of its most hilarious lyrics with this 2013, 18-second barrage: “You must take a shit in your trousers, or you will never see your family again!” Magical.
Gel – The Way Out (Only Constant, 2023)
One of 2023’s most talked-about hardcore debuts was Gel’s Only Constant, which collided the genre’s rampant pace with the odd stomping, post-punk drum beat. On The Way Out, the band are both ferocious and groovy, justifying the hype in 54 seconds.
