“My main issue with this riff rock world is that it’s derivative and boring. Let’s be honest – at this point, most riffs have been written”: How the hunt for clicks has made the lone guitar intro obsolete

Jimmy Page performs onstage during the 38th Annual Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony on November 03, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images).

The guitar riff isn’t dead, but its presentation has changed. Across various rankings of the greatest riffs of all time, lone guitar intros dominate – think Smoke on the Water and Whole Lotta Love. There are very few modern equivalents.

If you stick on a modern semi-guitar-driven band and you’ll find drums and vocals pushed to the front with all-in intros extremely common.