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What’s the best metal song of each year since 1970? We’ve got the answer\u00a0and<\/em> the runner-up from those years as well!<\/p>\n Looking back at what are essentially the greatest hits of over half a century of heavy metal tells quite the story.\u00a0It truly is one of the most evolutionary forms of music when absorbing the breadth in styles\u00a0across dozens and dozens of subgenres. Look no further than the leap from Black Sabbath<\/a> to the symphonic, pig-slaughtering deathcore\u00a0of Lorna Shore<\/a>.<\/p>\n Of course, going back to metal’s first decade \u2014 the 1970s<\/a> \u2013 there were very, very few bands playing what we recognize today as heavy metal. The likes of Led Zeppelin<\/a> and Deep Purple<\/a> certainly pushed things in a harder and heavier direction as the prime movers of proto-metal, but not quite like Sabbath and Judas Priest<\/a> in particular.<\/p>\n The 1980s<\/a> was the big breakout for metal, largely thanks to MTV exposure and metal’s natural level of showmanship and advanced guitar playing. The underground was teeming with young bands pushing the boundaries of speed and intensity with subject matter ranging from horror and the occult to socio-political affairs and real-world tragedies.<\/p>\n By the end of the 1990s<\/a>, metal was fractured into more underground pockets (black metal, death metal, grindcore, power metal) while maintaining a presence in the mainstream thanks to Pantera<\/a> and the rise of nu-metal.<\/p>\n With the 2000s<\/a> came a\u00a0resurgence for our ’80s heroes who had found their way after\u00a0most stumbling through the previous decade. And the rise and reign of metalcore and the breakdown, which gave way to deathcore and djent in the late ’00s and early 2010s<\/a>.<\/p>\n READ MORE:\u00a0The Best Album by 35 Legendary Metal Bands<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n As for the 2020s<\/a>? We’re seeing bands ascend to superstardom\u00a0in a way we haven’t seen since the 2000s. Spiritbox<\/a>, Sleep Token<\/a>, the aforementioned Lorna Shore… metal is alive and well and in the best place it’s been in a long time!<\/p>\n What did we pick for Best Metal Song of 2025<\/a>? Find out below!<\/p>\n See Loudwire’s picks for the Best Metal Songs of Each Year Since 1970.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Gallery Credit: Loudwire Staff<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Now that you’ve seen the best metal song of each year since 1970, how about taking a look at the best metal album for each of those years?<\/p>\n Scroll below to see those picks!<\/p>\n See Loudwire’s picks for the Best Metal Album of Each Year Since 1970.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Gallery Credit: Loudwire Staff<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Subscribe to Loudwire on YouTube<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\nThe Best Metal Song of Each Year Since 1970<\/h2>\n
The Best Metal Album of Each Year Since 1970<\/h2>\n