Best Metal Song of Each Year Since 1970

Here’s the best metal song of each year since 1970.

Some years, it was a no-brainer, especially with only a small handful of options for a lot of years in metal’s first decade. But as we move along the timeline, metal grew in popularity and branched off into dozens of different styles, making things increasingly difficult.

But arguing and debating is what we as metalheads do best and the is no true right or wrong answer when it comes to these things. Music is, after all, subjective.

Our thought process was, overall, quite simple — when considering the options, we take into account overall impact and success, how it compares to hits by a bands’ peers and how essential to the subgenre it is. Even so, sometimes we had to choose between over 10 outstanding tracks for just one year.

Scroll through the gallery below to see the best metal song from every year since metal was born. Bonus: we’ve also included the runner-ups!