Why Metallica's 'Creeping Death' Is One Of The Best Riffs Of All Time
By Metal Hammer
September 28, 2017
Metallica are kings of metal riffs, aren't they? Seek And Destroy, Master Of Puppets, Enter Sandman, For Whom The Bell Tolls... all of these are iconic guitar anthems and prove that the thrash titans really are one of the best bands in the world. But it's Creeping Death that really stands out in their riffy catalogue. The penultimate track on Metallica's sophomore album Ride The Lightning, released in 1984, it's still a staple of their live show over 30 years later.
To celebrate World Guitar Day, we're trying to find the Greatest Riff Of All Time. Cast your vote in this poll to vote for Creeping Death or one of the many more that were nominated.
And here is why Creeping Death is one of the greatest riffs in the history of rock and metal...
What is it that hits you hardest about Creeping Death? Take a second to think about it, because this thrash metal journey has plenty going for it. Is it that thunderous, thudding introduction that shoots adrenaline through your veins, getting straight to the point and setting the riotous tone from the very first note of the song? Maybe it’s that middle section that slugs away like body blows from a heavyweight boxer and includes what could very well be the most definitive gang vocal ever recorded? The epic scale and tone of the guitar solos? The dual guitar moments that added a sophistication and element of class to the “hunt and kill” rhetoric thrash had made its forte by 1984?
Whatever it was, it was apparent upon the release of Ride The Lightning that Creeping Death was unchartered territory for both Metallica and metal as a whole.
“Creeping Death was one of the first songs responsible for the musical growth of the band, I think,” reflects Kirk Hammett. “It was one of the first songs written for Ride The Lightning and it was a clear step in the right direction. It was as heavy as anything on Kill ‘Em All but on a technical level, we had put that much more into the writing and arrangement and we made it more demanding for ourselves, and it set the stage for the rest of the album.”
Though the song obviously goes down as a Metallica classic, dig a little deeper and you can find that Hammett’s former band Exodus had a tiny part to play in the creation of this metal masterpiece...