Heavy Metal Guitar
Heavy metal pushed distortion, speed and technique to the extreme. From the NWOBHM explosion to modern progressive metal, the genre demands precision, power and stamina. If you want to sharpen your picking, gallop rhythms and scale runs, metal is the place to do it.
GuitarZone covers the pillars: Iron Maiden, Metallica, Ozzy Osbourne, Black Sabbath and more. Every tab comes with a video lesson so you can see the technique up close.
Guitar Through the Decades
The 1970s
Black Sabbath established the heavy metal guitar blueprint with down-tuned riffs, heavy use of the tritone interval, and slow, crushing power chords. Tony Iommi's playing leaned on pentatonic minor phrases and thick, woolly distortion from modified tube amps. By the late decade, bands like Judas Priest and Rainbow were pushing the tempo up and adding more structured, melodic lead work.
12 songs in our catalog from this era
The 1980s
The New Wave of British Heavy Metal brought twin-guitar harmonies, galloping eighth-note rhythms, and fast alternate-picked solos into the mainstream, with Iron Maiden leading the charge. American thrash bands like Metallica and Slayer took those ideas and stripped out the melody in favor of tighter palm-muted riffing, aggressive downpicking, and punishing tempos. Shredders like Randy Rhoads and later Dimebag Darrell added classical scale runs and whammy bar techniques that expanded the lead guitar vocabulary considerably.
101 songs in our catalog from this era
The 1990s
Groove metal and alternative metal shifted the focus toward heavier, slower riffs in lower tunings, with bands making heavy use of Drop D and even C tunings for a thicker, chunkier sound. Pantera's approach centered on precise downpicking, pinch harmonics, and syncopated groove rather than pure speed. Progressive metal acts like Dream Theater pushed technical complexity further, combining odd time signatures with extended soloing built around modes and arpeggios.
39 songs in our catalog from this era
The 2000s
Seven-string guitars and drop tunings became more common as metalcore and nu-metal acts sought heavier low-end textures alongside melodic lead passages. Guitarists in metalcore bands blended fast tremolo-picked riffs with clean-toned melodic breaks, creating a contrast-driven style. Technical death metal and djent influences began surfacing, with players exploring extended range instruments and heavily palm-muted, syncopated single-note riffs.
24 songs in our catalog from this era
The 2010s
Djent-influenced bands made low, palm-muted rhythmic chugging on extended-range guitars a defining sound of the decade, with precise picking clarity essential to making the style work. Progressive metal continued to grow, blending clean and heavily distorted tones within the same song, often on seven or eight-string guitars tuned low. Melodic death metal acts kept the twin-guitar harmony tradition alive while incorporating more modern production and tighter, faster rhythm playing.
18 songs in our catalog from this era
The 2020s
Modern heavy metal in this decade draws from across the genre's history, with players mixing classic NWOBHM twin-lead harmony, thrash downpicking, and djent-style rhythmic precision. Extended-range guitars remain common, and many players balance aggressive high-gain rhythm tones with cleaner, more dynamic lead sections. The emphasis on tightness and control, especially in the picking hand, continues to define what separates competent metal guitar playing from great metal guitar playing.
6 songs in our catalog from this era
Gear & Technique
Playing Heavy Metal Guitar
Metal guitar is defined by high-gain distortion, tight palm muting, fast alternate picking and complex song structures. Most classic metal sits in E Standard, but modern metal frequently uses Drop D or lower tunings. The rhythm hand matters as much as the fretting hand: the ability to palm-mute cleanly at high speeds separates good metal players from everyone else.
Black Sabbath invented the template in the early 70s. Iron Maiden added galloping rhythms and harmonized leads. Metallica brought thrash intensity. Ozzy Osbourne (with Randy Rhoads) merged classical technique with metal power. Each generation raised the bar on what was possible.
Start with the riff to Paranoid for raw power chord fundamentals. Move to The Trooper for gallop picking. When you can handle Master of Puppets at full speed, you've graduated to advanced metal territory.
Browse metal songs in Drop D, explore the Thrash Metal subgenre, or check what the 80s had to offer.
All Heavy Metal Artists
Browse every Heavy Metal artist in our catalog, A to Z.
Artefact 1
Avantasia 1
Avenged Sevenfold 12
- 1 A Little Piece of Heaven TAB 2007
- 2 Bat Country TAB
- 3 Buried Alive LESSON 2010
- 4 Chapter Four TAB 2005
- 5 Dear God TAB 2007
- 6 Gunslinger TAB 2007
- 7 Hail to the King TAB 2013
- 8 Hail To The King - Famous Riffs LESSON 2013
- 9 Hail to the King Pt.2 - Riffs LESSON 2013
- 10 Nightmare LESSON 2010
- 11 So Far Away TAB 2007
- 12 Unholy Confessions TAB 2003
Black Sabbath 11
- 1 Black Sabbath TAB 1970
- 2 Children of the Grave TAB 1971
- 3 Into the Void LESSON 1971
- 4 Iron Man TAB 1970
- 5 N.I.B. TAB 1970
- 6 Neon Knights TAB 1979
- 7 Paranoid TAB 1970
- 8 Sabbath Bloody Sabbath TAB 1973
- 9 She's Gone TAB 1970
- 10 Sweet Leaf LESSON 1971
- 11 War Pigs TAB 1970
Bullet For My Valentine 2
Cacophony 1
Dance Of Death 1
Diamond Head 1
Dio 3
Drowning Pool 1
Five Finger Death Punch 1
Hear 'n Aid 1
Helloween 11
Iron Butterfly 1
Iron Maiden 116
- 1 2 A.M. Janick Gers's TAB 1990
- 2 2 Minutes to Midnight TAB 1984
- 3 22 Acacia Avenue TAB 1982
- 4 Aces High TAB 1984
- 5 Afraid To Shoot Strangers Dave Murray TAB 1992
- 6 Afraid To Shoot Strangers Janick Gers's TAB 1992
- 7 Alexander the Great TAB 1986
- 8 Back in the Village TAB 1984
- 9 Be Quick Or Be Dead Dave Murray's TAB 1992
- 10 Be Quick Or Be Dead Janick Gers's TAB 1992
- 11 Blood Brothers TAB 1990
- 12 Blood Brothers Dave Murray's TAB 1990
- 13 Blood Brothers Janick Gers's TAB 1990
- 14 Brave New World Janick Gers's TAB 2000
- 15 Can I Play with Madness LESSON 1988
- 16 Caught Somewhere in Time TAB 1986
- 17 Chains Of Misery Dave Murray's TAB 1990
- 18 Charlotte the Harlot TAB 1980
- 19 Charlotte the Harlot '88 TAB 1988
- 20 Childhood's End _Full Collab_ TAB
- 21 Coming Home Dave Murray's TAB
- 22 Como Estais Amigos Janick Gers's TAB
- 23 Darkest Hour Adrian Smith's TAB 1992
- 24 Darkest Hour Dave Murray's TAB
- 25 Days Of Future Past Adrian Smith's TAB
- 26 Death Of The Celts Adrian Smith's TAB
- 27 Death Of The Celts Janick Gers TAB
- 28 Die with Your Boots On TAB 1983
- 29 El Dorado Dave Murray's TAB
- 30 Empire Of The Clouds Dave Murray TAB 2015
- 31 Fates Warning Janick Gers's TAB
- 32 Fear of the Dark TAB 1992
- 33 Fear of the Dark - Famous Riffs LESSON 1992
- 34 Fear Of The Dark Dave Murray's TAB 1992
- 35 Fear Of The Dark Janick Gers's TAB 1992
- 36 Flight of Icarus LESSON 1983
- 37 For the Greater Good of God TAB 2006
- 38 For The Greater Good Of God Dave Murray TAB 2006
- 39 For The Greater Good Of God Janick Gers's TAB 2006
- 40 Fortunes of War TAB
- 41 Fortunes Of War Janick Gers's TAB 1990
- 42 From Here To Eternity Janick Gers's TAB 1992
- 43 Futureal Dave Murray TAB 1998
- 44 Genghis Khan TAB 1981
- 45 Hallowed Be Thy Name TAB 1982
- 46 Heaven Can Wait TAB 1986
- 47 Hell On Earth Dave Murray and Adrian Smith solos TAB 1990
- 48 Holy Smoke Dave Murray's TAB 1990
- 49 Infinite Dreams TAB 1988
- 50 Killers TAB 1981
- 51 Lost In A Lost World Adrian Smith's TAB
- 52 Moonchild TAB 1988
- 53 Mother Russia TAB 1986
- 54 No More Lies _ International _ TAB 2006
- 55 Number of the Beast TAB 1982
- 56 Paschendale Dave Murray's TAB 2003
- 57 Phantom of the Opera TAB 1980
- 58 Phantom of the Opera (2nd & 3rd Solos) TAB 1982
- 59 Powerslave TAB 1984
- 60 Prodigal Son TAB 1981
- 61 Prowler TAB 1980
- 62 Public Enema Number One TAB
- 63 Purgatory TAB 1981
- 64 Quest for Fire TAB 1983
- 65 Rainmaker TAB 1992
- 66 Remember Tomorrow TAB 1980
- 67 Revelations TAB 1983
- 68 Rime of the Ancient Mariner TAB 1984
- 69 Run Silent Run Deep Dave Murray's TAB 1990
- 70 Run to the Hills TAB 1982
- 71 Sanctuary Dennis Stratton's TAB 1980
- 72 Senjutsu Adrian Smith's & Dave Murray's TAB 2021
- 73 Seventh Son of a Seventh Son TAB 1988
- 74 Speed Of Light Dave Murray's TAB
- 75 Still Life TAB 1983
- 76 Strange World TAB 1980
- 77 Stratego LESSON 2024
- 78 Tailgunner TAB 1990
- 79 Tears Of A Clown Dave Murray's TAB
- 80 The Book Of Souls Dave Murray's TAB 2015
- 81 The Book Of Souls Janick Gers TAB 2015
- 82 The Clairvoyant TAB 1988
- 83 The Clansman Dave Murray TAB 1998
- 84 The Clansman Janick Gers's TAB 1998
- 85 The Duellists TAB 1984
- 86 The Edge Of Darkness TAB 1995
- 87 The Evil That Men Do TAB 1988
- 88 The Final Frontier Adrian Smith TAB 2010
- 89 The Ides of March TAB 1981
- 90 The Legacy Janick Gers TAB
- 91 The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner TAB 1986
- 92 The Longest Day TAB 2004
- 93 The Longest Day Dave Murray TAB 2003
- 94 The Man Of Sorrows Dave Murray TAB 1990
- 95 The Man Of Sorrows Dave Murray's TAB 1990
- 96 The Mercenary TAB 2006
- 97 The Nomad Dave Murray's TAB 1990
- 98 The Number of the Beast TAB 1982
- 99 The Parchment Dave Murray's TAB
- 100 The Prisoner TAB 1982
- 101 The Prophecy TAB 1988
- 102 The Reincarnation Of Benjamin Breeg TAB 2006
- 103 The Time Machine Dave Murray & Janick Gers solos TAB
- 104 The Trooper TAB 1983
- 105 The Writing On The Wall LESSON 2021
- 106 The Writing On The Wall Adrian Smith TAB 2015
- 107 The Writing On The Wall Dave Murray TAB 2023
- 108 To Tame a Land TAB 1983
- 109 Transylvania TAB 1980
- 110 Wasted Years TAB 1986
- 111 Wasting Love TAB 1992
- 112 Wasting Love Janick Gers's TAB 1990
- 113 When The Wild Wind Blows TAB 2010
- 114 When The Wild Wind Blows Dave Murray's TAB 2015
- 115 When The Wild Wind Blows Janick Gers's TAB 2019
- 116 Where Eagles Dare TAB 1983
Judas Priest 7
Machine Head 1
Marty Friedman 1
Mercyful Fate 1
Ozzy Osbourne 22
- 1 Bark at the Moon TAB 1983
- 2 Believer LESSON 1981
- 3 Crazy Train TAB 1980
- 4 Dee TAB 1980
- 5 Diary of a Madman LESSON 1981
- 6 Diary Of A Madman Acoustic - Famous Riffs LESSON 1983
- 7 Flying High Again LESSON 1981
- 8 Goodbye to Romance TAB 1980
- 9 Hellraiser TAB 1991
- 10 I Don't Know LESSON
- 11 Killer of Giants TAB 1986
- 12 Miracle Man TAB 1988
- 13 Mr. Crowley TAB 1980
- 14 No Bone Movies LESSON 1980
- 15 No More Tears TAB 1991
- 16 Ordinary Man w/ Slash's Solos! LESSON 2020
- 17 Over the Mountain TAB 1981
- 18 Revelation LESSON 1982
- 19 S.A.T.O. LESSON 1981
- 20 Shot in the Dark TAB 1986
- 21 Steal Away LESSON 1980
- 22 Suicide Solution LESSON 1980