We’ve all had that moment during a song when the hairs on our arms stand on end. An innocent listening experience suddenly puts you on edge, and it wouldn’t hurt to have a little holy water nearby. Even though our musical catalog might be jam-packed with prime riffage, most of them fall under the “powerful” or “brutal” category – not necessarily the “eerie” or even “evil.” That instant that a riff does drift into otherworldly territory, you never forget it. With Halloween season upon us, it’s the perfect time to dig into the memory bank and revisit some of the creepiest guitar lines ever written.
Ultimate-Guitar.com’s list pays homage to the new and the old, the subtly chilling and the blatantly ritualistic. Whether utilizing diminished, minor, whole tone, or even a more exotic scale, these guitarists have left us with permanent goosebumps. Considering that our readers’ tastes (and more specifically, fears) cover plenty of ground, we’ve selected riffs that don’t just fall into one genre. Everything from drone metal to classic rock will get a nod and/or a shudder this Halloween. Our focus is on the guitar riff and not those ever-haunting synth lines (we’re talking to you, Trent Reznor), so keep that in mind. Pull up a chair, cue up the stereo, and grab that crucifix.
“Black Sabbath” – Black Sabbath
Guitarist Tony Iommi is arguably the king of eerie riffage. During his prolific career with Black Sabbath, Iommi penned some of the most chilling, memorable guitar lines ever recorded. And if there was one song that essentially started a whole new movement with metal, “Black Sabbath” would be thy name. But while we’re at it, let’s even throw in “After All (The Dead),” “War Pigs,” or the Dio-era “Sign Of The Southern Cross.” We could go on, but you get the picture. Fast-forward to 2010 and you can hear Iommi’s influence on the majority of Doom Metal guitarists, whose primary riffs always bear a striking similarity to the trademark Sabbath gain-fueled groan.
“Raining Blood” – Slayer
Much like Black Sabbath, Slayer has a knack for churning out the dramatic riffs. Guitarists Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman have more eerie examples than not, so we were hard-pressed to narrow it down to one. It’s difficult not to feel a certain ominous presence to the main riff in “Raining Blood,” however. In fact, the site Metal-Rules.com once put it best by describing the album Reign In Blood as “the soundtrack to hell.” Coming in a close second could easily be the earlier track “South of Heaven” from the album of the same name. Never has there been another riff that so perfectly precedes the lyrics, “Before you see the light, you must die!”
“Paint It Black” – Rolling Stones
Switching gears to a band that is not necessarily known for its affinity for the dark side, we present to you The Rolling Stones’ darkest selection “Paint It Black.” A far cry from the bluesy goodness of “Honky Tonk Women” or the heartfelt balladry of “Angie,” “Paint It Black” represents more melancholy than one is used to hearing in the happy-go-luck, laid-back style of The Stones’ catalog. The fact that Keith Richards’ clean Telecaster is used to create such an unsettling effect makes this track all the more memorable.
“Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)” – Marilyn Manson
It’s true that this was originally a pop hit for The Eurythmics and relatively chilling in its own right, but the song took on a newly disturbing life with Mr. Manson and company. When you substitute the traditional synthesizer intro with Daisy Berkowitz’s creeping guitar intro, it is transforms into something out of one of your nightmares. To be fair, “The Beautiful People” intro – even with a fairly straightforward chugging approach – comes close to tying for creepiest Manson offering.
“Echoes” – Pink Floyd
David Gilmour was and is still is a master at eliciting emotions out of his seemingly inanimate guitar. From the effects-laden intro to the main riff sandwiching the verse and chorus, “Echoes” is chock-full of some of Pink Floyd’s most ethereal guitar work. You’d swear his Stratocaster is sobbing in that one.
“It Took The Night To Believe” - Sunn O)))
When you want to create a disturbing mood via instrumentation, you’ll want to go straight to drone metal connoisseurs of Sunn O))). “It Took The Night To Believe,” an instrumental except for, well, the intermittent groans and devilish-and-slightly-incomprehensible commentary – is characterized by a fairly monotonous, tremolo picking. The track doesn’t stray much from one musical format, but much like the insane quality to the screeching vocalist, the guitars are straight out of a horror flick that just won’t end.
“Meat Hook Sodomy” – Cannibal Corpse
Cannibal Corpse isn’t known for its ability to cater to the sensitive-minded, and “Meat Hook Sodomy” is no exception. The intro riff comes across as an amorphous ball of crunch gain, with no known beginning or end. It’s exactly that musical insanity that makes the track one of Cannibal Corpse’s eeriest selections. Eventually a more defined riff enters into the composition, but it’s that first minute that will do the most aural damage.
“Dazed And Confused” – Led Zeppelin
Jimmy Page is arguably the most well known and adored guitarist when it comes to laying down choice blues rock licks, but the icon ventured into more sinister waters with “Dazed And Confused.” While it may not be quite as intimidating to listen to the main riff in a room of complete darkness as other riffs, there’s still a certain spooky quality that resonates.
“Her Black Wings” – Danzig
Glenn Danzig’s lengthy career has bounced between punk and straightforward metal, and his smooth-as-silk vocals have always made for a striking and disturbing contrast against a grittier musical composition. It was guitarist John Christ in the project Danzig that produced some of the most chilling riffage, with both the self-titled debut and the follow-up Lucifuge oozing diabolic sexiness. The latter album featured an intro in “Her Black Wings” that doesn’t take a guitar master to conquer, but its eerie simplicity provided a perfect build-up to the chorus.
“Angry Chair” – Alice In Chains
This track could fall into that hazy area where art reflects life and vice versa. Given the tragic fate that was to befall frontman Layne Staley, the gritty, opening riff of “Angry Chair” is haunting to say the least. There is so much angst and discontent dripping from that one down-tuned guitar line – aided by the haunting harmonies of Staley and Jerry Cantrell – that it’s hard to shake after the first listen.
“Got A Bone On My Own” – Night Sun
If you haven’t heard of Night Sun, do yourself a favor and head over to YouTube. The German prog/metal band only released one album titled “Mournin,’” but it delivered disconcerting riffs that takes some bands a lifetime to develop. And the eeriest? The track “Got A Bone On MyOwn” features a trippy, disconcerting intro and dark-yet-grooving lick at the halfway point from Walter Kirchgassner.
“Cemetery Gates” – Pantera
Dimebag Darrell dished out a mighty helping of riffage during his lifetime, and his grooving sensibility always added a new level to the angry undertones of vocalist Phil Anselmo. “Cemetery Gates” was a unique venture, however, and the primary pinch harmonic-driven riff left a massive impression on fans everywhere. The track accomplished being simultaneously chilling and emotionally moving.
“The Call of Ktulu” – Metallica
While the other entries usually pinpoint a specific section of the song, Metallica’s instrumental off of Ride The Lightning could be deemed one badass, eerie riff all the way through. “The Call Of Ktulu” takes an uncharacteristic mellow turn on the band’s second studio album, but that doesn’t mean that it’s not trumping the other seven tracks in terms of drama. It may not be as blatantly dark in terms of Slayer standards, but the H.P. Lovecraft-inspired track still leaves one unsettled.
“The Black Flame” – Nile
Nile may not be as widely recognized as other metal bands, but guitarist Karl Sanders’ dips into more “exotic” styles like the Persian scale to enhance his band’s Egyptian themes. “The Black Flame” is more atmospheric and without any hint of music for a good portion, but Sanders’ blazing, epic riff steals the show at about the one-minute mark.
“Believer” – Ozzy Osborne
One could certainly choose “Mr. Crowley” or even the title track off of the Diary of a Madman record, but it was “Believer” that delivered the biggest impression riff-wise. Randy Rhoads may have passed too soon at the young age of 25, but his virtuoso composing skills were consistently epic and a fitting follow-up to Ozzy’s catalog with Black Sabbath.
surprised to see sunn on the list. pretty rad. i personally always thought that the first 4 guitar notes of shine on you crazy diamond were pretty eerie. eh.
That said, how about 'From Zero To Nothing' by Sybreed? Filled with eerie and awesome riffs.. but yes, the list is actually well thought out this time..
It's about time Cannibal Corpse made it on one of these lists. They could have picked almost any song from them and it would have worked but Meat Hook was an excellent choice.
Dead Skin Mask? i think thats a creepier riff than Raining Blood...
Requiem by Lamb of God, the opening riff and middle section before the solo gives me chills, and also the clean intro for Vigil
Boogie Man by Aerosmith. Traumatized me as a kid. I was scared by the Get a Grip cover art. As I got older, I got over my fear and started listening to Aerosmith, and they became one of my favourite bands. Love 'em.
Dead Skin Mask? i think thats a creepier riff than Raining Blood...
Requiem by Lamb of God, the opening riff and middle section before the solo gives me chills, and also the clean intro for Vigil
Yeah forgot about those. And that really busy sounding riff that Mark Morton plays on LOG's song Condemn the Hive.
biga29 :
Where is In the Presence of Enemies Pt.2???
haz_uk :
OPETH???
CarbonDeath :
Ummm the first riff from hallowed be thy name?
Takien :
I'd choose No Quarter over Dazed and Confused for Zep's eeriest, but that's just me
oh yes, oh yes...
great list anyway...
I'd add Knife Party, it scares the hell out of me...
Knife Party? By the Deftones? That's not eerie at all. The banshee part is pretty scary, but the guitar riff is not at all eerie.
First thing I thought when I saw the title was, "If they don't have Black Sabbath- Black Sabbath, then this list is fail." It was the very first one. Good job, UG, tritone beats everything.
Echoes is a pretty bad-ass song. My favorite part of any song ever hands down has to be when the guitars come back in with the pedalling bass. Swear to god it makes me jizz. On another note, anyone who knows anything about theory knows that Black Sabbath is just basic tritone's, which are used in dissonance alot, and give a darker vibe then playing semitone couplet's in dissonance. Also it sounds awesome to play chromatic tritone runs in acid jazz.
i agree with most of it.. but what about the main riff from The Rising of the Dark Lord by Pagan Altar... if you havnt heard it and like/love Black Sabbath i highly recommend it... just after some tapping awesomesee comes this almighty riff.. heres a youtube link for the song for those who are intereted in hearing it.
highly recommend checkin it if you dont know it. awesome band
thought of some other tracks that are quite creepy/eerie...
Buried Alive - Venom,
Black No.1 & Everything Dies - Type O Negative,
Every Breath You Take - The Police,
Dying Inside - Saint Vitus,
Gallows End - Candlemass
Pet Cemetary - Ramones
all pretty creepy if y'ask me.
It's not the riff that's eerie but The Faceless' Planetary Duality I: Hideous Revelation can creep you out. The next track is Planetary Duality II: A Prophecies Fruition is bad ass and has the sickest rhythm riff at 2:45
"Ripe (With Decay)" on Nine Inch Nails' album The Fragile always made me feel extremely uncomfortable, especially when it's tied into the album's concept. Listen to it in a pitch black room whilst wearing headphones; it's quite an interesting experience.
even though it's on piano and not guitar, i think that Fiction by Avenged Sevenfold is basically the definition of "eerie". it doesn't matter if you're an A7X fan or not, my parents actually got chills when they heard it (of course knowing the background story of the song and the rev's death)
I agree; I was surprised not to see "The Root Of All Evil" or "A Nightmare To Remember".
ironBLSmaiden wrote:
even though it's on piano and not guitar, i think that Fiction by Avenged Sevenfold is basically the definition of "eerie". it doesn't matter if you're an A7X fan or not, my parents actually got chills when they heard it (of course knowing the background story of the song and the rev's death)
Hmm...yeah...maybe. Seriously, if any Avenged Sevenfold song, wouldn't it be "Nightmare" or "Brompton Cocktail"?
Black Hole Sun by Soundgarden anybody?
and i dont think that was a particularly good version of paint it black to use to emphasise the point, i mean the into riff wasn't in that version. spooky as shit though.
also, how horribly out of time did the fellas from slayer go on that harmonised riff. might have been cause of shit on stage monitoring or something but christ it nearly made my ears bleed.
though maybe thats what they are going for.
hmmmm.
Black Sabbath started playing eerie sounding music because they noticed that a theater in England got a lot of traffic from people paying to see scary movies. IF they paid for to get scared by movies, why not music? That's what I heard anyway.
Also. That one video has Duel. Fuckin awesome movie. It seems soundtracks would be the best option for wanting to hear eerie music though.
I think my favorite creepy guitar would be Ashes in the Fall from Rage Against the Machine its pretty damn creepy from intro to finish. Morello is a beast at his sounds. Intro rift is squeaky and chilly, then verses get this space pitch to a hard stop alarm sound. Then the solo in this song is ridiculous being able to switch from distortion to crazy high pitch and then he just toggles the hell outta it!!! Ahhh listened to it twice while writing this and dang man got a couple chills
The solo at 1:16-1:35? You can't tell me that isn't eerie! Also, the background guitar at 3:12-end of song? Come on man, lol.
And if you're still not convinced, listen to Pillars. It's an instrumental.
ature=related
Pretty much the whole intro and 1:10-end of song. I challenge you to not get creeped out! Lol
If I was 10, I probably would be, but then I'd also be scared by a large red bus. Sadly, gimmicky guitar noises dont do it for me. Instead, this is what I would call eerie:
Some what melodic yet not melodic and filled with tension.
surprised to see sunn on the list. pretty rad. i personally always thought that the first 4 guitar notes of shine on you crazy diamond were pretty eerie. eh.
Needs more "Floods" or "Suicide Note pt 1" by Pantera, and "In the Presence of Enemies pt 2" or "Disappear" by Dream Theater, and the majority of Opeth's discography.
What a great performance of "Dazed and Confused" they have on here, that's such a good solo.
I was creeped out the first time I heard "Angry Chair" too, glad that got on the list. And I agree with the guy who said "Fourth of July" by Soundgarden, very creepy riff.
The Child Snatcher by Annotations Of An Autopsy anyone?
or maybe even Clouds Over California by Devildriver.
Those songs always gave me a chill listening to them.
when i saw the post, i immediately thought of Sunn O))), and low and behold, there they ****ing were. For that inclusion, as well as Cannibal Corpse, I thank, you, UG!
even though it's on piano and not guitar, i think that Fiction by Avenged Sevenfold is basically the definition of "eerie". it doesn't matter if you're an A7X fan or not, my parents actually got chills when they heard it (of course knowing the background story of the song and the rev's death)
Hmm...yeah...maybe. Seriously, if any Avenged Sevenfold song, wouldn't it be "Nightmare" or "Brompton Cocktail"?
yeah i just thought of fiction cause i can't listen to that song without getting goosebumps, although brompton would definitely be up there too, along with nightmare
i gotta agree and majorly disagree with alot of things here.. first of all, the people who said marilyn manson,avenged sevefold and tom sawyer....F*** no..
i definatly agree with echoes and call of ktulu, and you could add a heap of earlier metallica songs to that.(sorry, the guy who said sandman, but you must be an idiot to think that's eerie)
if i could throw some out, i'd say
trilobite-mastodon
the other-isis
through silver in blood-neurosis
closer-NIN
the day i tried to live-soundgarden
I think we need some black metal in this list. Black Spell of Destruction by Burzum and De Mysteriis dom Santhas by Mayhem. Two of the eeriest riffs ever.
Good to see Stones and Zep in there, though you guys got the wrong songs, the Stones "Dancing With Mr D" and Zep's "No Quarter" should have been the songs on the list
Seriously though, love 'em to death, and It Took the Night to Believe is the one that got me into them. Chilling to the bone. So glad to see them on a list like this.
I called the "Black Sabbath" riff when I saw the link, but wasn't expecting to see Sunn O))) in there (although they definitely deserve it, I hardly see em on this site).
Would've wanted to see some Tool on this list, maybe some of Dream Theater's stuff or even Mirrors/Obfuscation by BTB&M, but I really can't complain with this list. Kudos UG
most of these songs aren't eerie at all.
i offer an alternative:
Acid Bath - Locust Spawning
Katatonia - Sleeper
Dimmu Borgir - Puritania
Slipknot - Prosthetics
Whitechapel - Daemon (The Procreated)
Psyopus - Imogens Puzzle Pt 2
The Faceless - The Ancient Covenant
Dir en grey - Obscure
Where's Dangerous Animals by Arctic Monkeys? That's a creepy riff. I was tripping on acid one listening to that and it sent a lot of scary hallucinations my way! :/
uh dave mustaine wrote call of the Ktulu. doesnt count.
WRONG...he contributed a chord progression, maybe two...and if it were up to him it would have been mere strumming like the 'Hangar 18' intro (i.e. not creepy or eerie in the least). Breaking down the chord progression into individual notes wasn't his idea, so yeah you're right, it doesn't count indeed...for Mustaine.
Bastard Samurai by High on Fire
Ethereal by High on Fire
Siberian Divide by Mastodon
Circle of Cysquatch by Mastodon
Pendulous Skin by Mastodon
Mr Crowely by Ozzy Osbourne
Wanderlust by Baroness
Demon's Gate by Candlemass
The Bit by The Melvins
A History of Bad Men by The Melvins
Satan's Ice Cream Truck by Strapping Young Lad
Can't comment on a single shit without you being a annoying elitist.
You've confused 'elitist' with 'someone who just doesn't like -core'. Those three songs were nothing short of ****ing hilarious though, so thanks for making my evening. And with that, I raise you THIS.
The instrumental section in Autodidact by BTBAM is pretty eerie and weird sounding, not to mention very technical and well thought out. And I'm so suprised that no King Crimson was on here. So much of their stuff sounds so out there and creepy.
I would say Take Me As I Am by Dream Theater is a good contender, but I haven't heard all of the songs listed, so I can't really compare to the whole list.
Dude... Good Mourning, the intro to Black Friday by Megadeth... that's pretty creepy. Also, Cradle of Filth's Cruelty & the Beast. The whole album, and always some Diabolical Masquerade. Haloween FTW!
Never thought Pantera was very eerie, but overall a good list. Anytime you make a list like this there's going to be some good stuff left out. Any of these songs would make a great Halloween playlist.
Can't comment on a single shit without you being a annoying elitist.
You've confused 'elitist' with 'someone who just doesn't like -core'. Those three songs were nothing short of ****ing hilarious though, so thanks for making my evening. And with that, I raise you THIS.
That is what i am saying, there is no need for you to bash people for thier taste in music. Respect peoples opinions and stop being such a douche. I dont listen to what most people have linked in this thread, do i have to comment on every single song that i don't like? no, cause im mature enough.
I'm just eternally satisfied with Sunn O))) being on this list. UG finally has a decent band on their lists that aren't in the range of metallica or guns n' roses. Kudos. Although I don't find Cemetery Gates eerie at all. Sick song, but not that eerie. If you want something eerie, listen to any of the Imogen Puzzle tracks by PsyOpus
Alice in Chains is my favorite out of all of these!! the E to Eb riff chorus ("what do I see 'cross the way...") sounds more intense than any riff tuned down to like a low C or 7-string B.
However, I was upset that they missed Dream Theater's "A Nightmare To Remember". Hell, John Petrucci himself said that the working title for that song was "Halloween"!!! HOW DO YOU MISS THAT??
Needs more "Floods" or "Suicide Note pt 1" by Pantera, and "In the Presence of Enemies pt 2" or "Disappear" by Dream Theater, and the majority of Opeth's discography.
Indeed. Disappear has such a creepy riff I almost can't listen to it.
the intro riff to alone in the morgue by whitechapel is pretty creepy, or anything off of aborted's slaughter and apparatus album (chondrin enigma, spayin seance)
the intro riff to alone in the morgue by whitechapel is pretty creepy, or anything off of aborted's slaughter and apparatus album (chondrin enigma, spaying seance)
not sure if it has been mentioned in the posts above, but most of the stuff by Rob Zombie would fit the bill.
"House of a 1000 corpses" - now that's eerie!
dead girl by agents of oblivion. the first time i heard it i got goosebumps. or if your looking for a more intimate chill check out the original acid bath version.
wow, another list that's turned into everyone demanding their own favourite songs to be listed. I liked it, but back to my point; no one's gonna read a list titled "the eeriest riffs YOU'VE NEVER HEARD OF"
\m/
Kudos to you UG.
I dont think Raining Blood or Dazed and Confused are particularly eerie though. I would've went with "As I Am" by DT instead. But that's just me