Last Updated on December 1, 2023 by Justin Thomas
Metal songs can sometimes be pretty simple, but at the same time really rewarding to learn. In case you’re just starting out and love this genre but still feel like most of the stuff is challenging, here are some easy metal songs for beginners.
Who crafted this post:

Author: David Slavkovic

Editing & Research: Teemu Suomala
How to Use This Post
Scroll down and select your favorites.
If you click:
- the video image, you can listen to the song.
- the ”interactive tab”, you will be directed to Songsterr where you can learn the song using the interactive tab(this is my favorite way of learning new songs)
- the ’’tab’’, you will find tabs for that song (if you don’t know how to read tabs, check this guide).
- the ‘’chords’’, you will be directed to the page where you can learn chords for that song.
Most of the chords and tabs are provided through trusted ”Songsterr” or ”ultimate-guitar.com”.
In the info boxes you can see:
- Rating for ”how easy are the riffs?”
- Rating for ”how easy are the solos?”
- Rating for how easy the song is overall when we look at both riffs and solos
Without further to do, here are:
Top 27 Easy Metal Songs on Guitar for Beginners
Black Sabbath – Iron Man (1970) (songs from Black Sabbath are pretty easy)
Summary
Classic metal-masterpiece that has crunchy but easy riffs. In the solo, things speed up a little but are far from hard.

Black Sabbath – Black Sabbath (1970)
Summary
The doom-laden main riff of Black Sabbath’s eponymous song was enough to completely change rock music forever. It also features a few other easy riffs, as well as a simple solo.
Our Favorite Music Store in The World!

Why?
– Excellent Customer Service (4.7/5 Trustpilot Score)
– Fast & Free Shipping
– Gear is Inspected, Tested, & Ready to Play When it Arrives to You (We love this)
– Fair Prices
Visit Sweetwater:

Black Sabbath – Paranoid (1970)
Summary
Written as a filler, “Paranoid” became Sabbath’s biggest song. It consists of a few simple riffs and one brief solo. It’s also known for its use of palm muting.

Judas Priest – Breaking the Law (1980)
Summary
This hit consists of few simple riffs and a couple 1-3 note licks that come close to a real solo.

Judas Priest – You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’ (1982)
Summary
“You’ve Got Another Thing Comin'” is another great example by Judas Priest. It features a steady tempo and power chord riffs, making it really easy for a beginner to learn.

Ozzy Osbourne – Crazy Train (1980)
Summary
Hiring Randy Rhoads was one of Ozzy Osbourne’s best decisions. After all, he did write most of the music for Ozzy’s first single and his biggest hit song, “Crazy Train.”
Riffs are pretty simple and 90% of the solo and licks are too. But especially the final alternate picking section of the solo requires some serious practice.
Diamond Head – Am I Evil (1980)
Summary
Even with its relatively fast tempo, the good-sounding riffs of am I evil are simple. Solo can sound super hard, but the tapping parts of it are actually surprisingly easy to master.
Dio – Holy Diver (1983)
Summary
Ronnie James Dio managed to change metal music with his simple yet really effective song “Holy Diver.” Even to this day, it remains one of the essential metal songs that everyone needs to know.
Metallica – Seek and Destroy (1982)
Summary
“Seek and Destroy” has one of the catchiest main riffs. What’s more, Metallica also added some other interesting parts and changes, all of which aren’t that challenging to learn.
Metallica – For Whom the Bell Tolls (1984)
Summary
Song based on the novel of one of the greatest writers of all time, Ernest Hemingway. And the best part? This song sounds amazing and is easy to play!

Megadeth – Symphony of Destruction (1992)
Summary
“Symphony of Destruction” is well-known for its simple and heavy main riff. Overall the riffs are easy. But the solo ranks among the hardest of the songs featured on this post.

Iron Maiden – Wrathchild(1981)
Summary
Coming from the band’s Paul Di’Anno era, Iron Maiden cemented their place in metal with “Wrathchild.” The song consists of rather simple riffs and also has a simple structure.

Iron Maiden – The Trooper (1983)
Summary
Of course, “The Trooper” is another one of Maiden’s simple songs that you should check out. It will help you learn new picking and fretting hand techniques.
At first, it can sound super-hard, but its fast riffs are easier to master than most think…

Iron Maiden – Wasted years (1986)
Summary
Solos with Maiden’s songs are always a bit tricky, but the riffs of the Wasted Years are easy to learn but sound just amazing!

Mötorhead – Ace of Spades (1980)
Summary
From start to finish, “Ace of Spades” is a straightforward metal piece. And this is not uncommon for most of Mötorhead’s catalog.

Pantera – Walk (1992)
Summary
While their songs are usually faster and more challenging, Pantera’s “Walk” is rather simple and will teach you to use proper bending. Of course, we would exclude the solo here, since it’s a bit too complex to learn quickly.

Tool – Sober (1993)
Summary
While most of Tool’s stuff is more complex and difficult to learn, “Sober” from their debut full-length “Undertow” is a pretty simple one. With it, you’ll see what can be done with the drop D tuning.

Tool – Lateralus (2000)
Summary
This long-form masterpiece by Tool is both worth the listen and easy to learn. Sure it can take some time to master a song this long, but gladly there is nothing too complex to learn.

Sepultura – Refuse/Resist (1993)
Summary
If you’re up for some really heavy stuff, but still want to keep things simple, then go with Sepultura’s classic “Refuse/Resist.”

System of a Down – Toxicity (2001)
Summary
Like most of the SOAD’s songs, Toxicity doesn’t include solo. But this song really packs a punch of easy riffs that are full of energy. This song uses Drop C tuning.

System of a Down – Aerials ( 2001)
Summary
The best thing about learning System of a Down’s “Aerials” is the clean part that repeats throughout the song. It will teach you proper economy picking technique.

System of a Down – Lonely Day (2005)
Summary
Another great beginner song by System of a Down is “Lonely Day.” It’s a simple ballad that can also be performed on an acoustic guitar.

Mastodon – Crystal Skull (2006)
Summary
This song has perhaps the hardest riffs to master from this list, but especially the main riff is something really rewarding to learn. And not too hard either.

Five Finger Death Punch – Bad Company (2009)
Summary
This modern metal ballad is easy enough to get started with but hard enough to keep things interesting and rewarding.

Avenged Sevenfold – Unholy Confessions (2003)
Summary
And going to the band’s earlier days, “Unholy Confessions” was a nice blend of metal and metalcore. What’s more, the song isn’t that hard to learn if you’re a beginner or intermediate player.

Avenged Sevenfold – This Means War (2013)
Summary
Avenged Sevenfold is one of the rare modern metal bands that pushed the boundaries. However, they kept things simpler and straightforward in a piece like “This Means War.” Nonetheless, it’s still an awesome track.

Machine Head – Is There Anybody Out There? (2016)
Summary
A song that was shaped by controversial comments made by former Pantera vocalist Phil Anselmo doesn’t include a solo at all but has riffs that even beginners can master.
How to Learn Hard Songs? – 3 Simple Steps
Although it’s a good idea to learn some easy songs at first so that you can maintain your motivation…but it’s an even better idea to always try to improve your skills.
That’s why you probably should learn some harder songs, riffs, and solos too!
The hardest parts for me are usually fast chord shifts and super fast and complex guitar solos. If I find myself struggling with some songs, I usually do this:
- learn to play the song correctly at a very slow speed
- speed up the playing with small steps
- practice the hard parts more than others
These steps have helped me to learn many hard songs, riffs, and solos. The time period spent practicing varies, but eventually, songs start to sound right at the correct speed. That’s how real skills are developed, with practice, practice, and practice. But the end goal is worth all the hard work.
The #1 Guitar Practice Mistake When Learning Songs
Please, check this short video so that you can avoid the #1 practice mistake many of us make when starting playing:

These articles help you achieve nice metal tones!
This article talks about budget metal amplifiers that sound good:
These articles talk about different metal guitars that offer high value for the money and can chug:
- Jackson JS22 Dinky – Best Metal Guitar Under $200
- 5 Best Metal Guitars for Beginners
- ESP LTD EC-10 – Best Metal Single-Cut Under $200
- Schecter Guitar Research Omen Extreme-6 – Thes Best Metal Guitar Under $500
- 5 Best Metal Guitars Under 500
- 5 Best Metal Guitars Under $1000
- 5 Best Guitars for Thrash Metal
Conclusion
Metal is usually not the recommended genre for beginners, but you should definitely play the music you love. The songs that we mentioned are some of the easiest ones that you can find.
However, it’s always a good idea that you cover some basic things about the guitar ASAP. This post will help you with that: How to Play Guitar? Get Started Fast and Free!
Also, if you want more easy songs to master, check this post out: 70 Easy Guitar Songs for Beginners from Every Genre (With Tabs and Chords).
You might also like: