4 Classic Heavy Metal Songs With Pop Hooks

Pop might be an icky word for heavy metal diehards. But remember, “pop” is just short for popular. And if you’re favorite band sells millions of records, then they are, by definition, popular. History’s biggest metal bands have landed on the right combination of heavy riffs and pop melodies. All delivered by singers equipped with bloodcurdling screams. You might package it in gloomy skulls, leather, and chains, but the classic heavy metal songs below are famous (or popular) because of their unforgettable pop hooks.

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“Run To The Hills” by Iron Maiden

Iron Maiden’s album cover for The Number Of The Beast doesn’t scream pop. Though it’s a cartoon, the band’s longtime mascot, Eddie, seems to be working in tandem with the Devil, or a devil. But singer Bruce Dickinson’s operatic voice lifts “Run To The Hills” into a soaring British metal anthem. Iron Maiden wasn’t the first heavy band to use the reliable formula of towering guitar riffs and pop hooks, but with a voice like Dickinson’s, few did it as proficiently.

“Bringin’ On The Heartbreak” by Def Leppard

Def Leppard’s second album was the band’s first with producer Robert John “Mutt” Lange. The Sheffield group was still in its heavy metal infancy, but Lange sweetened the tracks with sky-high voices and pop melodies. “Bringin’ On The Heartbreak” contains traces of Led Zeppelin’s heavy blues, but it also foreshadows how Def Leppard later perfected pop metal on Pyromania and Hysteria. Still, Def Leppard’s two masterpieces are pop albums with only traces of heavy metal. On “Bringin’ On The Heartbreak”, Lange’s lush vocal arrangements made the band’s early metal more accessible.

“Symphony Of Destruction” by Megadeth

You might not equate a song called “Symphony Of Destruction” by a band called Megadeth with pop music. But this track is full of pop hooks. First, the crushing riff and its rigid repetition work like a programmed EDM groove. Over the riff, Dave Mustaine sings layered and harmonized radio-friendly melodies. And listen to the clean production. This is pristine heavy metal, and though the song describes a failing society, Mustaine delivers the dystopian collapse with a catchy hook.

“You’ve Got Another Thing Coming” by Judas Priest

Rob Halford sings hook after hook on Judas Priest’s banger about hope, threats, and resilience. All wrapped inside a heavy metal earworm. And it’s the only Judas Priest song to land on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart. If you don’t know, the Hot 100 records the most popular songs in the United States each week. “You’ve Got Another Thing Coming” and its next-level pop chorus became a heavy metal standard. Check out the choreographed guitar moves in the music video. Yet another hallmark of pop music.

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