'Heaviest' songs in standard tuning?

AdamBrad

AdamBrad

New member
Hey, just thought it would be interesting to see what people come up with.

To give a bit of background I'm currently on a year abroad in China as part of my university degree. I've managed to get a Squier Tele but I can't find strings heavier than 10-46, so I can't really tune lower than Drop D. Unfortunately I usually play (slightly progressive) Melodic Death Metal and Metalcore and hang around Drop C/Baritone territory. As a result I can't play a lot of songs I usually do/was trying to learn. So, the question is, other than classics like Metallica/Megadeth/Slayer, what in your opinion are the best (and 'heaviest', although I always thought that was rather abstract) metal songs in standard tuning or drop D?

Early Trivium, Lamb of God perhaps?
 
Re: 'Heaviest' songs in standard tuning?

I love heavy songs in standard tuning. My band stuck to standard tuning for our first album and use heavy chord voicings. People often ask us "wow what tuning is that" not realizing.

Pantera's Domination is a good example.

Sabbath's Paranoid.

Morbid Tales by Celtic Frost.

Malleus Maleficarum by Pestilence is a death metal record in standard if you want more.

Sepultura's Beneath The Remains and Arise are some heavy death/thrash also in standard.

Slowly We Rot by Obituary is another death metal album in standard. In fact the heaviest riff is on the A string.
 
Re: 'Heaviest' songs in standard tuning?

Avenged sevenfold -natural born killer
God hates us

Rammstein-rein raus
Adios
 
Re: 'Heaviest' songs in standard tuning?

Can't believe Slowly We Rot doesn't go below A, guess I never really paid that much attention to it though.

All good suggestions so far :headbang:
 
Re: 'Heaviest' songs in standard tuning?

AdamBrad said:
Can't believe Slowly We Rot doesn't go below A, guess I never really paid that much attention to it though.

All good suggestions so far :headbang:
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I know right? :smokin:

A lot of riffs in the low tunings in mainstream modern metal pulled back up to standard would sound like they more in common with country than metal. When you try it out, it's pretty funny. It'd be like, if you turned the distortion off they'd just be a pop band.
 
Re: 'Heaviest' songs in standard tuning?

Beer$ said:
I love heavy songs in standard tuning. My band stuck to standard tuning for our first album and use heavy chord voicings. People often ask us "wow what tuning is that" not realizing.

Pantera's Domination is a good example.

Sabbath's Paranoid.

Morbid Tales by Celtic Frost.

Malleus Maleficarum by Pestilence is a death metal record in standard if you want more.

Sepultura's Beneath The Remains and Arise are some heavy death/thrash also in standard.

Slowly We Rot by Obituary is another death metal album in standard. In fact the heaviest riff is on the A string.
Click to expand...

E flat was pretty popular before the mega downtuning - you sure all those are truly standard?
 
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Re: 'Heaviest' songs in standard tuning?

Many early Sabbath songs get some heavy sounds from rather standard tunings.
Chord voicings, positions do help a great deal though.
 
Re: 'Heaviest' songs in standard tuning?

Most Iced Earth is in E flat.
Most Opeth stuff is in standard.
 
Re: 'Heaviest' songs in standard tuning?

Down tuning more than about a half step, 1 step at the most, makes guitars sound like carefully executed farts.
 
Re: 'Heaviest' songs in standard tuning?

A few nominations:



 
Re: 'Heaviest' songs in standard tuning?

guitarrob said:
Many early Sabbath songs get some heavy sounds from rather standard tunings.
Chord voicings, positions do help a great deal though.
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+1 on the Sabbath, but check out this live recording of War Pigs, tuned to C#


Brutal.
 
Re: 'Heaviest' songs in standard tuning?

dd12939 said:
+1 on the Sabbath, but check out this live recording of War Pigs, tuned to C#


Brutal.
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Nnnnnnnnnnnnice :cool:
 
Re: 'Heaviest' songs in standard tuning?

"I Want You (She's So Heavy) by The Beatles.
 
Re: 'Heaviest' songs in standard tuning?

This is about as heavy as you can get...downtuned or not


 
Re: 'Heaviest' songs in standard tuning?

Funkfingers said:
"I Want You (She's So Heavy) by The Beatles.
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i agree that its one of the Darkest/heaviest Beatle Riffs ever. Love that song.

My pick however is this (skip to the 4:30 mark)....

I don't care what anyone says. To me that is the Heaviest E Power Chord in the History of Music. Still makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up.

 
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