Yeah, a lot of metal genres don't really require choruses or even lyrics, but some contain some truly fuckwin choruses that absolutely require singing along. I can come up with quite a few but for now I want to focus on the one band that I feel has the largest amount of awesome choruses, Ensiferum.

Starting with the best...

Into Battle:
Into battle we ride with gods on our side!
We are strong, and not afraid to die!!!
We have an urge to kill, and our lust for blood to be fulfilled
We fight till the end, send our enemies straight to hell!

Battlesong:
We won this battle with might and fearless hearts
We came, and we fulfilled the prophesy
So now we shall march back towards our kingdom
With heads held high and shimmering eyes to return with our glory

Guardians of Fate:
Those who travel far away from home, they'll never return
And those who cross the seas of hope, they all will burn!

Treacherous Gods:
Time and time again, I witness the birth of a newborn star
I climbed the highest mountain, to find the essence of a new era

they have more greats, but those are the best.

Everything on Jag Panzer's Ample Destruction. Huge, thunderous roars of might from a man that might as well be Zeus himself, all belted out with excessive displays of power.

Also a number of Power Metal bands have great choruses, huge and wide.

Bloodbath - Eaten

Carve me up, slice me apart
Suck my guts and lick my heart
Chop me up, I like to be hurt
Drink my marrow and blood for dessert
EATEN...
My one desire, my only wish is to be-
EATEN...
The longer I live the more I'm dying to feel the pain
EATEN...
I would do anything to be-
EATEN...
My one desire, my only wish is to be-
EATEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Damn catchy

"But sail on, sing a song, carry on
Cause WE ROCK!"

That's weird as fuck as I just listened to Into Battle! It's definitely one of the most fun sing-a-long choruses. But I personally think the winners of catchy choruses are Amon Amarth:

In Pursuit of Vikings - Odin! Guide our ships! Our axes, spears, and swords! Guide us through storms that whip AND IN BRUTAL WAR!

Death in Fire - Fight for glory, honor, DEATH IN FIRE!

Valhalla Awaits Me, Gods of War Arise, hell.. the whole fucking WOOOS album!

Edguy has a lot of really catchy choruses as well; Babylon, All The Clowns, Superheroes, Mysteria, Lavatory Love Machine etc..

Blind Guardian have heaps of awesome choruses. One of their best is certainly the chorus from Mirror Mirror:

Mirror Mirror on the wall
True hope lies beyond the coast
You're a damned kind can't you see
That the winds will change
Mirror Mirror on the wall
True hope lies beyond the coast
You're a damned kind can't you see
That tomorrows bears insanity

You people know our stance on list threads. Only warning.

I second Bloodbath's Eaten. I heard that song maybe twice, over a year ago, and I still find myself muttergrowlsinging 'The longer I live the more I'm dying to feel the pain' under my breath.

Ashes, by Pain of Salvation, is one of the most emotional choruses I've heard:

As we walk through the ashes/I whisper your name/A taste of pain to cling to/As we walk through the ashes/You whisper my name/Who's the one with the sickest mind.../Now?

The subtle variations that happen every repeated time the chorus is played makes that song devastatingly powerful.

Also, 'At The Grave Yard', by Wolf (Swe)

Meet me/At the Graveyard/When the clock strikes/*doodoodoodeedoo*/meet me/When the clock strikes/Midnight!

Whatevs...I could do this forever.

"Black...
Black Metal ist Krieg!
Black Metal ist Krieg!
Black... "

"Ten Thousand Strong" from Iced Earth has one of my favorites. I don't know what it is about it. Probably got something to do with my love for Ripper and epic awesome choruses mixed with bitchin' awesome triplets on the bass drum.


Await the days of clouding
Earth mother's sharing in the paaaain
Erase the human mem'ry
They know
Not from where they came

And though our hearts are broken
We have to wipe the tears away
in vain they did not suffer
ten thousand strong will seize the daaaaaaaaay

Also "Children of The Damned" by Iron Maiden is WAY up there for me. I think just the vocals in general in that song are amazing.

as a new member I have to say, you guys just officially made this he greatest fucking forum ever. Eaten was my very next chorus to post, and those Amon Amarth choruses are among my favorites. Major ass kick. Mirror Mirror is a great one too, though I only just discovered that song today - I'm just discovering Blind Guardian on the whole.

There on the battlefield he stands! Down on the battlefield he's lost! And on the battlefield it eeeeeeends!!!

and of course Valhalla, I'm sure you've seen the fucking unforgettable live performance on their DVD.

Yes! Although I think the best from BG or that part on the Soulforged: "And from the flames, as chance would have it, The Soulforged will come into light/And from the flames, as chance would have it, The Soulforged, the stainless will rise!" Having not heard much metal prior, that chorus absolutely blew my mind the first time I heard it. Also, the whole "na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-The nightmare shall be over now, there's nothing more to fear!" Sometimes when I get to that part of the song I'll just keep setting it to where that part starts and replaying it a few times

Seconding "Guardians of Fate" by Ensiferum. That's the perfect "driving down the highway with the windows open on a summer day" song.

Also, "The Cage" by Sonata Arctica, especially the live version where they change the tempo at the end and get the audience to sing along.

About 1000 Judas Priest songs, but my personal favorite, although very subtly awesome, is Rock Hard, Ride Free.

Overrated Overrated

I can't go with one, I'm gonna have to pick a top two.

Valhalla-Blind Guardian

Valhalla, deliverance!
Why've you ever forgotten me?
Whoa, oh oh oh oh, Valhalla!

It's just so....epic is really the only word to describe it. That whole album is amazing, but that one chorus....dang. It makes me wanna throw the horns and headbang whenever I even start hearing it in my head.

Twilight of the Thunder God-Amon Amarth

Thor! Oden's son! Protector of mankind,
Ride to meet your fate, your destiny awaits!

I guess the lyrics aren't really that impressive, but the way the guitar plays what could be a melody for the vocals under the growls...it's pretty awesome.

Rainbow in the Dark? Haha. First thing that came to mind for me was Judas Priest's 'Freewheel Burnin'.

Bathory's 'Call from the Grave' does it for me every time as well. Not sure if you could call this a chorus by definition, but its comes before the interlude and after a verse or two, so I'm going to count it.


"I tear at the lid I'm suffering
In a cold and nameless grave
If Hell is what awaits me
I feel no fright

Buried and forgotten
In a cold and nameless grave
If there's a God in heaven
Hear my call from the grave..."

His voice is beyond demonic.

List thread much? Who cares, I love listing.

My vote goes to nearly anything by Priest or Maiden, because that old school style of metal is heavily chorus focused. Although it did reach some truly ridiculous extremes at times. Brave New World or The Angel and the Gambler, anyone?

murder in the front row
crowd begins to bang
and there's blood upon the stage
bang you head against the stage
and metal takes its price
bonded by blood


yay

there are so many great choruses to choose from but the Dio one comes pretty close to best metal chorus.

otherwise, stating the obvious and overrated

Run to the Hills by Maiden

lol, I'd hate for my first thread to break the rules, personally, though I think there's a mighty fine discussion going here myself.

I agree with the insane amounts of awesome that is Run to the Hills especially on Rock band with all the instruments being played and everyone singing along at full yell. Believe me, it's earthmoving.

Also Twilight of the Thunder God is in fact an epic chorus though I couldn't never understand what he was saying at 'rise to meet your fate'. My favorite is Cry of the Black Birds but that's also just my favorite Amon Amarth song, period.

Fists are in the air
Banging everywhere
Thrashing to the sound
Faces melting down
It's time to fight
For metal tonight
Bangers take your stand and obey



OUR METAL COMMAND!

YES. And a bunchload of songs off their other albums, like Battle Zones, Twilight Years, Iron Eagle, Shadow Thief, Tempest, Age of Mastery. So damn catchy

Well recently I was listening to Keeper of the Seven Keys Part I and I have Future World stuck in my head, that song is more catchy than candyfloss-sifilis

Hypocrisy - Let The Knife Do The Talking!!!!

also anything by Helloween and Blind Guardian

Basically any Iron Maiden chorus is great.

Two. Minutes. To Miiiiidniiiight.

SIX SIX SIX! The Number of the Beast! Hell and fire was spawned to be released. (Also, the opening monologue is very iconic, you'll hear the whole crowd recite it at concerts)

And, the immortal chorus of The Trooper: Aaaaaah ah aaah ah ah ah aaaaahhhhh.

Running Wild are hard to beat when it comes to chorus's on many of there songs Riding the Storm,Heads or Tails,Treasure Island etc etc too many to list, fucking awesome band!

final chorus of where dead angels lie


The blackness that falls is coming to stay
Under the snow lies angels so cold
Yet with each crystal of frost that is falling
another story is told
A spell was cast and the sky turned red
The angel's heart froze to ice
In the gloomy sky - The silence where dead angels lie

And forever AFTER,
you can hear the LAUGHTER
World's being PLASTERED
by an evil BASTARD
Exterminating FASTER,
devastating PLASTER
FABULOUS DISASTER

Brilliant chorus, so catchy!

Cannibal Corpse's Devoured by Vermin along with Eaten for two catchy DM choruses

Ya know, if people have a healthy discussion on the choruses (chorii?) Rexxz wouldn't have to warn you.

I would go with Piledriver's "Metal Inquisition"



the perfect end to a perfect build-up. Sums up how I feel about posers really.

I also like "Valhalla" and the penultimate Guardian song "Time What is Time." Both are profoundly majestic, the latter more than the former.

I agree on Ensiferum. Awesome songs over all but the choruses are a step up.
Also the song Highest Price of the power metal band Chinchilla. That bands music sucks mostly just as much as the band name but that song is special.

"Brothers Of Metal
We Are Fighting With Power And Steel
Fighting For Metal Metal That's Real
Brothers Of Metal Will Always Be There
Standing Together With Hands In The Air"

Ensiferum and Amon Amarth have the best choruses I think. Maybe Vikings had a particular fondness for a hearty chorus.

Agreed. This is particularly the case on the self-titled album. I'm just surprised that no one has mentioned the chorus for Token of Time (my favourite song from the album, though it is hard to choose).

I set sails for the ageless winds
No fear of dying or a thought of surrender
I threaten every barrier on my way
I am bound forever with Token of Time

This chorus has it all. The lyrics are great, conjuring interesting imagery as well as having that general heroic/mystical feel. The vocals are, of course, well executed. Additionally, all the instruments compliment the chorus - the catchy guitar line with its 'folky' melody, the equally catchy and thankfully clearly discernible bass line, and the ideal drum part. Even the production is great (though this is the case for the whole album - even so, it warrants mention because nothing sounds better than a wall of fucking noise). I will never tire of this chorus (and the song of which it is a part).

Yeah, I'm Alive does it for me too.



That chorus, to me, can NEVER be over-rated. I could listen to it a million times and sing along each time. The power in Bruce's voice is just amazing. (Fan boy rant finished)

Seriously, though, I think the key to a great chorus is a good powerful voice. This is the reason for the greatness of Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Manowar, Iced Earth and Amon Amarth choruses. Powerful vocalists.

I think Mark Shelton excels at writing exceptionally catchy, yet often very direct choruses. From the first to the newest album, there are so many hooks that can get stuck in your head for days.

Wow, nice description of a chorus, Ensiferum rock.






Here's a chorus that came to my mind -

Summon the werewolf blood
Summon the wolves of war
Unchain the wolves
Unchain the wolves
Unchain the wolves
Unchain the wolves
Unchain the wolves
Unchain the wolves
Set the night on fire!


Awesome.


There's about 10,000 more awesome ones though.

This isn't necessarily a chorus, but it is the main section of a section of the song Ghostship by Shadow Gallery.

We sail atop the highest wave in search of our viking gold
And turn our backs into the night
We sail into the night,

As the mighty desert wind blows through the mountains
Still she sails our trusty ship across the sea
And we raise our glasses high to this good life
See our torches brandish light upon the free


Awesome as hell. I listen to that part over and over, it's just too good.

Carved in Stone is such a kick ass album.