What does a gothenburg metal band's obscure, never-mentioned demo and a Tampa DM band's mediocre and forgotten mid-era album have in common? Exactly one riff.

At the Gates - At the Gates (2:32, 4:58) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOB_jvRGyOM
Deicide - Bible Basher (0:00, 1:02, 2:05) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOCjeAR4xfQ

This is definitely the most interesting occurence of a "stolen" riff that I know of, partly because Gardens of Grief is just about the last music you would expect Glen Benton to have heard, but also because he chose to use this riff, from a death metal demo with a black metal influence, on the album where he moved as far away as possible from the last album's black metal influenced style (not that it was very similar to Gardens of Grief) and into the groove.

Another, perhaps more well-known example is Cannibal Corpse's Hammer Smashed Face ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnbAWlYXhg4 ) which has a very similar main riff to Premature Autopsy ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dm8IdJASrY ) by Entombed.

There's also Nile's Unas Slayer of the Gods ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPYQB7AsSkg ) where the main riff is a tribute to a riff in The Well of Souls by Candlemass (see 0:10, 2:41) ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmV9MsFnUbk ).

Also somewhat related, some Morbid Angel self-plagiarism: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVCerb1Oxvs

What else?

Cryonic Temple seems to have some riffs ripped right from Judas Priest. For instance, Painkiller and Ram it Down - Judas Priest , The Gatekeeper - Cryonic Temple. Gatekeeper has an somewhat-copy of the Painkiller drum intro, and the high opening scream and riff from Ram it Down.

Painkiller
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WS6-vI70oc0
Ram it Down
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mtu20Ejv3SI
The Gatekeeper
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTS7A2GP4aQ

Cryonic temple also seemed to use the Electric Eye riff on their song Rapid Fire.
Electric Eye
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQ96oEwYrE8
Rapid Fire
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-EAuUk0e9Sg

Those didn't even sound remotely close.

Blood Red Throne rips the intro from Cannibal Corpse's Make Them Suffer
CC (Make them Suffer): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9nZoPHLgxk (Released in 2006)
BRT (Demand): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9m3Z0b4cfNE (Released in 2009)

Kreator does the same thing from a Despised Icon song
Despised Icon (Furtive Monologue): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUaAjEB3acg (Released in 2007)
Kreator (Absolute Misanthrophy): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KDFGj0E540 (Released in 2009)

The first riff of Mercyful Fate's Nightmare sounds like the first riff of Deep Purple's Flight of the Rat.

No riff-off thread is complete without mention of the first Sieges Even album. Somewhat ironically it's hard to pick off exact Watchtower-filched moments even though the album is full of ideas and song titles from them, but it's the simpler riffs that are taken more wholesale. Two immediately obvious ones...

Heathen - World's End
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pISTyZ62KPI#t=1m51s
vs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMVQjVG-HoM#t=1m36s
Sieges Even - David

Anthrax - Among the Living
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZ0-Yj52ErQ#t=46s
vs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AloiD3Ae7N8#t=30s
Sieges Even - Apocalyptic Disposition

EDIT: Oh, anyone know what Candlemass song took after this Nasty Savage tune? It's not just the riff but the guitar tone and how the double-bass kind of contrasts with it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zg3EvtJAqn0#t=1m16s

this song is "lil bloodred ridin' hood" by children of bodom... recognise the verse riff?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmYXWWOikdc

always wondered why no one ever mentioned it...

That Welcome to Hell, 2 Midnights to Midnight riff has been stolen by just about everybody. Its been traced back by some to Jimi Hendrix, but I'm sure it goes back a lot further than that. You could make a thread alone discussing what bands and songs have used that riff.

Behemoth - Conquer All
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IF23pH2brak

Anthrax - Be All, End All
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ky20ckAHi_E

Wouldn't say it's a ripoff, but they definitely sound similar.

Baroness - Wailing Wintry Wind (2:20)
vs.
Turbid North - Stormblast (0:21)

Not exactly the same, but maybe a some kind of tribute since Baroness are a big influence on Turbid North, especially that song.

There are many riffs which I hear in multiple songs, but the one that comes to my mind right now is:

The riff at 0:28.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDlkgeoYtfQ

Around 2:25.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=areIRggUxzE

Main riff sounds quite similar.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQFCwyxcw4E

Speaking of Fairies Wear Boots...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2MPjfZ_8vE#t=343s

And then different key, slightly different phrasing....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bg92QpjRcJk#t=81

The verse riff no, but I instantly thought of the chorus to Night's Blood by Dissection (at 1:29) when I heard the chorus to that song (at 0:37).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8c3L0bqUnao

Nile also pays tribute to Thin Lizzy in Smashing the Antiu, where they use a part from Emerald.

Children of Bodom also ripped off the main riff to Dissection's 'Unhallowed' on 'Lil' Bloodred Ridin' Hood'. I wonder how many other Dissection riffs they stole? I've only ever heard one of Bodom's albums. Can't say I was impressed!

How did I survive without this thread?

Isn't every "Depressive black metal" song a rip off of a Burzum riff? HAHAHA. Mind you I'm not saying I don't like DSBM but the similarities and sometimes even the blatant rip offs are staggeringly obvious

Can someone help identify this riff? I swear there is a band that rips this off completely and I can't think who it is.

Oh, here's a real good one:

Suffocation - Infecting the Crypts (at 0:46)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHXKVlD_X1o

Six Feet Under - Zombie Executioner
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5MATfrkizo

Damn, that one was sneaky. They thugged it up so hard it was virtually unrecognizable. Anyway, two ripoffs from the same album in one song, that's quite a feat.


It's so obvious, it's as if he's daring you to see if he gives a shit.

We just had this thread: viewtopic.php?f=1&t=98177