A couple that spring to mind:
Pantera's Message in Blood and Mouth For War have some similarities to Death Angel's Voracious Souls and Ultraviolence, repsectively.

The fret positions have nothing to do with it per-say, it's the key they're in. That's why it doesn't make sense to transcribe them to both start with the same note. Just because a riff starts with a note doesn't mean that that's the key it's in. Once again, assuming that both were played on a guitar in E standard, the Hexen riff would start on B, but be in the key of E. Carcass would be playing a riff starting on A, but the key is still A. The actual fret doesn't matter, it's just that you can tell this based on how they play it, it's easier for me to explain it that way.

The fact that they're in a different key even if made to start with the same chord was pretty much just to elaborate my original point: that they're different.

E A F D*

You are right, but if we are going to be technical and theoretically correct, Chaos Aggressor transposed to E would make the chord progression B E C A.
The keys for CA is Eb, and Heartwork is E.
I don't hear the similarities, btw. What makes Heartwork characteristic is the tri-tone jump from C to F#. No tri-tone in CA.

Katatonia - Velvet Thorns - http://youtu.be/VugZoIfkYos?t=6m25s - 6:25

Judas Priest - Fever http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KaZ1VSdnYI - 0:00 opening riff

the butt end of each riff end differently but they're really similar just different in mood/tone and tuning. Katatonia I'd put money on being influenced by Priest so it probably came out without them realizing it. Maybe it was conscious...some bands consciously will rip off a riff or two... Arch Enemy's intro lick to the ending bit of "Bridge of Destiny" is ripped off from a UFO song I forget the name ... and Akerfeldt takes stuff here and there he admits, not just from Camel but other older bands.



And for some additional fun ... checkout Darkest Hour, August Burns Red, Bleeding Through, early Areyu, Unearth for ripping off the ever eternally adjustable At the Gates dm riff. but everyone knows that

Word.

Here are some more examples: viewtopic.php?f=1&t=98260

I guess that most of you won't like this kind of alternative stuff, but is worth checking it out just to see how evident is that one is copied form the other,just listen the riff that both songs begin with:
Disturbed-Mistress (Released in 2002): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQ5Y9LOmx38
HIM-The Kiss Of Dawn (Released in 2007): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flOj6BLG3II

Let's try to keep it strictly metal. I doubt many people here care about that one.



Wow. Can't believe I never thought of those.



WOW. That one is fucking blatant. It is a rather typical metal riff though.

You can't own chord progressions, musical notes, words, or letters. Is it embarressing for someone to write the same thing as someone else with even knowing it? Probably! Is it suprising that human beings have similar ideas? No! There isn't a single 100% original band because bands are comprised of humans and humans create their ideas from the compiling of life expierences which come from mostly interaction with other humans. Hence everyone is ripping off everyone they ever met without even knowing it.

I didn't know that only metal songs were allowed, I thought tha the objective of the thread was just to see copied/stolen riffs,choruses,etc. no matter what was the genre (though being this a metal forum was evident that most of the things posted would be metal).I'm sorry if I've broken a rule of the thread or of the forum,it was not my intention.


I have thought about this as well,I've always thought that I were the composer in a band I'd probably copy some riff or melody without being aware of it.But know think about what would think the person whose riff,melody,chorus or whatever has being copied, is not very nice to see another person taking the merit from what you've done.So I just think that you have to be very sure of it before saying "officially" that you are the author of something.

Just thought I'd bump this thread with this little revelation.

Iron Maiden - Sea of Madness (opening riff)

Pantera - Domination (opening riff)

Even the drumming is similar.

Hate- Sadness Will Last Forever
Watain- Underneath the Cenotaph

Only the rhythm and accents are similar. The Pantera riff is just the first phrase of the maiden riff with a groovy ending, whereas the Maiden riff descends from the root note downwards and has a different ending. Because of these things, the feeling that those riffs convey is completely different. Not really relevant that the drumming is similar, since it's a simple beat that complements the riff's rhythm nicely.

Check out Frostmoon - Vikingmakt and Horna - A Ring To Rule. Also somewhat similar to Gorgoroth - Profetens Åbenbaring.

Rush - YYZ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXH-DyjsBd0&t=0m8s

Kreator - World Anarchy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9gh3Jm7380&t=3m4s