Lots of albums start with a short little track, that can be an instrumental, a spoken word passage, something like that. In other words, not a "real" song. Many of these are pretty much stocking stuffers - just there to pad the length and the album wouldn't suffer at all for deleting it. But surely there must be some that are very worthwhile additions to the music!

I would nominate "The Gathering" from Hypocrisy's album Abducted. The fuzzy tape from the 1980 Rendlesham Forest incident is so creepy, and perfectly anticipates one of my favourite death metal songs "Roswell 47". An honourable mention to fellow Swedes Armauk too. "Intro - Behind Nothing" from Resurrected Memories is very cold and empty, just a really unsettling high-pitched key sound. So what are your favourites of this often-dismissed, sometimes rightfully so, type of song?

P.S. All due respect to Iron Maiden, this thread's not about songs like "The Number of the Beast" that feature a spoken intro before a full metal song erupts. Only examples where the whole song is, well, not a "real" song, if you get my meaning.

easy one: sylvester anfang by mayhem! certainly one of the weirdest intros, yet a fucking classic and sets the mood for deathcrush perfectly.

can't imagine mayhem without that one.

gotta nominate sepultura's "intro" track - it's fairly simple, but fuck me it crushes. apparently they planned on using it as an intro to arise but decided to leave it at the title track instead. so the intro track is basically a b-side, which is almost criminal!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIpI6C7PL1k

My first thought was 'Alsvartr (The Oath)' on Emperor's 'Anthems...' It's a calm start which just builds and builds for four minutes, before exploding into the first track proper: 'Ye Entrancemperium'. Always makes me think that it would be the perfect way to begin a live show.

The best intros, in my opinion, build to the first track proper; while I'm not opposed to certain acoustic or ambient intros, often they seem to be just there in a perfunctory sense. 'Alsvartr' truly captivates the listener, rendering the following track that bit more intense.

The whole beginning of Hail of Bullet's "Of Frost and War". It sounds like black and white WW2 footage.

For the Glory Of... by Testament http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-chc7bfxEM
Terminal by Within the Ruins http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWXBDUNZtx8
Both are delightfully simple and heavy as hell.

My favorite intro track might be Purulent Jacuzzi's off of their album Vanished in the Cosmic Futility. While the rest of the album is really spastic, in-your-face tech-death/slam/goregrind, the intro track is really subtle and atmospheric while still setting a proper mood for the rest of the album. It's quiet, eerie downtempo ambient that sounds like something you'd hear on the soundtrack for some crime drama series - very pleasant, sometimes I listen to the album and just wish it all sounded like this.

There is no better intro than "Black thoughts" by Eminenz...

fairly easy question - to me there are no better intros than these fantastic two:

bombastic, tensed, adventurous, epic and whatnot:

Helloween has a lot of intro tracks over the years. The one I think is indispensable though is Initiation from Keeper 1. It's just the perfect intro to an album, and a build up to I'm Alive. If I'm recommending someone Helloween, I usually use a youtube link of Initiation and I'm Alive together--I refuse to link to I'm Alive without Initiation.

Iron Maiden - The Ides of March, from Killers. Has those same great build up type power chords as Initiation. Then with the epic guitar harmonies, and the solo (I especially love the end of the solo), and then the high pitched guitar harmonies. Just great.

Judas Priest - The Hellion from British Steel. Basically the same thing as The Ides of March, except without the solo.

Candlemass - The Prophecy from Tales of Creation. I really like the narration, but I LOVE that riff, I think it's one of Candlemass' all time best riffs. I'm glad they use it again at the end of the title track, but it's still under utilized.

Count Raven - Intro: Count Raven from Storm Warning. It's pretty long for an intro piece, but that's exactly what it is. The different sounds and dark keyboards make it a great ambient track.

My Dying Bride - Silent Dance from As the Flower Withers. Fantastic keyboards give this piece a really dark and tense atmosphere.

The best intro to me is the one that I always listen to with the track after it. Two that come to mind:

Ensiferum have always done these fairly well, but never better than Ferrum Aeternum from 2004's Iron. Great melodies, very enjoyable tune in its own right, and sets the stage perfectly for the rest of the album.

Basically the perfect buildup of that feeling of metal in the 80s. Vicious Rumors did the same thing with "Replicant" running into "Digital Dictator" where they flowed perfectly together and it just charges up to blow you away.

I like the intro track "Obscurum" from Setherial's 'A Hail to the Faceless Angels' a lot, it's a very apt mood-setter for that type of black metal demo at that time.

I'll add Graveland as Darken always does good intros.

Intro for the Celtic Winter with awesome battle noises.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-AsKrzY7KU4

Blood and Ash (Creed of Iron intro)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMl8K38tAhE

Two picks from me that actually feel like genuine songs and not half arsed 'spooky-noise' filler.

Napalm Death - Weltschmerz - possibly the greatest intro music of all time.
Epic in sound, evil in atmosphere, it totally sets the mood for the onslaught of blistering grind that awaits.
If there ever was a ND album to have it's own unique atmosphere this one certainly makes a strong case.

Strapping Young Lad - Dire - Same as above only slightly stranger with more layers to decipher.
Great build up and release before the madness of Consequences. Quite the haunting monumental anthem.

How come no one named "Chamber of lies" yet ? Glorius way to open a (killer) album :

"Neo Aeon" from Tiamat's The Astral Sleep is excellent. Really mysterious and dark sounding like much of early Tiamat.

The intro to Kathaarian Life Code by Darkthrone, i know its part of the song but its an intro none the less.

I love intros to albums.

My favorite is Into The Lungs Of Hell from Megadeth. Maybe some would say it's an instrumental rather than an intro but this song sets the tone and mood for the rest of the album. Full of aggression and anger.



Also Blitzkrieg's Ragnarok is a favorite of mine:



Crystall Ann from Annihilator:


Intro to Reality from Anthrax:

Asphyx's intro to Embrace The Death:




Do outro's count? Toxik's Think That is awesome. The album also starts with almost the same intro but without the samples:



Man, I could go on forever.

Definitely Genital Grinder:


Also not neccessarily metal, but Carbomb:

Any intro that basically uses "You ask me if I have a God complex? Let me tell you something, I AM GOD." Most notably in Persuader's Twisted Eyes, god that song is amazing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhEmAvZBFUs

Preludium by Castrum Doloris. Den Onde Kysten by Burzum. Probably just those two. Perfect mood/atmosphere etc.

Vile's Terminal Existence, it's from Goodfellas and was like it was almost waiting for a brutal death metal band to come along and use it as a sample.

Annihilator's Crystal Ann, for sure. It was already posted, though, and I can't think any other good ones ATM.

can't make a reply to this thread without mentioning war on bolt thrower's ...for victory

but i'd say my fav is definitely dead cogregation's intro to graves of the archangels... it's five and a half minutes long (longer than only 2 other tracks on the album), but considering the audio, it definitely qualifies, and is a brilliant setup to get the listener in the proper mood for what's to come

It's not just the accoustic guitars and the violins, it's how they kind of tease me and make me wait with bated breath for it to "start." Overall it makes for a good song.

Another that I don't feel the need to post is the first song of Asphyx's Deathhammer. The first time I heard it I told my friend "Wow, this song doesn't waste any time. What's it called again?" That made it pretty funny when he told me it was called Into the Timewaste.

Insomnium always seem to have great intros on their albums. The Gale takes the cake though- progressing from a basic piano tune into something much more powerful, and it sets up Mortal Share perfectly.

How about "Ides of March" by Iron Maiden? Great transition into "Wrathchild" on Killers. One of the first songs i learned on bass as well.

Helstar - Rhapsody in Black

My very first introduction into Helstar. And a very good example in opening what's going to be an already theatrical concept album (well, at least concept half-album). And I love how it seamlessly flows into Baptized in Blood. Just goes to show you don't need Riveria on every song.

Well when I read the thread title my first thought was Painkiller... easily the best album opener I can think of... then I read the opening post haha

Into The Lungs Of Hell from So Far, So Good... So What! ...really cool build up for Set The World Afire...

Also love Leere from Wigrid's Hoffnungstod album, an instrumental opener but I guess more of an actual song in it's own right too...

There are a few that I love

Nokturnal Mortum's Black Moon Overture is amazing. Great melody, beautiful atmosphere

There are a lot of others but I can't think of them right now

Alfa: Genesis / Acherontas, stolen from "The Fountain" movie

Gamma Ray's "Induction" gets me seriously pumped for "Dethrone Tyranny". Used to have it as my ringtone.

Thirding Crystal Ann.

Memorial Arrangements, the intro for The Ten Commandments by Malevolent Creation is also one of my favorites.

Both intros to Haggard's Awakening the Centuries. Not metal in the slightest ofcourse. Rachmaninov Choir is just beautiful and Pestilencia reminds me of old radio play.

.

Death SS' "Awakening Of The Beast" which leads into the awesome The Phoenix Mass from the Do What Thou Wilt album deserves a mention.

And King Diamond's "Funeral" which breaks out wonderfully into "Arrival"! A great start to metal's finest ghost story.

Seconding Funeral, Hellion and Ides of March. All King Diamond intros are good. My faves are propably Midnight on The Puppet Master, and that ghostly intro to "Them".

Basically this, The Curse and The Final March are all three TOP CLASS intros.
The Contract intro on Masquerade is decent, but not as good those others.

Of course, Riding The Storm intro and Blazon Stone intro could have been separate tracks as well, otherwise I could have named one of those.

The Secrets Of Merlin by Grave Digger is another similar great intro!!!!

For me it is either Clay Jackals (Von Goat)



or Exorcism