I know that since is a metal enthusiast forum many people may just go for the deeper cuts as their favourite, but hey sometimes a song is popular for a reason. I can think of a few bands where one of their most popular is my favourite, but here are some where what is possibly their #1 most popular song would rank as mine:

Dream Theater - Pull Me Under: I love the atmosphere of the synths in this song, just gives such an early 90s vibe and makes me feel like I should be playing some PC-Engine CD or Sega Mega-CD games while jamming this
Fear Factory - Replica: I'm not quite sure if this, Linchpin or Cars is their biggest song, but I absolutely adore this banger. Such a classic song with a catchy chorus
Crowbar - Planets Collide: Such a heavy riff! I like many Crowbar songs so it's hard for me to choose a favourite, but this is one of them and I just have to give it a mention

I'd say Linchpin slightly over Replica. I know Dino has referred to it as their most popular song (or most successful, can't remember which) on social media. Either way though, I'd say they're the 'big two', and also their two best songs.

I'd say this is the case for bands in which I'm more of a casual listener. I can't say with 100% certainty that these are their most popular songs, but from the outside looking in, I'd imagine they're top 3 (happy to be told otherwise if I'm wrong)

Kalmah - Heroes to Us
Arch Enemy - Nemesis
In Flames - Only for the Weak
Dimmu Borgir - Mourning Palace

I'm not sure I can think of a band other than artists whom I casually listen to where their most popular song is my favorite. In general the popular ones are that for a reason so they are usually great, but usually not the best. I mean "Hammer Smashed Face" is an amazing song but I would probably say i prefer Meathook Sodomy or Addicted to Vaginal Skin over it.

With that said I didnt realize that those were Fear Factory's most popular songs, I suppose it makes sense given that they are more commercial sounding but my gateway to metal music and i've met others was through Fear Factory and Napalm Death on the Mortal Kombat soundtrack, so when I think Fear Factory "Zero Signal" is easily the song i think of first, although i'd argue the title track "Demanufacture" or "Crash Test" to be their best track.

This one without doubt. Miles above the rest of their songs.

Here are some of mine, which maybe not be THE most popular song, but are still consistently in the top 3 songs, as rated by fans, whenever there is a poll, anywhere.


Megadeth - Hangar 18
Slayer - South of Heaven
Accept - Metal Heart
Testament - Over the Wall
Jag Panzer - Licensed to Kill
Queenryche - Revolution Calling

And if you allow me to list a few non-metal bands:
Van Halen - Runnin with the Devil
Pink Floyd - Shine on you Crazy Diamond
Depeche Mode - Never let me down again

Leviathan - Fucking Your Ghost in Chains of Ice
Burzum - Dunkelheit
Dismember - Override the Overture
Cannibal Corpse - Hammer Smashed Face (fucking CLASSIC)
Bloodbath - Eaten
Vital Remains - Dechristianize

That south of heaven riff is just incredible! My most favorite album from slayer! While im not a huge megadeth fan, tornado of souls is a masterpiece! Same for for whom the bells toll from metallica! But technically it would be more interesting to hear from people why they dont like fan favorites from bands that they truly like. Where are my partners in crime that skip seek and destroy, ace of spades
or angel of death?
Back on topic: Annihilator - alison hell.
Death - evil dead.
Savatage - the price you pay (maybe not a fan classic per se, but the whole album is pretty much THE savatage album).
Exodus - leason in violence
Destruction - bestial invasion.
Gorefest - get a life.

Judas Priest. Like, come on, "Painkiller" just fuckin' rips, dude.

Megadeth - Holy Wars. An absolute riff clinic.

Oh yeah, Override of the Overture and Left Hand Path are two great examples as well. Torn Apart is also my favourite Carnage song.

Rainbow - Stargazer
Skálmöld - Kvaðning
Candlemass - Solitude
Satyricon - Mother North
Windir - Journey to the End
Sunn O))) - It Took the Night to Believe
Dissection - Night's Blood

Huh I really can't think of any. I was gonna include this





But then I realized I like Youthanasia better. Same with Painkiller because Metal Meltdown smoked that song.

Sepultura - Arise

It. Just. Slays!

I'd have had Roots Bloody Roots down as Sepultura's most popular. And Breaking the Law for Priest, and Dreaming in Red for Dismember.

I'm probably being too stringent and pedantic though (and I wasn't doing that when I made my own post).

Not having Night's Blood as Dissection's most popular song.

What are we going with as Metallica's most popular song? Enter Sandman or Master of Puppets?

I'd say Enter Sandman.

i'd say about tied with enter sandman and nothing else matters, followed by puppets

also, what's with the south of heaven mention up there? in what world is raining blood not slayer's most popular song?

the shouts of don't fear the reaper and mother north i can definitely get behind - pretty hard to think of examples as clear as those... apart from freezing moon of course! and probably i am the wargod

Anaal Nathrakh - Forward!

It's my favorite of theirs too in some moods, but I can't agree that it's miles above the rest of their songs. They have way too many great ones. Then Came the Last Days of May, Wings Wetted Down, Astronomy, half of Fire of Unknown Origin, The Siege and Investiture of Baron von Frankenstein's Castle at Weisseria, etc.

My pick is Ace of Spades. A more badass song has never been written.

Oh, yeah, Holy Wars too of course.

Megadeth’s most commercially popular song has to be “Symphony of Destruction,” no?

Peace Sells, not my favorite but was my introduction to Megadeth and I believe was their first video.

Summa y'all're straight whackity with pegging most popular. There is no universe where South of Heaven is more well known than Raining Blood, or Arise over Roots Bloody Roots, or Painkiller over Breaking the Law/You've Got Another Thing Coming, or Holy Wars over Symphony of Destruction/Peace Sells (without getting all giganerd and looking up stats I'm not sure which one of those is bigger since Peace Sells had a huge second life when it was featured in GTA Vice City). They're all popular songs but if you asked any rando on the street to name a Slayer song, they're going to tell you to take a shower say Raining Blood.

I couldn't think of any off the top of my head but some excellent answers that have been mentioned so far are Stargazer and Mother North. Ace of Spades is *suuuuper* close for me but I think it loses out ever so slightly to Born to Raise Hell for me.

I'd say "Seasons in the Abyss" can be considered the most recognized Slayer song. Of course, I'd definitely say you can make a case for "Angel of Death" and "Raining Blood", but I think "Seasons in the Abyss" having a music video would elevate it slightly over the other two.

Popularity when it comes to this kind of music is a little bit harder to define, especially if it's extreme metal. Having a music video doesn't necessarily make it automatically popular. I will take my Sunn O))) pick as an example. I was introduced to the band through that song, someone sent me that when I asked what was Sunn O))), and while that was my personal experience, throughout the years I noticed that it's pretty much their most famous song, probably due to the iconic riff. The likelihood of you coming across it first is high, and it leaves a lasting impression. But it's not only due to it usually being the first song if you just search the band name on Google or YouTube. If someone decides to play a snippet of any song by the band just as a demonstration of their sound, it's likely this song will be it. Little things like that make a huge difference.

For Slayer, I'd say it's easily either Angel of Death or Raining Blood. A lot of what I mentioned before applies here too, both songs have really iconic intros that leave a lasting impression, the riffs are really memorable and both songs are usually the ones used to demonstrate what Slayer sounds like to a newbie, they show up in lists by these metal magazines and sites all the time, they're very well beloved by fans, etc. Sure, Seasons in the Abyss is also a beloved song, but it doesn't show up as prominently as the Angel of Death and Raining Blood. I mean, Angel of Death is in Gremlins 2 of all movies, and I don't know if anyone involved in the movie was a metal fan, but it just goes to show to what extent popularity can be measured. It tends to get to a state where not only will it be the first or one of the first songs you will hear from a particular band, but it also becomes a song that pretty much "everyone knows", even non-fans. Take Freezing Moon for an example, it's the most well known song by Mayhem, for many people it's the only Mayhem song they know, even if they don't like the band they know it.

3 Inches of Blood - 'Deadly Sinners'

Grim Reaper - 'See You In Hell'

I'm a little surprised that Electric Wizard's Funeralopolis hasn't been mentioned. It's probably the most obvious example of this I can think of.

I actually prefer Vinum Sabbathi personally.

One way to determine a band's most popular song is to look them up on Last.fm and then set the top tracks chart to 'all time' to see which were listened to the most over a longer period of time.

Raven - Mind Over Metal and W.A.S.P. - Wild Child are two faves of mine that are either the band's most listened or at least close to it. Paralex - White Lightning is an easy but obscure one given only the band's EP gets many listeners. Eternal Decision - Hunger is also rather unchallenged in that band's catalogue with 2.5× as many listeners as the next song.

What's Reverend Bizarre's most popular song? My personal favorite is In the Rectory.

I agree with most of these choices, but I thought Dissection's most popular song was "Where Dead Angels Lie."

Rainbow's best song is absolutely Stargazer, but I don't know which world it is their most well known in? "Since You've Been Gone" was a legit huge hit for them. Over 125 million plays on Spotify vs. 37 million for Stargazer.

I think "Elimination" is my favourite Overkill song.

Also, as far as the Dio era is concerned, I'm pretty sure Man on the Silver Mountain is their most popular.

In that case, I cannot say Metallica makes this list for me.

Darkthrone - "Transylvanian Hunger"
Bloodbath - "Eaten"

I've been thinking about this but I can't come up with even one example where the most popular track is also my favorite.

It certainly has to be Doom Over the World.

And second would be Nothing Else Matters. Master Of Puppets was PROBABLY fourth, behind One, until the Stranger Things blow-up.

I'm the weirdo who thinks their best song is "Starstruck."

At least the name's similar!

For Edge of Sanity, I don't know if Black Tears or Crimson would be considered their most popular song, but I adore both of them either way.