Riff Of The Week: Driving Edition
*inhales 4.2m³ of exhaust*
Last week we held our Half-Yearly Giveaway Edition, featuring your fave riffs released in 2018 so far.
Some strong contenders threw down, including an old fashioned MK mirror match featuring Tomb Mold‘s instant-hit ‘Abysswalker’. However, in the end it was a showdown between everyone’s favourite wizard-wed doomy boys in Khemmis and the Cthulhu-courting Canucks in Chthe’ilist. The final result came down to just a 0.83% difference, with weird death prevailing over weed breath. My affinity for both (and just being generally pleased with victory) means I’ll extend my offer and get the artist formerly known as The Granulating Dark Satanic Milfs an album for being a consistent RotW competitor throughout the year.
This week I asked for riffs fitting the theme of Driving. Pretty ambiguous submission guidelines and it shows in the variety of entries this week. Spend the next 38 minutes looking for your fucking keys to take the 5 minute drive down Riff Rd.
GoatForest
Acid King – “Drive Fast, Take Chances” (Riff @ 0:49)
Despite its name, this track is straight doom goodness. It may not be driving, (damn you puns!) but it is still absolutely crushing. Listen, and see why Acid King are the originators of some of the best damn doom riffs ever made.
tigeraid
The Tragically Hip – ‘Locked In The Trunk Of A Car’ (Riff @ 1:07)
There are some obvious go-tos for this riff, your Turbo Lover, your Paranoid, your Black Sunshine… But sometimes a good ol’ fashioned Canadian Rock icon is all that will do. Riff starts at 1:07.
Quailballs!?
Racer X – ‘Godzilla’ (Riff @ 0:26)
Ever since I was a wee lad I have been a massive fan of Godzilla (and in general giant stuff fighting other giant stuff). I also have fond memories of watching reruns of Speed Racer with my dad, which helped foster a lifelong love of auto racing. A match made in heaven then when in college I stumbled upon Racer X’s cover of Blue Oyster Cult’s classic “Godzilla”, featuring an already fantastic riff given a high octane makeover courtesy of Paul Gilbert’s guitar (0:26) and later Jeff Martin’s corny but wonderful screams (0:42). Hope you guys dig it as much as I do, enjoy.
Iron Goddess of Mercy
Clutch – “Spacegrass” (Riff @ 1:30)
Cars are the worst: they are indefensible shells of selfishness, Western Individualism, and climate disaster. Here’s the second-best song about smoking weed ever written with one of the most iconic stoner riffs of all time. It also involves cars.
Hans
Speedwolf – ‘Ride With Death’ (Riff @ 0:00)
This riff fuxx (as many on this album are wont to do).
Lacertilian
Jupiter – ‘Stonetrooper’ (Riff @ 2:44)
After the cruisy intro rolls into town, psychedelic proto-metallers Jupiter tromp the throttle and blast-off into Riffsville, population: mad dogs.
Next week we’re going 20 years into the past and asking for your fave riffs from 1998.
Submission details below.
