Riff Of The Week: August All-In Brawl
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Last week we hit up some latter-day Black Sabbath jams, with Black Sabbath taking home the prize. Well done Black Sabbath!
This week we went in for a good ol’ fashioned Free-For-All. And when we go themeless, we always get some weird shit. And sometimes, that shit rules, sometimes that shit is shit, and sometimes that shit is against the rules.
Hans
Besieged – ‘The End’ (Riff @ 0:27)
You say “free for all”, all I hear is Besieged. Picking a riff from this album is like throwing a dart at a map of Pangaea. Randomly skip to any point and you’re bound to hit upon something massive.
a_circling_sol
Deftones – ‘Doomed User’ (Riff @ 0:14)
I wholeheartedly believe that Gore is the Deftones’ best album. It perfectly combines their newer, ambient, floaty sound with their older, scream-your-lungs-out aggression that I fell in love with back in middle school when My Own Summer was blasting out of the radio. It’s one of those albums that I have to listen to start to finish – I find it difficult to listen to just one of the songs. So if you’ll excuse me, I have to start back at Prayers/Triangles.
Brock Samson
Aosoth – ‘A Heart To Judge’ (Riff @ 1:29)
As a man with short hair, this riff makes me yearn to have a greasy rat tail to swing around like a vagrant while sitting in traffic. You know it makes you want to do the same.
Hairy Weasel
Rob Hubbard – ‘Commando’ (Riff @ 0:00)
Since it’s a free for all week, I want to suggest a non-metal riff, namely the ‘Commando Theme’ by Rob Hubbard.
I’ve always felt this would make a great metal riff. Fortunately we have the internet now, so I can prove it. One Aki Järvinen made a metal version of the song.
Positronic Brain
Skeletonwitch – ‘When Paradise Fades’ (Riff @ 0:46)
This riff for some reason reminds me of Kill ’em All/Show No Mercy-ish early thrash. Great song/album from my favorite era of the S’witch.
Crab Nicholson
Hellnation – ‘Not Laughing’ (Riff @ 0:10)
“The perfect PV riff doesn’t exi-”
starts at :10, kicks in for real at :13
Iron Goddess o’ Mercy
Meatjack – “Skin the Sky” (Riff @ 0:23)
This week’s free-for-all sent me sprawling into the archives, and I returned muck-covered and clutching this atrocity. It’s not so much a riff as it is the midnight sounding of the Doomsday Clock.
Rolderathis
Vircolac – ‘Charonic Journey (Stygian Revelation)’ (Riff @ 2:06)
If riffs actually *could* be PESTILENTIAL, this is what they’d sound like. This zombie shamble of a groove sounds like the band imbibed a bit too much sarcophagus juice. Even with the unsettling dissonance of the (nearly off-key) guitars, they manage to incorporate a touch of melody for memorability.
Howard Dean
Alice in Chains – “Stone” (Riff @ 0:11)
If you’re reading this and don’t live in a place with future time like Australia or Europe, it means you’ve had access to Rainier Fog for roughly one day at this point. Feels good, don’t it? I’m still digesting it but wanted to share one of the best riffs from AiC’s last album. There’s nothing fancy here but this one is electric. The main riff from “Stone” is a mid-paced stomper with enough depth to keep you (and your missus, huehuehue) satisfied for days. I’m pretty glad we have bands like this in our world.
Joeblivion
Absu – ‘Amy’ (riff @ 0:00)
How does one define ‘riff’ in the wake of post-structuralism?
ZMapp
Some Weeb Trash – ‘Last Warning’
GRUMP DUMPUS
Huey Lewis And The News – ‘Hip To Be Square’ (Riff @ 1:30)
SINCE EVERYONE IS IN THE MIDST OF GNASHING THEIR FALSE TEETH OVER THE ULTIMATE CONTEST OF LOGO-OLOGY I THOUGHT I WOULD DO YOU THE SOLID THAT MY COLON IS INCAPABLE OF GENERATING AND REMIND Y’ALL KVLT KREW OF SPIKY BOYZ THAT HUEY LEWIS AND THEIR SAX RIFF AT 1:30 HAD IT RIGHT ALL ALONG.
Yarnhawk
Effrontery – ‘Poisonous’ (Riff @ 14:10)
The main riff from this song is a zesty one, the kind that I find myself humming for hours on end and I don’t actually mind.
Also, I’ve been waiting for a chance to submit this riff for a while now, and since I’m using it on a themeless week, guaranteed next week’s theme will be poison related.
Enemy Of The Sun
Portal – “13 Globes” (Riff @ 0:00)
People say that this band doesn’t riff, they just make noise. Those people don’t know shit. This band riffs, and it riffs fucking hard. The best song out of their 2008 masterpiece Outre’, it starts with some dissonant tremolo picking straight out of the Azagthoth school of guitar torture, before delving into a weird atonal lick that would have made The Jesus Lizard proud
Almighty God
Angerot – ‘Under The Calm’ (Riff @ 0:00)
I heard you wanted a filthy riff.
Lacertilian
Imperialist – ‘Splendor Beneath An Ancient Permafrost’ (Riff @ 0:31)
This is just one riff amid a veritable cosmos of killer sci-fi blackness from Imperialist‘s upcoming album. We gave you a sneak peak into the record on Thursday and no matter if you missed it the first time or not, it’s definitely worth a hit.
Next week I wanna hear some of your fave buzzsaw riffs.
Send me some obnoxious HM-2 gear.
Submission details below.
