WatchMojo published a list of challenging guitar riffs the other day, and I must admit that the list is pretty solid.



10. Fight Fire with Fire by Metallica
9. The Grip Tightens by Revocation
8. Tornado of Souls by Megadeth
7. Raining Blood by Slayer. Sure, the opening riff is iconic, but there's much more to the song than that.
6. Skesis and Shitstorm by Strapping Young Lad. Yes, they included two songs at this slot.
5. Bleed by Meshuggah. Their debut album is decidedly metal, but this song from 2008 is djent.
4. Stream of Consciousness by Dream Theater
3. Mother Man by Atheist
2. Self Bias Resistor by Fear Factory
1. Bite the Pain by Death. The perfect swan song.

Are YouTube lists still a thing? I thought those things died with Matt Santoro, and weren't Black Sabbath still together when that happened?

Yep, pretty decent list for bands who are rather popular, obviously there are some more undergroud shit that's 10x times more complex and technical but still, okay list. Mother Man for #3 is a weird pick tho

I thought it meant "hard" in the other sense of the word, then I saw Dream Theater.

Completely and 100% true!
This is such a bullshite list hahaha.
No mention of the late Alexi Laiho either I mean damn.
I'd even go as far to say the voice of the narrator made it impossible to watch even the first 2 minutes of the filmstrip.

Is SBR by FF really a tough riff to play?

WatchMojo's still around? Geez, I haven't watched these guys in years...

amazingly dead off, hilarious

Isn't Watchmojo infamous for posting tons of really bad top 10s at a fantastical rate?

I expect this to be no different.

Is he defining "Hardest" as in "Most difficult to play?" or simply "Most punishing and effective?"

That was their joke video the real one is number 1 through 8 gazillion and that's smells like teen spirit.

8 Gazillion and one is Walk by Pantera and that's only cuz smells like teen spirit was the number one album when it was written recorded and released

Is djent not metal now?

Ive learned most of these, discounting leads, Mother Man might be the most challenging, Atheist have more difficult songs than that one also. A few bands that have more challenging riffs than the list mentions would be Defeated Sanity, Necrophagist, Deathspell Omega, Between The Buried & Me and Spawn of Possession.