Limo Wreck

Deep Purple

Child in Time1970

"Child in Time" follows the blues-rooted heaviness of Led Zeppelin's "When the Levee Breaks," but Deep Purple pushes toward something more theatrical and organ-driven. Released in 1970, this track features Jon Lord's commanding keyboard work paired with Ritchie Blackmore's piercing guitar and Ian Gillan's soaring vocals—a formula that made Deep Purple one of heavy metal's true pioneers alongside Zeppelin and Black Sabbath. The song's dramatic dynamics and extended instrumental passages influenced the hard rock sound that Aerosmith would refine just six years later on "Back In the Saddle." By 1972, Deep Purple's sheer volume earned them a Guinness World Record for loudest band at London's Rainbow Theatre, cementing their place in rock history. Their catalog would eventually reach over 100 million records sold worldwide.

Black Sabbath

Into the Void - 2014 Remaster1971

"Into the Void" connects Soundgarden's 1994 grunge heaviness back to the source: Black Sabbath's 1971 blueprint for crushing riffs and dark atmospherics. Formed in Birmingham in 1968, Black Sabbath—Tony Iommi, Bill Ward, Geezer Butler, and Ozzy Osbourne—defined heavy metal on *Master of Reality*, the album containing this track. Iommi's downtuned guitar work and the band's wall-of-sound approach directly influenced the sludgy, distortion-heavy sound grunge bands would adopt two decades later. This song sits alongside Led Zeppelin's "When the Levee Breaks" as 1971's definitive statement on sonic weight and dread. Black Sabbath's early albums remain foundational to how metal and hard rock evolved, eventually reshaping rock music entirely.

Led Zeppelin

When the Levee Breaks - Remaster1971

Coming right after Black Sabbath's grinding doom metal, Led Zeppelin's "When the Levee Breaks" shows how the same heavy blues foundation could go in different directions. While Sabbath leaned into horror and distortion, Zeppelin—formed in London in 1968 with Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, and John Bonham—combined blues, rock, and folk into something heavier but more groove-oriented. John Bonham's legendary drum sound drives this track, making it one of the most sampled drum breaks in hip-hop history. The band refused to release singles in the UK, treating albums as complete statements instead. This approach helped them become one of the best-selling artists ever, with an estimated 200 to 300 million records sold worldwide, establishing themselves as the progenitors of hard rock and heavy metal.

Aerosmith

Back In the Saddle1976

Where Deep Purple's organ-driven "Child in Time" pushed hard rock toward orchestral drama, Aerosmith strips it back to pure blues-rock swagger. "Back In the Saddle" marks the Boston band's return to form in 1976—a year when they reclaimed the grit that made their early records stick. Steven Tyler's vocals cut through Joe Perry's raunchy guitar work with the kind of groove that came straight from blues records, not synthesizer banks. Producer Jack Douglas captured them at The Record Plant in New York, letting the rhythm section of Tom Hamilton and Joey Kramer lock in tight around the riff. This track sets up the raw, highway-punk energy that KISS would weaponize two years later on "Detroit Rock City"—both bands proving hard rock didn't need orchestration to hit like a hammer.

KISS

Detroit Rock City1978

Where Aerosmith's blues-based swagger met hard rock excess, KISS took the formula and cranked it into pure spectacle. "Detroit Rock City" from their 1978 album *Dynasty* strips away the mystique—no makeup gimmicks, just a straight-ahead anthem about loving rock and roll. Producer Bob Ezrin pushed the band toward cleaner production and stronger hooks, moving them away from their glam-rock roots toward the accessible hard rock sound that would define the late '70s. Gene Simmons' bass and Ace Frehley's guitar lock into a driving riff while Paul Stanley's vocals soar over arena-sized dynamics. This track bridges the gap between Aerosmith's grounded rock and the more experimental prog-metal influences that follow, proving that stadium rock could be both musically solid and commercially massive.

★ Soundgarden

Limo Wreck1994

This is where the lineage begins. "Limo Wreck" opens the chain leading directly into Black Sabbath's "Into the Void," and the connection is unmistakable — both tracks crawl at a crushing, sludge-heavy tempo that prioritizes weight over speed. Soundgarden were one of the few '90s bands who openly credited Sabbath as a primary influence rather than a passing inspiration. Recorded for the *Superunknown* album and produced by Michael Beinhorn, "Limo Wreck" features Kim Thayil's downtuned guitar work sitting in the same low-end territory Sabbath was mining back in 1971. Matt Cameron's drumming locks into a slow, deliberate groove that gives the track its suffocating feel. Ben Shepherd's bass anchors everything underneath, completing a lineup that understood exactly what made heavy music heavy in the first place.

TOOL

Stinkfist1996

"Stinkfist" builds on the heavy, angular riffs that Cloudkicker would refine years later, but Tool got there first in 1996. The Los Angeles band, formed in 1990, blended progressive rock with brutal metal weight—something the track proves in its stop-start rhythm and layered guitar work by Adam Jones. Drummer Danny Carey and bassist Justin Chancellor lock into grooves that feel both calculated and physical, while Maynard James Keenan's vocals sit somewhere between spoken word and melody. This song set the template that Deftones would use on "My Own Summer" the following year: heavy without losing forward motion, smart without losing bite. David Bottrill's mix keeps every element sharp and separate, making the song feel like controlled chaos.

Deftones

My Own Summer (Shove It)1997

Where TOOL's 1996 "Stinkfist" pushed industrial heaviness into the mainstream, Deftones' "My Own Summer (Shove It)" refined that aggression into something more accessible. Released October 28, 1997, as the lead single from *Around the Fur*, the track was recorded at Studio Litho in Seattle and became one of the band's most recognizable songs, despite never charting in the US—it did hit #29 in the UK and earned serious MTV rotation. Chino Moreno wrote it about the literal irritation of summer sun burning his eyes during long recording sessions and touring. The song's blend of heavy guitars with samples and keyboards set the template that Chevelle would build on five years later with "Send the Pain Below," proving alternative metal could be both crushing and catchy.

System Of A Down

Aerials2001

Released on the 2001 album *Toxicity*, "Aerials" continues the heavy alternative sound that Chevelle's "Send the Pain Below" brought to mainstream rock, but adds System of a Down's signature Armenian-American intensity. Produced by Rick Rubin and engineered by Dave Schiffman, the track blends Serj Tankian's distinctive vocals with orchestral strings arranged by Marc Mann, creating a massive sonic landscape. The song hit number one on Billboard's Alternative Songs chart and earned a Grammy nomination for Best Hard Rock Performance in 2003. What makes "Aerials" stand out is its hybrid approach—metal instrumentation wrapped around almost pop-accessible melodies. The hidden track "Arto," buried after 3:54, became part of System's signature mysterious approach to album construction, helping establish the band's reputation for crafting albums with unexpected depth.

Chevelle

Send the Pain Below2002

"Send the Pain Below" builds on the thick, atmospheric heaviness that Deftones established with "My Own Summer (Shove It)" five years earlier, but Chevelle strips away some of the ethereal textures for pure, grinding force. The Illinois band's second album, *Wonder What's Next*, earned Platinum certification, proving their alternative metal sound had serious commercial legs. Pete Loeffler's vocal delivery sits somewhere between sung and shouted—a technique that feels like the missing link between Deftones' hazy approach and System of a Down's raw intensity, which they'd push forward that same year with "Aerials." Producer Garth Richardson (who'd worked with Rage Against the Machine) and mixer Andy Wallace kept the arrangement lean but punishing, letting the riff do the talking.

Cloudkicker

Seattle2012

Where KISS's 1978 arena rock swagger gave way to grunge's heavier introspection, Cloudkicker's "Seattle" represents the DIY spirit taken to its logical extreme. Released August 2, 2012, on the album *Fade*, this ten-minute instrumental strips away vocals entirely to focus on layered riffs and complex time signatures—the sound of someone building something alone. Ben Sharp, the one-man project from Columbus, Ohio, self-finances and self-produces everything with no record label backing. His 2008 start earned respect fast: Devin Townsend called him "really good stuff" in December 2010, and Thrice's Riley Breckenridge championed his work. "Seattle" bridges the gap toward TOOL's 1996 "Stinkfist"—both tracks use math rock structures and progressive metal's density to explore texture over traditional songwriting, proving heavy music doesn't need a name to hit hard.