Speed Metal Songwriting Advice

You want riffs that punch the skull and choruses that sing above a wall of blast beats. You want songs that feel like a sprint but still land a melody in the brain. Speed metal is the part of metal that will make your neighbors suspicious and your listeners nod like they have somewhere very aggressive to be. This guide gives you the practical craft, the dumb little hacks that actually work, and the exercises that turn sloppy fast playing into controlled chaos.

Everything here is written for musicians who want to write speed metal that sounds like it has purpose. You will find riff building methods, tempo and groove sense, drum patterns, vocal approaches, gear and production tips, arrangement templates, lyric strategies, and finish checklists that stop songs from collapsing into noise. I will explain every acronym and term so you never have to pretend you know what BPM means at band practice. Bring earplugs and a notebook.

What Is Speed Metal

Speed metal is a branch of heavy metal that emphasizes velocity and precision. It borrows from early British metal and from thrash music but often keeps more melodic vocal lines and cleaner production than thrash. Think fast riffs, quick drums, and melodic hooks that land despite all the motion. If metal were a vehicle, speed metal would be the motorcycle that makes heads turn and alarms go off.

Key traits of speed metal

• High tempo measured in BPM which means beats per minute. A higher BPM equals faster music.
• Sharper riffing with a focus on palm muting, tremolo picking, and gallop like rhythms.
• Drums that push energy using double bass work and frequent fills.
• Melodic vocals often clean and high pitched but sometimes with grit or harsh edge.
• Compact arrangements that avoid long meandering sections and focus on momentum.

Core Songwriting Mindset

Speed metal songs work when every instrument has a purpose. Replace the idea that everything should be loud with the idea that everything should be clear. Clarity wins. A riff is great when it is memorable. A drum part is useful when it creates tension and release. A vocal line matters when it contrasts the frenzy below it.

Write songs like you are telling a short, angry story. The story must have a protagonist, a conflict, and a payoff. Do not waste time on scenes that do not move the plot forward. Your job is to design moments that the listener can repeat in the shower, in the car, or during a workout. Keep the hook simple enough to repeat. Keep the groove tight enough to mosh to.

Tempo Choices and BPM Guide

Tempo defines the feel of a speed metal song in the way a speed limit defines how a road feels. Here is a practical BPM map with examples and why each range matters.

• 160 to 180 BPM feels brisk and controlled. It is fast enough to feel urgent and slow enough to let a melody breathe. Use if you want clean vocals to land without sounding like vocal gymnastics.
• 180 to 210 BPM is the classic speed metal range. Riffs drive and drums demand attention. You will need strong alternate picking and accurate palm muting.
• 210 to 240 BPM pushes into near thrash intensity. Note clarity matters. Keep passages short and use rests to let hits land.
• 240 BPM and above is extreme speed. Use it for short bursts or special sections. Long songs at this tempo become endurance tests for listeners and players.

Pick a BPM that suits the vocal approach. If you want soaring clean vocals, choose the lower end of the range. If you want a wall of noise with shouted lyrics, choose the higher end. Use a tempo that your drummer and guitarists can actually play tight at practice. Speed is a show, not a stunt.

Riff Craft: How to Build a Speed Metal Riff

Riffs are the DNA of speed metal. A great riff combines rhythmic clarity, melodic sense, and texture. Here is a simple workflow you can use every time you sit down to write.

1. Start with a rhythm idea. Tap a two bar rhythm on the table. Count in four and feel where the hits are. Does the rhythm pull forward or push back? Write that rhythm as your grid.
2. Pick a tonal center. Choose one root note or power chord and repeat the rhythm while changing a single pitch on the last beat to create movement.
3. Layer palm muting and open string hits. Use palm muting to create a staccato attack. Add open string ringing notes for contrast. The interplay is what creates pulse.
4. Add a lead hook. Improvise a short melodic line that lives above the riff. Keep it repeatable and singable. If you can hum it after one listen, it is working.
5. Introduce a small modulation. Change the riff for four bars to a different interval or a shifted pattern. This creates tension and prevents fatigue.

Example riff recipe in words

• Play a palm muted eighth note chug on the root for one bar.
• On the second bar, play the same chug but jump the last two eighth notes up a minor third.
• Repeat. Add a ringing open fifth on the downbeat of every fourth bar.

Avoid writing a riff that never changes. Repetition is powerful but repetition without movement becomes background noise. Give the ear a small surprise every eight bars.

Tremolo Picking and Alternate Picking Practice

Tremolo picking means picking the same note rapidly with alternate picking which is down up down up motion. Practice with a metronome and small increments. Start slow enough to keep all notes even. Increase metronome by a tiny amount when you can play four bars clean. This is how you build reliable speed without shredding strings in panic.

Practice plan

• Set metronome to a tempo where you can play 16th notes clean for two minutes.
• Play four bars. Rest five seconds. Repeat 10 times.
• Increase tempo by 3 BPM. Repeat until the pattern breaks. When it breaks, drop back two BPM and repeat daily.

Drum Patterns That Drive Speed Metal

Drums are the engine. In speed metal you need consistency from the kick which is the bass drum. Double bass means using either two bass drum pedals or one pedal with the drummer alternating feet quickly. The goal is power without replacing groove with sloppy speed.

Drum fundamentals to master

• Four on the floor kick variations for gallop patterns. Gallop rhythm is one eighth note followed by two sixteenth notes. It feels like one two and.
• Blast beats which are fast alternating hits between snare and kick while the cymbal plays steady. There are sub styles of blast beat. Start with short bursts and use them as punctuation.
• Fast but clean fills that move the song rather than show off. A busy fill is only useful if it lands the next riff.

Practice with a gate on the snare if your room cannot handle volume. A gate is a studio tool that removes unwanted noise below a threshold. We will talk about it in the production section. For now focus on consistency. Count every bar out loud until muscle memory takes over.

Drum and Guitar Lock

Rehearse riffs with a click track every practice. A click track is a metronome inside a digital audio workstation which is software for recording music often called DAW. DAW means digital audio workstation. Use a click first. Then turn it off and see if you still land the downbeats together. If not, keep the click. Tightness matters more than cool feels when speeds get silly.

Vocals and Melody in Speed Metal

Vocals in speed metal can be melodic and piercing. Think high range with sustain and brightness. The vocal has to cut through a dense arrangement without shouting constantly. Use contrast. When guitars are thick and drums are busy, a simple sustained vowel on the chorus line can slice through the mix.

Vocal techniques and safety

• Warm up. Do simple sirens and lip rolls. Vocal fatigue is real. You ruin your voice by pushing too hard.
• Placement. Aim for forward placement which feels like the sound is near the front teeth. This improves clarity and reduces strain.
• Mix of clean and grit. Use clean singing for hooks and controlled grit for verses or shouts. If you use harsh vocals learn safe techniques from a coach.

Prosody and phrasing

Make sure stressed words in your lyrics fall on strong beats of the bar. If your title phrase keeps landing on weak beats the chorus will feel limp no matter how high you sing. Speak your lines out loud while tapping the beat. Align stress points with downbeats. That is prosody which means the way words move rhythmically within the music. Prosody is not glamorous but it makes songs hit.

Lyrics for Speed Metal

Speed metal lyrics often match the music energy. Themes include rebellion, speed, mythology, warfare, inner conflict, and sci fi. But do not write the same generic fantasy line everyone is tired of. Use details that feel cinematic without being vague.

Real life lyric examples and approach

• Instead of saying I am angry say The steering wheel melts under my hands at sixty six and the radio laughs.
• Instead of a vague battle line say I plant my boots in the gravel and count the sparks under the tank treads.
• Use time crumbs like midnight, dawn, last stop. They ground the lyric.

Hook writing

Write your chorus title as a one line sentence that a crowd can remember and shout. Keep it short and use strong vowels for big notes. Vowels like ah and oh ring better on high notes. Repeat the title line once or twice and then give a final line that adds consequence like Now there is no way back or They hand me the map to nowhere.

Arrangement Templates You Can Steal

Speed metal songs do not need to be labyrinths. They need shape. Here are two arrangement maps that work and explain why each part exists.

Template A: Classic Speed Attack

• Intro riff for identity and momentum
• Verse with rhythmic riffing and short vocal lines
• Pre chorus that tightens rhythm and hints the chorus melody
• Chorus with a memorable title and longer sustained notes
• Verse two that varies the riff or adds a countermelody
• Solo over a repeated riff or chord sequence
• Final chorus with added harmony or doubled vocals
• Outro that returns to intro motif and ends on a hit

Template B: Machine Gun Attack

• Cold open with blast beat and short riff
• Verse with narrow melodic range and shouted lines
• Chorus that opens up into a big melodic hook
• Bridge with tempo drop for contrast and heavy palm muted groove
• Riff return with a layered lead harmony
• Quick solo and final repeated chorus

Use tempo drops sparingly. A sudden slowdown can feel like hitting the brake in a race. Use it to create payoff not to show you can write complicated forms.

Solos That Serve the Song

Solos in speed metal are often fast and technical but they should also sing. Think of each solo as a conversation. Start with a clear motif. Repeat it. Then expand the motif with runs, string skipping, and arpeggios. End by restating the motif or by landing on a note that resolves into the next riff.

Solos practice plan

• Create a two bar motif that you can play cleanly at target tempo.
• Repeat that motif with small variations for four bars.
• Add one technical feature like sweep picking or economy picking for eight bars.
• Finish by repeating the motif more slowly to ground the listener before the next section.

Tone: Guitars and Amps

Tone is part gear and part touch. Speed metal needs tight low end and a bright top to cut through drums. Too much low end equals mud. Too much top equals shrill squeal. Balance is the secret.

Practical guitar tone tips

• Pickups. Use humbucking pickups for thicker sound and less noise. Single coil pickups can work if you tighten the amp and use noise control.
• EQ. EQ means equalizer which is a tool to boost or cut frequencies. Cut some low mids around 250 to 400 Hz if your tone feels muddy. Boost presence around 2 to 5 kHz for attack.
• Gain. Use moderate gain. Too much saturation kills note definition. Think clarity more than sheer distortion.
• Compression. A mild compressor on guitar keeps palm muted notes even. Do not squash the dynamics completely.

Use a noise gate when playing tremolo picked passages to avoid string noise between notes. A noise gate closes the signal when it falls below a threshold. It helps keep the mix clean when you play incredibly fast.

Bass Role in Speed Metal

Bass should lock with the kick drum and add weight without stealing clarity. Play with a pick if you want more attack. Finger attack gives roundness. Use small fills to mirror the guitar when needed but avoid busy bass lines that fight the rhythm guitar.

Bass EQ tip

Boost around 60 to 100 Hz for sub presence and cut 250 to 400 Hz to prevent masking. Add a slight boost around 1 to 2 kHz if the bass needs to cut through for a solo.

Production Tricks for Speed Metal

Good production makes the difference between a rehearsal room roar and a recorded assault. You do not need a six figure studio. You need smart choices.

• Click and edit. Record with a click. Comping is your friend which means choosing the best parts of many takes and assembling them together. Keep takes musical rather than robotic.
• Drum room. Use a tight close mic for attack and a distant mic for ambience. Blend both so you have punch and space.
• Guitar layering. Record at least two rhythm guitar takes panned left and right. This creates width. Add a third take center for extra weight if the track needs it.
• Vocal doubling and harmony. Double the chorus vocal with a second take and pan slightly. Add third harmony on high notes if the singer can hit them without strain.
• Automation. Automate volume and EQ so critical lines like the chorus title sit above the arrangement without pushing everything else down.
• Mastering. Aim for loudness but retain dynamics. Over compressing for loudness makes everything sound flat. A professional mastering engineer helps but a good limiter and measured EQ can take you far.

Common Speed Metal Songwriting Mistakes and Fixes

Here are mistakes I see all the time and how to fix them in practice.

• Too many ideas. Your listener can only memorize one riff at a time. Pick one central motif per section and let other ideas orbit it.
• Overlong solos. If a solo does not add a narrative to the song cut it. Keep solos to a point where the listener still remembers the chorus.
• Riff without melody. If your guitar parts are interesting but the chorus is not singable, add a simple melodic line over the chorus. Make it repeat.
• Drums ahead or behind. Use a click and record drums first when possible. If drums are recorded after guitars, lock to a scratch rhythm guitar track. Tightness matters more than swing.
• Mix mud. If the low mids are a mess, do surgical cuts with EQ before boosting anything. Removing frequencies often solves clarity problems faster than adding gain.

Exercises to Write Faster and Better

Speed metal songwriting is a craft you can train. These exercises are designed to build usable material quickly.

Riff Sprint

1. Set a timer for 15 minutes.
2. Pick a BPM in the target range.
3. Write a riff that repeats every two bars. Do not overthink. Capture the best 30 seconds.
4. Repeat four times to create verse idea, pre chorus, chorus and bridge seed.

Melody in Tiny Steps

1. Hum a melody over the chorus riff on vowels only for two minutes.
2. Mark the best phrase and try to fit one simple sentence to it.
3. Repeat until the sentence feels natural to sing with the riff at tempo.

Drum Lock

1. Play the riff with a metronome and clap the groove for four bars.
2. Ask your drummer to play the riff at half tempo using simple kicks and snares. Then double it to the real tempo. This helps internalize where the accents are.

Real Life Scenarios and How to Apply These Tips

Scenario one: Your riff is great but nobody can sing the chorus live

Fix it by simplifying the chorus melody and shifting the highest sustained note down a minor third. Test in a rehearsal room with headphones off. If people can sing it in the third practice without sheet music you are good.

Scenario two: The drums sound sloppy on the recording

Fix it by reamping the drum triggers or using a sample replacement for the kick. Triggering means converting a drum mic hit into a clean digital sample. It keeps the human feel while fixing inconsistent hits. Do not replace everything with samples. Blend for natural drum feel.

Scenario three: Guitar tone is muddy at high tempo

Fix it by cutting weak low mids around 300 Hz and tightening attack around 2 kHz. Reduce the reverb on rhythm guitars. Add a little high end shimmer with a presence boost to help pick attack cut through the cymbals.

Finish Checklist Before You Call It Done

1. Can someone hum the chorus after one listen? If not, simplify.
2. Do the drums and guitars lock on the downbeat at the bar change? Fix timing if not.
3. Does the solo feel like a story. If it exists only to show speed, trim it.
4. Are the vocals free from strain on key chorus notes? If not, transpose the song or change the melody.
5. Does the mix preserve attack and clarity? If the chorus disappears under the cymbals, automate or EQ to let the hook breathe.

Practical Tools and Terms Explained

• BPM means beats per minute. It is how you set tempo in a DAW which is the software you use to record like Pro Tools Logic or Reaper.
• DAW means digital audio workstation. It is the program you use to record, edit and mix music.
• EQ means equalizer. It changes the balance of frequencies in a sound. Think of it as sculpting sonic shape.
• Gate is a tool that silences noise below a set volume. It keeps fast riffing clean by muting string squeaks between notes.
• Comping is combining the best parts of multiple takes into one performance. It is not cheating it is craftsmanship.

Examples You Can Model

Example one title idea

Title: Engine Of Ash

Verse snippet: Midnight burns through the visor. Teeth of light tear the black. I count the miles like a prayer.

Pre chorus snippet: Hands steady. Heart tuned to the machine. The road hums my name.

Chorus: Engine of ash take me higher. Sing me to the end of the line. I go faster for the fever and the light.

Example two title idea

Title: Rust And Thunder

Verse snippet: Broken rails in my pocket and a map that forgets. My boots tap code on the iron.

Chorus: Rust and thunder underfoot. We ride where the metal remembers. No mercy for the quiet ones.

Frequently Asked Questions

What tempo should a speed metal song be

Most speed metal songs sit between 180 and 220 BPM. Pick a tempo that fits the vocalist and the drummer. If everyone is struggling to stay together at a tempo, you lose the energy. Tightness beats raw speed every time.

Do I need expensive gear to play speed metal

No. Tone is part gear and part technique. A decent guitar with humbucker pickups, a mid level amp or a modern amp modeler, and solid strings will do. Spend on playing time first. Better technique makes cheap gear sound good. Upgrade later when you know what you actually need.

How do I keep riffs interesting without adding too many notes

Use dynamics and timing changes. A single rest or a delayed note can make a repeated pattern feel new. Add a small melodic counterpoint or change the bass note under the same shape. Variation in texture is as powerful as variation in notes.

Is double bass necessary for speed metal

It helps. Double bass drums or double pedal technique gives the drive that speed metal uses. However the musical choice matters. Use double bass to support the riff not to fill every moment. Smart use of space makes the heavy parts heavier.

How should I rehearse fast songs with my band

Rehearse with a click track and work in small sections. Repeat four bar loops until everyone locks. Record rehearsals so you can hear timing problems. Keep practice focused on transitions and the first chorus. If you nail the beginning the rest is momentum.