Metal Songwriting Advice

Want riffs that punch through skulls and lyrics that make people nod like they are trying to agree with a philosophical worm? You are in the right place. This guide covers riff writing, rhythm, structure, vocal approaches, lyrical strategies, arranging for heaviness, and production tips that translate bedroom sketches into stage weapons. Everything here is written for millennial and Gen Z artists who want results fast. Expect blunt examples, weird metaphors, and a few jokes you will actually remember between riffs.

We explain every term and acronym so you never feel dumb at band practice. We include real life scenarios so learning is less theory and more survival tactic. You will leave with ready to use exercises, workflow checklists, and a roadmap to finish songs that sound heavy and smart.

What Makes Metal Work

Metal is not only about loudness. Metal is about committed gestures. A small detail played with authority sounds massive. The core pillars are:

• A strong riff that creates identity. If the riff works in a taxi with the windows down, you are close.
• Rhythmic conviction where drums and guitar lock into grooves that feel relentless.
• Textural contrast so heavy parts hit like a truck and quieter parts make the truck sound heavier after the quiet.
• Clear arrangement with sections that escalate tension and offer payoff.
• Identity in tone so your band sounds like itself and not a cheap amp modeler.

Start with a Riff That Means Something

A riff is a short repeated musical idea. In metal it often carries the core mood. Riffs can be rhythmic, melodic, or both. If your riff does not make you grin like an idiot the first time you play it, keep writing. A good riff has shape, groove, and a small surprise.

Riff Ingredients

• Rhythmic hook where silence is as important as notes.
• Contour meaning a memorable melodic direction even in distorted power chord land.
• Intervallic identity like a tritone drop or a chromatic crawl that signals danger.
• Repeatability so the listener can hum it after one listen.

Real life scenario: You are on the subway and you hum your sketch to a stranger who is wearing a Slayer shirt. They nod. That riff has passed the smell test.

Riff Writing Exercises

1. The Two Chord Trap. Pick two chords or power chords. Limit yourself to them for five minutes. Force motion through rhythm and accents only.
2. Chromatic Crawl. Write a four bar riff that moves chromatically by one fret each beat for two bars then drops to a simple open power chord for two bars. That contrast creates tension and release.
3. Ghost Note Groove. Play a palm muted pattern with ghost notes on the upbeats. Layer a second guitar with a simple melody on top. Record both and listen at low volume. If it breathes, keep it.

Rhythm and Groove: The Machine Under the Riff

Metal relies on a tight rhythm section. The drummer and guitarist must feel like they share a single brain for the riff to land. That means locking tempos, accents, and rests. Learn to think in beats and subdivisions rather than in notes alone.

Tempo and BPM

BPM stands for beats per minute. If you write a death metal storm you might sit between one hundred and eighty BPM and two hundred and forty BPM. If you write doom metal you might sit between fifty BPM and seventy BPM. Faster is not always heavier. A slow riff played with weight can feel huge. Choose tempo to serve the emotion.

Real life scenario: You want the song to feel like someone dragging a safe through molasses. Pick slow tempo. If you want the song to feel like being chased by a mosh pit with a jet engine, pick fast tempo.

Subdivision and Feel

Think in subdivisions like eighth notes, sixteenth notes, and triplets. A palm muted sixteenth pattern creates gallop feel when paired with double bass on the drums. Triplet subdivision creates a rolling feel that works great for melodic phrase work.

Common Metal Drum Patterns

• Double bass where the kick drum plays rapid even notes. Use it for drive and intensity.
• Blast beat a rapid pattern where snare and kick alternate fast. Use it for wall of sound moments. Note that blast beat is a style and not a one size fits all tool.
• Breakdowns heavy syncopated figures often with accents on off beats. These make people stomp.

Harmony, Scales, and Modes That Sound Metal

Metal loves certain scales because they have dark flavors. You do not need a music degree. You need a few practical palettes and a habit of listening. Below are scales that work and how to use them without sounding like a copycat.

Minor Pentatonic

Simple and usable. Great for solos and melodic hooks. Use it where you want grit without classical drama. If you imagine a substance referred to as barbecue sauce, this scale is the sauce that makes the riff finger lickable.

Natural Minor

Also called Aeolian mode. It has a melancholic vibe. Useful for melodic riffs and slower sections.

Harmonic Minor

Has a raised seventh that creates a slightly exotic tension. It is metal friendly for harmonized leads and for riffs that need an edge. Think galloping scalic patterns that feel like walking into a cathedral that is on fire.

Phrygian Mode

Phrygian has a half step between the first and second scale degree that gives it an immediate dark character. Use it for Spanish flavored aggression or chugging riffs that feel ancient.

Diminished and Chromatic Approaches

Chromatic movement and diminished intervals create disorientation and instability. Use them for sections that need to feel unsafe. Too much will make your riff sound like an exam question. Use sparingly for maximum effect.

Harmony and Guitar Techniques

Guitar technique communicates attitude. Learn a toolbox of moves and pick the right tool for the song.

Palm Muting

Lightly rest your picking hand on the bridge area while picking to create a muted percussive sound. It is the bread and butter of chugging riffs. Palm muting plus syncopation equals headbang guaranteed.

Tremolo Picking

Rapid repeated picking on a note or interval. Use for black metal textures, tremolo picking creates a wash when layered and a razor edge when sparse.

Pinch Harmonics

Produced by catching the string with the edge of the thumb at the moment of picking. It gives a screaming harmonic overtone. Use it as an exclamation point at the end of a phrase.

Power Chords

Two note chords usually root and fifth. They are sturdy and punch through distortion. Use inversions or add the octave for variety.

Open Strings and Drones

Leaving a low string ringing under a riff creates a pedal tone that anchors the chaos. Great for doom and sludge styles.

Structure and Song Forms That Work in Metal

Metal songs vary by sub genre but certain forms help with forward motion. Here are templates and how to use them.

Traditional Verse Chorus

Intro riff, verse, pre chorus, chorus, verse two, chorus, bridge or solo, final chorus. Works well when the chorus has a hook that is melodic or chantable. Use this for metalcore or mainstream metal where the chorus is a focal point.

Riff Suite

Series of contrasting riff sections without a repeated chorus. Good for classic heavy metal and progressive metal where the journey is more important than a single hook.

Through Composed

No repeating sections. The song continuously develops. Works for cinematic or extreme metal where atmosphere and narrative drive the piece.

Breakdown Placement

Breakdowns are best used as contrast to speed sections. Place them after a chorus or after a long blast beat section to give the audience a place to breathe and a reason to lose control.

Vocal Styles and How to Write For Them

Vocals in metal range from operatic to guttural. Write parts that serve the singer and the song. Do not write lyrics that force a singer into a style they cannot pull off. Respect the throat.

Clean Singing

Melodic singing. Often used in choruses and hooks. Keep melodies singable and test them at rehearsal volume. If the singer can hum the chorus in a grocery store they will sell it live.

Screams and Shrieks

High intensity, often used for emotional peaks. Use short phrases and space. Screams lose clarity if you stuff them with too many words. Write them like punches not essays.

Growls and Gutturals

Low vocal textures often used in death metal. Keep the phrasing simple. Consonant heavy lines can disappear in the mix. Use open vowel sounds to keep the growl audible.

Hybrid Approach

Switching between clean and harsh vocals creates contrast. Use clean vocals for choruses and harsh vocals for verses or verses for aggression and choruses as a release. Make the transition intentional. The listener should feel the switch like a plot twist.

Lyrics That Hit Without Being Pretentious

Metal lyrics can be mythic, personal, political, or absurd. The best ones are both specific and universal. Avoid trying to sound like a castle. Be human even when the imagery is monstrous.

Write from Scenes Not Sentences

Instead of writing a line that states an emotion, describe a small image that implies the emotion. That creates space for listeners to enter the song with their own history.

Example

Bad I am angry and I will rebel.

Better I smash the neon clock and keep the pieces in my pocket.

Use Concrete Objects

Objects like a cracked watch, a burned T shirt, or a bar code tattoo carry personality. They make a lyric something a person can imagine. Imagine holding the object in your hand. That is the detail you want in a line.

Storytelling and POV

Decide who is speaking and why. First person creates immediacy. Second person can feel accusatory and works for confrontational songs. Third person tells stories at a remove and is great for epic narratives.

Common Metal Themes and Fresh Angles

• Existential dread write it as a grocery list of small losses for relatability.
• War and conflict focus on a single soldier or a single broken radio to avoid sounding like a textbook.
• Personal failure and redemption use physical metaphors like rust or bindings that can be removed.
• Horror imagery place the scene in a real location like a subway or a laundromat to make it scarier.

Arrangement and Dynamics

Arrangement decides how your ideas are revealed. Even a simple three chord riff can sound epic with the right dynamics. Use contrast to make heavy parts land harder.

Use Quiet to Make Loud Louder

Drop to clean guitar or bass only for a bar before a chorus. The sudden return of distortion will feel much heavier. Think of silence as a musical amplifier.

Layering

Layer guitars in thirds or octaves. Add a dissonant harmony line low in the mix to create unease. Use melody doubling in choruses to make them singable and huge.

Space for Vocals

Arrange instruments so the vocal sits in a space. If guitars are competing in the same frequency range, the vocal will disappear. Use rhythm guitars for power and leave a cleaner high register for lead lines when the vocal needs to be heard.

Guitar Tone and Gear Tips

Tone is a combination of guitar, amp, pickup, and playing technique. You will hear people argue about pickups like they are religions. Learn the basics and then choose what fits your songs.

Pickup Choices

High output humbuckers give aggressive tone. Single coils are brighter and can cut for leads. Use what matches the song. If you sound thin, try a pickup with more midrange focus.

Amplifier Basics

Tube amps respond to picking dynamics while modelers are convenient. If you use amp emulation in a DAW, pay attention to gain staging and cab impulse response. A bad cab simulation will make everything sound like a canned potato chip.

EQ Tips

EQ stands for equalization which shapes frequency content. Cut muddiness around one hundred to three hundred Hertz. Boost presence around two to five kilohertz for bite. Be conservative. Taste often lies in tiny moves.

Use DI and Reamp

DI stands for direct input where you record the guitar signal without the amp and reamp is sending that signal back through an amp later. Recording DI gives you flexibility to find the right amp tone after the performance. It is practical if you change your mind or if the amp was noisy on the day of recording.

Production Tricks That Keep the Live Energy

Production in metal should preserve aggression while giving clarity. Many modern bands over compress and lose life. Aim for punch not flat loudness.

Drums

• Blend room mics for air with close mics for attack.
• Use sample reinforcement for consistency but keep some human bleed to avoid robotic drums.
• Gate toms to control decay but not to the point they sound fake.

Bass

Double the DI bass with an amp recorded track to give both clarity and grit. Low end is a physical sensation. Keep it tight and focused. Use sidechain compression if the kick and bass are fighting for the same space.

Guitars

Use tight edits for palm muted chugs so the rhythm is precise. Double rhythm guitars left and right for width. Add a high harmonic layer in the center for clarity on small speakers like phone earbuds.

Vocals

Leave dynamics. Compress for control and not for crushing. Add subtle distortion to harsh vocals to help them cut. Use delay or reverb sparingly where it serves emotion and not to make the singer sound like they are in a cave.

Mixing for Impact

Mix decisions should serve the emotional weight of the song. The easiest way to lose a metal mix is to let the low mids cloud the impact. The trick is to carve space for each element using EQ, panning, and level automation.

Reference Tracks

Use a track that sounds similar to what you want and compare at the same volume. Loudness lies. Match energy not exact EQ shapes. If your reference has a punchy kick, copy the relationship between kick and bass rather than exact settings.

Automation

Use volume automation to keep sections dynamic. Automate guitar levels to dip slightly during vocals so the voice remains clear. Automate reverb tail length for different parts. Small automated moves make a performance feel alive.

Writing Habits and Workflow

Great songs do not come from flashes of genius alone. They come from systems that let you capture good ideas and finish them. Here are workflows to make more songs and finish them faster.

Idea Capture

• Record sketches into your phone or DAW. A riff recorded badly is worth more than a perfect riff that never got captured.
• Keep a lyrics note with rough lines. Record spoken ideas if you cannot sing them yet.
• Use a simple template in your DAW with drums, bass, and a basic guitar amp so you can track a sketch without building from zero.

Writing Sessions

Work in short focused sessions. Fifteen to thirty minutes of riff focus then a break. The brain rewards constraints. Set a rule like write one complete riff and one contrasting part in one session.

Finish Checklist

1. Does the riff repeat enough to be memorable?
2. Does the arrangement create a clear climb and release?
3. Does the mix let the vocal be heard in key moments?
4. Did you test the song in headphones and in a car?
5. Can one person hum the main riff after one listen?

Live Considerations

Write songs that you can actually perform. If your studio version requires ten tracked guitars, either simplify it or prepare a plan for the live arrangement. The live version should feel powerful and honest rather than a pale recreation.

Simplify for the Stage

Reduce layered parts into core elements and let a live synth or backing track fill what is needed without stealing presence. Keep tempo steady. The crowd will forgive small production differences when the performance is energetic.

Audience DNA

Know your crowd. Some audiences want circle pits and breakdowns. Some want head nods and fist pumps. Write sections that give the crowd something to physically do. That connection is what turns listeners into fans.

Common Mistakes and How to Fix Them

• Too many ideas. Focus on one main riff and make other parts support it. If a song has ten differing riffs listeners will lose the thread.
• Thin low end. Invest time in bass and kick relationship. Use high pass on guitars to avoid masking the bass.
• Over compressed mix. Use compression for glue not for killing dynamics. Turn it down to hear the song breathe.
• Unplayable parts live. Test parts at practice volume. If it hurts your hand in the first chorus rewrite for stamina.
• Lyrics that are vague nonsense. Anchor abstract themes with one tangible image per verse.

Songwriting Prompts You Can Use Tonight

• Riff prompt. Take a 12 bar loop at a tempo you do not usually use. Force yourself to compose a riff that repeats every four bars with a one bar surprise.
• Lyric prompt. Write a verse around one object you detest. Use it as a metaphor for betrayal and make the final line a twist.
• Arrangement prompt. Write a riff suite where each section introduces one new instrument or vocal technique. The final section should combine them all.

Metal Songwriting FAQ

What is the fastest way to write a heavy riff

Limit yourself to two strings and a three chord palette for ten minutes. Focus on rhythm and accents. Use palm muting and silence. Record the best take immediately. Speed forces choice and choice creates character.

How do I make my riffs sound less generic

Add one unexpected interval or a small rhythmic displacement. For example shift an accent by an eighth note or add a chromatic approach note before a power chord. Tiny moves make riffs memorable.

What is the difference between a blast beat and double bass

Double bass uses the kick drum with both feet to create fast even pulses. Blast beat alternates snare and kick or uses both rapidly creating a continuous high speed texture. They are tools for different textures and should be used where they serve the song.

How do I write a chorus in metal

Make the chorus a release from the verse. Use wider melody, longer notes, and often cleaner vocals or bigger harmonies. Keep lyrics simpler and repeat the hook so the crowd can sing along.

What scales should I learn first for metal

Start with minor pentatonic, natural minor, and harmonic minor. Add Phrygian next. Practice moving between them and experiment with chromatic passing notes to build tension.

How can I keep my mix heavy but clear

Control low mids with subtractive EQ. Avoid overlapping frequencies by carving space for each instrument. Use panning and stereo width for guitars and keep center for kick bass and vocals. Glue the mix with bus compression but preserve transient attack on kick and snare.

Do I need a real amp to get a good guitar tone

No. Good tones are possible with amp modeling if you understand gain staging and cab simulation. A real amp can add sweetness but modern amp sims are highly capable. Record DI as a backup for reamping later.

How do I write parts that are playable live

Practice at the tempo you recorded. Simplify parts that are technically impressive but unsustainable for eight song sets. Build in breathing spaces and make sure the singer can survive the set without losing range.

How do I write lyrics that connect

Use a single concrete image per verse and relate it back to the central emotion. Be honest in the voice. If the subject is anger write it like a conversation on a bad day not a manifesto. Listeners connect to sincerity more than to ornate adjectives.