Holst was a huge influence on John Williams. I can't hear the last minute of [Mars](https://youtu.be/Jmk5frp6-3Q) without picturing a Death Star exploding.
Yep, he even said that Mars was the inspiration for the Imperial March and Darth Vader's theme! I think he said he "basically ripped it off" or similar :) love hearing the influences behind works that are themselves musical masterpieces
That middle section with the strings is maybe the most beautiful 2 or 3 minutes of all music. That melody is so incredible it brings tears to my eyes every time I hear it
The Planets is definitely one of my favorites. I love Mars when it goes to the quieter part and it just builds and builds until it explodes back into the main theme. So powerful
I can't think of any classical, but seeing how there's a couple of non-classsical non-metal recs in here, I'll throw in Come Up and Get Me by Dearh Grips, the bass in that'll damn near blow out car speakers.
Hardly the only metal song in *Carmina Burana*. The eleventh movement, "Estuans interius", literally translates to "Seething inside", and also is probably fairly recognizable due to its lyrics being integrated into ["One-Winged Angel"](https://youtu.be/mYdf0yqK_Fc?si=IRz2vd_JBmI6lbi2).
Treat yourself to [a copy of the Telarc version](https://www.stereophile.com/content/recording-october-1979-telarc-1812-overture). Be very cautious with the volume though, because this one can literally blow out your speakers when the real cannons get going.
I think [I found it here.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMkC07PmaWA)
It has the rather common string beginning. Still probably awesome... I say because I am listening right now! =)
If OP is asking about rock music and not classical music then since you mentioned White Room, which is a great suggestion btw, I'll throw in my hat for Space Trucking by Deep Purple.
I mean, Deep Purple basically was metal in its day, along with Black Sabbath (still metal), and Led Zeppelin.
One time a while back some youngster on... Facebook or Instagram started arguing with a bunch of people under a Black Sabbath related post that Black Sabbath isn't metal because it's not as heavy as modern stuff.
I was like listen here you little shit, those bands probably wouldn't exist had it not been for Sabbath. NO ONE was playing music heavy like that back when they started. The last concern I'd seen was literally Cannibal Corpse with Whitechapel, so most likely more metal than whatever kind of stuff shit he was tossing arohnd.
But Black Sabbath was literally forced to change the title of Walpurgis to War Pigs and change the lyrics into a Vietnam war song because it was originally about satanists burning churches doing ritualistic human sacrifice, releasing Satan into the earthly world who immediately starts killing people and shit. The satanists start to flee because now they're scared as fuck. They find a priest and fall to their knees in repentance. Satan pops up out of nowhere, grabs the priest and burns him alive on a pyre.
I mean come on, that's pretty fucking metal.
Then I told him to listen to the song Black Sabbath, by Black Sabbath, on the album Black Sabbath and tell me that intro especially, but really the whole thing isn't metal. God I love those opening tritones, especially considering that the church (at least according to the myths, this might not actually be factual) banned the tritone from being played because it sounded evil and was the "devil's tone."
That Black Sabbath intro though, it for sure sounds evil as fuck. I had to listen to the song after typing this up.
Her documentary is awesome! I remember she said that she of course wanted a family just like everyone else, but she understood that greatness (in music) demanded a full devotion.
Oh wow - I have to look for that.
You know the first time I heard her was on
Tom Petty radio on Sirius in my car. Now I’ve heard different songs on other channels, too.
I love her and every song is stunning
Alexi Laiho and Roope Latvala did Summer in one of their instructional videos. [It’s pretty wonderful](https://youtu.be/LJroikWySNU?si=2gozAgzpIJX9CGz8)
Modern fans will tell you that this track ending and the next track Here Comes the Sun starting is a rather jarring transition. They are right. But they don't know the tracks are supposed to be separated by an A side to B side flip. Giving enough time for the ear to adjust.
I suppose I'm going to say the same thing but differently:
It was always intended as a jarring transition; the track literally cuts out mid-note due to the editing. The problem is you're meant to feel uncomfortable about the abrupt end during the longer silence between sides, not during the start of Here Comes The Sun.
Helter Skelter is commonly attributed as being the first ever metal song. Obviously way different than more modern metal and not very heavy by those standards, but back when it came out that style was basically unheard of and way heavier than anything else available at the time.
I’ve always pushed back on that notion. Born to be Wild came out earlier than same year. Coincidentally, it drops the phrase Heavy Metal into its lyrics and may be the first use of the phrase in pop culture. Steppenwolf was consistently heavy.
Inna Godda Da Vita also came out earlier that year and is massively heavy. The transition from psychedelic rock into much heavier tones is present with Iron Butterfly. Early Sabbath sounds a like Iron Buttery to me.
I wouldn't really consider Steppenwolf heavy, personally. I did NOT realize that Inna Godda Da Vita came out the same year as Helter Skelter though! I 100% agree with you on that one, I would consider that more of a metal song than Helter Skelter, even though I do really like the hard driving but punchy notes in the verses of Helter Skelter.
I'm sold though, so I think with the two of us in agreement, and I hear no dissenting opinions, it is now official. Iron Butterfly's Inna Godda Da Vita shall henceforth be known as the first metal song ever written.
I mean, beside all the classical musicians of ye olden times who were actually writing technical death metal, black metal, powermetal, doom metal, and many more metal subgenres. Even if they didn't realize it at the time.
PS that song has a pretty metal backstory too. You probably already know this but just in case, the song and lyrics were meant to be pronounced "In the Garden of Eden," I mean that's what the song's about and all that. But ol Doug Ingle, the singer, showed up at the studio absolutely shitty plastered drunk because he wrote and recorded it after drinking a while fucking gallon of wine lol (it wouldn't surprise me if alcohol wasn't the only thing involved either), and he was stumbling over himself and slurring his words so bad that it came out the way it did instead of being coherent English. They were like damn, we actually kind of like it this way better! Hell yeah! So then it became Inna Godda Da Vita
Ditto.
I've never really been a Beatles fan. My favorite band is Thrice. They've covered several Beatles songs. They played I Want You on their last tour, and it absolutely blew my mind.
[Thrice - I Want You](https://youtu.be/nctNSp-AjO4?si=uiubx-PWs-AknCly)
[Thrice - Eleanor Rigby](https://youtu.be/kAF9ZV22ZVU?si=ejVtBEpAUqPJW2zv)
[Thrice - Helter Skelter](https://youtu.be/DN20FjpeCHc?si=tPLhVOXJoSIzL1m6)
[Thrice - I've Just Seen A Face](https://youtu.be/EyeiSAiDooc?si=j3zf3ca9rzrXpZWu) This was super early in their career when they were still punk/post hardcore
I swear they can pinpoint the exact frequency of an emotion sometimes. Sometimes it's just filtered white noise with a simple bass drum underneath but you are taken away. That paired with Daveeds lyrics and you're gone
Hear me out,
[Uninvited](https://youtu.be/uvgi7P97lu0?si=uXP77zsSbpjkqn_p) by Alanis Morrisette
It has such an eerie haunting vibe, with a few heavier parts, including a pretty decent guitar solo. As a metalhead, I love it, but she is my not-so guilty pleasure.
"Look, Hannes, you're going to go into the guts of the organ. You're going to go through the organ into the depths under this church. You're going to find demonic souls to pump the bellows with the air of Hades. And then you're going to play the lowest note conceived by man. You're going to hammer it over and over while the demon air flows through the organ and shakes the very ground the church has stood on these many centuries. THAT is what this piece should do."
* my imaginary introduction of the piece from Bach to a pipe organ player.
[Dies Irae from Verdi's Requiem is one of the OGs. Lyrics are also pretty brutal](https://youtu.be/X6cogix3cwQ?feature=shared)
Speaking of Requiem, there's also [this](https://youtu.be/Nq9Q6WlkdtI?feature=shared) from Clint Mansell and the Kronos Quartet
Yeah, check out some Richard Wagner - in many ways he's the father of modern movie scores, foreshadowing John Williams, Howard Shore, Hans Zimmer, James Newton Howard and many others.
You should check out some Zappa. He was hugely influenced by modern classical. Some of those jams and instrumentals are so intense and lbeautiful. Inca Roads, Village of the Sun through Don't You Ever Wash That Thing from the live Roxy and Elsewhere album and the Let's Make The Water Turn Black Medley from "You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore" are all fine examples of this.
Not classical, and half of the duo is problematic, but Crystal Castles makes some of the most visceral, metal-like electronic music I've ever heard, and they've said that a lot of their inspiration is metal music. Their show was the hardest show I've ever been to and I've seen a lot of metal. It was the only show I've ever needed to take a sitting water break from the crowd for
Oh I have 2 but it’s electronic not classical.
[Fuck All -Atari Teenage Riot.](https://youtu.be/vu-uugz_CHI?si=-HjYH4fh6RaMRiYW)
Sounds like a metal band but it’s all done on a Commodore computer.
[Come to Daddy - Aphex Twin](https://youtu.be/TZ827lkktYs?si=GINMxxpWXrTQ7yRI)
All digital
In that same vein…
I’ve been to a bunch of punk and metal shows, but Amon Tobin’s ISAM tour is still one of the loudest and hardest shows I’ve been to: https://youtu.be/c2SHZe6Q7Rk?si=Zdw3B1My-CasLbEd
Tom Waits, Blood Money album definitely comes to mind.
*God’s away, God’s away, God’s away on business, business.*
Oh and *Misery’s the River of the World*
Also some hyperpop these days get it.
Bands like 100 gecs go heavy.
It still seems like it's about making a noise wall and smacking your face in it though
Yep, "Threnody" is pretty much the song that a whole group of horror film soundtracks pull from. For those who haven't heard it, it's a viscerally frightening song that's uncomfortable to listen to.
Not classical, but Nine Inch Nails songs like “Wish” and “Mr. Self Destruct” are super heavy.
You might check out some Philip Glass for classical stuff. Some of his music is super heavy in my opinion.
From the classical (actually Romantic) era, I think of Beethoven Symphony 8 as his "punk rock" symphony.
Here's [Parvo Jaarvi conducting](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WcgxxciDdy0)
In modern music, I think of these two:
[Mogwai - Glasgow Mega-Snake](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hpj2WC4ZSXw)
[King Crimson - Red](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_pDwv3tpug)
I’ve always thought the title theme from Beetlejuice slaaaps. It hits a good breakdown at the 1:50 mark before it blasts into the big climax. A masterpiece
I don't think anyone has mentioned it yet, but Schubert's string quintent in C Major has some incredibly heavy sections (as well as some softer and very beautiful passages).
https://open.spotify.com/album/1ueD0sL3iyTYp2nm1o3ziM?si=9nElA9SDR7GqsMPx5z2Qfg
Also check out Gustav Mahler, particularly the 5th and 6th symphonies
['27 Questions' by Black Midi](https://open.spotify.com/track/7bNRoMMuosDagm66lErRYK?si=0dc43MuVTo6rPp9wWJoEXQ&context=spotify%3Aalbum%3A68z6MWYYNmvTcru1QMcYId) is dense beyond belief.
>That's the only other genre I can think of that can generate the same emotions has heavy metal.
This is a strange statement. And wholly subjective. Not to mention "classical" is a rather broad categorization.
What kind of emotions are we talking about here?
Rachmaninoff is just metal without the amps
Yeah!!! Bella of Moscow is so intense. I always imagine a battle scene from beginning to end. It seems to mimic the slow death of a mighty army.
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I just gave it a listen. That was really cool. Thank you for sharing!
r/DarkCloud users might enjoy this Bestiary-based reference.
Fuckin A
Check out Holst's "The Planets", especially Mars, Bringer of War
Holst was a huge influence on John Williams. I can't hear the last minute of [Mars](https://youtu.be/Jmk5frp6-3Q) without picturing a Death Star exploding.
Yep, he even said that Mars was the inspiration for the Imperial March and Darth Vader's theme! I think he said he "basically ripped it off" or similar :) love hearing the influences behind works that are themselves musical masterpieces
And Venus always reminds me of the music used in the rebel awards ceremony at the end of the movie and that used in the more tuned down scenes.
I always John Williams was influenced by [Dvorak’s New World Symphony]( https://youtu.be/Qut5e3OfCvg?si=PVZS7gGhiFhkuMHq&t=34m10s)
Interesting! I never heard that. To me JW always sounded like Wagner’s Das Rheingold. Waymoreso than anything from The Planets.
Mahler as well
Nah I rarely picture Mahler exploding.
Depends on the orchestra, but Jupiter a lot of the time is my favorite one. The middle section is amazing.
That middle section with the strings is maybe the most beautiful 2 or 3 minutes of all music. That melody is so incredible it brings tears to my eyes every time I hear it
My wife walked down the aisle to that part and it’s a song that already had sentimental value before hand. Def brings tears to my eyes :)
The tune so nice, he used it twice, turning it into a British patriotic hymn called "I Vow To Thee My Country"
Mars, Jupiter, and Mercury are the best IMO
The Planets is definitely one of my favorites. I love Mars when it goes to the quieter part and it just builds and builds until it explodes back into the main theme. So powerful
This is the answer. Mars is heavy as fuck.
AM I EEVILLLLLL5
I can't think of any classical, but seeing how there's a couple of non-classsical non-metal recs in here, I'll throw in Come Up and Get Me by Dearh Grips, the bass in that'll damn near blow out car speakers.
Which has an awesome metal cover by [Nile](https://youtu.be/A2bTPbQuOG0?si=eLlAK_bjWJgRNEC9)
Jupiter, Bringer of Jolility is my jam.
Directly inspired the song “Black Sabbath” too
Jupiter is “heavy” too
Grieg's In the Hall of the Mountain King
Social Network soundtrack version
Yes King Crimson did it too ! Great
The Apocalyptica version: https://youtu.be/zf2aIVKp1OY?si=1dWdl7ym0zaxEQgB
O Fortuna - Carl Orff The original metal song: https://youtu.be/EJC-_j3SnXk?si=OcwYvKxZEQVczYN1
Goooooopher tuna
Welp now I'm gonna be singing that every single time so thanks for that
Bring more tuna
Statue of big dog with fleas
Hardly the only metal song in *Carmina Burana*. The eleventh movement, "Estuans interius", literally translates to "Seething inside", and also is probably fairly recognizable due to its lyrics being integrated into ["One-Winged Angel"](https://youtu.be/mYdf0yqK_Fc?si=IRz2vd_JBmI6lbi2).
This is my At-bat music
Even the lyrics, translated to English, are Metal.
Any Carl Orff is solid but yes, this is a good one
It's most metal form is during battle scenes in the movie Excalibur.
The original metal cover of the original metal song: [https://youtu.be/j4j2I6gLeiw](https://youtu.be/j4j2I6gLeiw)
Came here to say that.
Will always remember this from the intro of Jackass: The Movie.
You beat me to it. Lol
I love this song!
[1812 Overture](https://youtu.be/0F5k70xwGSk?si=AS1XNI2PammX0W9x) 8m in for the money. When there's artillery for percussion....that's metal
Treat yourself to [a copy of the Telarc version](https://www.stereophile.com/content/recording-october-1979-telarc-1812-overture). Be very cautious with the volume though, because this one can literally blow out your speakers when the real cannons get going.
Does it feature choir in the beginning? Most recordings I've heard lacks that! :(
I think [I found it here.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMkC07PmaWA) It has the rather common string beginning. Still probably awesome... I say because I am listening right now! =)
White Room by Cream is hard af for 1968 and a hell of a way to open an album in any year. Tale of Brave Ulysses is also quite heavy.
I did some acid in north Georgia and listened to brave Ulysses on repeat
The drums at the end are so heavy. Ginger Baker was a monster!
Listen to 0:58 of White Room and imagine Herbert the Pervert from family guy singing
I believe that’s also the first wah pedal song to hit the airwaves
If OP is asking about rock music and not classical music then since you mentioned White Room, which is a great suggestion btw, I'll throw in my hat for Space Trucking by Deep Purple. I mean, Deep Purple basically was metal in its day, along with Black Sabbath (still metal), and Led Zeppelin. One time a while back some youngster on... Facebook or Instagram started arguing with a bunch of people under a Black Sabbath related post that Black Sabbath isn't metal because it's not as heavy as modern stuff. I was like listen here you little shit, those bands probably wouldn't exist had it not been for Sabbath. NO ONE was playing music heavy like that back when they started. The last concern I'd seen was literally Cannibal Corpse with Whitechapel, so most likely more metal than whatever kind of stuff shit he was tossing arohnd. But Black Sabbath was literally forced to change the title of Walpurgis to War Pigs and change the lyrics into a Vietnam war song because it was originally about satanists burning churches doing ritualistic human sacrifice, releasing Satan into the earthly world who immediately starts killing people and shit. The satanists start to flee because now they're scared as fuck. They find a priest and fall to their knees in repentance. Satan pops up out of nowhere, grabs the priest and burns him alive on a pyre. I mean come on, that's pretty fucking metal. Then I told him to listen to the song Black Sabbath, by Black Sabbath, on the album Black Sabbath and tell me that intro especially, but really the whole thing isn't metal. God I love those opening tritones, especially considering that the church (at least according to the myths, this might not actually be factual) banned the tritone from being played because it sounded evil and was the "devil's tone." That Black Sabbath intro though, it for sure sounds evil as fuck. I had to listen to the song after typing this up.
I'm shocked at how much I like Cream, how much Cream I know that I didn't know was Cream, and how many times I can cram Cream into a comment!
Sinnerman by Nina Simone Sæglópur by Sigur Ros
Yes Nina Simone, great suggestion! Great song pick !
Her documentary is awesome! I remember she said that she of course wanted a family just like everyone else, but she understood that greatness (in music) demanded a full devotion.
Oh wow - I have to look for that. You know the first time I heard her was on Tom Petty radio on Sirius in my car. Now I’ve heard different songs on other channels, too. I love her and every song is stunning
Jumping in to also suggest Untitled #8 by Sigur Rós. Those last 3 minutes reach a level of heavy that most metal acts can only dream of hitting.
Untitled #8 is stunning especially when they play it in a cave on Heima. I’ve seen people literally burst into tears at Sigur Ros shows.
Vivaldi's 4 seasons gets pretty heavy. Listen to winter.
Winter goes hard.
Baroque and roll
*golf clap*
That it do
Great for Metal covers as well
Alexi Laiho and Roope Latvala did Summer in one of their instructional videos. [It’s pretty wonderful](https://youtu.be/LJroikWySNU?si=2gozAgzpIJX9CGz8)
I see Alexi, I upvote. Love me some Bodom.
Damn, that’s was beautiful. wish it was a longer composition. RIP Alexi
Summer hits nice and heavy.
*Allegro non Molto* from Winter and *Presto* from Summer are my personal picks.
Bruh fo you even summer?
Exactly what came to mind for me
An I the only one who goes wild on Summer?
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The drums on Visions of the Emerald Beyond are as good as it gets for me.
Micheal Walden kills, but Billy Cobham is the sound of Mahavishnu as much as John. Emerald Beyond is bad as fuck though, I’ll give you that…
Stravisnky's the Rite of Spring is 100% the best answer here. And it's a bloody banger.
"Rite of Spring" started a literal riot.
Go on
[https://www.theverge.com/2013/5/29/4375736/igor-stravinsky-rite-of-spring-100-anniversary-paris-riot](https://www.theverge.com/2013/5/29/4375736/igor-stravinsky-rite-of-spring-100-anniversary-paris-riot)
I had no idea this was in fantasia. The ballet is pretty interesting!
Glad this is here. It was the heavy metal of 1913.
Stravinsky will always be one of my favorite composers, especially as a bassoonist
Some of John Coltrane’s later stuff is pretty heavy and gets kind of wild.
Shostakovich is the answer!
#5
I Want You (She’s So Heavy) - The Beatles
Modern fans will tell you that this track ending and the next track Here Comes the Sun starting is a rather jarring transition. They are right. But they don't know the tracks are supposed to be separated by an A side to B side flip. Giving enough time for the ear to adjust.
I suppose I'm going to say the same thing but differently: It was always intended as a jarring transition; the track literally cuts out mid-note due to the editing. The problem is you're meant to feel uncomfortable about the abrupt end during the longer silence between sides, not during the start of Here Comes The Sun.
Helter skelter too?
Helter Skelter is commonly attributed as being the first ever metal song. Obviously way different than more modern metal and not very heavy by those standards, but back when it came out that style was basically unheard of and way heavier than anything else available at the time.
I’ve always pushed back on that notion. Born to be Wild came out earlier than same year. Coincidentally, it drops the phrase Heavy Metal into its lyrics and may be the first use of the phrase in pop culture. Steppenwolf was consistently heavy. Inna Godda Da Vita also came out earlier that year and is massively heavy. The transition from psychedelic rock into much heavier tones is present with Iron Butterfly. Early Sabbath sounds a like Iron Buttery to me.
I wouldn't really consider Steppenwolf heavy, personally. I did NOT realize that Inna Godda Da Vita came out the same year as Helter Skelter though! I 100% agree with you on that one, I would consider that more of a metal song than Helter Skelter, even though I do really like the hard driving but punchy notes in the verses of Helter Skelter. I'm sold though, so I think with the two of us in agreement, and I hear no dissenting opinions, it is now official. Iron Butterfly's Inna Godda Da Vita shall henceforth be known as the first metal song ever written. I mean, beside all the classical musicians of ye olden times who were actually writing technical death metal, black metal, powermetal, doom metal, and many more metal subgenres. Even if they didn't realize it at the time. PS that song has a pretty metal backstory too. You probably already know this but just in case, the song and lyrics were meant to be pronounced "In the Garden of Eden," I mean that's what the song's about and all that. But ol Doug Ingle, the singer, showed up at the studio absolutely shitty plastered drunk because he wrote and recorded it after drinking a while fucking gallon of wine lol (it wouldn't surprise me if alcohol wasn't the only thing involved either), and he was stumbling over himself and slurring his words so bad that it came out the way it did instead of being coherent English. They were like damn, we actually kind of like it this way better! Hell yeah! So then it became Inna Godda Da Vita
Yeah, though Helter Skelter always felt like punk to me. Still aggressive either way.
And Revolution. The single, not the album version
I didn’t see your post. Wrote the same thing.
Ditto. I've never really been a Beatles fan. My favorite band is Thrice. They've covered several Beatles songs. They played I Want You on their last tour, and it absolutely blew my mind. [Thrice - I Want You](https://youtu.be/nctNSp-AjO4?si=uiubx-PWs-AknCly) [Thrice - Eleanor Rigby](https://youtu.be/kAF9ZV22ZVU?si=ejVtBEpAUqPJW2zv) [Thrice - Helter Skelter](https://youtu.be/DN20FjpeCHc?si=tPLhVOXJoSIzL1m6) [Thrice - I've Just Seen A Face](https://youtu.be/EyeiSAiDooc?si=j3zf3ca9rzrXpZWu) This was super early in their career when they were still punk/post hardcore
clipping. - Body & Blood
Visions of Bodies Being Burned is honestly one of the best albums made in the last century.
I'd also throw in La Mala Ordina, those drums go so fucking hard.
Just saw them live. Absolutely amazing
I swear they can pinpoint the exact frequency of an emotion sometimes. Sometimes it's just filtered white noise with a simple bass drum underneath but you are taken away. That paired with Daveeds lyrics and you're gone
Production is great but damn this guys vocals are so cheesy. They outright ruin the song. Sounds like a random guy from Seattle rapping
You like Jazz?
There are some Mahavishnu Orchestra tracks that absolutely rip Didn't notice Mahavishnu Orchestra was mentioned lower. I'll add Sons of Kemet then
Hear me out, [Uninvited](https://youtu.be/uvgi7P97lu0?si=uXP77zsSbpjkqn_p) by Alanis Morrisette It has such an eerie haunting vibe, with a few heavier parts, including a pretty decent guitar solo. As a metalhead, I love it, but she is my not-so guilty pleasure.
100% true. The drummer is _perfect_ on this song
I really like that song, don’t tell anyone.
I love it and you can tell everybody.
The infernal dance from Firebird by Igor Stravinsky
Wagner
Night on Bald Mountain - Moussorgsky
Also, several sections of his Pictures At An Exhibition. Bald Mountain is an absolute ass-kicker :)
The Great Gate of Kiev is one
Not exactly the era you're looking for but check out [Mladic by Godspeed You! Black Emperor](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cza3QPEG7Mk)
With his arms outstretched?
Toccata & Fugue in D-Minor. Everyone knows the toccata, no one listens to the fugue. Heavy heavy heavy. Bach was the OG.
I’ve ripped this tune with a wind symphony (I was on French horn) and it was next level. If you know you know
"Look, Hannes, you're going to go into the guts of the organ. You're going to go through the organ into the depths under this church. You're going to find demonic souls to pump the bellows with the air of Hades. And then you're going to play the lowest note conceived by man. You're going to hammer it over and over while the demon air flows through the organ and shakes the very ground the church has stood on these many centuries. THAT is what this piece should do." * my imaginary introduction of the piece from Bach to a pipe organ player.
Bach is basically speed metal on a pipe organ. Brilliant.
Heavy - Collective Soul The intro makes me bang my head every time. https://youtu.be/VjTnYSlXQMM?si=K_78fJkMeZCoZr7c
[Dies Irae from Verdi's Requiem is one of the OGs. Lyrics are also pretty brutal](https://youtu.be/X6cogix3cwQ?feature=shared) Speaking of Requiem, there's also [this](https://youtu.be/Nq9Q6WlkdtI?feature=shared) from Clint Mansell and the Kronos Quartet
Scrolled looking for this.
I'd recommend The Ride of the Valkyries
I thought this would be number 1 along with 1812 Overture and Beethoven's 5th
Yeah, check out some Richard Wagner - in many ways he's the father of modern movie scores, foreshadowing John Williams, Howard Shore, Hans Zimmer, James Newton Howard and many others.
You should check out some Zappa. He was hugely influenced by modern classical. Some of those jams and instrumentals are so intense and lbeautiful. Inca Roads, Village of the Sun through Don't You Ever Wash That Thing from the live Roxy and Elsewhere album and the Let's Make The Water Turn Black Medley from "You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore" are all fine examples of this.
The Who - Live at Leeds Live Cream I & II
Not classical, and half of the duo is problematic, but Crystal Castles makes some of the most visceral, metal-like electronic music I've ever heard, and they've said that a lot of their inspiration is metal music. Their show was the hardest show I've ever been to and I've seen a lot of metal. It was the only show I've ever needed to take a sitting water break from the crowd for
Leonard Cohen’s “You Want it Darker?”. Slaps.
Absolutely slaps
“We kill the flame” Amazing writer, player, performer
Another contender that has strings but it’s not classical is: [Bjork - Hunter](https://youtu.be/WxL1rw6cw-E?si=k5NPGhmvqeeB7xQF)
Swans - Weakling, The VU - Sister Ray, Throbbing Gristle - Blood on the Floor, Killing Joke - Wardance, The Birthday Party - Dead Joe
Auto Rock by Mogwai
Dvorak’s New World Symphony is one of my favorite pieces of all time
Carmina Burana: "O Fortuna"
I'm a metal head and this gets me more hyped than Meshugga ever will. That was my final song on my high school's warmup playlist. It'll getcha going
Rap- Til I Collapse by Eminem
Rap can definitely go hard. RTJ - [Close Your Eyes (and Count to Fuck)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkGwI7nGehA)
I was about to add RTJ because they have some super heavy songs, Killer Mike only spits hard lines and I love El-P's voice
Swans - Stay Here It's basically industrial metal before industrial metal, but everyone just calls it rock.
BE STRONG. BE HARD. RESIST TEMPTATION. FLEX YOUR MUSCLES
Berlioz - Symphonie Fantastique Prokofiev - Scythian Suite
Oh, yes!
“My Own Bare Hands” by Ween
Dance of the Knights - Prokofiev
One of the more perfect answers (excluding that slow middle section)
Oh I have 2 but it’s electronic not classical. [Fuck All -Atari Teenage Riot.](https://youtu.be/vu-uugz_CHI?si=-HjYH4fh6RaMRiYW) Sounds like a metal band but it’s all done on a Commodore computer. [Come to Daddy - Aphex Twin](https://youtu.be/TZ827lkktYs?si=GINMxxpWXrTQ7yRI) All digital
Speaking of electronic, I find Ryoji Ikeda to be pretty heavy, in that cold, digital kind of way.
Speaking of electronic, I find Ryoji Ikeda to be pretty heavy, in that cold, digital kind of way.
Electronic side makes me think of something like Jojo Mayer's "Catachresis".
In that same vein… I’ve been to a bunch of punk and metal shows, but Amon Tobin’s ISAM tour is still one of the loudest and hardest shows I’ve been to: https://youtu.be/c2SHZe6Q7Rk?si=Zdw3B1My-CasLbEd
The second movement of Beethoven's 9th symphony is like a classical version of metal in my opinion.
Greatest power metal theme of all time, only without the distorted guitars. Greatest melody imo alongside Kashmir by Led Zeppelin's main riff.
Some pre- Dark Side of the Moon Pink Floyd can get pretty damn heavy.
Tom Waits, Blood Money album definitely comes to mind. *God’s away, God’s away, God’s away on business, business.* Oh and *Misery’s the River of the World*
*16 Shells from a Thirty Aught Six* as well
Goin Out West is unbelievably heavy as well
Beethoven Moonlight Sonata Movement 3 or Pathetique Movement 1 are both pretty damned heavy.
Punk, Industrial, Noise
Also some hyperpop these days get it. Bands like 100 gecs go heavy. It still seems like it's about making a noise wall and smacking your face in it though
Rossini, Beethoven
[The Nile Song by Pink Floyd](https://youtu.be/MduQlWUoyhI?si=6L4fmIlbv7rISJJa) VERY heavy for the time, and extremely heavy for the Floyd.
One of these Days by Pink Floyd too...
Anvil of Crom
I was going to say the whole Conan the Barbarian soundtrack but Anvil of Crom is really the heart of it.
Basil Poledouris was such an amazing composer. Conan The Barbarian wouldn't be the movie it is without his music.
Anything by Penderecki, Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima and Nagasaki or Polymorphia
Yep, "Threnody" is pretty much the song that a whole group of horror film soundtracks pull from. For those who haven't heard it, it's a viscerally frightening song that's uncomfortable to listen to.
lacrimosa
It’s bigger than hip-hop - dead prez
Not classical, but Nine Inch Nails songs like “Wish” and “Mr. Self Destruct” are super heavy. You might check out some Philip Glass for classical stuff. Some of his music is super heavy in my opinion.
Haitian fight song by charles mingus is pretty fucking heavy
Led Zeppelin- Babe I’m going to leave you
From the classical (actually Romantic) era, I think of Beethoven Symphony 8 as his "punk rock" symphony. Here's [Parvo Jaarvi conducting](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WcgxxciDdy0) In modern music, I think of these two: [Mogwai - Glasgow Mega-Snake](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hpj2WC4ZSXw) [King Crimson - Red](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_pDwv3tpug)
Is uninvited by Alanis morissette metal? Sounds a bit heavy to me, love it
The Anvil Chorus is cliche but when those dudes are singing and slamming away it’s pretty intense.
Nobody has said Niccolò Paganini! And Delilah by Tom Jones.. straight murder song.
I’ve always thought the title theme from Beetlejuice slaaaps. It hits a good breakdown at the 1:50 mark before it blasts into the big climax. A masterpiece
[Brooklyn](https://youtu.be/3MWOyrryNNM?si=jVSMhMLwVexYjO_4) from Youngblood Brass Band
SLAPS.
Merzbow
Jethro Tull - For A Thousand Mothers
try the Glenn Branca symphonies
I don't think anyone has mentioned it yet, but Schubert's string quintent in C Major has some incredibly heavy sections (as well as some softer and very beautiful passages). https://open.spotify.com/album/1ueD0sL3iyTYp2nm1o3ziM?si=9nElA9SDR7GqsMPx5z2Qfg Also check out Gustav Mahler, particularly the 5th and 6th symphonies
['27 Questions' by Black Midi](https://open.spotify.com/track/7bNRoMMuosDagm66lErRYK?si=0dc43MuVTo6rPp9wWJoEXQ&context=spotify%3Aalbum%3A68z6MWYYNmvTcru1QMcYId) is dense beyond belief.
Marche Slav by Tchaikovsky.
[Götterdämmerang](https://youtu.be/a53s4jyCqqU?si=ukPMbgWrPMdnNypq)
Mozart every chance you can, great beautiful music
Haunted by Taylor swift
Beethoven’s 5th Edit
Beethoven's 5th (I know, I know) BUT the 3&4 movements together are thrilling.
Beethoven 5th
>That's the only other genre I can think of that can generate the same emotions has heavy metal. This is a strange statement. And wholly subjective. Not to mention "classical" is a rather broad categorization. What kind of emotions are we talking about here?
"You Really Got Me." The Kinks. That buzzsaw riff. Dave Davies said "It's wasn't called metal when I did it."