The British Invasion: 12 Guitar Riffs That Changed Metal Forever

From Led Zeppelin's telepathic riffage in '69 to Bullet for My Valentine bringing metal screaming into the 2000s — this is the story of British heavy metal, told through 12 riffs that changed music forever. 🎸 THE RIFFS 0:14 — Led Zeppelin "Whole Lotta Love" (1969) 0:48 — Black Sabbath "Paranoid" (Birmingham, 1970) 1:29 — Deep Purple "Smoke on the Water" (1972) 2:05— Judas Priest "Breaking the Law" (Birmingham, 1980) 2:36 — Motörhead "Ace of Spades" (1980) 3:24 — Diamond Head "Am I Evil?" (Stourbridge, 1980) 4:03 — Saxon "Wheels of Steel" (Barnsley, 1980) 4:43 — Ozzy Osbourne "Crazy Train" (1980) 5:22 — Venom "Black Metal" (Newcastle, 1982) 6:02 — Def Leppard "Photograph" (Sheffield, 1983) 6:42 — Iron Maiden "Fear of the Dark" (1992) 7:37— Bullet for My Valentine "Tears Don't Fall" (Bridgend, 2005) From the blues-rock swagger of the 70s, through the NWOBHM explosion of 1980, into Maiden's stadium-shaking 90s, and finally the metalcore roar of the 2000s — this is the evolution of British heavy metal in 12 riffs. Which riff did I miss? Tell me in the comments — and vote for which country I should do next. 📱 FOLLOW ME Instagram: @LeeW7x TikTok: @LeeW7x