Slash salutes English rock legends for creating "the heaviest riff of all time"

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By ( Classic Rock ) published

Slash names the guitar riff he thinks packs the most punch, and it's not one of his own

Slash
(Image credit: Miikka Skaffari/FilmMagic)

It's fair to say that Guns N' Roses' Slash knows a thing or two about guitar. After all, he's one of rock/metal's ultimate axe-slingers, responsible for some of rock's most memorable and iconic riffs. It's intriguing then, to learn what riff the top-hat-sporting guitar god credits as the very best.

In a recent conversation with Matt Pinfield about his new album, 4, recorded with Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators, Slash revealed which riff he considers the "heaviest of all time".

Speaking of the influence that Black Sabbath had on his life as a musician, Slash says "The first Sabbath record just had the biggest impact on me.

"Because, when you think about it, in the landscape of all the other music that was happening at the time, there's this one dark record that comes out that really created what you would consider dark heavy metal and created the path for everything that was to follow. And so yeah, that record is especially poignant."

"I also love the Sabbath Bloody Sabbath record," Slash added. "I mean, really all those records... But the first one and the Sabbath Bloody Sabbath record probably had the biggest impact on me."

Naming what riff he thinks is possibly the "heaviest riff of all time" he continues, "And the title track, that breakdown towards the end of the song. There's just nothing that's ever come out that's heavier than that. Not one band that I can think of has a riff that is as heavy as Sabbath Bloody Sabbath."

Do you agree? Here's a reminder of Tony Iommi's work on the monstrous title track of Sabbath's fifth album.

And you can hear the full interview with Slash below.

Liz Scarlett
Liz Scarlett
Content Editor

Liz manages Louder's social media channels and works on keeping the sites up to date with the latest news from the world of rock and metal. Prior to joining Louder as a full time staff writer, she completed a Diploma with the National Council for the Training of Journalists and received a First Class Honours Degree in Popular Music Journalism. She enjoys writing about anything from neo-glam rock to stoner, doom and progressive metal, and loves celebrating women in music.