5 of the Longest Metal Songs Ever That Are Still Popular, Ranked

Metal songs are known for their epic lengths, but have you ever wondered why? One of the most defining features of metal music is the length of songs. Why are the songs quite so long? The answer is not so easy to explain because it depends on many different individual factors. When non-musicians think about music, they often confuse two key subjects: Tempo and Time Signatures. 

While these two things may be related to one another, and they certainly can influence the way that we hear music and the way that we keep track of it, they have almost nothing to do with the length of a song. Let’s define some terms first.

Tempo

The rate of change of a piece of music is typically measured in BPM (Beats per minute). “This song is 120 bpm”. 

Now, while that might sound like it’s very fast, beats per minute is just a measurement. The song can be 120 bpm and still be silent. A song can have a very fast tempo, but the musicians might still only ever play every eight beats, which will give the impression that the music is moving much slower than this. 

Simply put, tempo just means how fast the music will move. It is also entirely possible to play very fast at a low tempo. It is also possible to play very slowly at a fast tempo. Tempo only refers to how we measure the change in time from one point to the next.

Time Signatures

The grouping of beats is typically measured in groups of 3 or 4. “This song has a 4/4 time signature”. 

Perhaps the single most commonly misunderstood concept in the realm of metal fandom Is time signatures. I am also sympathetic to people who find this concept confusing. I found it confusing for a very long time until someone explained it simply to me.

Time signatures are just groups of beats. If someone says this song is in 4/4, that means that there are four notes (the first number) and 1/4th notes (the second number) in every group beat (called a measure). 

If someone says, this song is in 6/4, That simply means that there are six quarter notes in each measure. 

If someone says there are 15/4, that simply means there are 15 quarter notes in each measure. 

Having a “large” time signature does not mean that your music is more complex. It also does not mean that the music is fast or slow. These types of misconceptions are often left uninvestigated by music appreciators because they seem complicated.

Song Lengths

So why, then, are some songs super long and some songs super short? Well, actually, like we talked about, tempo and time signatures have nothing to do with the length of the song. Typically, songs are very long because they have lots of individual sections. Think of a song that has a lot of verses, multiple courses, or multiple solos in it.

All of these sections take a certain amount of time, and when you start adding them together, you get longer, interesting sections, and then all of a sudden, you’re dealing with a 10-minute-long song.

I’m listing some of my favorite examples of popular metal and rock songs that are very long, and I’ll try to give you some details about them that will not only increase your enjoyment but hopefully give you some interesting things to look out for and listen to. 

1. Dream Theater – “A Change of Seasons” (23:09)

John Petrucci and company have written some of the longest and most melodic contemporary metal songs in the genre. There is no denying that they have complete and utter technical mastery of their instruments, and while that may be off-putting to some listeners, their music has made its way into my brain and built a guest house, staying in my thoughts whenever they like. 

While this song is much longer than even most television show episodes, it serves as a great place to start on the list because it uses multiple tempos, multiple time signatures, and a lot of large, interesting sections. You will hear parts with acoustic guitar, parts with large ensemble percussion, and you will hear straight-up rock music.

They do a great job of using all of the common elements of the genre altogether and doing this all with masterful playing and inspiring cohesiveness. It is very challenging to make a song that is three minutes long where all the parts go together, but here, Dream Theater has shown us that they can take even the most desperate elements and weave them together into something masterful and wonderful to listen to. It just might not be a party jam, or maybe I’m going to the wrong kinds of parties.

2. Tool – Lateralus (9:24)

This is a band that is famous for using very complex combinations of time signatures and tempo changes in their music. It is this band and this song that inspired me to write the article and to organize it in the way that I did.

When listening to this tune, you might be surprised to know that the entire song is based on the Fibonacci sequence. What is the Fibonacci sequence, you might ask? 

The Fibonacci sequence is a series of numbers where each number is the sum of the two preceding ones, usually starting with 0 and 1. So, it goes like this: 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, and so on. It’s the naturally occurring spiral pattern found on shells and all over nature. It is a scientific and mathematical miracle… So why am I talking about it in relation to long songs? 

Now, pay attention to the lyrics, and you will start to notice that all of his syllables occur in the order of the Fibonacci sequence. You would be very right to have never noticed this. It is a ridiculous conceit for music that then becomes even further reinforced by the lyrics, 

“Ride the spiral to the end

We may just go where no one’s been

Spiral out

Keep, going”

And here, you will start to recognize that the reason the song is so long is not because they love to play their instruments or make ridiculous show-off virtual performances as in Dream Theater. The truth Of the matter is that to make a song large enough to demonstrate something as complex as the Fibonacci sequence, you need a lot of time. 

This song is a miracle of creativity, ingenuity, and craftsmanship. It earns every second of its run-time, and I may just have to go put it on again right now. 

3. Metallica – “And Justice for All” (9:45)

Another great reason to make a long song is when you are making an epic musical or conceptual statement. This record by Metallica features a broken picture of the scales of justice as the cover art, signifying that justice, though it may be given to all, is inherently broken.

To demonstrate this concept and to speak about and exemplify that injustice using music, you also need a long time. Those concepts need to be allowed to mature and steepen, and they earn the trust of their audience and fan base by delivering on concepts of inequality. 

4. Black Sabbath – “War Pigs” (7:54)

Ozzy Osbourne, while being a bit of a wild bat-eating circus sideshow, he’s also a brilliant lyricist. The British, in their music, film, writing, and even comedy, have demonstrated A real skepticism toward authority, especially the authority of the war machine.

As demonstrated by the lyrics, 

“Generals gathered in their masses

Just like witches at black masses

Evil minds that plot destruction

Sorcerer of death’s construction.”

A great reason to have a long song is to break down and draw attention to the calamity of war. The insincerity of leadership and a lack of faith in “The Powers That Be.” If, as a creative person, you want to talk about bodies burning in a field, It behooves you to talk about that with grace and to honor the dead by shining a light on the tragedy. To do that well, you need to take your time. 

5. Pantera – “Cemetery Gates” (7:03)

Oddly, the shortest song on this list is perhaps the biggest departure for that band. Black Sabbath, Metallica, TOOL, and Dream Theater. All these bands have demonstrated their ease of wearing a different genre or incorporating large, heavy topics into their music.

This was not the case for Pantera, and I cannot recall hearing a song from this band that featured so heavily acoustic guitar alongside Dimebag Darrell’s otherworldly pinch harmonics. For many people who exclusively listen to metal music. 

This song may have been a gateway into the other realms of expression that can often be found in more complex bands like those on this list, Even though Pantera is very rarely so expressive. For that, we said thank you, and we are all grateful for the music that Dimebag gave to us before his tragic end.