Metallica Leads Most-Played Metal Songs And Artists Of The Year
(Muse Group) To celebrate National Metal Day on November 11, Muse Group, the company behind Ultimate Guitar, analyzed millions of plays to reveal the most-played metal songs and artists of the year.
The data confirms the enduring popularity of metal among guitarists, with Metallica, Avenged Sevenfold and Ozzy Osbourne leading the list on Ultimate Guitar in 2025.
National Metal Day originated from the 1984 mockumentary This Is Spinal Tap, a film that humorously portrayed the world of rock and metal. In one of its most memorable scenes, guitarist Nigel Tufnel proudly shows his amplifier that goes to eleven instead of ten, saying it makes it "one louder." The line became a symbol of metal's power and character, and November 11 (11/11) is now celebrated as a tribute to the genre and its culture.
Top 10 most-played metal artists on Ultimate Guitar
Metallica - 8,030,876 views
Avenged Sevenfold - 3,039,994 views
Ozzy Osbourne - 2,665,359 views
Black Sabbath - 2,583,318 views
System Of A Down - 2,531,290 views
Deftones - 1,986,982 views
Slipknot - 1,237,558 views
Pantera - 879,850 views
Iron Maiden - 872,481 views
Tool - 717,449 views
Metallica lead the list with more than 8 million views, far ahead of any other artist. Their album "Master of Puppets" remains one of the most influential albums in rock history. Avenged Sevenfold are second with over 3 million views and represent a younger generation of metal. Ozzy Osbourne ranks third, just ahead of his former band Black Sabbath. His songs gained more plays after his passing in July 2025.
While the top of the ranking is still ruled by the genre's pioneers, many bands from the late 1990s and 2000s have now become classics in their own right. System of a Down, Slipknot, Deftones, Tool, and Avenged Sevenfold shaped the sound of modern metal and continue to attract new players and listeners. Just outside the top 10, Bring Me The Horizon (11th) and Korn (15th) show how the genre keeps evolving while staying true to its roots.
Even Spinal Tap, the fictional band that inspired National Metal Day with the quote "These go to eleven," appears in the ranking at number 91.
Top 10 most-played metal songs on Ultimate Guitar
Metallica - Nothing Else Matters - 2,296,643 views
Metallica - Enter Sandman - 1,065,881 views
Metallica - Master of Puppets - 941,354 views
Ozzy Osbourne - Crazy Train -827,156 views
Ozzy Osbourne - Mama, I'm Coming Home - 818,496 views
Black Sabbath - Paranoid - 638,326 views
Metallica - One -623,149 views
Avenged Sevenfold - So Far Away - 603,017 views
System Of A Down - Lonely Day - 559,394 views
Black Sabbath - Iron Man - 488,317 views
Metallica dominates the song ranking as well. "Nothing Else Matters" leads with more than 2.2 million views, followed by "Enter Sandman", "Master of Puppets" and "One". Ozzy Osbourne's "Crazy Train" and "Mama, I'm Coming Home" both appear in the top five, while Black Sabbath's "Paranoid" and "Iron Man" remain among the most played songs on the platform. The list also includes Avenged Sevenfold with "So Far Away" and System Of A Down with "Lonely Day".
Heavy metal began to take shape in the late 1960s and early 1970s with bands like Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple, who are often seen as the first to define its sound. Over the following decades, metal split into many styles, from thrash and progressive to nu metal, as new generations of musicians added their own sound while keeping its intensity and power. More than fifty years later, metal continues to inspire millions of players around the world.
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