The 1970s was an interesting time for heavy metal. Black Sabbath helped birth the genre at the very beginning of the decade, and a host of other legendary bands followed suit. Along with Black Sabbath were bands like Judas Priest and several proto-metal acts who are now regarded as classic rock, but were deemed some of the heaviest in their day. It is for this reason that bands like Led Zeppelin, Blue Oyster Cult, Deep Purple, Van Halen and others will be found in the list below. While their music might not be pure metal, the riffs included here are metal through and through.

Tony Iommi did not invent the riff, but he helped bring it to the height of popularity and proved that it can be the true focus of the music, not just serving as a catchy intro before the rest of the song kicks in. There's nothing like sinking your teeth into a meaty riff that never seems to get old no matter how many times you've heard it or played it yourself. Come take a look at the 10 Best Metal Riffs of the 1970s: