the title says it all.
my choices would be:
-judas priest-painkiller(you don't need to hear it twice)
-judas priest-the hellion
-iced earth-desert rain
-nightwish-feel for you
-crematory-tears of time(the most memorable out of my list). damn that keyboard riff!

Yyrkoon - ...of Madness
I will probably never forget the intro. I even have images of the live show in my head when hearing it. The song (especially the intro) brings me back.

Iron Maiden - Prisoner - when I was kid I was impressed with this intro and I listen it million times
Iron Maiden - Run To The Hills
Vomitory - revelation Nausea
Children Of Bodom - Follow The Reaper

Kalmah - Moon Of My Nights
Immortal - Beyond The North Waves
and off course the intro Children Of Bodom used at Tokio Warhearts

Morbid Angel - God of Emptiness
- Immortal Rites
Slayer - reign in blood

It would be great if you guys explain why do you like those intros...

I love the intro of Therion's "The khlysti evangelist". It sounds like an old record and sung in a strange language, I think it's Russian

Also love the intro of Nightwish's "Over the hills and far away", the drums, Tarja's voice, but especially the guitar and keyboard riff.

The most memorable for me is The Moor by Opeth. I just love the repetitveness of it and it feels like such an emotional intro.

Also when Slayer plays Necrophiliac live. That's a good intro.

Black Sabbath - Iron man
Iron Maiden - the trooper
AC/DC - back in black

I better save this thread before it turns into a listing topic.

If I had to choose a most memorable intro to an album, I would choose 'The Hippocritic Oath' from Impaled's "Mondo Medicale". The eerie piano and slow riffs along with spoken words soon break into pulverizing gore metal, and the album truly begins with McGrath screaming "Is there a doctor in the house!?"

If I chose a most memorable intro to a song, it would be from Testament's 'DNR' from their "Gathering" album. The orchestra is simply awe-inspiring as you feel you are approaching the apocalypse before it hits you with full force thrash metal.

Iron Maiden - The Trooper : I love the guitar here, it just reaches right out and kicks you in the teeth, then the drums come in and clean up whatever's left.

Sinergy - Spit On Your Grave: A loogie being spat, followed by incredibly fast guitar, I love it.

Vader - The Art of War: I love the drums here, very menacing.

There's a lot more, but that's all I can/choose to list right now.

Now that Metal Blade mentioned Sinergy I have to say that "Suicide by my side" has a very cool intro, first the dialogue and then those riffs. Really amazing.

I also like the spoken/whispered parts at the intro, for example Evergrey's "The masterplan", Galadriel's "Dark Erotica" or Nightwish's "Bless the child", I especially love the instrumentation accompaining this one.

NekroGoblikon- Goblin Island

I highly suggest checking that out if you like Finntroll and Einherjer and stuff its a funny stab at Folk metal and pretty sick power metal guitars.

www.myspace.com/nekrogoblikon

Moonsorrow - Jotunheim (the whole intro is just so epic), Unohduksen Lapsi (the distortion is awesome and with the bell in the background the intro is powerful)
Behemoth - Sculpting the Throne ov Seth (I love the build up of the acoustic guitars until the drums, bass and Electric guitars kick in...its quite the memorable and kick ass intro).
Symphony X - The Divine Wings of Tragedy (the choir singing by itself is quite amazing)
Amon Amarth - Death in Fire (the drums specifically...they kick ass)
Wintersun - Sadness and Hate, Starchild...well all of them really. The songs dont have any proper intro's (like Jotunheim and Sculpting the Throne ov Seth) but the way each song starts is just quite awesome!

There's more...but I cant think of them right now.

Motorheads 'Mean Machine', the way the drums are timed with the opening guitar riff creates such a powerful badass feeling.

Also 'Our Last Masquerade' by Nebucadnezzer, go to there myspace page to listen to it, the opening guitar riff is catchy as hell.

Hmm...
Death-Scavenger of human sorrow
Priest-Painkiller
Priest-Metal Meltdown
Shadows Fall-The Light that Blinds
Megadeth-Holywars

Dismember - Dreaming in Red
Vader - Torch of War
Behemoth - Slaves shall serve
Hypocrisy - Fusion Programmed minds

iced earth-pure evil: the intro reminds me of the intro to angel's holocaust. i think it's some desperate helpless earthlings being torn to shreds by the angry stormrider and his ilk
therion-the blood of kingu: pam-parapapam-papapapaam-pam-parapapam-papapapaam and then... fuck yeah! one of the best symphonic intro's i ever heard. it just builds up and builds up and builds up until the monstrous riff begins.
iced earth-burnt offerings. piano and REALLY creepy keyboards, and then...."i was betrayed!!look what your god did to me!"one of the darkest, scariest moments in all the music i heard so far.
and not quite the most memorable intro, but the intro riff for maiden's "be quick or be dead" has stuck in my head(lol i'm a rapper) even though i only listened to the song 3-4 times very far between.
but for me the winner still is crematory-tears of time. unforgettable. it's almost as catchy as smoke on the water.

Come on, people, don't just post a list of bands and their songs. Nobody reads them.

The choice for an album intro is difficult. I don't know whether to choose The Ecstasy of Gold, by Ennio Morricone, from Metallica's S&M (with the SF Symphonic Orchestra and stuff, leading to "The Call of Ktulu") or Blind Guardian's War of Wrath, from Nightfall in Middle-Earth. Both are key intros for both Metal classics. Obviously, "The Ecstasy of Gold" is not a Metallica song itself, so, if we have to choose an intro composed by the very band, Blind Guardian "War of Wrath" that is.

On the other hand, if we are supposed to choose an intro to a song, I would like to replace Iron Maiden's "The Trooper" (suggested by various Metalstormers in this thread) with Hallowed Be Thy Name. From my point of view, the intro to the latter is even more memorable, majestic and important for Iron Maiden fans than "The Trooper". Take different Iron Maiden bootlegs and live albums and compare the audience's reaction to both intros. In my opinion, Hallowed Be Thy Name wins.

One of my favorite intro's for this moment would be the intro from Deathspell Omega on their Ep Kenose. That monotone drumming, the creepy guitar. All that lingers on for about four minutes, some vocals arise.. and then the mayhem begins.

As far as intro's for an album goes, I don't think you can beat "South of Heaven". Great set up for an album.

Slayer - Hell Awaits.
Riff...riff...riff...slightly faster riff....BAM! Guaranteed to have you headbanging in anticipation of the next riff, before skewering you on the end of a some lightning-fast shredding. It also opens the album very well, too.

Iron Maiden - Hallowed Be Thy Name/Fear of the Dark
Simply put, you do NOT need to hear these twice before they get stuck in your mind. Plus, FotD's intro sets up the rest of the song perfectly.

In Flames - Colony
This song started it all for me, my imagination streamed as I heard the keys for this song wondering what would await after the intro was over. And with that being said, this song was the first song that got me into metal so its easier to remember.

For an album intro, I suppose Shadows Fall's "The War Within" has a pretty Kick ass intro. It begins with a classical guitar intro, and then kicks full force into a brutal lead in for the song. Another Song on the album that has a good intro, is "Those who can not speak." which is the last song on the album. It has a clean acoustic intro, followed by another brutal assult of three part harmonies and rythyms so deep it sends you back in time to WW2 inside of a gas chamber.

I Suppose another album with a good kick off is metalica's "Ride the lightning" which is my favorite metalica album. The Song"Fight fire with fire" was actually shadows fall's inspiration to write the intro to the previously mentioned album. Once more, opening classical riff kicked into a brutal thrash rythym.

Written by Taktsekte on 25.02.2007 at 15:13

Come on, people, don't just post a list of bands and their songs. Nobody reads them.

Agree !

Well, imo for an album intro I'll vote for Trivium - Ascendancy. Simply adore that piano :$ ! And of course when the second song "Rain" begins the metal starts \m/

As choosing a song I guess the best intro goes to Slayer - Angel Of Death. I just love true fast thrash intro's !
I'm surprised to not have seen anyone with the same opinion as me on this song :\

I can't leave without also mention Sepultura - Convicted in Life. The initial drum is really great ^^ And then it all starts in a fuckin' brutal way !

I'm not sure whether I'm supposed to mention an album intro or a song intro but anyway..

If its a song intro, it would be, without a doubt Mayhem - Necrolust The riffs the drums, everything is just amazing. The song as a whole is nothing compared to the intro. The sound of the symbals clashing along with the drums and the riffs is just amazingly unique. Its the best intro I've ever heard to get me into a headbanging mood.

In terms of an album intro: I've read somewhere that the best thing about Graveland is probably their intro's. I disagree but I think their intro's are majestic. I specially like the intro of Immortal Pride called Intro (Day of Fury).

Metallica - For Whom The Bell Tolls

On a whole line! The actual sound of bells and that guitar riffs... They just follow and flow from one to another, creating a feeling of an actual fight or war, the very beginning reminds me on a march even. It's definately the best and the most memorable into a song I have ever heard. If you haven't seen the ''misheard lyrics'', you should - where it says: Kirk is ruling the world right now, it's completely right!

Metallica-Wherever I May Roam
Iron Maiden-Number Of The Beast
Judas Priest-A Touch Of Evil
Hypocrisy-Eraser,Living To Die
Sentenced-No One There

The best intro i ever heard is Rhapsody (of Fire), Gargoles, Angels of Darkness, the classic-guitar intro is the best.
Another great intro for me is Machinae Supremacy's Trinity, and I forgot to post it in the best instrumental song thread:wall:

For me, there's no doubt:

The Ninja - Cacophony

Why? Because is simply beautiful, the Becker and Friedman guitars are so inspired, their combination is amazingly dramatic, and the drum's force when it enters surprises me everytime I hear it.

Then I have to mention:
- Lady Of Winter (Crimson Glory). A very powerful intro, transmits adrenalin from the first second.
- Noldor (Blind Guardian). Another beautiful intro, short, but memorable.
A LOT from Symphony X (Accolade II, Through The Looking Glass, Communion and The Oracle, The Edge Of Forever, ...) and many more songs that i'm too lazy to list:P

EDIT: Shit, I was forgetting Fade To Black, the song that gives me my nick :s

Oh come on everyone, you are unbelievably disappointing. I checked your replies three times and none of you mentioned the intro to "Star Crossed" by Arcturus. Keyboards are truly magical.