The Ultimate
Metal Ego Check
Bands That Named Songs After Themselves
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Maybe the song is named after the band and referenced in the chorus. Maybe the song is named after the band but there’s no reference to the band’s name anywhere in the lyrics. Or maybe it’s a song with a completely different title than the band name BUT the band name IS mentioned somewhere in the lyrics.
Whatever the case may be, A METAL BAND’S TITLE TRACK ultimately becomes the cornerstone of a band’s sound and their overall mission statement and objective (especially when they’re young and just starting out).
Whether it’s about building a mood, declaring some philosophical ethos, or making a proud, self-referential namecheck for fans to latch on and lock in to, A METAL BAND’S TITLE TRACK sets the tone and lets the listener know what can be expected whenever they hear it.
Discover what it means to be a “hill jack”, understand why the good people of “Missourah” enjoy sipping on “Kentuckah” bourbon while floating down the “Mississippah” river, and find out how “Three Dudes…” are about to fundamentally transform metal award shows forever when you JOIN US as we investigate the importance of A METAL BAND’S TITLE TRACK.
Why Do Metal Bands Do This?
When a band names a song after itself, it's a statement. It's saying: this track is what we're all about. It's a mission statement in riff form. And metal — with its mythological band names, larger-than-life imagery, and obsessive tribalism — is the perfect genre for it.
Black Sabbath set the template in 1970. Their opening track "Black Sabbath" didn't just introduce the band — it arguably invented heavy metal as a genre in one fell swoop. Every band that's done it since has been, consciously or not, chasing that same energy.
The Wildest Stories
Before the list, here are the stories worth knowing:
Motörhead — the song that named the band. Lemmy wrote "Motörhead" while he was still a member of Hawkwind. After getting fired from Hawkwind, he formed a new band — and named it after the song. The song created the band, not the other way around.
Anthrax — the sneakiest entry on the list. "Anthrax" from their 1984 debut Fistful of Metal doesn't mention the band's name once in its lyrics. Not once. The self-reference only exists in the title.
The notable absence — Testament. The only major thrash band that apparently never recorded a self-titled track. Someone ask Chuck Billy about this.
Autopsy — the ultimate death metal callback. Chris Reifert played drums on Scream Bloody Gore (arguably the first death metal album), then left Death and immediately formed Autopsy — and recorded a self-titled track on their debut. The death metal family tree in one bullet point.
The Full List by Subgenre
Classic / Heavy Metal
The genre that started the tradition. Almost every foundational heavy metal band has one.
| Band | Song | Year | Album | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black Sabbath | "Black Sabbath" | 1970 | Black Sabbath | The one that started it all. Ground zero. |
| Motörhead | "Motörhead" | 1975 | Hawkwind / re-recorded 1977 | Written for Hawkwind. Lemmy named his new band after this song. |
| Iron Maiden | "Iron Maiden" | 1980 | Iron Maiden | Closes their debut. Still Eddie's live entrance music today. |
| Judas Priest | "Judas Priest" | 1978 | Killing Machine | |
| Metal Church | "Metal Church" | 1984 | Metal Church | One of the all-time great metal anthems. |
| Manowar | "Manowar" | 1982 | Battle Hymns | Ultimate metal self-mythology. |
| Saxon | "Saxon" | 1979 | Saxon | |
| Accept | "Accept" | 1979 | Accept | |
| Blue Öyster Cult | "Blue Öyster Cult" | 1988 | Imaginos | |
| Iced Earth | "Iced Earth" | 1991 | Iced Earth | |
| Leatherwolf | "Leatherwolf" | 1987 | Leatherwolf | NWOBHM-adjacent US power metal. |
| Fifth Angel | "Fifth Angel" | 1986 | Fifth Angel | Classic USPM from Seattle. |
| Queensrÿche | "Queensrÿche" | 1983 | Queensrÿche (EP) | |
| Fates Warning | "Fates Warning" | 1984 | Night on Bröcken | |
| Kamelot | "Kamelot" | 1995 | Eternity |
Thrash Metal
Bay Area thrash especially ran with this tradition. Nearly every major thrash band has one — except Testament, which is a whole topic in itself.
| Band | Song | Year | Album | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anthrax | "Anthrax" | 1984 | Fistful of Metal | Doesn't mention the band name once in the lyrics. Only in the title. |
| Exodus | "Exodus" | 1985 | Bonded by Blood | The Bay Area thrash anthem. |
| Pantera | "Pantera" | 1983 | Metal Magic | Glam era — long before Cowboys from Hell. |
| Sepultura | "Sepultura" | 1987 | Schizophrenia | |
| Overkill | "Overkill" | 1984 | Feel the Fire | Classic NJ thrash. |
| Destruction | "Destruction" | 1984 | Sentence of Death (EP) | Teutonic thrash. |
| Sodom | "Sodom" | 1984 | In the Sign of Evil (EP) | |
| Flotsam & Jetsam | "Flotsam and Jetsam" | 1988 | No Place for Disgrace | Jason Newsted's old band! |
| Warbringer | "Warbringer" | 2008 | War Without End | Modern thrash revival. |
Death Metal
Death metal bands love this — the genre is full of evocative, brutal names that practically demand a song to match.
| Band | Song | Year | Album | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deicide | "Deicide" | 1990 | Deicide | One of death metal's most blasphemous anthems. |
| Obituary | "Obituary" | 1989 | Slowly We Rot | Florida death metal. |
| Napalm Death | "Napalm Death" | 1987 | Scum | Grindcore/death — brutal and short, as you'd expect. |
| Autopsy | "Autopsy" | 1989 | Severed Survival | Chris Reifert's band after leaving Death. |
| Suffocation | "Suffocation" | 1991 | Effigy of the Forgotten | |
| Possessed | "Possessed" | 1985 | Seven Churches | The other contender for the first death metal album. |
| Six Feet Under | "Six Feet Under" | 1995 | Haunted | Chris Barnes era. |
| Children of Bodom | "Children of Bodom" | 1997 | Something Wild | Named after a real Finnish murder case. |
| At the Gates | "At the Gates" | 1992 | The Red in the Sky Is Ours | Melodic death metal. |
| Arch Enemy | "Arch Enemy" | 1996 | Black Earth |
Black Metal
Black metal's grandiose, mythological self-image makes the self-titled track almost mandatory. The names are always references — to torture devices, Icelandic landmarks, Babylonian gods, Tolkien — so writing a song to match feels natural.
| Band | Song | Year | Album | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Venom | "Venom" | 1981 | Welcome to Hell | Godfathers of black metal. |
| Mayhem | "Mayhem" | 1987 | Deathcrush (EP) | Pure Norwegian chaos. |
| Dimmu Borgir | "Dimmu Borgir" | 1994 | For All Tid | "Dimmu Borgir" = Dark Fortress in Icelandic. |
| Immortal | "Immortal" | 1991 | Diabolical Fullmoon Mysticism | |
| Bathory | "Bathory" | 1984 | Bathory | Named after Elizabeth Báthory. |
| Gorgoroth | "Gorgoroth" | 1994 | Pentagram | Name taken from Tolkien's Mordor. |
| Marduk | "Marduk" | 1992 | Dark Endless | Named after the Babylonian god. |
| Emperor | "Emperor" | 1992 | Emperor/Enslaved split EP | |
| Burzum | "Burzum" | 1992 | Burzum | "Burzum" = darkness in Black Speech (Tolkien). |
Doom / Stoner / Sludge Metal
Doom bands tend toward mythological or evocative names — which makes the self-titled song feel like a natural fit. Saint Vitus and Electric Wizard both pulled it off on their debut albums.
| Band | Song | Year | Album | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saint Vitus | "Saint Vitus" | 1984 | Saint Vitus | Doom metal's defining band and song. |
| Electric Wizard | "Electric Wizard" | 1995 | Electric Wizard | The heaviest of heavy. |
| Candlemass | "Candlemass" | 1986 | Epicus Doomicus Metallicus | The doom metal blueprint. |
| Pentagram | "Pentagram" | 1985 | Relentless | Bobby Liebling's curse-ridden doom outfit. |
| Cathedral | "Cathedral" | 1992 | The Ethereal Mirror | |
| Kyuss | "Kyuss" | 1991 | Wretch | Desert rock / stoner metal founders. |
| Monster Magnet | "Monster Magnet" | 1990 | Monster Magnet (EP) | |
| Eyehategod | "Eyehategod" | 1992 | In the Name of Suffering | New Orleans sludge. |
| Down | "Down" | 1995 | NOLA | The Anselmo/Wylde supergroup. |
| Trouble | "Trouble" | 1984 | Trouble | Christian doom metal — yes, really. |
| Witchfinder General | "Witchfinder General" | 1981 | Death Penalty | NWOBHM doom. |
Groove / Alt / Industrial Metal
| Band | Song | Year | Album | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soulfly | "Soulfly" | 1998 | Soulfly | Max Cavalera post-Sepultura. |
| Body Count | "Body Count" | 1992 | Body Count | Ice-T's metal band. |
| White Zombie | "White Zombie" | 1992 | La Sexorcisto | Industrial/groove metal. |
| Machine Head | "Machine Head" | 1994 | Burn My Eyes | Also a classic Deep Purple album title! |
| Blue Murder | "Blue Murder" | 1989 | Blue Murder | John Sykes (Whitesnake/Thin Lizzy) supergroup. |
Metalcore / Modern Metal
| Band | Song | Year | Album | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Killswitch Engage | "Killswitch Engage" | 2000 | Killswitch Engage | |
| Hatebreed | "Hatebreed" | 1997 | Satisfaction Is the Death of Desire |
The Great Debate: Which One Is Best?
The top 3 are pretty much unassailable:
- "Black Sabbath" by Black Sabbath — the song that started it all. The rain, the church bell, Tony Iommi's tritone riff, Ozzy's wail. It doesn't just represent the band — it invented the genre.
- "Motörhead" by Motörhead — a smack in the face and a mission statement. Plus the song came BEFORE the band existed.
- "Iron Maiden" by Iron Maiden — closes their debut, still played 45 years later. One of the great metal anthems.
After that? It's wide open. Does "Deicide" beat "Obituary"? Does "Saint Vitus" edge out "Electric Wizard"? Does "Anthrax" get disqualified for not actually mentioning Anthrax? That's for Metal Nerdery to settle.
Show Notes:
(00:01): “Tinkler Widdler?” / “How about some #EvilBean (with the Mean Gene, brother)?”/ #HulkHogan / “Howard Schwanzenstein?” / #AndrewDiceClay / “Have you ever looked at his Instagram?” / ***WARNING: #listenerdiscretionisadvised *** /
“That is bean worthy…”/ “Let’s retire that guy and go to this guy…”/ #markthetime / “Let it ring out…”/ ***WELCOME BACK TO THE METAL NERDERY PODCAST!!!*** /
#BunkerpoonCenterForMetalExcellence / #Hotlanta / “Don’t say that…”/
“Wait a minute…isn’t it ‘Missourah’?” / “Are you trying to throw up the state name?”/
“Yeah, why not? #Skynet knows everything, dude…”/ #Kentuckah / “A warsher…”/
“Alright, so you’re a Hill Jack as well, then…”/ “What’s a hill jack?”
(06:20): ***PATREON US at PATREON.COM/METALNERDERYPODCAST *** /
#instantgasm / “WELCOME, New Patreons!!!” / “No spoilers…but it involves…”/
“Did you literally just spoil #TheHogStory …?”/ #DoomSickle #DoomSicle / “It’s gonna be longer than a day…”/ “I’ve got a bass rig…it’s getting no use in my house…”/ #digitaldrums /
“He’s a bass player, kind of a drummer, maybe a guitar player…don’t forget about singer…and poon magnet…”/ #autotuneddoommetal / “I gotta open up the…”/
“Just know there’s a surprise coming…” / #markthetime / “The good news is…I’ve been in your house…”/ “A little bit of elbow grease and you’re good…”/ Crone’s Kitchen Cleaning /
“You don’t wanna be that roommate…”/ “I’ve been in appliances for a very long time…this is so fucking metal…”/ #reallifeshit / #wisdomteeth #drysockets #viralaf #TikTok /
“The dishwasher people are gonna love it…all the women, right?”/ “You guys know what I do for a living, right?” / “I know what he’s doing…” /
***GIVE US A CALL AND VOICEMAIL US AT 980-666-8182!!!*** / #AussieDave / #ThanksCunt / “We’re learning so much!”/ “His #voicemails are gold!”/ “I think it’s ‘shit-hard’…”
(19:00): “Let’s get into the Daggone…” / #TheDocket / METAL NERDERY PODCAST PRESENTS: A BAND’S TITLE TRACK / THE TITLE TRACK OF THE BAND /
“They mostly do it during their early years…”/ “Taylor Swift doesn’t have a song called Taylor Swift…and The Beatles don’t have a song called The Beatles…”/ “Who’s Pink Floyd?”/
“Hats off to Roy Harper, by the way…”/ “Is that the same one from the Led Zeppelin?”
“That’s what this podcast is about…”/ “Unfortunately, it wasn’t on Black Sabbath Records…”/ #Black Sabbath BLACK SABBATH (Black Sabbath – 1970) /
“We gotta hear some weather dude…and the bell…it sets the tone.”/ #PerfectEditing /
“You ever run like this?”/ “What’s he doing there?” / “Like an auto-wah…not Canada…”/
“We’re learning shit…”/ ***SOCIAL MEDIA US AT #metalnerderypodcast on #YouTube #Facebook #Instagram and #TikTok *** / #ViralAF
(25:08): “You wanna hear the Hawkwind version?” / #Hawkwind MOTORHEAD /
“Prizes of Christmas?”/ “It goes up like prices at Christmas…”/ “Now check out the difference…”/ #Motorhead MOTORHEAD (Motorhead – 1977) #killeropener /
“I got one…”/ “It’s always fun when he has a surprise, dude…we all win.”/
#IronMaiden IRON MAIDEN (Iron Maiden – 1980) / “Sing IRON MAIDEN!”/ “That reminds me…”/ “Vinny Dimebag, man…”/ “It’s very punk…”/ “I kinda wish he would have kept his cool Samson mustache…”/ “Wait a minute…what were we talking about?”/
“Have you ever met somebody that you think is actually in the CIA?” / “When in doubt…”/
#CIASMR / NOTE: It’s Metal Storm/Face The Slayer, NOT Tormentor/Face The Slayer
(34:12): “How about some Metal Church?” / “I still think they should have opened that first album with that song…”/ #MetalChurch METAL CHURCH (Metal Church – 1984) / “He’s got Dio vibes in the vocals…” / #Overkill OVERKILL (Feel The Fire – 1985) / NOTE: E.vil N.ever D.ies is apparently Overkill IV / “More creepy wind…love it!”/ “Old School…or Old Skull…if you’re from Missourah…”/ “Oh Whiplash, c’mon…”/ “They do have an album called Metallica…”/ “Can we find that one part?” / “Did the song live up to the name?”/
#Metallica WHIPLASH (Kill ‘Em All – 1983) / “I fucking nailed it!”
(41:21): “How about a little Megadeth…?”/ “Dave Mustaine is not a they…he’s a dude…”/
#Megadeth SET THE WORLD AFIRE (So Far…So Good…So What! – 1988) / “It’s not as…precise.”/ “You’re almost there anyway…”/ “That was obviously from the remaster with the weird drums…”/ “Let it ring out…”/ “It’s like a flaccid drum set…”/ “It kinda still bothers me that Baloff doesn’t do that anywhere else on the record…maybe Rob Dukes will do that sometime…”/ #Exodus EXODUS (Bonded By Blood – 1985) / “We never talked about the band title track…”/ “What would our statue be…?”/ #ThePoonys / “Put this dick on your mantle…”/ “Three dudes…all lickin’ ass…”/ #thenewbutton / “There it is…he finally did it!”/
“He doesn’t say a lot, folks…but when he does, it’s fucking GOLD!”/ “That’s called a callback I think…”
(50:15): “How about something that…maybe a lot of people probably don’t know?”/
“I love it…aftershocks!”/ “That’s the Surprise we were talking about before…”/
“We’re getting a lot of lies…” / “How about Electric Wizard?”/ “I told you, I can’t smoke weed…”/ “It’s not for everybody…” / #ElectricWizard ELECTRIC WIZARD (Electric Wizard – 1994) / #StonerMetal #SmogMountain #SmaugMountain / “Our local boys…”/ #localmetal #AtlantaMetal / #ActusReus ACTUS REUS (2022) / #WitchfinderGeneral WITCHFINDER GENERAL (Death Penalty – 1982) / “Actually, that’s a cool loop. We’ll keep that for Smaug Mountain…”/ “Dude, she IS nude!”/ “Princess Areola: Queen of the Bra People…it’s a fantasy movie…in the style of Heavy Metal.”/ “I wonder how many modern bands still do it?”
(1:01:03): “I don’t know why my voice went up so much…” (“I know why…”) /
#Queensryche – QUEEN OF THE REICH (Queensryche – 1982) / “It’s Bill’s favorite style of singing…”/ “Do you wanna cleanse real quick with Anthrax by Anthrax?”/ “Mouthful of Braces…”/ #NewAnthrax #ItsForTheKids / “Really!?”/ “I guess that’s the equivalent now of old 45 singles, right?” / #Anthrax ANTHRAX (Fistful of Metal – 1984) / “It’s like sped-up KISS…”/ NOTE: ’84 would have been Animalize / “I don’t know why my voice is going up…”/ THANK YOU FOR JOINING US!!! / #untilthenext #outrreel