Heavy metal has been around for over five decades, but the seeds for music's heaviest genre were planted well over a century ago.

Composers like Liszt and Beethoven made metal before electricity, while blues and rock 'n' roll pioneers pushed the boundaries of tone and aggression. There's way more than 10 songs that allowed metal to be invented, but here's a few of the most essential pre-metal works.

Franz Liszt – "Dante Sonata"

Over a hundred years before Black Sabbath famously used the tritone on "Black Sabbath," ushering in a genre known as heavy metal, legendary composer Franz Liszt brought the Devil's Interval to one of his signature works — "Dante Sonata." The diminished fifth was avoided for much of western history because it was seen as dissonant and even ungodly, but Liszt used it heavily in "Dante Sonata" to depict souls writhing in the depths of Hell. "Dante Sonata" was also written with three themes, representing the three faces of Satan depicted in Dante's Inferno. Liszt was metal as fuck, you guys, and he deserves to be recognized for planting a few seeds for the genre.

Blind Willie Johnson – "Jesus Is Coming Soon"

Oh, the history lesson doesn't end with Liszt! We're getting into gospel blues and Blind Willie Johnson! At face value, singing some holy songs about Jesus isn't super metal, but Johnson's importance in metal history is linked to his vocal style. Released in 1928, "Jesus Is Coming Soon" is often cited as the first song to be sung entirely in a harsh vocal style. This must have sounded mind-blowing in the late ‘20s, along with Bessie Johnson's screaming in her 1929 track "He Got Better Things for You." 

Les Paul – "Lover"

Les Paul is one of the most important people in the history of music. His solid-body electric guitar revolutionized music, as did his invention of multitrack recording. He magnificently showcased both inventions in his 1948 song "Lover," which is the first song recorded in multitrack AND one of the first examples of shred guitar. Everything about "Lover" influenced heavy metal to an infinite degree… Les Paul was an absolute beast.

Screamin' Jay Hawkins – "I Put a Spell on You"

Songs don't come any more legendary than Screamin' Jay Hawkins' blackout-wasted jazz experiment "I Pull a Spell on You." The song planted the flag for theatrics in music, paving the way for gothic metal and shock rock with its strong tie to the macabre. Hawkins' vocal style was so experimental that it's never really been replicated, but it was a tipping point for sadistic wailing and screaming in music. There's no Alice Cooper or GWAR without Screamin' Jay.

The Kinks – "You Really Got Me"

In 1964, the Kinks' "You Really Got Me" must've sounded like the DOOM 2016 soundtrack. This song pushed the boundaries of sonic heaviness in mainstream culture, using power chords and heavy distortion to further solidify rock's British Invasion. "You Really Got Me" was a stepping stone for both punk and metal, and it heavily influenced the next generation of guitarists such as Jimi Hendrix. 

Steppenwolf – "Born to Be Wild"

It's the song that birthed the phrase "heavy metal." By the late ‘60s, guitar work was getting more loud and aggressive than ever before, birthing a genre now known as proto-metal thanks to its obvious influence on the Black Sabbaths and Judas Priests of the following decade. Steppenwolf's signature song rocks so hard, and it further established the BIG RIFF as a key element in guitar-based music.

The Beatles – "Helter Skelter"

After pushing rock music into boundless realms to psychedelia, the Beatles went raw as fuck on the White Album. Wanting to challenge the Who's penchant for raucous anthems, Paul McCartney penned "Helter Skelter," which became a vulgar display of the Beatles' infinite power. The guitars go so hard, the drums are ferocious and McCartney wails like his life depends on it on "Helter Skelter." This, along with the breakdown on "I Want You," cemented the Beatles as proto-metal innovators.

Jimi Hendrix – "Voodoo Child"

No man has ever played the guitar more like an extension of his body than Jimi Hendrix. Though it's over 50 years old, the riff to "Voodoo Child" is still one of the heaviest and most explosive things ever put to tape… able to chop down a mountain with one down stroke of a pick. Beyond its main riff, inhuman shredding and giant cojones, "Voodoo Child" employed a revolutionary use of the wah pedal, which has shaped metal as we know it for generations. It's everything that metal still strives to be.

Led Zeppelin – "Dazed and Confused"

Sure, the riffs on Led Zeppelin's "Dazed and Confused" and brilliant and heavy, but Bonzo is the reason why this song made the list. John Bonham was one of the first drummers who combined tremendously heavy hands with human octopus technique, blatantly paving the way for Bill Ward and every metal drummer who came after. Released in 1969, "Dazed and Confused" might as well be the match that lit heavy metal's fuse.

Coven – "Black Sabbath"

Looking evil as fuck? Check. Sounding evil as fuck? Check. Writing about Satan and the occult? Check. Coven was the essential piece of occult rock that merged with heavy guitar music of the late '60s, ultimately creating heavy metal when Black Sabbath laid down their debut. Coincidentally, Coven's biggest and most influential song is "Black Sabbath" — a revolutionary and blatantly evil masterwork. This song still hits with the same malevolence as it did in 1969.