The 10 Best 420 Metal Songs

For those not in the know, 420 is a day (and time) where all cannabis connoisseurs, stoners, potheads and heshers unite to celebrate the good green herb and partake in rituals, smoke outs and never ending smoke-filled sessions. We decided to get in the right mindset, with a list of metal songs perfect for this green holiday. To some of these bands, and some of YOU reading this, every day is 420. So pack a bowl and get your stereo speakers ready. These are the 10 best metal songs to listen to on April 20th.

See also: The 10 Best Historical Metal Bands

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10.Dying Fetus- “Skull Fucked”
If you have a weak stomach or are easily disturbed, then this song would most likely kill your buzz. But with a name like Dying Fetus, expect brutal, guttural death metal with sick and even disgusting lyrics. With this track from the band's debut album, Putrification Through Violence (1996), the band weaves in the love of pot amid descriptions of violence, torture and various despicable acts of sexual mutilation. The song ends with the lyrics, “Skull fucked, fuck your fucking face, With my weed, I smoke every day If I'm not high, the hate will escape, I smoke and smoke, stoned as a fuck Weed is my life, weed is my love. So pass the bong, pack up the bowl A blunt to hit, a fat joint to roll, No, no, it's gone…I hate you mother fuckers!”

9.RKL- “Pothead”
Though admittedly not a metal band, RKL (Short for Rich Kids on LSD) is a punk band formed in the early 80s. Between then and the mid 90s the band was at the top of the punk/nard core movement, and was a fixture of the punk community from the Santa Barbara/Oxnard area. Now a cult band, RKL's sense of dark humor, drug culture and mix of old school, hardcore, crossover, metal and more, made them accessible to many fans. Over the years members have also joined GWAR, the Mad Caddies, Lagwagon and No Use for a Name, among many others. This song goes into the depravity of a pothead, seeing desperately to get stoned at any cost.

See also: The 10 Best Booze Brands From Metal Bands
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8. Six feet under- “420”
Christ Barnes is one of death metal's most revered vocalists, known best for his early career with Cannibal Corpse. But, in 1993, after his exit from the legendary death metal unit, Barnes formed Six Feet Under, which allowed him to be more creative within the genre of death metal. This song appears on the band's second album, Warpath, released in 1997. One thing that sticks out is how brutal, demonic and monstrous Barnes' vocal projection delivery comes out, making him the epitome of any aspiring death metal vocalist. This tune definitely doesn't fit in with the rest of the album, as it is not about violence, killing or hacking up bodies to pieces. Rather, it serves as a death metal meditation session, in relation to mellowing out, getting high on weed and getting into a trance, to another state of mind. According to the band, the track was recorded in April 20, 1997 at 4:20 p.m. Perhaps the most odd is Barnes attempt to merge death metal vocals with a howling, Phil Anselmo style of singing.

7. Cannabis Corpse- “Gateways to Inhalation”
Cannabis Corpse might be the most brilliant 'tribute' band ever. They write their own lyrics and music, but borrow heavily from Cannibal Corpse, and other old school death metal acts to create song and album titles that are parodies, but based on weed. Instead of music about blood, brains, guts, zombies, serial killers and gore, this band's main topic is smoking herb, taking bong loads, inhaling hash and much more. Anything involving weed is fair game. This song is a stoned version of the Morbid Angel's classic, “Gateways to Annihilation.”

See also: The Best 10 German Metal Bands
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6.Kyuss- “Green Machine”
This track came from the second album, Blues for the Red Sun, released by this California desert rock stoner metal band in 1992, which featured Josh Home, from Queens of the Stone Age. Kyuss is perfect for anyone into a hard rock meets stoner metal sound. The video, got the band some rotation on MTV's Headbanger's Ball and 120 minutes, and landed them on tour with such artists as White Zombie, Soundgarden and Danzig. It is the perfect composition of heavy thundering guitar riffs that make listeners see and feel smoke. The chorus is catchy, and will stick in your head no matter how stoned you are. This song rocks.

5.Pantera- “Goddamn Electric”
It's no secret that in their heyday, Pantera loved to party. Booze, women, and weed, you name it. This song, speaks to the eternal youth found in the life style of music, and was taken from the band's ninth and final album, from 2001, Reinventing the Steel (2001). The guitars are super sharp, stealth and of course have a famous Dimebag solo. Vinnie Paul's drums are stomping while Rex Brown's thumping bass holds it all together in a cohesive heavy metal musical fashion. Phil Anselmo's lyrics make this a great stoner song. -“To walk through the world by ones self, you can't be protected… your trust is in whiskey and weed and Black Sabbath – it's goddamn electric!”

See also: The 10 Best Heavy Metal Concept Album
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4.Brujeria- “Marijuana”
Brujeria are Mexican death metal maniacs, whose songs detail the lives and deaths of drug cartels, priests molesting children, satanic drug fueled murders, prostitutes and other vile, evil people who prey on the weak. This song was released as an EP, and is rare to find. With a parody of the hit dance song “La Macarena,” this is one perverted song about weed, witchcraft, and a desperate man seeking a bag of pot on the street to cure a hangover from weed and a coke binge. All lyrics are in Spanish, so use Google Translate, if you dare.

3.Sleep-“The Dragonaut”
The opening track to the seminal album, Holy Mountain, the first notes of this epic song, evoke a heavier, more distorted Black Sabbath and makes listeners see the layers of smoke among the fuzzy guitar riffs. Sleep's music is slow, doom laden, heavy as hell and yet can make just about anyone head bang, and light up a spliff. The smashing drums and long, enduring bass lines keep listeners in a daze, and feeling euphoric. You can feel the epic the echo of the mighty distorted musical melodies, from each second of distortion and volume.

See also: The Top 10 Heavy Metal Bass Players

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2. Down- “Bury Me in Smoke”
This song comes off the very first album from this NOLA (New Orleans, Louisiana) based super group featuring members of Corrosion of Conformity, Pantera, Eyehategod and Crowbar. It starts off with stoner friendly riffs, and unrelenting drums. It is powerful tune with a great name that stoners love, and the guitar's sliding sound fits perfectly with singer, Phil Anselmo's signature voice. The lingering drums, bombastic riffs and metal guitar solo ending make for some of the best head banging moments, in stoner metal.

1. Black Sabbath- “Sweat Leaf”
The members of Black Sabbath are the literal godfathers of the heavy metal genre. And it was pretty obvious from day one these guys liked to get stoned. In 1971, they decided to pay homage to the flower, with the iconic song, “Sweet Leaf,” off the album Masters of Reality. With lyrics professing love for Mary Jane for her ability to provide peace and open mindedness, the song has become an anthem for pot smokers from all generation, before and way after Black Sabbath. Ozzy's eerie trademarked vocals shrieking along with the musical magic of Iommi, Butler and Ward make this one of the greatest songs influenced by and dedicated to weed. The opening few seconds, of a hacking cough in a loop before the music starts, help to bring in another state of mind.

See also
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10 Goriest Album Covers
10 Most Satanic Metal Bands

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