Written By Lucien Drake
Metal deep cuts are the heartbeat of the genre. Hidden tracks that tell the real story. Forget the hits, these songs live in the dark corners. Welcome to the underbelly of metal. The place where the hits don’t live and the charts have no map. Metal deep cuts are where the genre’s soul hides. These hidden gems, from Opeth to Slayer, are the riffs only true devotees know. These are the tracks forged in obscurity, too raw or weird to chase mainstream. They lurk on the B sides of albums, tucked between epics, waiting for the faithful to find them. They’re jagged, imperfect, and pure. Songs that bleed honesty, carrying the weight of what the singles never say.
Metal has its anthems. The songs that crush festival stages and dominate playlists. But the soul of this genre? It hides in the shadows. Metal deep cuts are the riffs you stumble upon when going down rabbit holes. The tracks that never see the light of day yet burn brighter than the hits.
Metal deep cuts aren’t for the casual listener. They’re for the ones who read liner notes like scripture, who know the riffs behind the riffs. These songs are secrets traded in dim corners of venues, the whispered passages of purists. In this series, we’re unearthing metal’s buried treasures starting with the monsters hiding in plain sight. Ready to dig?
Opeth: By The Pain I See in Others – Deliverance
“By the Pain I See in Others” isn’t just another Opeth track, it’s a 13 minute 50 second descent into unease, a strange and unsettling finale to 2002’s Deliverance. On the surface, it feels like an epic closer with sprawling riffs, eerie textures, and even a carnival esque break that sounds like a nightmare laughing back at you. But then comes the curveball, three minutes of silence, only to reveal a ghostly reward for the hard core fan. Two backmasked fragments of “Master’s Apprentices.” Played in reverse, they spill cryptic lines that may be saying;
It’s the kind of experimental move that makes devoted fans grin and casual listeners wonder if their stereo broke.“Soothing trance… colours fade and disappear… ethereal light showing me what I can do without”
“Fading away and leaving… long for sleep… closer now… lead the way into death.”
And yet, this fan favorite is ironically Mikael Åkerfeldt’s least favorite child. He’s called it “probably my worst song.”A great idea on paper that became a grim slog under studio stress. Critics, on the other hand, hail its sinister atmosphere, and many fans consider it a hidden jewel in Opeth’s crown of darkness. With vocal effects sharp enough to sound like throats being slit and a structure that feels more like a psychological game than a song, “By the Pain I See in Others” is equal parts brilliance and baggage. Love it or hate it, it remains one of Opeth’s most polarizing experiments. A track that whispers, taunts, and ultimately dares you to sit in its silence. This is by far my favorite metal deep cut.
Cattle Decapitation: Rotting Children For Remote Viewing – To Serve Man
“Rotting Children for Remote Viewing” is the kind of track that feels like a whispered rumor until you hear it and wonder why it wasn’t carved into the band’s main lineage. Originally released only as a Japanese bonus track for To Serve Man (2002), this song vanished into collector legend for years, tucked behind the grind and gore of an already feral album. This metal deep cut was unearthed later on the 2018 compilation Medium Rarities, it offers a glimpse into Cattle Decapitation’s formative hunger, raw production, suffocating riffs, and that early blend of technical deathgrind chaos and grotesque lyricism that would later evolve into something far more cinematic.
What makes it special isn’t polish, it’s presence. “Rotting Children for Remote Viewing” captures the band before refinement took over, when the goal was pure sonic annihilation with zero compromise. For those who think they know Cattle Decapitation from their modern epics, this track is a blood soaked postcard from the past. Uglier, faster, and completely unapologetic. It’s not just a deep cut, it’s a time capsule and a reminder that even the most visionary acts start in the trenches, with teeth bared and amps screaming.
Slayer: At Dawn They Sleep – Hell Awaits
“At Dawn They Sleep” (from Hell Awaits, 1985) stands as Slayer’s most hypnotically evil under the radar masterpiece. Despite being buried behind the title track and “Necrophiliac,” it’s regularly voted by fans as their top metal deep cut. In a Revolver fan poll, it claimed #1 over tracks like “Gemini,” “Bloodline,” and “Payback.” Hypnotic tremolo picked riffs, blasting drums, and a mid-song tempo shift give it a cinematic creep often lost in general discussions. Dimebag Darrell even cited it as one of his favorite Slayer tracks so clearly someone recognized its power beyond the chart toppers.
It’s not just beloved by fans, it’s also rarely played live. While Hell Awaits marked Slayer’s shift to longer, darker, more progressive territory, songs like “At Dawn They Sleep” remained overshadowed by their more aggressive hits on Reign in Blood. That gives it a mythical status familiar to devotees, invisible to casual streams. If you’re digging for a hidden gem that blends Slayer’s early evil with atmospheric menace, “At Dawn They Sleep” is the perfect song to be featured in our Metal Deep Cuts series. Equal parts myth, metal, and mood.
Death – Legion of Doom
“Legion of Doom” isn’t on any official Death album. It surfaced only on the early Back from the Dead demo tape and circulated among collectors before Scream Bloody Gore was recorded in 1986. Though fans have long referenced “Infernal Death” and “Land of No Return” from those sessions, “Legion of Doom” remains one of the most elusive and legendary deep cuts. It captures Death in raw formation, riffing heavy and hungry, before the band became the architects of the genre. Because it was never re-recorded or officially released, it still lives as a phantom of Death’s formative sound. A relic traded tape to tape among early Florida scene diehards.
But what really makes “Legion of Doom” legendary isn’t just its rarity, it’s the energy. The tempo surges like a mad sprint through a swamp, riffs teeter on chaos, and the lo-fi production only amplifies its primal urgency. Chuck Schuldiner’s vocals are gruff, visceral, and unfiltered, anchoring a track that feels more like a ritual than a song. For Death deep cut hunters, it’s a nerve ending touchpoint. The raw blueprint of the death metal blueprint. It’s not polished. It’s not clean. It’s the raw seed from which everything grew and a perfect pick for our Deep Cuts series.
Rotting Christ: The Sign of Evil Existence – Passage to Arcturo
“The Sign of Evil Existence” is a prime under the radar treasure from Rotting Christ’s early black metal era. It first appeared on their 1991 EP Passage to Arcturo, which predated their debut album Thy Mighty Contract and has never truly been given the spotlight like the later classics. Hardcore fans and Reddit users alike still hail the track as an essential baptism into the band’s raw beginnings, often calling it the EP’s most unforgettable moment.
What makes it legendary isn’t just its scarcity, it’s its primal punch. The song hammers through with stomping riffs, frigid tremolo picking, and Sakis Tolis’s early, savage howl. The sond captures the sound of a band forging their identity in the fiery underground of early ’90s Greece. Its lo fi production only adds to the charm, making it feel like a relic whispered through the Greek black metal grapevine. It’s not polished enough for main stream but too potent to ever fade away. A ritualistic slab of realness waiting to be rediscovered by anyone willing to dig.
Purchase Passage To Arcturo Here
Metallica: The Frayed Ends of Sanity – And Justice for All
“The Frayed Ends of Sanity” is Metallica at their most unhinged. Its buried deep in the tracklist of 1988’s …And Justice for All like a coiled snake ready to strike. While the album’s big guns (One, Blackened, Harvester of Sorrow) grabbed the spotlight, this track became a cult obsession among fans who craved something wilder. From its twisted tempo shifts to riffs that sound like they were engineered to shred wrists, it’s thrash metal’s answer to a fever dream. The lyrics spiral into madness, “Sanity is going fast” as Hetfield snarls through a sonic labyrinth where paranoia reigns supreme.
And yet, for decades, this monster was a ghost on stage. Metallica never played the full song live until 2014, more than 25 years after its release cementing its status as the holy grail of deep cuts. Before that, fans only caught fragments in medleys, like scraps tossed from a banquet table. When the band finally unleashed it in Helsinki, it was like watching a myth materialize. That scarcity, combined with its feral complexity, makes “The Frayed Ends of Sanity” one of the deepest, darkest gems in Metallica’s vault. A song that separates the casual listeners from the lifers.
Purchase And Justice For All Here
Cryptopsy: Slit Your Guts – None So Vile
“Slit Your Guts” is a feral beast hidden within None So Vile (1996) Cryptopsy’s technical death metal masterwork. While tracks like “Phobophile” and “Mutant Christ” are often lauded, “Slit Your Guts” is the cult favorite that many die hards still swear by. It’s jagged, impossibly fast, and drenched in a sheer aggression that defined an era. Longtime metal forum users have hailed it as the standout of the album even as newcomers struggle to hear Lord Worm’s vocals, many claim: “Lord Worm’s vocals are sheer genius… The riffs are brilliant, and nail me to the floor with vengeance.”
This track isn’t polished, it’s purposeful abrasion. Flo Mounier’s drumming breaks your understanding of time, slapping and blasting through complex transitions. Riffs erupt and collapse, solos cut deeper than a surgeon’s scalpel. The lyrics feed on occult dread and grotesque imagery. Fans compare it to a demolition that’s unforgiving, thrilling and unforgettable. It’s the song that proves Cryptopsy didn’t just write music, they wrote chaos. For our deep cuts series, “Slit Your Guts” is the visceral acid test, savage, rare, and memorably heavy.
Cannibal Corpse: Demented Aggression- Torture
What makes “Demented Aggression” stand out isn’t shock, it’s subtle depth masked as brutality. The pre-chorus teases clean ambiguity, the riffs dive into eerie rhythmic shifts, and the lunatic pacing feels more atmospheric than savage. Fans argue it proves Cannibal Corpse can evoke real tension without blunt force gore, layering dread and intelligence under the noise. It’s the sort of song you don’t discover on first listen, you grow into it. For out Deep Cuts feature, “Demented Aggression” is a perfect pick. It’s underplayed, unexpectedly textured, and a testament that CC’s catalog still hides sophisticated corners waiting for the brave to explore.
“Demented Aggression” its a relic hidden deep within the 2006 album Torture. It’s not one of the band’s slam heavy singles, but a cult classic favorite among true fans. Crafted during a lineup shift and produced by Torture producer Erik Rutan. The song isn’t often cited in mainstream lists but longtime aficionados rave about its surprising complexity and emotional weight. A review on First Order Historians described it as weaving into a chorus with a subtle classic rock hook before erupting into math metal precision calling it “one of my favorite tracks on the disc” and noting its unexpected transitions that defy pure gore metal tropes.
Gojira: Clone – Terra Incognita
“Clone” is a quietly lethal track hidden deep in Gojira’s mid career. Not a single, not a festival favorite, but a buzzed about obscurity within the fanbase. On Reddit longtime fans repeatedly name “Clone” as the one song they wish more people knew, calling it “such an awesome song” that just didn’t stick in live sets or editorial playlists. It’s one of those tracks you don’t discover browsing Spotify, you find it through word of mouth or on the album Terra Incognita eventually looping back and realizing it’s a hidden seismic shift in their catalog.
Musically, “Clone” is deceptively simple but haunting. It lulls you in with eerie ambience before delivering one of Gojira’s most emotive crescendos, a riff that folds into itself and sings heavier than most breakdowns. While not built for stadium singalongs, it hits deeper in the dark sections of the psyche. Its rarity in streaming and omission from deluxe playlists only increases its power. Like a piece of Gojira’s soul tucked away for the few who dare to dig. For a feature on hidden gems, “Clone” is perfect. It’s understated, atmospheric, and revered by insiders, but almost invisible to the casual listener.
Sepultura: Desperate Cry – Arise
“Desperate Cry” is the unsung titan buried in Arise (1991) An album that catapulted Sepultura into global recognition. While “Arise” and “Dead Embryonic Cells” became staples, this track simmered in the shadows, reserved for those who spin the record past its obvious bangers. Clocking in at nearly seven minutes, “Desperate Cry” stretches beyond thrash’s usual sprint, weaving in ominous acoustic passages and sudden tempo shifts that prefigure Sepultura’s later experimentation. It’s not just a song, it’s a tectonic mood swing, moving from hurricane riffs to quiet, haunting interludes that let you breathe before the storm slams again.
What makes “Desperate Cry” so vital is its role as a pivot point. It bridges the raw ferocity of Beneath the Remains with the tribal grooves of Chaos A.D, making it a prophetic outlier in Sepultura’s discography. Andreas Kisser’s riff work is savage yet sophisticated, and Max Cavalera’s vocals gnash through lyrics steeped in despair and rebellion. It’s an emotional weight that mirrored the chaos of Brazil’s political climate at the time. For fans willing to dig deeper than the hits, “Desperate Cry” isn’t just a deep cut, it’s a manifesto, a storm trapped in vinyl grooves, waiting to tear the roof off your expectations.
Check Out Metal Lair’s Weekly Feature Seven Deadly Songs
Lucien Drake is a writer who lives for the deep end of metal. He’s the guy digging through B-sides and bootlegs while everyone else chases playlists. Obsessed with the stories hiding behind riffs, he writes about the tracks most fans never hear, the ones that matter. When he’s not hammering out words, he’s spinning vinyl, haunting record shops, and chasing that next song that makes the world fall away.
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