"Metal is a genre that will mean something completely different for everyone. The music came about as a response to social norms and ideologies that not everyone agreed with. As the genre continued to progress it leaned more to showing energy and pent-up aggression. 

Whatever identity you have with the metal genre, many of the classics transpose beautifully onto the piano. This may be because the guitar riffs produce such good melodies but some of the best pianists in the world have covered some great metal songs. Because they are such great covers, fans of classical music can have a listen as well and experience the enjoyment of softer metal music. 

Here we are looking at five of the most breathtaking piano covers of metal songs. We hope you enjoy our list and make sure to leave us a comment below of your favorite cover songs. 

"In the End" by Linkin Park 

Linkin Park are actually a metal band that used piano a lot in their recordings. Because of their use of piano over the years it comes as no surprise that their metal classics have been covered extensively on piano. In the End is a great cover for piano thanks to its heavy beat and intricate melody. There’s also a lot of variation which allows the pianist to experiment and riff in some places. You can have a listen to one of the most popular covers of this song in the video below. 

The song was based on Chester Bennington’s struggles that he went through growing up. In the End came from the bands best-selling album Hybrid Theory which reached number one back in 2001. It was this album that skyrocketed the band to fame. The song was also known as one of the most important for the band because it contrasted to some of their heavier music and really showed off their full range of skills. Bennington wasn’t a fan of the song in the beginning but when it gained such popularity, he realised his choices for singles probably weren’t the right ones after all. 

"Crazy Train" by Ozzy Osbourne 

Even though Osbourne was a member of the metal band Black Sabbath, it’s his solo career that saw most of his best work in the metal genre. For our classic songs we’re looking at one his most famous hits, Crazy Train. The song works brilliantly on the piano thanks to the strong rhythm and tempo used throughout. The melody played in the right hand contrasts beautifully with the low notes which act as a bass throughout the cover. Although Osbourne had slower, more melodious songs that would make for easier listening on the piano, we loved the power behind this one too much not to include it in our list. 

The song was written by Osbourne along with his guitarist Randy Rhoads and bassist Bob Daisley. It was lyrically all about when the world was going to learn to love again because at the moment it was crazy. When the trio started composing they started out with Rhoads’s basic riff which became the signature for the song. They then worked together to come up with the rest of the song. Osbourne used various effects on the chord patterns so that they had a more psychedelic sound to them using guitar pedals. 

"Toxicity" by System of a Down 

System of a Down is more of a modern metal band who are slightly unusual to say the least. The use fast tempos and strong basslines to convey the messages they want through their music. When played as a piano cover, the piece is incredibly complex. There’s lulls in the verses which allows the pianist to play a more melodious and beautiful sequence. However, once it gets to the chorus the music gets a lot more intense with more low notes being used to convey the heavy bass used throughout the song. The contrasting right hand is playing what Serj Tankian would be singing with his unusual voice range. 

There’s a huge range of interpretation around the lyrics for this one. Many people think it is to do with Los Angeles and the toxicity represented in the Hollywood lifestyle. Others think that it is a commentary on the music industry as a whole with its corruption and drug use which the band felt was poisoning people. Toxicity was the title single from their band’s second album and followed on from their first hit, Chop Suey. 

"Thunderstruck" by AC/DC

Thunderstruck is a song that has been covered multiple times on instruments ranging from the cello to the ukulele. It’s a hugely popular metal song that translates well onto most instruments thanks to its impressive range of orchestral use during the original recording. The beauty of this cover is that it allows for the pianist to have a lot of artistic freedom. The song has the heavy beat in the background which the left hand plays throughout, while the right is free to interpret the melody and song as it pleases, making for a breathtaking piece overall. 

The Young brothers from AC/DC were credited as writing this song. They say that the inspiration came from when Angus was flying around in a plane which was then struck by lightning. The aircraft nearly crashed and it was this even that inspired the entire song. Another piece of inspiration that the band had for the song came from a rhythm idea that Angus had. He also used a guitar trick where he taped down all of the strings apart from the B which he learned from George, his older brother. 

"Bring Me to Life" by Evanescence 

Evanescence are another more modern metal band that, like Linkin Park, used piano in many of their songs. Frontwoman Amy Lee is an avid pianist so it’s not surprising they wanted to use her musical talents in many of their songs. Because piano is included in a lot of their pieces already the piano covers mimic the original songs almost perfectly. The piano cover we have included here has an interesting beginner when the pianist takes two coins and openly plucks the songs of the piano as a sort of quick intro to the song. This is a great start out to the heavy and powerful cover she goes on to play. Even the high note lyrics are included in her playing style which adds dimension and character to the cover. 

The song came from the band’s debut album, Fallen. The inspiration came from finding that certain someone who can waken a feeling inside you that you’ve never felt before. It was also about discovering there’s a wider world out there than just sitting in a safe bubble. As the first ever single to be released by the band, the song instantly became a hit and effectively launched their metal music career. The song has been used in various movies including the 2003 hit Daredevil starring Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck.