A good breakdown hits you like a punch to the chest (one you’ll ideally enjoy), and switches the pace and mood of a song for a small amount of time. At a show, these breakdowns are the moments when the crowd erupts, where awe and enthusiasm literally explodes before the stage. Over the last couple of years metal breakdowns have been hitting the scene in a big way. The technique is still under fire by the community at large (many metalheads are still clutching to the old ways). Sometimes breakdowns can ruin a perfectly good death metal song. At other times, a breakdown can make the song. For example, the breakdowns in Job For A Cowboy’s “Entombment of a Machine” are by far the best parts of the song. And bands like All Shall Perish execute deathcore flawlessly, incorporating excess amounts of shredding with their breakdowns.

This playlist features songs involving breakdowns in all capacities. Some songs are comprised almost entirely of breakdowns. Others only have one breakdown. If you’re looking to bust some heads in a mosh pit or not, all these songs rip. Give them a listen.