Honestly, if you grew up in the late 2000s and didn't know your thrash from your power metal, Brütal Legend was basically your college professor. It wasn't just a game. It was a 108-track manifesto curated by people who clearly worship at the altar of the riff. Tim Schafer and the team at Double Fine didn't just throw together a "Greatest Hits" compilation and call it a day. They dug deep.
The Brutal Legend Song List: A Massive Heavy Metal Archive
You’ve got 75 different bands here. That’s an insane number for a game released in 2009. We aren't just talking about the obvious stuff like Black Sabbath or Mötley Crüe. Sure, "Children of the Grave" and "Kickstart My Heart" are in there because they’re essential. But the real magic of the Brütal Legend song list is how it introduces you to the stuff you’d usually only find in a dusty record bin in the back of a shop in 1984.
Take a look at bands like 3 Inches of Blood. Most casual fans hadn't heard "Deadly Sinners" until they were mowing down Druids in the Deuce. Then you’ve got Brocas Helm. "Cry of the Banshee" is a masterpiece of underground metal, and it feels right at home while you're driving through a landscape literally made of bones and chrome.
The variety is what kills. You can be listening to the soaring, operatic vocals of Crimson Glory one minute and then get hit with the industrial grit of Ministry's "Stigmata" the next. It’s a sonic whiplash that somehow makes perfect sense when you’re a roadie named Eddie Riggs (voiced by Jack Black, obviously) trying to save a world inspired by every heavy metal album cover ever painted.
The Curation Genius of Emily Ridgway
We need to talk about Emily Ridgway. She was the music director, and her research was bordering on obsessive. Tim Schafer has mentioned in interviews—like that old one with Rock Paper Shotgun—that while he brought some childhood favorites to the table, Ridgway was the one digging into the lyrics to see how they fit specific missions.
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There’s a specific mission involving the first female troops you recruit. Instead of just playing a standard track, she chose Girlschool’s cover of the Motörhead song "Bomber." It’s a meta-nod to women in metal and Lemmy Kilmister (who literally stars in the game as the Kill Master) all at once. That's high-level nerdery. It’s the kind of detail that makes the soundtrack feel like a character itself rather than just background noise.
The Missing Titans: Who Didn’t Make the Cut?
People always ask: "Where is Metallica? Where is Iron Maiden?"
Licensing is a nightmare. Especially back then. Even though the protagonist's name is Eddie Riggs (a blatant mashup of Iron Maiden’s mascot Eddie and their designer Derek Riggs), Iron Maiden isn't on the list. Rumor has it there were legal hurdles there. And Metallica? Simply too expensive. Even with EA’s bankroll, some bands just cost more than a small country's GDP.
Then there’s the Ronnie James Dio situation. Dio was actually supposed to play the villain, Doviculus. Tim Schafer has gone on record saying he basically messed up the casting by asking Dio to use a deep, bassy voice that didn't fit his natural range. Tim Curry eventually took the role (and was brilliant), but the fallout meant we didn't get any Dio tracks in the final game. It’s a bummer, but when you have Judas Priest providing "Painkiller" and "The Hellion/Electric Eye," it’s hard to complain too much.
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Every Track by Genre: Navigating the Chaos
Because the list is so huge, it helps to see how they broke it down. They didn't just stick to one "vibe." They covered the entire family tree of metal.
The New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM)
This is the backbone of the game.
- Angel Witch: "Angel Witch"
- Diamond Head: "Am I Evil?"
- Saxon: "Wheels of Steel"
- Girlschool: "Bomber"
- Budgie: "Breadfan" (Fun fact: Metallica fans usually only know the cover, but the original is here.)
Thrash and Speed Metal
For when you're actually in the middle of a Stage Battle and things are getting frantic.
- Anthrax: "Metal Thrashing Mad"
- Megadeth: "Tornado of Souls" and "High Speed Dirt"
- Slayer: "Metal Storm/Face the Slayer"
- Testament: "More Than Meets The Eye"
- Overkill: "World of Hurt"
Black and Death Metal
The "scary" stuff that fits the demon-infested areas.
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- Dimmu Borgir: "Progenies of the Great Apocalypse"
- Emperor: "Thus Spake the Nightspirit"
- Enslaved: "Loke" and "Frost"
- Carcass: "No Love Lost"
- Rotting Christ: "Ad Notics"
Power Metal and The "Big" Sounds
- DragonForce: "Through the Fire and Flames" (The song that destroyed everyone's fingers in Guitar Hero.)
- Manowar: "Die For Metal" and "The Dawn of Battle"
- Iced Earth: "When the Night Falls"
The Oddballs and Legends
- Tenacious D: "Master Exploder" and "The Metal" (Jack Black had to get his own band in there.)
- Rob Zombie: "Superbeast"
- Marilyn Manson: "The Beautiful People"
- Kabbage Boy: "Girlfriend" (This is the fictional joke band from the beginning of the game. It’s a perfect parody of mid-2000s mall-emo.)
Why the Soundtrack Still Holds Up in 2026
Usually, licensed soundtracks in games are a ticking time bomb. Licenses expire, and games get pulled from digital storefronts. Just look at the Grand Theft Auto series or Alan Wake. But somehow, Brütal Legend has managed to keep its list largely intact on platforms like Steam.
It’s a miracle of legal paperwork.
The game acts as a time capsule. It captures a moment where heavy metal was being celebrated with zero irony. It wasn't making fun of the leather and spikes; it was embracing them as the coolest thing on the planet. When you hear Ozzy Osbourne’s "Mr. Crowley" kick in as you’re exploring the world, it doesn't feel like a marketing gimmick. It feels like the world was built around that song.
Actionable Insight: How to Experience the Music Properly
If you're looking to dive back into this legendary list, don't just put a playlist on shuffle. The music in the game is contextual.
- Play the PC version: It’s the most stable way to experience the game now, and it includes the "The Hammer of Infinite Fate" and "Tears of the Hextadon" map packs.
- Custom Playlists: Once you unlock songs in the game (by finding "Bound Serpents" and "Buried Metal"), you can actually go into the "Mouth of Metal" menu and build your own radio station for the Deuce.
- Check out the Original Score: Don't sleep on the original orchestral music composed by Peter McConnell. He recorded it with a 70-piece orchestra and it’s meant to bridge the gap between the licensed metal tracks and the cinematic storytelling. It’s some of the best original work in any Double Fine game.
If you’ve never actually sat down and listened to the full Brütal Legend song list from start to finish, you're missing out on a curated history of the most loud, obnoxious, and beautiful genre of music ever created. It’s a 10-hour lesson in why distorted guitars matter.
To get the most out of the soundtrack today, I recommend using the in-game "Mouth of Metal" feature to filter by sub-genre. It helps you appreciate the transition from the "Hair Metal" of the early game areas to the "Black Metal" aesthetics of the snowy mountains. This isn't just a list; it's a map of a culture.