In 2007, everyone was basically obsessed with plastic guitars. You couldn't walk into a dorm room or a Best Buy without hearing the click-clack of fret buttons. It was a weird, beautiful time. Activision had just dropped Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, and honestly, the world wasn't ready. This game didn't just sell well; it became the first single retail video game to ever cross $1 billion in sales.
Why? The music.
Specifically, the guitar hero iii songs were curated with a level of "cool" that the previous games—as much as we loved them—sortly lacked. While the first two games relied heavily on covers due to tight budgets, GH3 went all-in on master tracks. Suddenly, you weren't playing a decent imitation of "Welcome to the Jungle"; you were actually playing the isolated guitar stems of Slash himself.
The Setlist That Defined a Generation
The main setlist was a beast. It was structured into eight tiers, and it didn't mess around. You started with "Slow Ride" by Foghat, which felt like a warm hug for your fingers. Then, by the time you hit Tier 8, you were fighting for your life against Slayer.
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One thing people kinda forget is how much variety there was. You had the indie-cool vibe of "Reptilia" by The Strokes and the quirky hard rock of "The Metal" by Tenacious D. Then you’d pivot to something like "Paint It Black" by The Rolling Stones. It wasn't just metal; it was a crash course in rock history.
The master recordings made a massive difference. When you messed up a note in "Cherub Rock," the guitar track actually cut out. It felt personal. You weren't just playing along; you were the one keeping the song alive. That immersion is why we still talk about these songs twenty years later.
Hardest Songs to Beat (and Why They Ruined Your Wrist)
If you mention "Through the Fire and Flames" to anyone over the age of 25, they might get a literal twitch in their forearm. DragonForce became a household name overnight because of this game. It was a bonus track, but it became the final boss of the entire culture.
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- Through the Fire and Flames: The intro required two-handed tapping. If you didn't have the "rubber band" technique down or a high enough "Hyper Speed" setting, you were toast in five seconds.
- Raining Blood: Slayer’s "Mosh 1" section is notoriously one of the hardest things to five-star. The triple-note patterns are just... cruel.
- One: Metallica’s masterpiece starts easy enough. Then "Fast Solo A" hits. It's a wall of notes that felt physically impossible on a plastic controller.
- The Devil Went Down to Georgia: This was the boss battle against Lou. It's technically a cover by Steve Ouimette, but it’s so over-the-top that it makes the original Charlie Daniels version look like a lullaby.
The Secret Sauce of the Bonus Tracks
While the main setlist had the big hits, the bonus tracks were where the real nerds lived. This is where you found gems like "Impulse" by An Endless Sporadic or "F.C.P.R.E.M.I.X." by The Fall of Troy.
These songs weren't always radio hits. Often, they were chosen because they were fun to play. "My Curse" by Killswitch Engage introduced a whole generation to metalcore. "Take This Life" by In Flames did the same for melodic death metal. The game acted like a discovery engine long before Spotify playlists were a thing.
Honestly, the licensing for these guitar hero iii songs must have been a nightmare. Back then, labels didn't really understand why they should give their master tapes to a "toy." But after seeing a 15% to 800% jump in digital sales for bands featured in the game, the industry changed its tune real quick.
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Why We Can't Just Re-Release It
You've probably wondered why there isn't a 4K remaster of this on PS5 or Xbox Series X. It basically comes down to legal hell. Licensing a song for a game in 2007 didn't always cover "perpetual rights" or digital storefronts that didn't exist yet.
To bring it back, Activision would have to renegotiate every single track. Some bands have broken up. Some rights have been sold to private equity firms. It's a mess. This is why "Clone Hero" has become the sanctuary for these charts—it's the only way to keep the spirit of the original setlist alive without a legal department.
Actionable Tips for Reliving the Glory
If you’re looking to dive back into the guitar hero iii songs today, don’t just settle for a blurry YouTube video.
- Check out Clone Hero: It’s a free, fan-made PC game that lets you import the entire GH3 setlist. It supports modern resolutions and high refresh rates.
- Look for a Wii Guitar: If you still have the original hardware, the Wii Les Paul is widely considered the "holy grail" of controllers because of its low latency when used with a Raphnet adapter on PC.
- Calibrate Your Lag: Modern TVs have way more "input lag" than the old CRT monitors we used in 2007. If you're playing the original disc on a new TV, spend at least 10 minutes in the calibration menu or you'll miss every note.
- Listen to the Stems: Search for "GH3 Multi-tracks" on YouTube. It’s fascinating to hear the isolated guitar parts of songs like "Cult of Personality." You’ll hear nuances Slash or Vernon Reid played that are totally buried in the full radio mix.
The legacy of these songs isn't just about the high scores. It's about that specific feeling of hitting a Star Power path perfectly while your friends cheered. It was a peak social gaming moment that we're still trying to replicate.