• Before the electric guitar crept into the overall metal sound, most metal songs had a Led Zeppelin feel to themneon electric guitar image by Peter Helin from Fotolia.com
  
  Metal is nothing like it was when it first came to fruition in the 1960s. The genre was born out of psychedelic and blues music, though the tone of metal today bears little trace to its roots. So, in order to stay in keeping with modern metal, the best approach is to model one's songwriting lyrics after a more recent tour de force in the metal scene, unless, that is, the desired effect is to model the lyrics after metal's forefathers.
  
  

Subject Matter is Key

• In any metal song, whether from the old or new school, the topics of focus are grim, bleak and otherwise a bit unnerving. For example, looking at Slayer, one of metal's most lauded bands, and their lyrics for "Angel of Death," it is easy to see that death and destruction are the go-to themes: "Auschwitz, the meaning of pain/The way that I want you to die/Slow death, immense pain."
  
  

When Style Trumps Substance

• In the many breeds of metal, there is also, as KISS and The New York Dolls ensured, glam metal. In this genre the lyrics to a metal song can lose their emphasis because all of the attention is directed at what the person onstage looks like. This makes the genre of glam metal ideal for those who don't feel songwriting is their strong suit.
  
  

The Musical Compliment to Metal Lyrics

• No matter how dark or depraved the lyrics to a metal song are, it cannot stand out without the right musical accompaniment. What most metal songs have is a prevalent use of electric guitar rhythms. Particularly in the 1980s, when hair bands ascended into prominence, electric guitars were the indelible mark of a successful metal song.