Weezer‘s very well-known for their earworm rock songs, but did you know they get heavy?
Rivers Cuomo‘s not-so-secret secret is that he loves a good riff. While many musicians who grew up on a steady diet of KISS and Metallica end up starting their own metal bands, Cuomo decided he would channel that energy into Weezer.
In Weezer’s 30+ year career, the band has played everything from pop music to emo. Cuomo’s insatiable workrate at writing songs has spawned hundreds, if not thousands of songs. Of those many, Cuomo has certainly gotten heavy, adding an edge to Weezer one might not expect if their only exposure is “Beverly Hills.”
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Here are the five heaviest songs Weezer has ever released.
Pinkerton opener “Tired of Sex” perfectly encapsulates the ongoing mental breakdown Cuomo was experiencing after the unexpected success of the band’s debut album.
The tracking rough version found on the record’s deluxe edition is heavier than what wound up on the album release, as Cuomo sounds pained as he yells “ashamed of what I said.” This version ends with a rare breakdown for Weezer’s recorded music, a staple in their live performances of this song.
“Hash Pipe” is a nice counter to The Green Album‘s other big single, “Island in the Sun” as Cuomo and crew deliver a massive riff that’s hard not to get stuck in your head.
In Weezer’s prolific discography, their fourth LP Maladroit is massively under-appreciated. However, for fans of heavier material, it’s a record that shows what happens when the band leans into distortion. Maybe the heaviest of the bunch is “American Gigolo,” which has one of Cuomo’s best solos across the band’s discography.
Weezer usually plays at a relaxed tempo, but the Blue Album demo “Paperface” shows the band going hard. Cuomo screams as they perform some of their fastest material, nearing a hardcore song’s intensity. Cuomo would later release his home demo of the song on Alone II, showing his early vision for what he could do.
Van Weezer was a mostly disappointing record that didn’t quite hit the mark as a heavy metal Weezer album. Their one success was “One More Hit,” a song where get heavier than ever, delivering a breakdown that sounds like something Slayer would have written in the ‘
80s. It’s a total ripper.
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