A metal breakdown is a heavier section in a metal song, typically a rhythmic riff with open note chugs or palm muting, which gives a break from the overall flow of the song.
While being played live, the typical response from a crowd would be extreme head banging and moshing.
Many bands also reduce the song tempo during the breakdown to increase the overall impact.
Examples of Breakdowns
Looking for some examples of some killer breakdowns? Check out the video below!
Composing Metal Breakdowns
If you are writing a metal breakdown, you could take inspiration from bands link August Burns Red, Devil Wears Prada and Memphis May Fire just to name a few!
You could also use something like our free Metal Breakdown Essentials Midi Pack to quickly try out a ton of different options and then customize it based on your needs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Typically death metal does not have many breakdowns. A death metal band doing breakdowns would be considered more deathcore than death metal.
Not at all. Though some bands reduce the tempo to increase the impact of the breakdown, many bands don’t!
You can expect a ton of breakdowns in Metalcore.
