Slipknot riff ranked best of year

The leading riff from Slipknot track The Negative One has been named the best of 2014 by readers of Total Guitar magazine.

The piece from comeback album .5: The Gray Chapter tops a poll ahead of work by Slash, Mastodon, Royal Blood, Steel Panther and others.

Total Guitar say: “The return of Iowa’s finest following the passing of founding member Paul Gray was always going to be a raw one. The Gray Chapter certainly lived up to that. It’s absolutely encapsulated in The Negative One’s riff onslaught – it’s Slipknot at their thrilling best.”

The track is also nominated for 2015’s Best Metal Grammy, with the winner to be named in February – while the album was voted release of the year by Metal Hammer readers.

Total Guitar readers’ best riffs of 2014

  1. Slipknot: The Negative One (.5: The Gray Chapter)

  2. Slash: Withered Delilah (World On Fire)

  3. Mastodon: The Motherload (One More ‘Round The Sun)

  4. Royal Blood: Little Monster (Royal Blood)

  5. Steel Panther: Gloryhole (All You Can Eat)

  6. Jack White: Lazaretto (Lazaretto)

  7. Rival Sons: Electric Man (Great Western Valkyrie)

  8. Machine Head: Beneath The Slit (Bloodstone & Diamonds)

  9. The Black Keys: Turn Blue (Turn Blue)

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Not only is one-time online news editor Martin an established rock journalist and drummer, but he’s also penned several books on music history, including SAHB Story: The Tale of the Sensational Alex Harvey Band, a band he once managed, and the best-selling Apollo Memories about the history of the legendary and infamous Glasgow Apollo. Martin has written for Classic Rock and Prog and at one time had written more articles for Louder than anyone else (we think he's second now). He’s appeared on TV and when not delving intro all things music, can be found travelling along the UK’s vast canal network.