Sam Trapkin (Trapped Under Ice)'s "TOP 5 PIT RIFFS"

Who better to dissect "pits" then a man who's seen them all? Trapped Under Ice is my favorite band to come along in the past couple years, and Sam is quickly becoming one of my favorite people. -Doug

Before I begin, I’d like to take a second to talk about something more important than pitting, riffing, or pit riffing. And that is the psychology behind how we put these lists together in the first place. What drives someone to make the choices they make? Often in the face of scrutinizing peers, we struggle to construct a list that might make us sound a little more…well-informed. Like we really know what we’re talking about. Or, maybe worse, we reach for obscure references to avoid the beaten path. To avoid the obvious choices.

This list was not created to impress. We’re talking about pit riffs. This is about getting in the fucking pit. This is not the result of some personal struggle to make people think I know what I’m talking about. Because if you want to jibber jabber about this record, that record, this year, that singer, this city, you obviously don’t fucking pit.

Hatebreed / “Perseverance” / Perseverance

This is just one of those songs that transcends all realms of pittable comprehension. When the chorus comes in, you’re left with no choice but to play through a variety of violent scenarios in your head, or act them out. And that’s a true pit my friends. It doesn’t give you a lot of other options.

Hatebreed/ Burial for the Living / Satisfaction is the Death of Desire

Okay, Hatebreed twice on one list, we get it. Honestly, I could probably make a whole other list of just hatebreed songs, but I’ll try and keep it to two here. The breakdown in this song is pretty self-explanatory. Like, what else are you supposed to do during a part like that?

All Out War / “Resist” / For Those Who Were Crucified

It was hard to narrow it down to just one All Out War song. The average AOW song contains at least 3 different beatdowns that usually take place during various apocalyptic scenarios. “Resist” is only an appetizer in the pit riff buffet that is their catalog.

Strife / “Blistered” / In This Defiance

This whole song is a pit. But the part at about 1:30 is what really catapults this song into my top 5. A good pit riff can’t always be judged by itself. You have to take an aerial view. What happens before it? What else happens in the song? Everything about this part crushes you. Huge empty breaks, hi-hat, bouncy groove. The recipe for a spinkick if you ask me.

Bad Seed / "World View" / Demo

At first glance, this might seem a little out of place on the list. I mean, Bad Seed didn’t really tour at all, barely played in general, and didn’t even put out an LP. So what the fuck are they doing on this list right? WRONG! Shut your ass up. If you’ve ever been in the vicinity of a “World View” mosh pit, you may have noticed 5 people walk by holding their broken noses and bloody faces. That is because Bad Seed managed to truly harness the energy it requires to turn men into beasts of the pit.

And a few runners up, in case you were curious.
Vision of Disorder “Element”
Metallica “Blackened”
Hatebreed “Beholder Of Justice”
Hatebreed “Doomsayer”
Hatebreed “Confide In No One”
Madball “Lesson of Life”
Madball “New York City”
Ringworm “Justice Replaced By Revenge”

(written by Sam Trapkin. compiled by Douger)