Top 10 Metallica Songs with the Greatest Riffs

Metallica, the legendary band that helped shape the face of heavy metal, has graced us with an array of unforgettable riffs over the years. Whether it's the iconic opening to "Enter Sandman" or the soul-shattering strums of "Master of Puppets," there's something in Metallica's catalog for every riff enthusiast.

When it comes to the mind-blowing, face-melting riffs that make you want to pick up a guitar and start strumming, everyone has their own personal favorites. Maybe it's something from the "Ride the Lightning" album that sends shivers down your spine, or perhaps a hidden gem from one of their later albums that you think deserves more love.

So go ahead, scroll through the choices, and vote for the songs that you think should reign supreme.
The Top Ten
1 Fade to Black

The music really speaks to me. When I hear Fade to Black, it strikes a chord deep inside my soul, almost as if the song was written about me, as though Metallica wrote the song for me.

Disposable Heroes by far has the best bass riffs ever, but Fade to Black has completely angelic riffs. I cannot stop listening to this song for those acoustic riffs.

Although Master and Blackened are really fast and heavy, I'd have to say this one wins it for me. It's just so amazing!

2 Enter Sandman
3 Wherever I May Roam
4 Master of Puppets

I definitely loved Master of Puppets, but the main riffs in Blackened and Battery are better in my opinion... and so are the darkness imprisoning me riff in One and the die by my hand riff in Creeping Death.

This song, Fade to Black, Through the Never, Sad but True, and Enter Sandman are my favorite Metallica songs. They are my favorite band. I love Metallica!

I can listen to this over a thousand times and still not get bored of it.

5 Seek & Destroy

The riff before the solo is awesome! Sometimes I regret that Dave Mustaine was kicked out of Metallica...

This should surely be #1, or at least top 10. What the hell?

6 One

My favorite by miles! But I am a romantic.

7 Sad But True

This song has the best riff, definitely. I mean, this is not the best song of Metallica, and others of their earlier stuff are better, but the heavy riff of SBT is absolutely fantastic and amazing, with an aggressive solo by Kirk Hammett!

Metallica had never used drop D tuning before, but they knocked it out of the park in one swing with the riff in this song.

So simple, but so powerful as well. Love it!

8 Memory Remains
9 Hit the Lights
10 Creeping Death

Personally, I think that most of the best riffs ever done by Metallica (songs like The Four Horsemen, parts of Ride the Lightning, a lot of Call of Ktulu) were Dave Mustaine riffs. But Creeping Death easily takes the cake for being the best that he didn't write.

Not the most difficult and technical riff, but the main riff is absolutely epic-sounding.

The main riff and the Die riff are the best that James and Kirk have come up with.

The Contenders
11 Blackened

Unstoppable is the only word that comes to my mind when I listen to this riff.

The main riff in Blackened is my favorite riff of all time... by anyone!

12 For Whom the Bell Tolls

This is by far one of the most epic Metallica riffs. The riff has a really evil and heavy sound to it, and you can't beat the bass solo at the beginning.

This is the best riff ever, although I don't think this is my favorite song... Forever FTBT!

13 Battery

This song kicks ass. They shred the guitar with some kick-ass solos. This song should at least be #2.

This galloping heaviness overload just does it. Period.

14 Harvester of Sorrow

The riff is awesome, just like this song. It's a criminally underrated song.

The world's darkest, heaviest riff.

Aggression, power, unstoppable, invincible, incredible - five words that describe how I feel when I hear this song. The clean riff in the intro and the heavy version of that riff may be simple, but they are very, very, very powerful and pure heavy metal! Probably my favorite 'Tallica song.

15 Damage, Inc.

The riff about halfway through the song is the best they've ever written.

The riff starts about halfway through and is very cool.

16 To Live Is to Die

Cliff all the way. Hetfield is a god because of the way his guitar is on this one. I mean, just listen to it.

Some Kind of Monster in the top 10? Sorry, I'm just laughing.
Seriously, To Live Is to Die riffs are Cliff's last, so that just has to be number 1, haha.

17 Welcome Home (Sanitarium)

This iconic Metallica song should be at least number 3!

18 Orion
19 Ride the Lightning

Oh, come on! This has one of Metallica's most epic intros as well as one of their best solos!

Amazing intro, amazing solo, amazing lyrics... amazing song. Before voting for Master of Puppets or Enter Sandman, listen to all these amazing kick-ass songs.

20 The Call of Ktulu

Leading up to the solo is one of the greatest riffs of all time, to be honest.

21 Disposable Heroes

The middle riff at 183 bpm is so damn hard. I am really lucky I play lead and don't have to play that one over and over again.

This song kills your arm on guitar, but it's fun to play.

22 ...And Justice for All

This song has several riffs. All of them are great. Yeah, the intro riff is nice, but I think the variation of the main riff that plays immediately after the solo is the best, and it's one of my favorite guitar riffs ever

One of the best riffs ever... Simply beautiful.

23 Fight Fire With Fire

The verse riff defines what thrash metal is: crushingly hard, blindingly fast, and definitely unstoppable.

The beginning riff is just amazing!

24 The Frayed Ends of Sanity

That fast riff that starts at 4 minutes just blows my mind every time I listen to it! I love it!

The fast riff that starts halfway through the song is a beast!

25 The Four Horsemen

One of the best riffs in Metallica's collection.
Yes, Dave Mustaine wrote the riff, but remember, he was a part of Metallica at some point in time. Unfortunately for him, this song came out first, so he had to increase the tempo for The Mechanix.

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