Top 10 Best Metallica Albums
Vote for your favourite Metallica album. This includes live, cover and EPs.Metallica at its finest. It still had a tiny bit of Dave Mustaine influence, and Cliff Burton shows incredible musicianship as well. As overrated as Kirk might be, joining the band really helped Metallica define their style for this release. Plus, he brought a couple of Exodus riffs, which gave songs like Creeping Death and Trapped Under Ice that much more of an edge. The entire album flows seamlessly with a consistent display of excellence. Master of Puppets, on the other hand, tends to be overindulgent. Before you vote for MoP, just remember that this album laid out its blueprint, making Ride the Lightning more unique in its own right.
At the time, it was easy to crown Master of Puppets as the king of Metallica's discography. Looking back on it, though, it's a close horse race between Ride the Lightning and Master of Puppets. Ride the Lightning is just a little better, even though we're talking about flawless albums here. Ride the Lightning sits in the perfect spot between the shrill, speed, and fury of Kill 'Em All and the heavy, polished Master of Puppets. It's the best of both worlds.
Battery >. Fight Fire with Fire
Master of Puppets >. Ride the Lightning
For Whom the Bell Tolls >. The Thing That Should Not Be
Fade to Black >. Welcome Home (Sanitarium)
Trapped Under Ice >. Disposable Heroes
Leper Messiah >. Escape
Orion >. The Call of Ktulu
Creeping Death >. Damage Inc.
If you didn't keep up, that's a tie. Sure, the title track Master of Puppets is miles ahead of Lightning, but For Whom the Bell Tolls is miles ahead of The Thing That Should Not Be. Creeping Death is miles ahead of Damage Inc. etc. Fade to Black, in my opinion, is their best song on its own, so it beats out Sanitarium by an inch. If it were any other song aside from Fade to Black (or perhaps One), Sanitarium would win.
Battery and Fight Fire with Fire are pretty much the same song, but Battery just seems a little better even though I like Fight Fire with Fire a hell of a lot more.
Now I saved this one for last because I know people are going to complain about this one: Trapped Under Ice beating Disposable Heroes. Trapped Under Ice is incredibly underrated, with deep personal lyrics and a shredding main riff with ripping guitar solos every other minute. Disposable Heroes is amazing, almost the same case as Fade to Black and Sanitarium.
Master of Puppets was to 80's metal what Paranoid was to 70's metal. Like that album, every song here has meaning. I like to think the album has a continuing theme of war and its effects. It's almost like a full album dedicated to the subjects of For Whom the Bell Tolls on Ride the Lightning or One on ...And Justice For All. Disposable Heroes is obviously about forgotten soldiers. The title track is about drugs, something many soldiers have tried. Sanitarium is clearly about insanity. This could refer to PTSD or other mental disorders associated with war. Maybe this isn't the album's intention, but for me, it makes it more enjoyable. Even if you don't agree with me, we must acknowledge its brilliance. Cliff Burton was never better on bass, exemplified by Orion. But as a whole, the band works great. After ...And Justice for All, the band could never recover what they created.
This album is often labeled as near-prog. However, just because song lengths are extended by stretching riffs and vocal lines to their limits doesn't necessarily make it progressive. Many people assume that a song ranging from 7-9 minutes will have multiple different sections, even if it's clearly just an elongated verse-chorus song. Short acoustic intros, like the title track, can also be misleading. Only Blackened has more structure in relation to its length, apart from One, but it's not any more complex than an average 6-minute thrasher. The title track and The Frayed Ends of Sanity feel like repetitions of the same song, separated only by a solo.
I understand why this is ranked below "Ride" and "Master" - because they had bass and this doesn't. Look up this album on YouTube with the bass tracks enhanced, and your opinion will completely change. It becomes just as heavy as "Master", just as powerful as "Ride", and introduces a level of complexity that no other Metallica album possesses. It really demonstrates the profound impact the bass can have.
"One", "Blackened", and "Dyers Eve" are my favorite songs on this album. "One" is an absolute masterpiece, beginning with a beautiful intro and then building up throughout the song, culminating in the end with Kirk's magnum opus solo. "Blackened" exudes the aggression found on "Master", and "Dyers Eve" serves as a powerfully technical closing track.
I'm kind of surprised that this is ranked 4th. One key characteristic of this album is that every song sounds different. This was not the case in some of their earlier albums. And Justice For All is most guilty of this, as all the songs on it sound the same, except with different lyrics and slightly altered rhythm, with the exception of One.
Their black album generated not only some of their best songs but also the highest quantity of great songs from one album. It begins with their opener, Enter Sandman. Then comes Sad But True, Holier Than Thou, The Unforgiven, Wherever I May Roam, Through the Never, and Nothing Else Matters.
Some people say that this is not a good album and that it was just more radio-friendly. However, as someone who owns all Metallica studio albums (except St. Anger because let's just forget about that), their black album is still my favorite. This is because they focus on the rhythm of their songs rather than making them fast and thrashy. Now, don't get me wrong, I love thrash metal, but they've been doing the same thing throughout the 80's. This album represented their largest musical growth of any album they've made. I don't know how Metallica purists can still hate this album for its mainstream success. Seriously, who can hate headbanging to Enter Sandman with their less metal-liking friends?
While I appreciate this album, I have to say that "Ride The Lightning" represents a COLOSSAL step up from it. "Kill Em All" is commendable, particularly for its atmospheric nature, which I deeply admire. However, its primary shortcoming is the uniformity of its tracks. They lack diversity and audacity. It feels as though Metallica set out to create an album that would solidify their signature sound, but they didn't aim to revolutionize or take risks. By way of comparison, even though they're from a different genre, when Linkin Park crafted their debut studio album, they immediately decided to leave an indelible mark. They wanted each song to be distinctive and groundbreaking, and they succeeded, which is why "Hybrid Theory" is so iconic. "Kill Em All," by contrast, doesn't have the standout tracks that make an album unforgettable. Don't misunderstand. I appreciate the album for its dark, atmospheric quality. However, when weighing musicality and cohesion, "Ride The Lightning" far surpasses it. Just juxtapose "Fade To Black" from "Ride The Lightning" with any track from "Kill Em All." The former easily outshines the majority of the latter's songs. "Ride The Lightning" is a masterwork, and the subsequent albums are equally commendable.
This definitely doesn't deserve sixth place. It's better than that by far. We call ourselves true Metallica fans, and then we just keep listening to their old music. This album should be at least fourth. Yes, Master of Puppets and the Black Album are better, but this album deserves better. In fact, this is one album where the songs are consistently amazing. In Ride the Lightning, there are some divine ones, but some that are not great. Here, almost every song is divine. I can bet my life that if Cyanide, The Day That Never Comes, Judas Kiss, All Nightmare Long, Suicide and Redemption, Broken, Beat, and Scarred, Unforgiven 3, and My Apocalypse were on And Justice For All, these songs would be worshipped. But no, we have this narrow view that Metallica is no longer the band it used to be. And this is where we fail them as fans.
Brilliant album from start to finish. If only fans didn't have this insular view that "old Metallica is good, new Metallica is bad," many would realize what an incredible album this is. "All Nightmare Long," "Broken, Beat & Scarred," "The Day That Never Comes," "My Apocalypse," and "That Was Just Your Life" could EASILY be solid tracks on any of Metallica's first four albums. In fact, had they actually been on those albums, people would love these tracks a lot more. The rest are by no means weak. Please revisit the album before voting. It's easy to forget how impressive this album is when all the chatter's about their first four.
I think this album has gotten better retrospectively and is much better understood as well. While it does have some weak areas at times, the album has aged quite well. Keep in mind that this was released during the mid-1990s, when Thrash Metal became weak commercially and critically.
Before the term "sellout" comes into play, Megadeth, Anthrax, and Slayer all tried something musically different during the time Metallica released Load and Reload. In fact, Metallica, alongside Pantera did its best in keeping Metal relevant during a time when Grunge music started to take over.
Load really is a fantastic album. The reception of this album when it was released became a bizarre cultural phenomenon. Fans voiced very strong and oddly passionate opinions, suggesting Metallica somehow betrayed them or that they sold out because they made a few changes and got haircuts. Load is the logical successor to the Black album. It amuses me that nobody saw this coming.
Load has withstood the test of time remarkably well over 20+ years. Call it what you will - metal, hard rock, alternative - it doesn't matter. It's an album only Metallica could create. Load and Reload boast some of the finest guitar sounds in their entire discography. The production is fantastic, and no other albums capture those rich, deep, heavy tones the way Load does. Reload seems a bit thinner in places.
The songs are much more fleshed out, sometimes excessively so, but it portrays a now matured and life-wearied group committed to new ideas and directions, yet they still maintain their relevance. Sure, there might be a clunker or two in the tracklisting, but I've always believed this was an outstanding effort from them. It ranks #3 in my personal Top 10. Liked it then, like it now.
Basically, it's the Black Album but more Megadeth-like with songs such as Here Comes Revenge, Atlas Rise, and Murder One. These tracks remind me of songs from Countdown to Extinction. There are also a few good thrash songs like Hardwired, Moth into Flame, and Spit out the Bone. These have the speed and aggression of Kill 'Em All combined with the sound of Death Magnetic but with better production. There are some disappointments such as Now That We're Dead, Confusion, ManUNKind, and Am I Savage?. However, there are a few other standouts like Dream No More, which sounds a bit groovy and dark compared to the other songs. Then there's Halo on Fire, which is okay but not that great as a ballad.
I appreciate the tweaks they made, like adding two sides, placing the ballad as the 6th track instead of the fourth, and excluding instrumentals. The issue is, it doesn't feel much like a classic Metallica album from the 80s. Death Magnetic might be better despite its production flaws. Still, this is a good album overall.
ReLoad is my personal favorite. The album has everything except thrash, but that's perfectly fine. There isn't a song on this album that I don't like, which is why I think it's excellent as a whole. I also appreciate Metallica's earlier albums, primarily because they feature some of my favorite songs by them. However, those albums also contain songs I dislike. This album stands out as the best when viewed as a complete entity.
I came to this site solely to give my opinions about this album of perfection. Reload is incredibly atmospheric, and some songs even have a creepy vibe, like Fixxxer and The Memory Remains. Others are fast-paced, such as Attitude and Fuel, or simply showcase fantastic music and melodies, like Carpe Diem Baby and Low Man's Lyric. If you love Reload as much as I do, you understand what I meant. Without a doubt, it's the BEST Metallica album EVER.
I have no idea why this album consistently ranks low on lists. It's solid from start to finish. Even the slowest song, Low Man's Lyrics, has more gusto than the second half of Load. For my listening pleasure, this album is essentially Black part II. Load, except for the first five tracks, doesn't measure up.
Another good album, and probably their last good one. Their remake of Turn the Page needs more recognition. So What is another good song. It also has probably the most tasteless lyrics, but yeah, a good song.
This is simply the easiest Metallica album to listen to from start to finish. Every song on the record is awesome!
Metallica can make any song sound great.
This album is heavy and aggressive. It is so underrated because it is way different than any other Metallica album. But the guitars are incredibly heavy and tuned way down and the drums are amazing.
Lars made the right choice with his drum tone since it works and had to be that way to be heard. I really like this album and like it more and more as I've gotten older.
If I were a music teacher, I would give this album a "B." I think this album is done quite well and it's very different. When you think about snare drums, the absence of guitar solos, and rage, you might think of old-school Slipknot, but the right comparison is actually Metallica's St. Anger.
People really need to relax and give it a listen. If Metallica had continued doing what they always do (I'm actually an old-school Metallica fan), it would be monotonous. Sure, this album has a unique snare drum sound and I really missed hearing some guitar solos, but it's a masterpiece. I swear, Metallica did a good job with this album. For me, it ranks at #6.
This album features many of the best Metallica songs in their finest recordings. Additionally, it boasts one of the most remarkable orchestral pieces ever, written by any composer. Props to the late Michael Kamen for what he achieved collaborating with Metallica on this.
The orchestra sounds so awesome in the back. Metal and classical together – who would've thunk it, eh?
No Leaf Clover is better than any of their songs since the Load era.
Best EP ever! I am so damn surprised that these songs weren't on Death Magnetic. This was a great recovery after Lulu. Oh god, that album made me want to hang myself. I kinda felt like this EP was Metallica's answer to the ticked-off fans that listened to Lulu (since this EP was released about a month after that album). But yeah, awesome, awesome greatness of an EP!
They should've made it a follow-up to Death Magnetic instead of an EP. Because the songs that didn't make the cut for Death Magnetic (for some reason) are very cool. It would be like Load and Reload, but better.
Just got this EP... And it's safe to say it's a beast! I can't believe these weren't on Death Magnetic! My favorites, in descending order, are as follows:
Hate Train
Rebel of Babylon
Hell and Back
Just a Bullet Away
How is this way down here? The Seattle video, in particular, is my favorite live album of all time... by anyone! The only complaint I have against it is that the setlists from the 3 concerts are remarkably similar. They could have tried to throw in a few different ones for each show (Hit the Lights, Fight Fire with Fire, Disposable Heroes, Damage Inc, Phantom Lord, No Remorse - all great songs that don't appear on this album).
Seattle '89 was absolutely amazing. Amazing set, the crowd was into it, Tallica at their best.
I think it's great! Many of my favorite songs. And good quality!
This is a good album if you're open-minded and think for yourself.
The humble beginnings of Metallica are apparent on this great tape. Even as a demo, it sounds awesome! Dave Mustaine killed it on the guitar.
Come on, guys, this is badass! It deserves to be higher on this list.
A good live album. It has an edited version of Some Kind of Monster, which was better than the original, and six good songs from the original three albums. The worst track out of the live ones was Leper Messiah, and I still enjoyed it.
Let's do everything it takes to make Lulu last! Some Kind of Monster is actually a really good song, and probably my favorite on St. Anger.
I'm amongst the minority who think this album is actually pretty cool. Being a fan of Lou Reed and the Velvets as well as Metallica, I think the album achieves its purpose. It's a conceptual collaboration between groundbreaking musicians more than it is an album. Metallica churns up a wall of sound with some pretty wicked noise as the background to Lou's rambling. I don't find myself coming to it regularly, but here or there, if I'm in the mood for it, I'll throw it on and listen until I get tired of it. It's not a Metallica album. I've always seen it as a Lou thing.
Actually, this is more of a Lou Reed album. The only parts Metallica worked on were compositions of the songs. Lou Reed wrote all of the lyrics and did composition work.
I love how Metallica opted to sing like Jim Morrison, and the song became progressively psychedelic. 4/10 for the table.