Photo: Frankie Cavone
Metallica will go down as one of the greatest metal bands of all time producing incredible albums time after time. The band got their start in San Francisco, CA in 1981 with a mission to “Seek and Destroy.” With the group collectively not being a fan of glam-metal, they decided to go on a tear and write some of the heaviest music known to man kind.
Over the course of 40 years, the band has changed up their sound a few times but ultimately have returned to their thrash metal roots. We at Mirth Films are life long Metallica fans and while we like pretty much all of the band’s repertoire, there are some albums that are okay to skip over.
We decided to come up with a list of all our favorite Metallica albums raked from worst to best. It was not easy to put this list together and many of their albums could be considered their “best.” But we decided to break this list down by their importance in the catalogue. Check out our full list of Metallica albums ranked from worst to best below:
#13: Lulu
Release Date: October 31, 2011
Lulu was a nice thought but this album represents Metallica in the worst way. The album released in 2011 was a collaborative album with fellow rocker Lou Reed. While both artists are well respected in their own way, the time could have been better spent by taking this project in a different direction. That being said, we wouldn’t have had one of James Hetfield’s most memorable lyrics, “I am the table.”
#12: S & M
Release Date: November 23, 1999
Even though Metallica’s S&M is a live album, we decided to add it to the list since two original songs came out of this project. Metallica teamed up with the San Francisco Orchestra to take their songs to a whole different arena adding classical elements to beloved classics that would have never been possible before. Front to back, this album is a cool take on the Metallica collection. The two original songs that came out of this project were “-Human” and “No Leaf Clover” which are both always fun to listen back to.
#11: St. Anger
Release Date: June 5, 2003
For a long time, people considered St. Anger to be the worst of all time for the band. But thanks to Lulu, that is not the case anymore. The reason we put this ahead of S&M was because this was the album that got Metallica’s wheels spinning again after the band was working out their personal issues. James Hetfield was fully sober after battling his addiction with alcohol and the newly addition of Robert Trujillio on bass brought some youthfulness back to the group. St. Anger is truly an album of its time showing nu-metal inspirations. Even though this album didn’t connect with everybody, it was great to see Metallica take chances with new sounds and ideas.
#10: Load
Release Date: June 4, 1996
When Load first released, the band decided to take a completely new route by producing an album with hard rock and blues elements. The band cut their hair and changed their style straying away from their thrash metal routes taking the fans completely by surprise. The album didn’t appeal to many metal heads but helped continue to bring the band further into the mainstream. If we’re talking strictly music, Load has many hidden gems and shows how talented they are together when trying new things. Some tracks that are a must to check out are “The Outlaw Torn,” “The House That Jack Built,” and “King Nothing.”
#9: Hardwired… to Self-Destruct
Release Date: November 18, 2016
Hardwired… to Self-Destruct is the latest Metallica record to come out. Released in 2016, Metallica continued to pursue their heavy roots with songs like “Hardwired” and “Moth Into The Flame.” What made this album special was that it had 2 discs full of original music and a music video to go along with each song. While this album is not as technical as the previous release Death Magnetic, songs like “Spit Out The Bone” is a treat for even classic Metallica fans.
#8: Garage Inc.
Release Date: November 24, 1998
Garage Inc. Metallica’s one and only official cover album spread out over 2 discs. The first disc featuring all newly recorded covers and the second disc featuring covers recorded previously in the bands career. This is a spectacular album from front to back jam-packed with memorable tunes. The songs covered were of musical acts that have inspired them. Metallica gives each song the proper treatment it deserves. They cover acts all across the spectrum from Lynyrd Skynyrd to the rawest of acts like Diamond Head and deliver big time. Garage Inc. is a must listen for all fans of rock and roll.
#7: Death Magnetic
Release Date: September 12, 2008
Metallica’s Death Magnetic was a return to the essence of what the band produced throughout the 80’s in a new age form. This album proved that the San Francisco based act could still rip like they used to. In fact, I would go as far as saying that If this album was released in Metallica’s early year’s it would be considered one of the best of all time.
It was a follow up to St. Anger which left a bad taste in the mouth of Metallica fans. Listening front to back, the album starts with “That Was Just Your Life” a powerful and progressive song that show the band really took the time to write. Every song on this album is special in its own way. The big ballad “The Day That Never Comes” has similar feels as “One” but in it’s own unique way and you will find yourself singing along everytime. “All Nightmare Long” and “The End of The Line” made for great songs to bang your head. “Suicide and Redemption” was the first instrumental Metallica song since And Justice For All’s “To Live Is To Die” and was well worth the wait making it only the 5th instrumental in their repertoire. It was also cool to see the band continue on with “The Unforgiven III” which stands up to the first two versions.
#6: Reload
Release Date: November 18, 1997
Not only was this the better of the two albums to come out of Metallica’s Load/Reload era, it stands out as one of the better Metallica albums in the collection. Its hard to stop yourself from screaming “Give me fuel, give me fire, give me that which I desire” when Track 1(“Fuel”) starts playing or singing along to the outro of “Memory Remains.” This album helped solified the groups status in pop-culture keeping Metallica at the forefront of Rock and Roll. Reload also features several hidden gems like “Slither” and “Carpe Diem Baby” which feature stellar guitar playing from lead guitarist Kirk Hammett
#5: Kill Em’ All
Release Date: July 25, 1983
Ah yes, the album that started it all. Kill ‘Em All was the bands first record which dropped in 1983 on Megaforce records. This features Metallica at their rawest with James Hetfield screams and blistering guitar solos. The album features some song’s written by Dave Mustaine who was kicked out of the band prior to its release. Kill ‘Em All gave birth to Metallica staples like “Seek and Destroy,” “Whiplash” and “Jump in the Fire” just to name a few. During a time where Glam-Metal was king, Metallica took their own road paving the way of heavy and would eventually help them on their path to becoming the greatest metal band of all time. Kill ‘Em All also features one of the most memorable bass solos in metal history with “(Anesthesia) – Pulling Teeth” all thanks to the late Cliff Burton.
#4: Metallica
Release Date: August 12, 1991
Metallica’s self-titled album also known as “The Black Album” is the bands most successful album of all time producing “Enter Sandman” and “Sad But True,” both songs that are rock anthems and are heard across the world. The band won grammy awards, toured non stop for 3 years and became the biggest band in the world. Metallica took another chance at ballads with the song “Nothing Else Matters” a beautifully written song by James Hetfield that will get every Metallica fan singing along to every lyric. The Black album also features heavy deep cuts like “The Struggle Within” and “Holier Than Though” which will have you playing your air guitar the whole time.
#3: …And Justice For All
Release Date: September 7, 1988
…And Justice For All remains as Metallica’s heaviest album to date. The album kicks off with “Blackened” one the best songs to bang your head to that the band has. These are longer, more progressive tracks and represent an end of an era as the band became more rockier in the 90’s. This album also features “One,” a song that every metal head knows with memorable break downs and great double-bass drum pedal work from Lars Ulrich. It is also the first album to not feature Cliff Burton after he passed away before it’s conception. …And Justice For All and the next two albums on this list are some of the most important records that the band has produced, giving Metallica their true identity.
#2: Master of Puppets
Release Date: March 3, 1986
These next two albums could have gone in either the number one or two slot but after a tough decision, have decided to give Master of Puppets the second spot on this list. Master of Puppets is classic Metallica at it’s best providing memorable tracks such as “Master of Puppets,” “Damage Inc.” and “Battery.” Songs like “Disposable Heroes” are thrash-metal at it’s core providing some of the best riffs and solos in all of the bands repertoire. Master of Puppets also features “Orion” an instrumental song written mostly by Cliff Burton which is considered one of the best instrumentals in all of rock and metal. This album turned the band into a headlining national touring act over night and helped them become who they are today. The song “Master of Puppets” is also the most performed song by Metallica being played close to 2,000 times over their 40+ year career.
#1: Ride The Lightning
Release Date: July 27, 1984
Our reason for giving Ride The Lightning the number one slot is because it gave the band their identity and featured a wide variety of tracks that are fast and heavy. “Fade To Black” is the bands first crack at writing a ballad featuring a haunting acoustic guitar melody from James Hetfield who is also forced to use his voice to sing in a different manner. This showed that the band wasn’t just a one trick pony. Ride the Lightning kicks off with “Fight Fire with Fire,” one of the most ripping Metallica songs of all time. It also features “For Whom The Bell Tolls” another heavy classic that Metallica fans of all ages can sing along to. The album is also the best because conceptually it is put together masterfully. Each song placement has purpose and is truly meant to listen to from front to back. Metallica at this point has also solidified their lineup and features some of the most signature solos from Kirk Hammett to date. Please do yourself a favor and crank Ride the Lightning to 11!
