So, without any further ado, let’s get on with the top 50…
50 ManUNkind
Not a fan of the intro, but once it gets going, this song really punches you in the face.
49 Confused
Seems to start with the disjointedness of a Justice-era riff, combined with the start of Diamond Head’s Am I Evil? which is just a metal version of Holst’s Mars. This is by no means a criticism, it’s a bloody good song,
48 The End of the Line
Fairly standard newer era Metallica.
47 Cyanide
There are riffs in this that sound like they could have been used on …And Justice For All. Had they sat on them all those years?
46 Don’t Tread on Me
This would have been a bit higher up the list if it weren’t for the Westside Story bit at the start which kind of gets ripped off further in the melody of the verse. Leonard Bernstein was conveniently dead by the time this came out, so he couldn’t sue them.
45 (Anesthesia) Pulling Teeth
This will ruffle a few feathers. Cliff Burton, may he rest in peace, might have been one of the finest bass players of all time, but this song is one I just don’t get.
44 One
Considered an epic and the end part certainly is, but the fact that one of the solos is played with an undistorted guitar (something Kirk Hammett regrets) and Ulrich’s refusal to play the double kickdrum part properly anymore has blighted this song somewhat. It was the first song Metallica made a video for, which gave them their first taste of commercial success. It has a lot to answer for in that case.
43 Of Wolf and Man
It’s alright, but that’s it.
42 Dream No More
Based on the riffs and downtuning, this could easily have been called Sad But True 2. If you don’t have an urge to bang your head to this, you might be dead.
41 Spit out the Bone
Plenty of speed in this song and ever since I first heard thrash metal a million years ago, I’ve had a fondness for the faster songs.
40 That Was Just Your Life
The first track on what I considered to be the band’s first decent album in getting on two decades. Hetfield was back to his best riff-writing and everything was back in place. Well, except the drum sound.
39 The Frayed Ends of Sanity
Uninspiring, yet contains some great riffs. An enigma wrapped in a riddle
38 All Nightmare Long
Rifftastic and fast. What more can you ask for?
37 Hardwired
Strong opener on the most recent album. This proves that after many years in the metal wilderness and a number of false dawns of a return to form, they’ve finally done it. This song would have been at home on their earlier output.
36 The Day That Never Comes
The first single from the band’s first proper thrash album in 20 years and the first song to include bassist Rob Trujillo. The first time I heard this song was on Jools Holland’s show. A slow starter, but like many classic Tallica songs, there are multiple layers, like a metal onion. By the time this ends, you’re knackered.
35 Disposable Heroes
One of Master of Puppets’ poorest songs, but that’s only because the bar was set so high by the rest of the album. I once saw a Metallica covers band from Newcastle who were named after this song. A bizarre choice on their part.
34 Sad But True
Heavy AF and still sounds good.
33 Suicide & Redemption
I love (most of) Metallica’s instrumental stuff and this was the first one they’d done for four albums. By their own admission, this was made using leftover riffs, but it works really well. It’s nearly 10 minutes, but it doesn’t feel like it. Plenty going on and you won’t get bored.
32 Wherever I May Roam
A pretty slow song, but the main riff is an absolute killer.
31 Through the Never
The absolute highlight of the Black Album, making it the best song Jason Newsted ever played audible bass on.
30 Eye of the Beholder
I don’t like the way it fades in, yet I have no problem with other tracks on this album that do the same. I think this song is a bit boring and doesn’t showcase the band’s true potential, although it’s still fairly decent.
29 For Whom the Bell Tolls
Excellent bass intro. Ever since I practised this song for about 50 hours with some friends in 1992 with the goal of performing it at a battle of the bands at sixth form college – a gig that never happened because the drummer couldn’t find anyone to transport his kit from Barnard Castle – I’ve enjoyed this song a little less. Still a classic though.
28 Welcome Home (Sanitarium)
A no distortion verse, distortion chorus, no distortion verse, distortion chorus song that then becomes an all-out thrasher.
27 Fade to Black
The original no distortion verse, distortion chorus, no distortion verse, distortion chorus song that then becomes an all-out thrasher.
26 The Shortest Straw
This is not massively exciting either, but the main riff is an absolute head pounder, so it gets chalked down as a W.
25 Phantom Lord
A veritable riff-fest.
24 The Four Horsemen
Written in part by Dave Mustaine and Megadeth’s version of this. Mechanix, is much better. Sure, its lyrics are a load of sexist bullshit, but it’s much faster. The original is still a classic though and showed Metallica’s fondness for “a song within a song” with a lengthy middle part that bears no similarity to the rest of the song.
23 Seek and Destroy
Possibly the only Kill ‘em All song you’re ever guaranteed to hear at a live Metallica show anymore. There are six songs I think are better from their debut that I’d rather they gave an airing, but I don’t write the setlists.
22 Trapped Under Ice
An incredibly heavy and often underrated song that would later give an American hardcore band its name.
21 Jump in the Fire
A big melodic main riff shows Metallica have always been more than just palm-muted open E-string riffs.
20 Leper Messiah
A 5 count? You’re just showing off now.
19 No Remorse
Why do they play this live so seldom? It’s an absolute belter. Even the version where they were all very obviously hammered from the Cliff ‘em All video is amazing.
18 …And Justice For All
A solid title track. The band’s first flirtation with a track lasting almost 10 minutes. A bit self-indulgent? Maybe, but it’s excellent.
17 Damage Inc.
A fast number that would be higher up the list if it weren’t for the fact that they have written a shitload of other fast numbers that are better than this. That doesn’t mean this is bad at all. No. Plenty of other bands would kill to have something only 25% as good as this in their back catalogue. Wouldn’t they, Testament?
16 Whiplash
The ultimate song about moshing? Not quite. I think Exodus’ Bonded by Blood is slightly better.
15 Metal Militia
Another song with a chugga-chugga sixteenth-notes riff, one of the staples of thrash. A common theme of the time was metallers as an army. See also Soldiers of Metal by Anthrax and Metal Command by Exodus.
14 Creeping Death
Metallica’s first use of gang vocals that inspired countless other bands to do the same. Yet another song Ulrich refuses to drum properly live anymore.
13 The Thing That Should Not Be
I saw them perform this live once and it made the hairs on my arms stand on end. Not an easy achievement in Milton Keynes. Even heavier than Sad But True and probably the first song they ever tuned down on.
12 Blackened
The first song Metallica fans heard in the post-Burton era. An excellent fast song with slow heavy AF parts. But where’s the bass? Well, that’s a whole other story.
11 Ride The Lightning
The band’s first use of the two-part guitar harmonies that would later become synonymous with the Metallica brand.
10 To Live Is to Die
This is another song on Justice that fades in and I have no problem with it. I also have no problem with the acoustic medieval-style guitar bit either. Probably because it then morphs into an incredibly heavy almost instrumental. I say almost instrumental because it contains some spoken lines of the last lyrics Cliff Burton ever wrote. I like to amuse myself by loudly shouting these lines out in a Sean Bean voice while listening to this.
9 Dyer’s Eve
Perfect album closer – an incredibly fast song with the level of intricate drumming Lars Ulrich could only dream of recreating now.
8 Fight Fire With Fire
The band cleverly trick people into thinking they’ve mellowed at the start of this song with a melodic intro. Nope. It soon becomes apparent that they are heavier than ever. Simple heavy riffs combined with more intricate parts showed that on album number two the band were growing in terms of musicianship and songwriting.
7 Motorbreath
The punkiest of all Metallica’s songs. Hetfield and Ulrich have never hidden the fact that they are fans of both punk and metal, but this song is the most obvious marriage of the two styles.
6 Master of Puppets
A pretty much perfect thrash metal song. Weird time signatures? Check. Fast bits and slow bits? Check. Blistering riffage? Check. Melodic part with double guitar harmonies? Check. And you really should listen to Brett Domino play the whole thing on keyboards if you haven’t already.
5 Harvester of Sorrow
One of the songs from Justice that still stands tall today. The album’s best song and the live version with the massive pause before “all have said their prayers” is still bloody brilliant.
4 The Call of Ktulu
A well heavy instrumental. Someone accused Megadeth’s Dave Mustaine of ripping part of this song off for Hangar 18, but he did write both.
3 Battery
YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!
2 Orion
Metallica’s greatest instrumental. A masterclass in what the bass guitar can do.
1 Hit the Lights
Imagine hearing this for the first time in 1983. Holy shit! This song fired a warning shot that metal was never going to be the same again. It’s fast, contains cracking riffs and solos and embodies everything thrash metal should be.
And that’s it. I’m sure most people reading this will have a different opinion about the order the list should be in and some might even be furious with my choices, but that’s fine.
Also, I might have been a bit critical in places, particularly of Lars Ulrich’s pensioner drumming, but we mustn’t forget how influential Metallica have been. Without them, there would be no Machine Head, Acid Reign, Municipal Waste and a whole battalion of thrash bands that came after the early 80s. So yes, the Four Horseman deserve great praise for everything they have done, even the stuff I don’t really like that much.
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