It's fair to say that Metallica are among the legends of heavy metal music. Their pioneering "Thrash Metal" sound landed them much admiration among the critics and the metal scene in large. As their career has evolved so have their sound, from thrashy riffs to progressive anthems to melodic ballads and back again, this band has strived to evolve from their inception and while that has had led to some mixed results the band remain as relevant as ever as titans of the rock and metal scene.
In this list I will be going through each Metallica record and discuss what I feel about each release, this list is in reverse order so my least favourite or "worst" if you'd rather, is up first ...
10: Load (1996)
After the overwhelming success of their previous album "Metallica"(1991) the group decided to change their style even further. Once again the band worked with producer Bob Rock for the second time despite having a difficult relationship with him on the recording of their prior album. 'Load' felt to me as if the band are trying way too hard to appeal to a new audience and while every band needs to do this, 'Load' is when an artist loses touch with it's audience. I think the issue here is that it's an album which tries to cater to two audiences without committing itself to a certain style and just seems to meander it's way between 90's alternative rock and classic heavy metal. It's not awful by any means and I would say that there are much worse tracks on other Metallica albums, however 'Load' to me offers nothing which stands out, it just feels like a filler album for the most part with exception to perhaps the final two tracks "Ronnie" and "The Outlaw Torn" which have a southern gothic vibe to them.
9: St. Anger (2003)
The late 90s and early 00s were not kind to Metallica. Bassist Jason Newsted had quit the band and the relationships within the group were all falling apart. Creative differences and personal health issues plagued this albums recording process, which took almost a full year to complete recording. The end result is interesting to say the least. St. Anger is an album which always fascinates me because of how "un-metallica" it is. The creative differences make for a fractured sounding record which on the one half tries to play catch up with the then popular "Nu Metal" movement, while also trying to revisit the glory years of the classic albums. It's not a St. Anger review without mentioning Lars' snare drums and while it may shock some, I actually like the raw sound of them ... for the first three songs at least. I think this album would of improved greatly if they had more focus on what they wanted to achieve, the raw and bitter energy of not wanting to be left behind really adds to the first three songs on this record; whether fans want to admit it or not "St. Anger" and "Frantic" are some of the bands heaviest ever songs and they are tracks that I always go back to, the problem here is the rest of the album. While the raw production worked for the first few tracks it certainly doesn't work for a 75 minute album. The album really takes a nose dive in my opinion, the song writing is easily some of the worst in the bands career and each song feels more and more obnoxious and graining, but I respect the band for going deep in with a new style and those first three songs stand out more than anything on 'Load' which is why I ranked it higher.
8: Death Magnetic (2008)
Metallica had learnt it's lesson from St. Anger and for many this record represented the band returning to their thrash roots. As a whole the album is decent and is certainly a return to form for the most part. Kirk Hammett delilvers some of his best solos on here, perhaps because he was repressed from doing them in St. Anger. From the opening track "That Was Just Your Life" the group deliver on what the fans want to hear. The thrash riffs are back and the band are on form, so why is this album not rated as highly? well partly it's the production, during this time period famed producer Rick Rubin had a habit of over-compressing his work, including this album, which led to the album having unintended distortion, while this may not be too noticeable on a first listen, the more I go back to these tracks after hearing their other albums, the quality and style of production becomes more noticeable.
7: Reload (1997)
The second half of the load/re-load era is a slight improvement on the first for me, this album features arena classics such as 'Fuel' and 'The Memory Remains' as well as continuing the "Unforgiven Saga" with a second track continuing the story from "The Black Album/Metallica's" predecessor. While I think this album is more focused in it's desired sound than 'Load' and has some standout tracks, their is plenty of filler and forgettable tracks that bloat the album. I appreciate the moments in which the band try different things such as "Bad Seed" which has a country inspired sound and layered vocals, however songs such as 'slither' sound too similar to previous hits making them sound pedestrian. Many people have said they find this to be worse than Load, but overall I think this is a decent release, with a solid, but sometimes too predictable sound.
6: Hardwired... To Self Destruct (2016)
"Hardwired ... To Self Destruct" sounds like a record where an artist doesn't have to prove themselves to anyone anymore and just enjoy playing music for the sake of it and to me that is what makes this record so refreshing. Released and distributed through Metallica's own "Blackened" record company, this album was solely made for the fans and for the band members themselves. Being on top of the hard rock and metal world, Metallica return to doing what they do best, fast paced and catchy thrash songs. Upon hearing the opening track "Hardwired" it feels like you have been transported back to the "Ride The Lightning" days. It's fast, punchy and straight to the point. "Atlas Rise" feels like it could've of been on "And ... Justice for All" with it's more progressive style. The first part of the album is like a buffet of the band's golden years, unfortunately the momentum and quality is haulted by the albums second half, with the exception of "Am I Savage?" and the strong closer "Spit Out The Bone" the album has the filler tracks you might expect from a 70 minute release, still the stand-out tracks make this album not one to sleep on.
5: Kill 'Em All (1983)
The year was 1983 and the alternative music scene was split between Punks, Metalheads and New-wavers. Finding it hard to fit in with the emerging hair metal scene in their native LA, Metallica found success upstate in San Francisco. Venues would host events with both punk and metal bands at the same shows and despite some hostile scene rivalry, bands such as Metallica found success crossing over both genres, taking influence from bands such as Motorhead, Misfits, Black Sabbath and Iron Maiden. At a time this was my favourite Metallica album, it is easily their most punk influenced record, the songs are stripped back and lack complexity for the most part, which was all part of the appeal for me, straight forward, fast paced metal. Songs such as "Motorbreath" could be on an 80s hardcore punk mix-tape minus the guitar solo. This album has plenty of materiel which is still prominent in the group's live shows, with classics such as "Hit The Lights", "The Four Horseman", "Whiplash" and "Seek & Destroy" still being sung in stadiums today. The only criticism I have of this album now, is the very reason I loved it at first and that is the lack of complexity. You can have simple songs, but there needs to be something that stands out for you to keep playing it back and while the songs I have mentioned do that, the rest of the albums feels a little bit repetitive, but considering this is the bands first record it is certainly a great debut that defined Thrash Metal.
4: Master Of Puppets (1986)
I am not trying to trigger Metallica fans I swear. This album is a true classic. If you were to ask for the most influential metal albums this would be towards the top of the list. This album was the last to feature the late Cliff Burton, who was a key person in the evolution of Metallica's sound. Burton studied in classical music and his influence can be most heard throughout this record, especially in tracks such as the instrumental "Orion" and the ballad "Welcome Home (Sanitarium)". This album also features mosh pit staples such as "Battery" and "Damage Inc." I couldn't review this album without discussing the famous title track, it's a masterpiece, one of the best songs, not only of the foursome's career, but in popular music as a whole. Having this album at forth is not a criticism of the quality, but it's just that I marginally prefer the other three records for one reason or another.
3: Metallica (A.K.A The Black Album)(1991)
Metallica's self titled album was my introduction to the band's music, I was 12 years old and I didn't really listen to much rock and metal music at the time apart from classic rock bands and a few pop punk bands. Metallica was the second heavy metal act I remember getting really into after Ozzy Osbourne's solo work, both of which my mum introduced me to. I believe this album is the perfect gateway for people who don't listen to metal, while fans at the time felt that the band had "sold out" I feel that it took them a lot of courage to leave the thrash sound in search of something different, while 'The Black Album' is more commercial sounding then prior efforts the band still sound alive and as loud as ever thanks to Bob Rock's stellar production work. Metallica moved on from playing at metal festivals to playing stadiums with this single release and with so many hits such as "Enter Sandman","Sad But True","Nothing Else Matters" and "The Unforgiven" it's easy to see why. This record not only succeeds in having hit singles, but it also features fantastic songs such as "My Friend of Misery" and "The God That Failed" the later of which being one of James Hetfield's most personal songs about the circumstances surrounding the death of his mother. I understand why some people may not rank this as highly because it does lack some of the speed and aggression the band are known for, but it more than makes up for it in my opinion with powerful song-writing and a rich production.
2: ...And Justice For All (1988)
On this record the band made some of their most ambitious songs yet, while they are only 9 songs on the tracklist the majority of them are over 6 minutes in length, with the title track topping out at almost 10 minutes long. Usually I am not a fan of progressive metal, but this album keeps up the high energy despite the length of the songs. The mixing of the record has been criticised as Jason Newsted's Bass recordings are inaudible as they are so low in the mix, personally I never had a huge issue with it, but after hearing the "Justice For Jason" mix on
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6kqTcLwUYj8 I can clearly hear what was missing. To me this album just has a more intense sound than other Metallica Albums, perhaps it's the lack of bass which adds to it, but the guitars and drums sound extra dynamic and really pull you in. It goes without saying that this release has some of the best Metallica songs. A competing favourite of mine is the epic war tragedy "One", a song which uses it's instrumental to simulate combat, with poetic lyrics from James Hetfield to boot, to me it's their "Bohemian Rhapsody" as the song builds and progresses to an operatic climax. "Blackened" is an explosive opener which kicks things into high gear and is always a song I go back to. "Harvester of Sorrow" is a slow tempo march of destruction and the closing track "Dyers Eye" feels like the perfect bookending as it mirror's "Blackened"s speed and intensity. No other Metallica album reaches "And... Justice's For All" scope and power.
1: Ride The Lightning (1984)
Here we have the greatest Metallica record. "Ride The Lightning" is a must listen for any hard rock and metal fan. This album is the result of a young band working as hard as possible to prove themselves. At 47 minutes in length it is the shortest studio album by the group and not a moment is wasted here. The opener "Fight Fire With Fire" is one of Metallica's most fastest and heaviest songs and is my personal favourite from their whole discography
(closely followed by 'One'). "Ride The Lightning" then shreds in right after followed by the goosebump inducing "For Whom The Bell Tolls". The song "Fade to Black" was a real changing point for the band as it was their first ever power ballad and proved the bands talents as songwriters and musicians outside of the Thrash Metal sound. From the pseudo-classical intro, you know that this band is ready to do anything and go in any direction they see fit proven further by the instrumental closing track "The Call of Ktulu". Perhaps the most popular song on this album is "Creeping Death" a thrash metal classic which references "The Book of Exodus". This album is all killer and no filler, even the literal filler track "Escape" is still a solid track. Above all this album would set the stage for what Metallica would become, it has all the energy and anger of a young band, but also the experimentation and musicianship of a maturing band which is why it is my pick for the top Metallica studio album.
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