Metallica Albums Ranked

Metallica is an American thrash metal/heavy metal band. The band came together in Los Angeles in 1981 and helped to invent the thrash sub-genre of heavy metal. They are well known for many of their songs, including “Master of Puppets”, “One”, “Enter Sandman”, and “Nothing Else Matters.” Here is their top five albums of all time ranked.

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10. St. Anger (2003)

“no not metalla’s best – but bands go through phases – first off everyone has their own taste – and what ever they want to listen to is their choice.and there’s no way you’ll ever get PUPPETS or LIGHTNING again. and nothing can compare to those releases.how long have we been listening to those two albums? we know every single note by heart and there’s now way anything new can compete with em.

that being said the dvd portion of this album sounds better.the drums are not as tinny and rob plays bass.recently heard the single mix of SOME KIND OF MONSTER and the drums sound like the drums on every other METALLICA album. maybe one day they’ll mix the whole album the way..let’s hope.”

9. Load (1996)

“Still a great cd and an amazing piece of heavy rock work…by any standard or measurement of similar bands and artists. I guess I didn’t like it as much as I did back then, but that is not any fault of the record! It’s more just that I’m old now, and I kind of forgot that for a moment! But, it is still fun to put on Metallica once in a while and drive my kids nutty!”

8. Reload (1997)

“Fantastic vinyl pressing to a fantastic album. Fuel, The Unforgiven II, Slither, Bad Seed and Fixxxer are the standoffs of this album. Blackenend seemed to get this together while the same year they made a terrible pressing of Master Of Puppets as it skips, this somehow never skipped a bit and it sounded great! It is warped but can still play though, if you want this underrated gem on vinyl but not on budget for the original pressing, this is the one to get. Much better than the Black Album (but not as good as Ride The Lightning or Master Of Puppets).”

7. Death Magnetic (2008)

“Let me just say right off the bat that Death Magnetic is an awesome album. It definitely belongs in the album collections of Metallica fans or just Metalheads in general. It’s a return to their thrash roots that will satisfy the people that prefer the older Metallica (The Cliff Burton Trilogy) and the people that became fans in the 90s (The Black Album). Metallica could have just been lazy and done a rehash of their early stuff and called it a day, but thankfully they didn’t do that. This is an older/wiser Metallica bringing years of experience and growth to the style that made them famous. It is most definitely worth checking out.”

6. Hardwired … To Self Destruct’ (2016)

“It’s experimentation with much influence from their older work.. So far I’ve noticed elements of Ride the Lightning, Load/Reload, and most importantly ….And Justice for All. Lars Ulrich surprises on the drums at points, Hetfield’s vocals are awesome, Kirk Hammett is a guitar god, haven’t paid much of attention to Robert Trujillo’s bass yet, though Metallica is more than the sum of its parts. I can’t help but wonder how Les Claypool and Dave Mustaine might have affected Metallica if they joined/stayed, but then we might not have Megadeth, Primus, the Lennon Claypool Delirium, or Metallica. Hard Wired…To Self Destruct is the best rock album since Death Magnetic, which is underrated.”

5. …And Justice For All (1988)

“This is my favorite Metallica album, followed by ‘ Ride The Lightning’. This album contains the best Metallica song of all time, “ONE”. I’ve been waiting on this re-mastered version for many years and I’m not disappointed at all. I think it sounds great. I even heard a tiny bit of bass a couple times! The reissued artwork and fold open cover with booklet are first class. Enjoy Metallica’s best!”

4. Metallica (The Black Album) (1991)

“In my youth I had heard whispers of “Metallica” but was too busy contemplating humanity and my inexplicable lack of chest hair to pay attention. After a long day of complaining about the lack of local recycling options, I came to Amazon to buy “Metal Can Bin” but this CD showed up in the results. It was fate. When it arrived, I put it on in my Prius and started driving to my favorite vegan burrito & poetry club, thinking it was just another day. The next thing I know, I’m at a butcher shop buying a 3 pound bone-in ribeye. After grilling it on an [illegal] open fire in a state park, I ripped the sleeves off my organic cotton shirt and dug in, with “The Unforgiven” blasting out of the car. Oh the car. With Metallica in my heart and cow blood dripping down my chin, I saw that piece of ultra-efficient engineering in a whole new light. A terrible light. I immediately drove to my nearest Ford dealer and traded it for a F150 Raptor. After burning some SIIIIIICCCCKKKKKK donuts in the Whole Foods parking lot, I set off across the country on a quest to find anything that rocks harder than Metallica. So far nothing has come close.”

See this album featured on Classic Rock Albums: Top 10 Ranked

3. Kill ‘Em All (1983)

“Metallica’s debut album, Kill ‘Em All, is not their greatest work. It’s an amazing thrash metal album, for sure, but it’s not as great as their masterpieces Ride the Lightning, …And Justice for All, or Master of Puppets. Kill ‘Em All contains numerous amazing tracks (“The Four Horsemen” and “Seek & Destroy” are among their best, in my opinion) but the album is considerably less complex than the other three following albums, however it is better than every other release after those.

Kill ‘Em All is still worth listening to, no doubt about it, and is an important part of metal history.”

2. Ride The Lightning (1984)

“Excellent sophomore release from Metallica. Metallica makes a huge jump in song writing, and song structure with Ride the Lightning. First, Metallica is impressive in how we see them start writing ballads, for the first time. Fade to Black is very intricate, and slow with how the song starts, as is Fight Fire With Fire, and Call of Ktulu. Metallica definitely shows it’s softer side with these tracks, and their ability to be much more intricate. Metallica also is impressive about how they start to tackle other subjects besides death, and destruction, such as: war, death penalty, and suicide.”

1. Master of Puppets (1986)

“Yeah, grab this album, jump in your Camaro and cruise over to the high school. Get out, stand on the hood, and embark on the wildest air guitar session you’ve ever experienced. The wind will be blowing through your grizzly mane, sweat will be dripping down your brow and, the police will likely be called. We used to do this when I was in high school. We called it “Metallica Drive-bys,” and we were awesome! If you wanted to form your own air guitar syndicate and rock your way into the cosmos, this CD is a good soundtrack.”