Metallica Top 50

Like with the Iron Maiden chart I did previously, Metallica were a band I was familiar with from the many singles released from the Black album, but I had never bought an album until much later.  In fact I saw them for the first time headlining Reading Festival in 1997 before owning any albums and was surprised that I actually recognised a lot of their set.  Following the hottest act around at the time, an 'Antichrist Superstar'-era Marilyn Manson, was no mean feat given they had supposedly gone off the boil, but it's safe to say I was impressed.

It wasn't long before I bought the Black album on cassette, followed by the latest album, 'Reload', and then filled in the gaps from there.  It was a strange time to get into them properly, there were plenty of people saying they had sold out, they weren't as good as the old days etc. etc.  Listening to the older albums you could immediately pick out the timeless classics, obvious from the entries in this chart, but you could also say the impact of some of the albums or songs was lost to me as a latecomer, 'Kill 'Em All' especially sounding fairly primitive when compared to the later albums, something that wouldn't be as pronounced if I'd have heard it at the time when there would have been no modern albums to compare it to.

But that's the same when revisiting any band you were too young to listen to the first time around, eventually the songs take root in your head and you forget about everything else.  So, the earlier albums win out on the whole, but there are probably more entries from later albums than a lot of fans might include.  'Load' may be the album that I consider their weakest overall, but the 4 songs in the chart are of the highest quality.  And I might get some stick for having more songs from 'St Anger' than 'Master of Puppets' but that's just what I think!  I would still consider 'Master of Puppets' their third best album behind 'Metallica' and 'Ride the Lightning'.  All healthy debate as always!

1. For Whom the Bell Tolls

2. Master of Puppets

3. Blackened

4. Wherever I May Roam

5. Sad but True

6. Battery

7. One

8. Nothing Else Matters

9. Enter Sandman

10. Fade to Black

11. Whiplash

12. Through the Never

13. Damage Inc

14. Fuel

15. St Anger

16. Ride the Lightning

17. Creeping Death

18. The Unforgiven

19. Ain't My Bitch

20. The Four Horsemen

21. King Nothing

22. Of Wolf and Man

23. Fight Fire with Fire

24. The Unforgiven II

25. Bleeding Me

26. The Call of Ktulu

27. Metal Militia

28. Hit the Lights

29. Turn the Page

30. The Outlaw Torn

31. Some Kind of Monster

32. That Was Just Your Life

33. All Nightmare Long

34. The Memory Remains

35. Frantic

36. Don't Tread on Me

37. The Unnamed Feeling

38. Sweet Amber

39. Holier than Thou

40. The Frayed Ends of Sanity

41. The God that Failed

42. Welcome Home (Sanitarium)

43. Dyers Eve

44. Motorbreath

45. Last Caress/Green Hell

46. My Friend of Misery

47. Carpe Diem Baby

48. The Shortest Straw

49. Prince Charming

50. To Live is to Die

By Era

Kill 'Em All 5

Ride the Lightning 6

Master of Puppets 4

...And Justice For All 6

Metallica 11

Load 4

Reload 5

Garage Inc 2

St Anger 5

Death Magnetic 2