Metallica’s Top Albums and Singles

Metallica is a heavy metal band from the United States that elevated the metal genre to new heights of aggression and sophistication. As the band evolved, they broke free from stylistic constraints, exploring new sonic avenues that pushed the boundaries of rock ’n’ roll.

The group formed in Southern California in the early 1980s, then relocated to the Bay Area (the group officially has a day named after them in San Francisco). Four decades later, Metallica has grossed more than $1.4 billion in concert tickets and sold more than 125 million albums worldwide. Metallica currently has four members, including:

• James Hetfield: James is Metallica’s riff master, primary songwriter, and lead vocalist. Raised in Southern California by his mother, an opera singer, and his father, a truck driver, both parents strictly adhered to the Christian Scientist faith and forbade their son from expressing anger. Many of James’s lyrics explore disillusionment with the strictures of family and organized religion; in other tracks, he takes on government censorship, corruption, and legal injustice.
• Lars Ulrich: Drummer Lars Ulrich cofounded Metallica with singer-guitarist James Hetfield. He is the band’s no-mercy percussionist and one of its primary songwriters. Born in Gentofte, Denmark, to tennis legend Torben Ulrich, Lars decided to devote his life to music at a young age, immersing himself in the new wave of British heavy metal.
• Kirk Hammett: Lead guitarist Kirk Hammett, known for his intricate, spine-tingling solos, hails from San Francisco, California. He discovered rock ’n’ roll while leafing through his brother’s extensive collection of Jimi Hendrix and Led Zeppelin records. He started playing music at the age of fifteen and cofounded the influential thrash metal band Exodus just a year later. Rolling Stone magazine also named him one of the greatest guitarists in music history.
• Robert Trujillo: Bassist Robert Trujillo is from Los Angeles, California, where he grew up listening to soul music. He first played in a “backyard party band” that covered Black Sabbath, Rush, and Led Zeppelin songs. Before joining Metallica in 2003, Robert was well-known in the metal scene for his work with the crossover thrash band Suicidal Tendencies and playing alongside heavy metal icon Ozzy Osbourne. He is Metallica’s longest-serving bassist.

Past members of Metallica include guitarist Dave Mustaine, bassist Ron McGovney, and bassist Jason Newsted. They successfully auditioned for the band following the death of the band’s original bassist Cliff Burton in 1986.

Here is a brief overview of Metallica’s evolution:

• Formation: In 1980, Lars Ulrich moved with his family to Newport Beach, California, and took out a newspaper ad looking for other local musicians. Singer-guitarist James Hetfield responded to the ad, and the two decided to form a band whose sound went against the softer glam metal that was popular in the Los Angeles area at the time. From the beginning, Metallica’s sound was fierce, fast, and uncompromising, influenced by hard rock bands like Black Sabbath and early heavy metal bands like Iron Maiden.
• Early work: Early albums Kill ’Em All, Ride the Lightning, and Master of Puppets shook the metal scene and inspired a committed fan base. The acclaimed ...And Justice For All arrived in 1988, followed three years later by a self-titled record that helped launch the band into worldwide superstardom.
• Widespread acclaim: After a string of successful releases during the 1990s, including the blues-inspired Load and the live-recorded album S&M (featuring the San Francisco Symphony), Metallica continued turning out buzzy epics like St. Anger and Hardwired... To Self-Destruct. Metallica’s music has earned the band multiple Grammy Awards, MTV Video Music Awards, and American Music Awards.
• Candid documentary: In 2004, the band members starred in a raw and revealing documentary, Metallica: Some Kind of Monster, in which Lars, James, and Kirk explored anger, aggression, and substance abuse. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame added the band to its legendary list of inductees in 2009. Two years later, the band released Lulu, a collaboration with musician and poet Lou Reed.
• Nonprofit organization: In 2017, the band started a nonprofit, the All Within My Hands Foundation, which supports work, education, and the fight against hunger.

Here are some of Metallica’s most celebrated albums:

1. 1. Kill ‘Em All (1983): Metallica’s debut album Kill ’Em All was a surprise hit, selling more than 60,000 copies worldwide by the end of their 1984 European tour. Tracks like “Seek & Destroy,” “The Four Horsemen,” and “Whiplash” became instant classics. The album, which they recorded with a budget of $15,000, also features “Hit the Lights” and “Jump in the Fire.” In 1988, the album reached No. 120 on the Billboard Top 200 list.
2. 2. Ride the Lightning (1984): Metallica’s sophomore album, Ride the Lightning, cemented the band’s status as a heavy metal juggernaut with serious instrumental firepower and left a lasting impact on the genre. Ride the Lightning sold more than six million copies and featured songs ranging from four to nine minutes long. The album peaked at No. 100 on Billboard’s Top 200 list and features tracks such as “For Whom the Bell Tolls,” “Creeping Death,” and their first power ballad, “Fade to Black.”
3. 3. Master of Puppets (1986): Metallica’s third studio album received widespread acclaim from critics, many of whom later ranked it among the most influential metal albums of all time. It ran for seventy-two weeks on the Billboard Top 200 list, peaking at No. 29 and selling over 300,000 copies in the first three weeks after its release, without any music videos or radio exposure. The same year they released Master of Puppets, the band embarked on a five-month tour with Black Sabbath frontman and early metal icon Ozzy Osbourne.
4. 4. …And Justice For All (1988): …And Justice For All was Metallica’s fourth studio album and one of their bestselling hit records up to this point in their career. Deep, complex tracks like “Harvester of Sorrow,” “Eye of the Beholder,” and “Blackened” became hits, earning the album a peak place at No. 6 on the Billboard Top 200. Additionally, the album earned a Grammy nomination in 1989.
5. 5. Metallica (1991): The band’s self-titled album, colloquially known as The Black Album due to its minimalist packaging, hit No. 1 on the US music charts. It sold thirty million copies worldwide, propelling Metallica to global fame. The singles “Enter Sandman,” “The Unforgiven,” “Nothing Else Matters,” and “Sad But True” transcend the metal genre and have earned the band a place in the rock ’n’ roll canon.
6. 6. Load (1996): This album marked a shift in Metallica’s sound, edging away from thrash metal and more toward hard rock. It features tracks like “King Nothing,” “Bleeding Me,” and “Hero of the Day.” The album spent four weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Top 200 list and became certified five times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
7. 7. St. Anger (2003): Metallica’s eighth studio album, St. Anger, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Top 200 list and topped the charts in fourteen countries. RIAA certified this album double platinum for selling over two million copies in the United States. The album opens with the song “Frantic” and includes “Dirty Window” and “Sweet Amber.”
8. 8. Death Magnetic (2008): With a fast sound and thrashing style, Metallica’s ninth studio album Death Magnetic features long songs with wild solos and melodic harmonies. Guided by producer Rick Rubin, this was the band’s fifth consecutive studio album to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, making Metallica the first band in history to accomplish such a feat.
9. 9. Hardwired... To Self-Destruct (2016): Metallica’s tenth studio album, Hardwired... To Self-Destruct is their sixth consecutive studio album to debut at the top spot on the Billboard Top 200 chart. Led by the ferocious titular single, the album also hit number one on the US hard rock charts and garnered praise from critics with its nihilistic themes and lyrics about the dangers of fame. The album features tracks like “Spit Out the Bone” and “Moth into Flame.”

Here are some of Metallica’s best-known hit singles:

1. 1. “One” (1988): This downbeat track off of the album ….And Justice For All became the band’s first Grammy Award–winning track for Best Metal Performance. The song reached No. 35 on the Billboard 100 list and hit the number one spot in Finland.
2. 2. “The Unforgiven” (1991): This heavy ballad from Metallica’s self-titled album peaked at No. 35 on the Billboard 100 chart and No. 10 on the US Mainstream Rock chart.
3. 3. “Nothing Else Matters” (1991): This popular power ballad was a global hit, reaching No. 34 on the Billboard Top 100 list, No. 11 on the US Mainstream Rock chart, and peaking in the top ten for several countries around the world.
4. 4. “Enter Sandman” (1991): Peaking at No. 16 on the Billboard Top 100 chart, this catchy track from the band’s eponymous album is one of their most classic and popular tracks. The song won Best Metal Video at the MTV Video Music Awards in 1992, and Rolling Stone magazine dubbed this song No. 408 on its “500 Greatest Songs of All Time” list.
5. 5. “Until It Sleeps” (1996): From their 1996 album Load, “Until It Sleeps” was Metallica’s highest-charting song up to this point, reaching a peak position of No. 10 on the Billboard Top 100 charts. This track also won the MTV Video Music Award for Best Rock Video in 1996.
6. 6. “The Memory Remains” (1997): Featuring backing vocals from artist Marianne Faithfull, this single peaked at No. 28 on the Billboard charts, No. 3 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, and No. 13 on the UK Singles Chart.
7. 7. “The Day That Never Comes” (2008): This ballad from Metallica’s 2008 studio album Death Magnetic features distorted guitar sounds and many powerful solos. The song debuted and peaked at No. 31 on the Billboard Hot 100.

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