Metallica Albums Ranked from Worst To Best

By Joe Lavigne

Metallica is the most successful thrash metal band of the '80s, and they have also become the most successful hard rock band ever. Metallica are an absolute mega-force, and with ten studio albums (not including cover albums and live albums), we ask: What is the best album Metallica?

Shifting through musical changes and tones since their formation in the early '80s, Metallica have become one of the most popular and influential hard rock bands to ever walk a stage. Their catalog is broad, and opinion is often divided.  So, after much deliberation, here is our top ten list of Metallica albums...

10. Death Magnetic

Death Magnet is actually a very good hard rock album. It's certainly up there with the best of the 2000s, and just because we've ranked it at the bottom of Metallica's pile, that's not to say it's bad. Death Magnetic saw the band going back to its earlier sound, with the frenetic thrash tone of the '80s, mixed in with a bit of what the Black Album had to offer. Death Magnetic has plenty of energy and appeal, but it just feels a bit lacking in certain areas.

9. St. Anger

St. Anger wasn't Metallica's finest hour, granted, but it does seem to get a lot of negativity thrown its way, which is mostly unjustified. Credit to the band for mixing things up and trying something outrageously different to anything we'd ever heard previously in their catalog. Again, this is a very good heavy metal, and if it wasn't by Metallica, you just get the sense it may have been more appreciated.

8. Hardwired... To Self-Destruct

Hardwired is a very good album, packed with thrashy, heavy riffs, that are commonly associated with the Metallica we all love. You can see what the band were trying to do with this album, and to be fair, it's the best record they've produced since 1997.

7. Reload

Reload often gets unfairly slated, which is a real shame, because this is an album that contains some really great songs. "Fuel," "The Memory Remains," "The Unforgiven II," "Prince Charming," and "Low Man's Lyric" are all superb tracks, packed with a punch, that show just how versatile the band became during a time when rock and metal was being pulled in all kinds of different directions. 

6. ...And Justice For All

Following the might of Master of Puppets was never going to be an easy task, especially without their phenomenal bass player, Cliff Burton. But, despite some dodgy production, the band actually produced something of a masterpiece - well, close enough. ...And Justice For All contains some of the bands best work, including the huge hit "One." This would be the last thrash metal album the band would ever release.

5. Load

Load is without doubt the most underrated (and underappreciated) Metallica album. The huge shift in their sound lost the band a lot of followers, which is a shame, because this album demonstrated just how ambitious and creative the band were. Packed with exceptional hard rock songs, this new, slithery tone helped the band ride out the wave of grunge, nu-metal, and industrial metal.  

4. Kill 'Em All

Many hardcore Metallica fans will be surprised not to see Kill 'Em All ranked in our top three, because of its historical significance, but for a debut, this is a damn good album. The problem is, it doesn't quite feel like a Metallica album. Not fully, anyway. For all it's rocking qualities, it still lacks in certain areas, most notably Hetfield's not-quite-yet-Hetfield vocals. This album created a great start in the band's legacy, but it was quite easily surpassed countless times.

3. Metallica (Black Album)

The idea of a band "selling out" is a dumb, reactionary, and silly concept that discourages growth and experimentation. Was this album commercially friendly? Yes, probably. But, did this album compromise on the metal aspect of the band? Absolutely not! Loaded with a variety of blockbuster hits, this album has to rank as one of the best-produced heavy metal albums of all time. Even fans and critics with generous expectations for this album probably didn't see it going 16x Platinum and becoming one of the best selling albums of the last 30 years. Numbers don't lie, and in our humble opinion, the Black Album was the most relevant and influential Metallica record of the lot.

2. Ride The Lightning

Not many people thought Ride The Lighting would ever be bettered. This was an album that showed just how good Metallica were, and such was its quality, it felt like this had to be the band's peak. "Fade To Black," "For Whom the Bell Tolls," and "Creeping Death," are three of the best Metallica tracks they have ever produced. This is a thrash metal album with incredible melody and song writing that no other metal band could quite get near. This would have been the ultimate thrash metal album produced by any band, had it not been for our next entry...

1. Master of Puppets

Has there ever been a better thrash metal album than Master Of Puppets? We don't think so, and when you listen to tracks like "Master Of Puppets," 'Battery', "Welcome Home," and "Orion," it would be hard to disagree with us. This album is a true masterpiece and one that shot Metallica up as the greatest band of the thrash metal genre. This album single-handily set Metallica apart from the other thrash metal giants Slayer, Anthrax, and Megadeth, and it is widely regarded as the greatest thrash metal album of all time.

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