Metallica, a thrash metal band formed in 1981 consisting of singer and rhythm guitarist James Hetfield, lead guitarist Kirk Hammett, drummer Lars Ulrich, and bassist Robert Trujillo, have released eleven studio albums each containing many songs. Since they are one of my favorite bands, I decided to rank the ten best of these songs:
10. “Master of Puppets”- “Master of Puppets” is the second track on the 1986 album by the same name. It is about addiction, and how it can take over someones life. This song has blown up over the past couple of years, and it is one of the most popular songs. Even though I believe this is one of their most overrated songs, I cannot deny it is one of the better ones they have released.
9. “…And Justice For All”- “…And Justice For All” is the second track on the 1988 album by the same name. It is about the corrupt ways of the American judicial system. Although this track is ten minutes long, it still manages to interest listeners throughout its runtime. I think this song is greatly underrated, and that is not recognized for its greatness because “One” is a significantly more popular track from the album, even though it’s worse.
8. “Creeping Death”- “Creeping Death” is the seventh track from the 1984 album “Ride the Lightning.” It is about the ten plagues of Egypt. Like some other entries on this list, “Creeping Death” is heavily overshadowed by the other popular songs from the album.
7. “The Unforgiven”- “The Unforgiven” is the fourth track from the 1991 album “Metallica”. It is about an individual breaking free from some form of oppressive control. This song is very well written, and is significantly slower than some of the band’s other work.
6. “The Four Horsemen”- “The Four Horsemen” is the second track from the 1983 album “Kill ‘Em All”. This song is about the four horsemen of the apocalypse: Conquest, War, Famine, and Death. This song is great, but it’s once again overlooked because “Seek and Destroy” is much more popular, even though it is worse.
5. “Wherever I May Roam”- “Wherever I May Roam” is the fifth track from “Metallica”. The song is about someone who gets a sense of freedom from traveling. The song is one of the most underrated from the album, and it has a great solo. I find myself going back to this song quite often, as it is really that good.
4. “Ride the Lightning”- “Ride the Lightning” is the second track from the album with the same name. It is about an inmate awaiting execution from an electric chair. This song deals with themes of grief, and sorrow. This is one of the Metallica songs that is perfectly rated, even though it’s quite popular.
3. “The God That Failed”- “The God That Failed” is the tenth track from “Metallica”, and it is their most underrated song. It is about Hetfields mothers death after refusing to get treatment for her cancer in the belief that her religion could cure her. The song is sad, but it’s also very good. Everything down to the guitar solo is great.
2. “Leper Messiah”- “Leper Messiah” is the sixth track from “Master of Puppets”. It is about television evangelists who used peoples fear of sin to get money from them. This is one of the band’s heavier songs, which honestly makes it better. Once again, this song is very underrated because the title track exists.
1. “Blackened”- “Blackened” is the first track from “…And Justice For All”. It is about global warming and the destruction of Earth that humans partake in. This is my favorite Metallica song because it is heavy, but also highlights important issues. Not to mention the fact that the solo is one of their best.
