When 'Master of Puppets' enjoyed a reported 650% streaming bump from the Stranger Things season 4 finale in 2022, it only further emphasized the song's universal appeal. Hetfield reaches a new lyrical peak, painting a harrowing portrait of all-consuming drug addiction with wordplay that would make aspiring MFA students' jaws drop. Everything that makes Metallica great is on display here: Hetfield's inimitable downpicking, unintentionally baffling time signatures, arena-ready call-and-response chants, Ulrich's off-the-rails drum fills and one of Hammett's most blistering solos. The classic Metallica lineup - James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett and Cliff Burton - reached the pinnacle of their powers on this third album, particularly with its multi-part, devastatingly beautiful title track. '80s: 'Master of Puppets,' Master of Puppets (1986) Revisit their triumphs with our list of the best Metallica song (and the top runners-up) from every decade. Even if some phases of their career were less successful than others, they still yielded great songs. to Self-Destruct and 72 Seasons found the group getting back in touch with their thrash origins, but through a modern lens.Īll of these different ventures proved one thing: Metallica has never been afraid to take risks. Late-career triumphs like Death Magnetic, Hardwired. Anger) and even an avant-garde Lou Reed collaboration ( Lulu).

The next two decades proved wildly experimental for Metallica, as they dabbled in Southern rock ( Load and Reload), nu-metal ( St. But Metallica had drawn a line in the sand, and some fans would never forgive them for abandoning their thrash roots.

The Black Album was a smashing success, selling more than 16 million copies in the United States. In 1991, they made a quantum leap with their self-titled album (colloquially known as the Black Album), which traded whiplash-inducing thrash anthems for stadium-rock stompers ('Enter Sandman, 'Sad But True') and heartfelt mega-ballads ('The Unforgiven,' 'Nothing Else Matters'). But Metallica was never content to rest on their laurels.

Operation Beast Slayer by John Rust