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A Listening Guide to Metallica's Albums in Order for Super Heavy Metal Fans

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Published Jun 15, 2023

Metallica isn't just a band—they are a way of life. With a spellbinding catalog consisting of songs like "Moth Into Flame," “Welcome Home (Sanitarium)," "Disposable Heroes," "Creeping Death," and "Fade To Black" to name a few, it's never too late to introduce or re-introduce yourself to an artist's catalog. In our opinion, the best way to do it is by listening to each album (the full album) in the artist's discography—preferably in chronological order so you can see and hear the evolution, growth, and changes over the course of time (at least we think that's pretty interesting). So without further ado, here's a look at all of the Metallica albums in order for all you super or soon-to-be super rock fans.

Let the ear ringing commence!

How Many Metallica Albums are There?

Metallica's discography consists of 11 studio albums, eight live albums, and one soundtrack album. Today we'll be looking specifically at their eleven studio albums as the live albums are a discussion for a different day.

The Metallica Albums, in Order:

Kill ‘Em All — July 25, 1983
Ride the Lightning — July 27, 1984
Master of Puppets — March 3rd, 1986
...And Justice for All — September 7th, 1988
Metallica — August 12th, 1991
Load — June 4th, 1996
Reload — November 18th, 1997
St. Anger — June 5th, 2003
Death Magnetic — September 12th, 2008
Hardwired...to Self-Destruct — November 18th, 2016
72 Seasons — April 14th, 2023

1. Kill 'Em All (1983)

Release Date: July 25, 1983
Record Label: Megaforce
Our Favorite Track: "Whiplash"

Metallica was formed in 1981 in Los Angeles by Lars Ulrich who placed an advertisement in the newspaper saying that he was looking for metal members to form a band with. James Hetfield and Hugh Tanner answered the advertisements. Dave Mustaine (who was only in the group briefly) Cliff Burton and Kirk Hammett eventually joined some months later, and in 1983 the band released their debut album Kill 'Em All through the independent label Megaforce.

Kill 'Em All is a super underrated album that deserved more commercial success, but it can be hard for brand new artists (especially back then) to get a smash album right of the gate. The record starts with the electric "Hit the Lights," which smoothly transitions to "The Four Horsemen." "Motorbreath," "Jump in the Fire" and "Whiplash" are some of the other standouts on the album which concludes with bangers "Seek & Destroy" and "Metal Militia." Very solid debut from the soon-to-be legendary group.

2. Ride the Lightning (1984)

Release Date: July 27, 1984
Record Label: Megaforce
Our Favorite Track: "Fight Fire with Fire"

Several months after the release of their debut, the band hit the studio again to begin work on their follow-up, which would eventually be titled Ride the Lightning. Released in July 1984, the record was their first to exploring to explore their songwriting capabilities as a unit, and on the topic of firsts—you get to hear Metallica in power ballad mode for the very first time on "Fade to Black." Ride the Lightning received positive reviews praising their growth from the first record. The album was also set the course for their next couple of releases.

3. Master of Puppets (1986)

Release Date: March 3rd, 1986
Record Label: Elektra
Our Favorite Track: "Orion"

And then it happened—Metallica released the album that made them superstars. Released two years after their sophomore effort, Master of Puppets took the groundwork laid by Ride the Lightning, and advanced to levels we didn't know were even possible. What is it about this record that makes it so brilliant? Is it the longer tracks like "Orion" which is over eight minutes of rock heaven? Is it the softer tracks like "Welcome Home (Sanitarium)?" Is it the touring experience they got during the two years in between albums? The best answer is that it's probably a mixture of all the things we mentioned plus more. An album that has truly withstood the test of time.

4. ... And Justice for All (1988)

Release Date: September 7th, 1988
Record Label: Elektra
Our Favorite Track: "To Live is to Die"

For Metallica...And Justice for All. Before we dive into the band's fourth record, we have to first cover the things that happened between Master of Puppets and … And Justice for All. Unfortunately bassist Cliff Burton was unexpectedly killed when the group's tour bus crashed while on the Damage Inc. tour for Master of Puppets. As a result, the group had to eventually start looking for a replacement bassist, which led to former Flotsam and Jetsam bass player Jason Newsted joining the group.

… And Justice for All was released on September 7th, 1988, and followed the same musical themes as their predecessor. The stand out track on the album is "To Live is to Die," to which Burton receives a posthumous writing credit as Newstead followed the bass lines Burton previously recorded prior to his passing. Long live Cliff Burton.

5. Metallica (1991)

Release Date: August 12th, 1991
Record Label: Elektra
Our Favorite Track: "The Unforgiven"

Three years later, Metallica received their first No 1. on the Billboard 200 when they released their self-titled fifth studio album Metallica. The record featured softer songs as opposed to their previous albums, more songwriting and in-depth lyricism, and more singing their prior releases as well. The result was not just Metallica's biggest selling album of all time, but one of the best selling albums ever, being certified 16 x platinum by the RIAA. What an era. What an album.

6. Load (1996)

Release Date: August 12th, 1991
Record Label: Elektra
Our Favorite Track: "Ain't My Bitch"

A five year break was taken in between Metallica and Load, and was considered their most experimental album at the time of its release as the record leaned more towards a hard rock sound as opposed to their typical thrash metal style. While the record was a commercial success and debuted at No 1. on the Billboard Hot 200, the sudden departure from their signature style caused some mixed reviews from critics and fans which in our opinion is a load of bull crap. True artistry is about taking risks, trying new things, and evolving your sound. Metallica did all of the above with Load, and we're glad its greatness is more appreciated now than in 1996.

7. Reload (1997)

Release Date: November 18th, 1997
Record Label: Elektra
Our Favorite Track: "The Unforgiven II"

It should be noted that Load was originally intended to be a double album. As such, many of the hard rock, country, and blues themes are still present, and Reload expectedly sounds like a part two of Load (which it is). The album opens with the tantalizing "Fuel," which has since gotten on to become a fan favorite and one of their signature anthems, and takes you through a journey with tracks like "The Unforgiven II," "Where the Wild Things Are," and "Prince Charming."

8. St. Anger (2003)

Release Date: June 5th, 2003
Record Label: Elektra
Our Favorite Track: "Some Kind of Monster"

The six years in between Reload would be marked with their 1998 cover album Garage Inc, a collaboration project with the San Francisco Symphony in 1999 entitled S&M, a variety of tours and performances, and the departure of bassist Jason Newstead. In May of 2002 recording on St. Anger would start, and the album was released on June 5th, 2003, once again going straight to No 1. on the Billboard Hot 200. In addition to the No 1. and six million copies sold worldwide, the lead single "St. Anger" would win the group a Grammy Award the following year for Best Metal Performance.

St. Anger was Metallica's final release with Elektra Records, and their remains their only as a trio with bassist Robert Trujillio joining the band after the album's release.

9. Death Magnetic (2008)

Release Date: September 12th, 2008
Record Label: Warner Bros. Records
Our Favorite Track: "Cyanide"

Death Magnetic aka the album where Metallica returned to the thrasher that made people fall in love with them in the first place. There were some notable differences between Death Magnetic and their previous project. For starters, Metallica was no longer with longtime record company Elektra, moving over to Warner Bros. Records in between the break. This was also the first album to have the contributions of Robert Trujillio, and the first to not be produced by Metallica's longtime producer Bob Rock. The one thing that was the same, however, was that No 1. on the Billboard 200, making them the first band to achieve five consecutive number-one studio albums on the chart.

10. Hardwired... to Self-Destruct (2016)

Release Date: November 18th, 2016
Record Label: Blackened Recordings
Our Favorite Track: "Atlas! Rise!"

Metallica may have taken eight years off in between Death Magnetic and Hardwired...to Self-Destruct, but it didn't affect their ability to grab the top spot on the, you guessed it, Billboard Hot 200 making it their sixth to do so. If Death Magnetic was viewed as a return to Metallica's thrasher roots, then Hardwired is all of that and more with tracks like the lead single "Hardwired," "Atlas Rise!," "Moth Into a Flame," and "Halo on Fire." A great album that mixes the old, the new, and a little bit of the things that happened in-between.

11. 72 Seasons (2023)

Release Date: April 14th, 2023
Record Label: Blackened Recordings
Our Favorite Track: "Sleepwalk My Life Away"

And after everything we've gone through over the past few years, a new Metallica album was very much needed and very much welcomed. While the album and its respective tracks are shorter then previous Metallica records, it still has that classic thrasher sound and intros, and elite guitar solos that just make you forget about all of your problems and rock out dude. Forty years later the kid's have still got it, and we love it.

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