Buy and listen to Kill \u2018Em All by Metallica<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\nRide the Lightnin<\/strong>g (1984)<\/strong><\/h2>\n $\"Ride$ \n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>\n
As you could probably expect from a second album, Ride The Lightning feels considerably more assured and nuanced than Kill \u2018Em All, with more progressive song structures, elaborate soloing and more variety, including some innovative forays into balladry, without losing its gritty edge. It even has an intelligent, literary touch, with the titles of Ride the Lightning, For Whom the Bell Tolls and The Call of Ktulu featuring references to the work of Stephen King, Ernest Hemingway and H.P. Lovecraft respectively, while Creeping Death offers a grandiose retelling of the Biblical tale of Moses\u2019 clash with the Pharaoh. It\u2019s the sound of Metallica at their most forward-thinking.<\/p>\n
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Buy and listen to Ride the Lightning by Metallica<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\nMaster of Puppets (1986)<\/strong><\/h2>\n $\"Master$ \n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>\n
All things considered, 1986 was a phenomenal year for heavy music, and while Slayer\u2019s Reign in Blood and Megadeth\u2019s Peace Sells\u2026 But Who\u2019s Buying? were monumental moments for thrash metal in their own right, Master of Puppets arguably became the most iconic. It aspired to be more than just a thrash album, becoming darker and more textured, while its lyrics became more socially and politically astute. It was quickly heralded as one of the greatest metal albums of all time, and its cover art \u2013 featuring rows of white crosses tied to strings, manipulated by a giant pair of hands \u2013 quickly became one of the most famous images to spring from heavy metal.<\/p>\n
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Buy and listen to Master of Puppets by Metallica<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\u2026And Justice for All (1988)<\/strong><\/h2>\n $\"And$ \n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>\n
Glory turned to tragedy quickly for Metallica when their bassist Cliff Burton was killed in a road accident at the age of just 24, mere months after the release of Master of Puppets. It\u2019s no surprise, therefore, that their fourth album felt more wounded, sorrowful and bitterly angry than ever, with a stinging sense of nihilism, but beneath it all they still found moments of beauty. Questions would be raised surrounding the lack of audibility of the bass \u2013 played by new member Jason Newsted \u2013 on the record, but for the most part, it has been considered a robust addition to their catalogue and the band\u2019s collective sadness hardly blunted their music\u2019s sense of savagery.<\/p>\n
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Buy and listen to \u2026And Justice for All by Metallica<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\nMetallica (1991)<\/strong><\/h2>\n $\"Metallica\"$ \n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>\n
The record better known as The Black Album catapulted Metallica from the fringes to the mainstream, to the point where even someone who knows nothing else about rock or metal has probably heard Enter Sandman or Nothing Else Matters. Pursuing simplicity while still retaining their essence, and without sacrificing their heaviness, turned out to be a winning formula for the band, leading to their self-titled album becoming the best-selling album of all time in their native US. It\u2019s arguably the most accessible cut from their discography, but is fuelled by the same adrenaline as anything else they\u2019ve put their name to.<\/p>\n
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Buy and listen to Metallica (The Black Album) by Metallica<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\nLoad (1996)<\/strong><\/h2>\n $\"Load\"$ \n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>\n
Between Metallica\u2019s seminal self-titled album and its hotly-anticipated follow-up, the musical landscape of the \u201890s had changed drastically, with grunge and Britpop ruling on either side of the Atlantic. With Load, however, Metallica proved that they could still belong and be revered amid a saturated musical climate, and they certainly had no shortage of ideas, cramming in 78 minutes and 59 seconds of material \u2013 the maximum that could be put on one CD, making for their longest album ever. While it does begin to outstay its welcome in its second half, it remains a defiant, challenging and consistently creative release, which was especially remarkable given the task they\u2019d set themselves to follow The Black Album.<\/p>\n
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Buy and listen to Load by Metallica<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\nReload (1997)<\/strong><\/h2>\n $\"Reload\"$ \n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>\n
It\u2019s easy to think, given the similarity of their titles, that Load and Reload come as a pair. While they\u2019re two separate records in their own right, they were written at the same time with the intention of them being released as a double album, but were released separately when recording so many songs at once proved too much of a challenge. Reload is generally considered the stronger of the pair, flaunting a groovier, bluesier sound that altogether sounded more tight and muscular than Load\u2019s freewheeling experimentalism. Clearly, the extra time that Metallica had to fine-tune these songs paid off.<\/p>\n
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Buy and listen to Reload by Metallica<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\nSt Anger (2003)<\/strong><\/h2>\n $\"St$ \n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>\n
St Anger is held up as the black sheep of Metallica\u2019s back catalogue, and for understandable reasons. Despite performing well commercially, it seems to be universally hated \u2013 it\u2019s confused and spectacularly clunky, without a single guitar solo, which is especially bizarre given that it featured the same producer as their self-titled album. On top of that, it was marred by numerous issues, including James Hetfield\u2019s alcoholism \u2013 the treatment of which postponed recording for over a year \u2013 as well as fraught inter-band tensions which were captured on the 2004 documentary Some Kind of Monster. Ultimately, it represents a bleak chapter in the band\u2019s history, both personally and musically.<\/p>\n
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Buy and listen to St Anger by Metallica<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\nDeath Magnetic (2008)<\/strong><\/h2>\n $\"death-magnetic-metallica\"$ \n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>\n
Perhaps Metallica\u2019s ninth album can be looked at as a course correction following the disaster of St Anger \u2013 they\u2019d looped back to the thrash metal sound they\u2019d helped to pioneer, and Kirk Hammett and James Hetfield was finally getting to shred again. Though it was never going to reach the same dizzying heights of their \u201880s and early \u201890s heyday, it was generally regarded as a solid, stable return to form, though it was criticised for its over-compressed production. Fortunately, it can nevertheless be seen as the sound of a band reconnecting with themselves after losing sight of it in the most calamitous of ways.<\/p>\n
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Buy and listen to Death Magnetic by Metallica<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\nHardwired\u2026 To Self-Destruct (2016)<\/strong><\/h2>\n $\"Hardwired...$ \n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>\n
Following the longest wait between Metallica albums to date, Hardwired\u2026 To Self Destruct witnessed the quartet solidify their legend status. It builds upon the more modern take on crowd-pleasing thrash metal that formed the foundation of Death Magnetic, but ultimately also had more standout moments, even without any written contributions from Kirk Hammett (thanks to him losing his phone, containing recordings of 250 riffs). Indeed, some critics even suggested it was their best album, following a wobbly run of recordings, since The Black Album. Ultimately, Hardwired\u2026 To Self Destruct was a loud, proud statement affirming that Metallica were once again a reliable band.<\/p>\n
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Buy and listen to Hardwired\u2026 To Self Destruct by Metallica<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n72 Seasons (2023)<\/strong><\/h2>\n $\"72$ \n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>\n
Metallica\u2019s most recent opus is their most profoundly introspective. Following his return to therapy in 2020 and his divorce from his wife in 2022, James Hetfield is found in contemplative spirits, but rather than mulling over his fresher wounds, he looks further back in time to being abandoned by his father and his mother\u2019s death as a teenager. Pieced together remotely, much of it over Zoom, during lockdown, the album sonically reaches to the past as much as Hetfield himself does, with nods to the metal of the \u201880s. Although musical variety isn\u2019t exactly its strong suit, its newfound emotional depth means it still breaks new ground for the band.<\/p>\n
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Buy and listen to 72 Seasons by Metallica<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul> Check out more of our\u00a0Radio<\/a>\u00a0coverage or visit our\u00a0 TV Guide<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0 Streaming Guide<\/a> to find out what\u2019s on.<\/strong><\/p>\n
Try Radio Times magazine today and get 10 issues for only \u00a310, PLUS a \u00a310 John Lewis and Partners voucher delivered to your home \u2013\u00a0subscribe now<\/a>.<\/strong>\u00a0For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to\u00a0<\/strong>The Radio Times Podcast<\/strong><\/a>.<\/strong><\/p> <\/body><\/html>\n
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