Here are my 25 favorite Metallica songs in chronological order from oldest to newest release date. These guys are a respectable and innovative metal band that began in the early 80s and marched to their own drum and created a new sound. I admit many of their songs are a bit rough for me. I was the age where And Justice for All struck just as I was really getting into bands, and then I was there for the big black album, what I consider their masterpiece. A lot of their original fans from the early days hated and still hate that album because they couldn't evolve with the band and hated that they were moving in more experimental directions. They were accused of selling out and going soft. Why? Because they had an acoustic guitar on just a couple of tracks. If you listen you'll hear acoustic on the previous albums too, so this wasn't anything new. But they burst into new territory with a song that seemed to move into ballad territory. "Nothing Else Matters" is an epic song regardless of the style. Not sure why they can't appreciate a great song.
When you hear Metallica music in piano by a soloist or by an orchestra, you really hear how complex their music is. This is the test of great music. Give it to a great piano player and see how it sounds. Metallica sounds awesome on piano! It's no coincidence that James Hetfield's first instrument at 9 years old was a piano. These are classic compositions, and later in the year I'll share piano instrumental versions, but for now here's the originals.
Metal has always been a place to go to release emotion (and anger), but metal has been mistook for inciting violence and anger. Sure, many of the early albums had simplistic lyrics, but those evolve as the song writers mature. If you really study their lyrics, you'd find these songs are full of serious social criticism. "Ride the Lightning" emphasizes the misery of the criminal justice system. "For whom the bell tolls" inspired by Hemingway's novel, explores the horror and dishonor of modern warfare, as some of their later songs on And Justice would do. On the title track to their 1988 album, Hetfield sings "Justice is lost, justice is raped, pulling your strings, justice is done..." These guys are social and political justice warriors.
Listen to Kirk's solo on "Blackened 2020" recording during the pandemic. It's out of this world.
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