Metallica Albums Ranked: Every Record from Worst to Best
Metallica has been at this for over four decades, which means there's a lot to argue about. Thrash classics, the album that made them the biggest metal band on earth, a couple of detours that split the fanbase right down the middle, and a few records people still love to dunk on.
Here's how all 11 studio albums stack up, based on what fans and critics tend to agree on across forums, reviews and decades of arguing, plus our own take where the consensus breaks down. Disagree with where we put Load or St. Anger? That's half the fun. Rank them yourself and see where you land.
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SS Tier: The untouchables
Master of Puppets
The title track alone is a clinic in how to build tension over eight minutes without wasting a second. Every riff on this record earns its place, from 'Battery' tearing out of the gate to 'Orion' showing the band could do instrumental prog just as well as thrash. Most lists call this the best metal album ever made, and it's hard to argue.
About Master of Puppets
Widely considered Metallica's masterpiece and one of the greatest metal albums ever recorded, released in 1986.
- Released
- 1986
- Key track
- Master of Puppets
Ride the Lightning
The jump from 'Kill 'Em All' to this is enormous. 'Fade to Black' proved they could write a ballad without going soft, and 'Creeping Death' is still a setlist staple for a reason. This is the record where Metallica stopped being a promising thrash band and started being a great one.
About Ride the Lightning
The band's 1984 sophomore album, showing a leap in songwriting and ambition over the debut.
- Released
- 1984
- Key track
- Fade to Black
Metallica (The Black Album)
Yes, it's the one with 'Enter Sandman,' and yes, purists still grumble about the slower tempos and the radio-friendly sheen Bob Rock brought in. But songs like 'Sad But True' and 'The Unforgiven' hit just as hard, and this is the album that turned Metallica into a stadium band worldwide. Love it or resent it, it belongs at the top.
About Metallica (The Black Album)
The band's self-titled 1991 album that pushed them into mainstream stardom worldwide.
- Released
- 1991
- Key track
- Enter Sandman
AA Tier: Genuinely great
...And Justice for All
The bass is basically inaudible (sorry, Jason Newsted) and some songs run long, but the songwriting underneath that notoriously dry mix is razor sharp. 'One' became their biggest early anthem for a reason, with that slow build into a machine-gun riff finale.
About ...And Justice for All
A 1988 release known for its intricate, progressive songwriting and famously bass-light mix.
- Released
- 1988
- Key track
- One
Kill 'Em All
Raw, fast and a little rough around the edges, but that's the charm. 'Seek and Destroy' and 'Whiplash' basically wrote the rulebook for American thrash metal. It's not their most refined record, but it's the one that started everything.
About Kill 'Em All
Metallica's 1983 debut album and one of the foundational records of American thrash metal.
- Released
- 1983
- Key track
- Seek and Destroy
BB Tier: Solid, with an asterisk
Death Magnetic
A genuine return to form after the St. Anger years, even if the Rick Rubin production squashed the dynamics into a wall of noise. 'All Nightmare Long' and 'The Day That Never Comes' show the band remembering how to write proper riffs again.
About Death Magnetic
A 2008 album produced by Rick Rubin, seen by many as a return to the band's heavier thrash roots.
- Released
- 2008
- Key track
- All Nightmare Long
Hardwired... to Self-Destruct
A double album that's a bit bloated but packed with more energy than anyone expected from a band in their fourth decade. 'Moth Into Flame' and the title track prove these guys can still write a hook. Trim it down and it's a genuinely strong record.
About Hardwired... to Self-Destruct
A 2016 double album marking one of Metallica's most energetic later-career releases.
- Released
- 2016
- Key track
- Moth Into Flame
72 Seasons
Long, heavy, and more consistent than its predecessor, even if it still runs well past the point where it needed to end. Fans who wrote Metallica off in the 2020s were surprised by how much bite tracks like 'Lux Æterna' actually have.
About 72 Seasons
Metallica's most recent studio album, released in 2023, exploring themes of childhood and identity.
- Released
- 2023
- Key track
- Lux Æterna
CC Tier: Divisive for a reason
Reload
Leftovers from the 'Load' sessions, and it kind of sounds like it. There are decent cuts buried in here, 'The Memory Remains' and 'Fuel' get some love, but the record as a whole feels like a victory lap stretched too thin.
About Reload
A 1997 companion release made up largely of material from the same sessions as Load.
- Released
- 1997
- Key track
- The Memory Remains
Load
The haircuts, the bluesy swagger, the eyeliner, people either shrug this off as a tasteful left turn or treat it as the moment Metallica lost the plot. 'King Nothing' and 'Until It Sleeps' hold up fine on their own, but as a 79-minute album it drags hard and feels like a different band entirely.
About Load
A 1996 album that moved Metallica toward a bluesier, slower rock sound alongside a major image shift.
- Released
- 1996
- Key track
- Until It Sleeps
DD Tier: Rough listens
St. Anger
No guitar solos, a snare drum that sounds like someone hitting a trash can lid, and riffs that mostly just sit there. There's an argument that the raw aggression was intentional and even admirable, but almost nobody actually reaches for this one when they want to hear Metallica.
About St. Anger
A 2003 album known for its raw, unpolished sound and the absence of guitar solos.
- Released
- 2003
- Key track
- St. Anger
How we ranked them
We weighed songwriting, riffs, production, influence on metal as a genre, and how each record holds up on a replay today instead of just on nostalgia. Consensus from fan forums and critic reviews drove most of the order. Where the fanbase genuinely splits, like on Load or St. Anger, we picked a side and explained why, rather than parking everything in the middle.
Think we got it wrong?
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Rank these yourselfFAQ
What is Metallica's best album according to fans and critics?
Master of Puppets is the most commonly cited best Metallica album, with Ride the Lightning and The Black Album close behind.
What is Metallica's most divisive album?
Load splits fans more than any other record, thanks to its bluesy, slower sound and the band's major image change at the time.
Is St. Anger really Metallica's worst album?
It's the one most fans and critics agree is the weakest, mainly due to the snare drum sound and lack of guitar solos.
Did Metallica recover after St. Anger?
Most fans agree Death Magnetic in 2008 was a comeback of sorts, and that Hardwired... to Self-Destruct and 72 Seasons continued that upward trend.
What order were Metallica's albums released in?
Kill 'Em All, Ride the Lightning, Master of Puppets, ...And Justice for All, Metallica (The Black Album), Load, Reload, St. Anger, Death Magnetic, Hardwired... to Self-Destruct, and 72 Seasons.
More rankings
Image credits
- Master of PuppetsCover: Wikipedia · Source
- Ride the LightningCover: Wikipedia · Source
- Metallica (The Black Album)Cover: Wikipedia · Source
- ...And Justice for AllCover: Wikipedia · Source
- Kill 'Em AllCover: Wikipedia · Source
- Death MagneticCover: Wikipedia · Source
- Hardwired... to Self-DestructCover: Wikipedia · Source
- 72 SeasonsCover: Wikipedia · Source
- ReloadCover: Wikipedia · Source
- LoadCover: Wikipedia · Source
- St. AngerCover: Wikipedia · Source