Metallica albums in order – full list of chronological release dates
From Kill ‘Em All to 72 Seasons, we're running through all the records from the metal icons.
From starting life blowing minds with the unparalleled heaviness of their early albums in the ‘80s, Metallica sped past their peers to become one of the most celebrated metal bands of all time.
Frequently grouped alongside Slayer, Anthrax and Megadeth (ironically, the band formed by Metallica’s former guitarist Dave Mustaine after he was fired) as the Big Four of Thrash, Metallica grew to be embraced by the mainstream perhaps more than any of these bands – particularly with the release of their boundary-breaking 1991 self-titled record, perhaps more commonly known as The Black Album.
While 40 years have passed since they first broke out with debut album Kill ‘Em All, Metallica have maintained not just an enduring legacy but a continual relevance in 2023. If any proof of that was needed, they’re currently in the middle of a huge world tour in support of their new album, 72 Seasons, where they play two completely unique setlists across two nights in each venue.
Meanwhile, their hit Master of Puppets earned itself a whole new generation of fans and took TikTok by storm when it was featured in the season 4 finale of Stranger Things last year.
With 11 albums under their belt, there’s a huge amount for Metallica newcomers to dive into. Although it might seem appealing to dig into The Black Album first, given its accessibility and how well-known some of its singles are, there’s also a lot to be gained from listening in chronological order.
We’ve compiled all Metallica albums in order, if you were curious to see how they’ve evolved over the years.
How to listen to Metallica’s albums in chronological order
This option gives you the chronological order of Metallica’s albums, starting with 1983’s Kill ‘Em All and finishing with 72 Seasons, which was released earlier this year.
- Kill ‘Em All (1983)
- Ride the Lightning (1984)
- Master of Puppets (1986)
- ...And Justice for All (1998)
- Metallica (1991)
- Load (1996)
- Reload (1997)
- St Anger (2003)
- Death Magnetic (2008)
- Hardwired... To Self Destruct (2016)
- 72 Seasons (2023)
Kill ‘Em All (1983)
At the time of its release, the speed and relentless aggression of Metallica’s debut album sounded especially radical, particularly since heavy metal still remained a relatively new genre. It built upon the blueprint formed by the likes of Black Sabbath and Judas Priest - with a healthy influence from the little-known underground punk acts frontman James Hetfield had listened to voraciously - to create a beastly new sound that would usher in a whole new wave of metal music.
Even just with one album, the influence Metallica already had was profound and surely spoke volumes about what they would go on to do in the future. The songs still hold up live too, particularly the fan favourite Seek and Destroy, the loudest love letter to metal culture that could possibly be invented.
Ride the Lightning (1984)
As you could probably expect from a second album, Ride The Lightning feels considerably more assured and nuanced than Kill ‘Em 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’ clash with the Pharaoh. It’s the sound of Metallica at their most forward-thinking.
Master of Puppets (1986)
All things considered, 1986 was a phenomenal year for heavy music, and while Slayer’s Reign in Blood and Megadeth’s Peace Sells... But Who’s 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 – featuring rows of white crosses tied to strings, manipulated by a giant pair of hands – quickly became one of the most famous images to spring from heavy metal.
…And Justice for All (1988)
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’s 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 – played by new member Jason Newsted - on the record, but for the most part, it has been considered a robust addition to their catalogue and the band’s collective sadness hardly blunted their music’s sense of savagery.
Metallica (1991)
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’s arguably the most accessible cut from their discography, but is fuelled by the same adrenaline as anything else they’ve put their name to.
Load (1996)
Between Metallica’s seminal self-titled album and its hotly-anticipated follow-up, the musical landscape of the ‘90s 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 – 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’d set themselves to follow The Black Album.
Reload (1997)
It’s easy to think, given the similarity of their titles, that Load and Reload come as a pair. While they’re 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’s freewheeling experimentalism. Clearly, the extra time that Metallica had to fine-tune these songs paid off.
St Anger (2003)
St Anger is held up as the black sheep of Metallica’s back catalogue, and for understandable reasons. Despite performing well commercially, it seems to be universally hated – it’s 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’s alcoholism – the treatment of which postponed recording for over a year - 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’s history, both personally and musically.
Death Magnetic (2008)
Perhaps Metallica’s ninth album can be looked at as a course correction following the disaster of St Anger – they’d looped back to the thrash metal sound they’d 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 ‘80s and early ‘90s 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.
Hardwired… To Self-Destruct (2016)
Following the longest wait between Metallica albums to date, Hardwired… 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… To Self Destruct was a loud, proud statement affirming that Metallica were once again a reliable band.
72 Seasons (2023)
Metallica’s 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’s 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 ‘80s. Although musical variety isn’t exactly its strong suit, its newfound emotional depth means it still breaks new ground for the band.
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