So obvious that I had to check I hadn't done it already since my last 10-year reappraisal (when Ride the Lightning decided to be inextricably part of my memories of Singapore), but also so old-school in the literal sense that it would maybe be better to let my teenage self gush with inexperienced infatuation, if only I'd actually written 'em all.
I could have done something less useless with my increasingly dwindling free time, but let's see how noisy nostalgia clashes with literal dad taste. Here are The Top 10 Metallica Studio Albums (is that all? Lazy).
Bass key:
- Burton
- Newsted
- Rock
- Trujillo
I'd moved into more obscure foreign metal by the time I got my first new Metallica release, so my expectations were suitably tempered. It was a struggle to find much of worth, but I persevered for a while. I didn't put myself through the whole din this time, but as something I've not listened to in almost two decades, it's preserved in some kind of nostalgia, in a way.
Fave: N/A
9. Reload (1997)
I'd be happy with this as the weaker back half of a generous double album (look forward to more totally original observations like this), but since they elected for it to stand on its own merits, it's always sounded like B-sides propped up by a few self-conscious singles. There's more good stuff than I remembered, but most I don't need to hear again.
Fave: Devil's Dance
I wasn't excited by metal in general by the time they released this, and the download didn't hang around for long. It's something of a return to form, but also strangely out of touch with themselves in a way that didn't seem to trouble their contemporaries. They're not the best at this any more, there's not much reason to listen to it outside of loyalty or laziness.
Fave: The Day That Never Comes
7. Hardwired... to Self-Destruct (2016)
Probably their best in 20 years (which is less than it sounds), but still has that distinct disposable latter discography flavour. I'd listened to it before at some point, but hadn't retained the memories. I thought they outgrew this stuff in the 90s.
Fave: Halo on Fire
6. Kill 'Em All (1983)
I was never especially fond of this uneven debut. The raw production is appealing, and with more of the evil supernatural epics like a more palatable Slayer and fewer of the self-aggrandising party songs like a less funny Manowar it would have been a proper classic. That's not an original observation, since it's what they actually did.
Fave: The Four Horsemen
5. Metallica (1991)
The second or third one I bought, I listened to them all equally at first, but this had the shortest lifespan. It always felt the most like a standalone project than something that comfortably fits into the continuity. Strategically iconic (more so if I'd been around then), but few keepers. For whatever reason, I was alwas particularly fond of the ending run.
Fave: The Unforgiven
4. Master of Puppets (1986)
More consistent than Ride the Lightning without reaching its highs, though even when mythologising its legendary status as a teenager, some songs got a lot more tinnitus headphones than others. There's no contest any more; the biggest surprise of this list was how dull I find most of this now, outside of the melodic jams. Though considering the proportion of my late teens I spent listening to the long title track, it was still enchanting when dug out again. See you in ten years.
Fave: Orion
3. Load (1996)
More committed to the genre shift than its pandering predecessor, I've always enjoyed its vibe and drifted closer to it over time, to the point that it's the only one I generally feel like putting on nowadays. I've not listened to many of the bands who specialise in this kind of stuff, so that probably helps it too. The main problem is you can't unlearn what the cover art is.
Fave: Hero of the Day
Randomly the last of the classics I heard all the way through, that latecomer status and some blatant filler in the middle traditionally saw it fall short in the tedious rivalry with Master of Puppets, but it eventually overtook it based on atmosphere and the considerable strength of the good shit. The first half is basically perfect and 'The Call of Ktulu' is still as epic as when I first heard it. My sleep was interrupted by solos screaming through my head, this shit's too dangerous for me now.
Fave: The Call of Ktulu
The first one I bought on the strength of 'One,' back in the good old days of scrounging when I could to show art the appreciation it deserved (by the time Iron Maiden came around I was printing inket covers for CD-Rs, then I didn't even bother with the covers). Looser and angrier than the more obvious classics, I didn't consider it quite the peak back then, but those first impressions may have proven definitive, even if the specific nostalgia it evokes is listening in a depressing bedroom worrying about Design & Technology coursework.
Fave: One
