Last updated: 22/05/2025 at 9:50am
Metallica is one of the best-selling metal bands of all time, with a career spanning way back to the 80s when their Master of Puppets and Metallica albums broke through into the mainstream and brought them unbridled success.
Even now they still tour their incredible hits across the world, and their current M72 World Tour has been ongoing since 2023. UK tour dates for 2026 have just been announced, so register your interest with Seat Unique to be first in line to purchase your VIP tickets.
While we wait with our fingers crossed, we’ve compiled the definitive list of Metallica’s top ten songs. The M72 tour has no repeat setlists, so hopefully you’ll get to hear your favourites live!
Register your interest in Metallica VIP tickets10. ‘Ride the Lightning’
From the early album Ride The Lightning, 1984 saw Metallica find their thrash metal sound and employ the use of interesting instrumental techniques to set them apart from their already established metal counterparts. The song is about being trapped in a situation you cannot get out of, just waiting to “ride the lightning” to the end. Narratively, this takes the form of a man awaiting capital punishment via electrocution.
9. ‘Seek & Destroy’
‘Seek & Destroy’ is a special song in the Metallica canon, as it is the first they recorded in a studio for their 1983 debut album Kill ‘Em All. As the third most played song in the band’s entire discography, it’s clearly a fan favourite that’s guaranteed to get the crowd jumping. It is played at virtually every Metallica concert, usually used as the closing number to finish off on a high.
8. ‘Orion’
Being the least played song from the genre-defining Master of Puppets album is quite a feat considering the popularity of it, and how treasured the song is by fans. This is due to the emotional element associated with the song, as late bassist Cliff Burton wrote much of the song including the famous, spacey bass solos. He was killed in a tour bus crash in 1986, and ‘Orion’ was played at his funeral.
7. ‘Fade to Black’
‘Fade to Black’ was the first power ballad released by Metallica, and while some fans brushed it off as the band selling out to mainstream audiences, most consider it one of the best songs they ever released. Beginning with a simple acoustic guitar and progressing into heavier, harder instrumentals, the song touches on themes of depression and suicidal feelings which over the years has been a comfort for fans who related to the lyrics.
6. ‘Battery’
‘Battery ', while partly being a song about anger complete with heavy thrash guitar solos, is also an homage to where Metallica came from. The song title references Battery Street in San Francisco, where the band played many of their early career gigs. The tone of the song is of familial ties and the positive release of energy through interest in metal, written in response to the glam metal scene that was up and coming in LA in the 80s.
5. ‘For Whom The Bell Tolls’
The title of the song is of course inspired by the 1940 Ernest Hemingway novel of the same name, making it a song with heavy anti-war themes. The song has heavy distortion thanks to Cliff Burton’s use of the wah pedal on bass, creating a surreal and ominous sound right from the intro bass riff. Most memorable however is definitely the clanging bell that sounds all throughout the first verse before fading out in the second half of the song, making it one of their best despite it not being a particularly thrashy or heavy track.
4. ‘Enter Sandman’
The lead single from their 1991 self-titled album, ‘Enter Sandman’ has remained one of Metallica’s most well-known and well-loved songs. It is incredibly guitar-oriented with an iconic riff and heavy rhythm guitars that create a “wall of sound,” as described by James Hetfield. Compared to most Metallica songs, ‘Enter Sandman’ has only one standout riff, making it incredibly catchy and assisting with the song’s popularity over the years.
3. ‘Creeping Death’
‘Creeping Death’ is inspired by the story of Exodus, narrating the tenth plague of Egypt from the perspective of the angel of death. With aggressive guitar work and a chanting breakdown that is sure to frenzy live crowds, it has become a fan favourite. The “DIE! DIE!” chant is iconic, and has cemented it as one of the band’s most-played at live shows.
2. ‘One’
‘One’ has become a very special song for Metallica, as its anti-war sentiments and popular music video exploded its popularity into the mainstream. The music video included clips from the World War I film Johnny Got His Gun, and was ranked number one on MTV in 1989. It is also the first song to ever win the Grammy for Best Metal Performance, making it a piece of metal history.
1. ‘Master of Puppets’
‘Master of Puppets’ is a seminal thrash metal song and the title track of Metallica’s third album. Known for its aggressive riffs, complex structure, and intense energy, the song explores themes of addiction and control, portraying drugs as the puppet master and the user as the puppet. The instrumental bridge showcases Metallica’s musical prowess, while the lyrics deliver a dark, cautionary tale. It also gained a new generation of fans after its inclusion in season four of Stranger Things, making the song chart for the first time since its 1986 release.
Get Metallica Tickets
Metallica are known for their long-lasting tours that see them travel the world, playing all their best-known hits for fans old and new. Currently on their M72 World Tour, the last time the band played the UK was Download Festival in 2023. That will be until 2026, when they will play London and Cardiff in the UK!
If you want to be first in line when tickets go on sale at 10am on Friday 30th May, register your interest with Seat Unique and we’ll make sure you don’t miss a thing about Metallica’s 2026 tour.
Register your interest in Metallica VIP tickets
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