Is The Metallica Collection a good place to start with Metallica?

Yes, The Metallica Collection is recommended as a starting point for new Metallica listeners. A thunderous anthology of thrash metal, blending aggressive riffs with intricate compositions that define Metallica's sonic evolution. Released in 2009, The Metallica Collection compiles the band's prolific output from their debut in 1983 through their commercial peak in the 1990s. This box set arrives after the critical and commercial success of Death Magnetic (2008), serving both as a retrospective and a celebration of their legacy in heavy metal.

Who is The Metallica Collection for?

The Metallica Collection works well if you're into epic narratives unraveling over time, intense listening for dedicated fans and live performance energy captured.

How many songs are on The Metallica Collection?

The Metallica Collection has 162 tracks, running approximately 966 minutes.

The Metallica Collection

Metallica · 2009

966 min · 162 tracks · heavy metal

A thunderous anthology of thrash metal, blending aggressive riffs with intricate compositions that define Metallica's sonic evolution.

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Top tracks — play these first

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Hit the Lights Start here — accessible entry with immediate hook
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Master of Puppets — This track epitomizes the band’s mastery of complex arrangements and lyrical depth, exploring themes of addiction and control with relentless energy.
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Enter Sandman — As one of Metallica's most commercially successful songs, it combines dark imagery with an anthemic chorus, encapsulating their transition to a broader audience.
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One — This haunting ballad stands out for its anti-war narrative and innovative structure, showcasing the band’s ability to merge melody with heavy instrumentation.
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...And Justice for All — The title track exemplifies Metallica's intricate songwriting and socio-political commentary, marked by its ambitious length and complex arrangement.

Is this for you?

Good fit if you like

epic narratives unraveling over time
intense listening for dedicated fans
live performance energy captured
cathartic release in long tracks
dynamic shifts keep engagement high

Maybe skip if you

prefer quick, standalone songs
seek immediate gratification

Where this album fits

In the catalog: Deep Cut — A collection that showcases a variety of tracks, but not essential for new listeners.
Career context: Released in 2009, The Metallica Collection compiles the band's prolific output from their debut in 1983 through their commercial peak in the 1990s. This box set arrives after the critical and commercial success of Death Magnetic (2008), serving both as a retrospective and a celebration of their legacy in heavy metal.
Stylistic neighbors: Megadeth· Slayer· Anthrax

New to Metallica? Find your way in →

Moments worth listening for

Where the writing does something specific.

One

The shift from a vivid recounting of war's horrors to a chilling silence emphasizes isolation and despair.

This stark contrast enhances the emotional impact, moving from chaotic imagery to a haunting stillness that captures the essence of loss.

Tracklist

Disc 1

1 Hit the Lights Start here 4:17
2 The Four Horsemen 7:12
3 Motorbreath 3:08
4 Jump in the Fire 4:41
5 (Anesthesia) Pulling Teeth 4:14
6 Whiplash 4:10
7 Phantom Lord 5:01
8 No Remorse 6:26
9 Seek & Destroy 6:55
10 Metal Militia 5:09
11 The Four Horsemen (live 29.08.1989 in Seattle, the United States) 5:31
12 Whiplash (live 29.08.1989 in Seattle, the United States) 4:19

Disc 2

1 Fight Fire With Fire 4:45
2 Ride the Lightning 6:36
3 For Whom the Bell Tolls 5:09
4 Fade to Black 6:54
5 Trapped Under Ice 4:04
6 Escape 4:23
7 Creeping Death 6:36
8 The Call of Ktulu 8:53
9 For Whom the Bell Tolls (live 29.08.1989 in Seattle, the United States) 5:34
10 Creeping Death (live 29.08.1989 in Seattle, the United States) 8:11

Disc 3

1 Battery 5:12
2 Master of Puppets 8:36
3 The Thing That Should Not Be 6:37
4 Welcome Home (Sanitarium) 6:27
5 Disposable Heroes 8:16
6 Leper Messiah 5:40
7 Orion 8:28
8 Damage, Inc. 5:29
9 Battery (live 29.08.1989 in Seattle, the United States) 4:53
10 The Thing That Should Not Be (live 29.08.1989 in Seattle, the United States) 7:02

Disc 4

1 Blackened 6:41
2 …And Justice for All 9:46
3 Eye of the Beholder 6:30
4 One 7:27
5 The Shortest Straw 6:35
6 Harvester of Sorrow 5:45
7 The Frayed Ends of Sanity 7:44
8 To Live Is to Die 9:48
9 Dyers Eve 5:13
10 One (live 29.08.1989 in Seattle, the United States) 7:59
11 …And Justice for All (live 29.08.1989 in Seattle, the United States) 10:05

Disc 5

1 Enter Sandman 5:31
2 Sad but True 5:24
3 Holier Than Thou 3:47
4 The Unforgiven 6:27
5 Wherever I May Roam 6:44
6 Don’t Tread on Me 4:00
7 Through the Never 4:04
8 Nothing Else Matters 6:28
9 Of Wolf and Man 4:16
10 The God That Failed 5:08
11 My Friend of Misery 6:49
12 The Struggle Within 3:53

Disc 6

1 Ain’t My Bitch 5:04
2 2 × 4 5:28
3 The House Jack Built 6:38
4 Until It Sleeps 4:29
5 King Nothing 5:28
6 Hero of the Day 4:21
7 Bleeding Me 8:18
8 Cure 4:54
9 Poor Twisted Me 4:00
10 Wasting My Hate 3:57
11 Mama Said 5:19
12 Thorn Within 5:51
13 Ronnie 5:17
14 The Outlaw Torn 9:48

Disc 7

1 Fuel 4:29
2 The Memory Remains 4:39
3 Devil’s Dance 5:18
4 The Unforgiven II 6:36
5 Better Than You 5:21
6 Slither 5:13
7 Carpe Diem Baby 6:12
8 Bad Seed 4:05
9 Where the Wild Things Are 6:54
10 Prince Charming 6:05
11 Low Man’s Lyric 7:37
12 Attitude 5:16
13 Fixxxer 8:15

Disc 8

1 Free Speech for the Dumb 2:35
2 It’s Electric 3:33
3 Sabbra Cadabra 6:20
4 Turn the Page 6:06
5 Die, Die My Darling 2:29
6 Loverman 7:52
7 Mercyful Fate 11:11
8 Astronomy 6:37
9 Whiskey in the Jar 5:04
10 Tuesday’s Gone 9:05
11 The More I See 4:48

Disc 9

1 Helpless 6:38
2 The Small Hours 6:43
3 The Wait 4:55
4 Crash Course in Brain Surgery 3:10
5 Last Caress / Green Hell 3:29
6 Am I Evil? 7:50
7 Blitzkrieg 3:36
8 Breadfan 5:41
9 The Prince 4:25
10 Stone Cold Crazy 2:17
11 So What 3:08
12 Killing Time 3:03
13 Overkill 4:04
14 Damage Case 3:40
15 Stone Dead Forever 4:51
16 Too Late Too Late 3:12

Disc 10

1 The Ecstasy of Gold 2:30
2 The Call of Ktulu 9:34
3 Master of Puppets 8:54
4 Of Wolf and Man 4:18
5 The Thing That Should Not Be 7:26
6 Fuel 4:35
7 The Memory Remains 4:42
8 No Leaf Clover 5:43
9 Hero of the Day 4:44
10 Devil’s Dance 5:26
11 Bleeding Me 9:01

Disc 11

1 Nothing Else Matters 6:47
2 Until It Sleeps 4:29
3 For Whom the Bell Tolls 4:52
4 −Human 4:19
5 Wherever I May Roam 7:01
6 Outlaw Torn 9:58
7 Sad but True 5:46
8 One 7:53
9 Enter Sandman 7:39
10 Battery 7:24

Disc 12

1 I Disappear 4:26

Disc 13

1 Frantic 5:50
2 St. Anger 7:21
4 Dirty Window 5:24
5 Invisible Kid 8:30
6 My World 5:45
7 Shoot Me Again 7:10
8 Sweet Amber 5:27
9 The Unnamed Feeling 7:09
10 Purify 5:13
11 All Within My Hands 8:49

Disc 14

1 Some Kind of Monster 8:27
2 The Four Horsemen (live) 5:21
3 Damage, Inc. (live) 5:00
4 Leper Messiah (live) 5:56
5 Motorbreath (live) 3:20
6 Ride the Lightning (live) 6:41
7 Hit the Lights (live) 4:14
8 Some Kind of Monster (edit) 4:16

Disc 15

1 Sad but True (live from Live Earth) 5:52
2 Nothing Else Matters (live from Live Earth) 5:56
3 Enter Sandman (live from Live Earth) 6:22

Disc 16

1 That Was Just Your Life 7:08
2 The End of the Line 7:52
3 Broken, Beat & Scarred 6:25
4 The Day That Never Comes 7:56
5 All Nightmare Long 7:57
6 Cyanide 6:39
7 The Unforgiven III 7:46
8 The Judas Kiss 8:00
9 Suicide & Redemption 9:57
10 My Apocalypse 5:01

What to play next

Listen next

Death Magnetic

2008

Continues the heavy sound with revitalized energy and modern production.

Go back to

St. Anger

2003

Leads into a raw, aggressive style that sets the tone for the next album.

Full Metallica discography Where to start with Metallica Artists like Metallica

heavy metal thrash metal

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