The discography of American heavy metal band Metallica includes 11 studio albums, eight live albums, three extended plays, 49 singles, 10 video albums, 43 music videos, one soundtrack album, one collaboration album and three box sets. They are a San Francisco-based metal band formed in 1981 by James Hetfield (lead vocals, rhythm guitar) and Lars Ulrich (drums). After several bassist and lead guitarist changes (including Dave Mustaine), the band settled on Cliff Burton and Kirk Hammett, respectively. Metallica started playing locally, releasing their first widely circulated demo, No Life 'til Leather, in 1982. The demo caught the attention of Johny Zazula, who signed Metallica to Megaforce Records. The band released Kill 'Em All in 1983, and the following year they released Ride the Lightning. After Ride the Lightning was released, Metallica left Megaforce and signed to Elektra Records. In March 1986, the band released its third studio album, Master of Puppets, which was Metallica's first album to be certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). While promoting the album, Burton was killed in a bus accident. Jason Newsted was hired as a replacement. The band's first release to feature Newsted was The $5.98 E.P. – Garage Days Re-Revisited, and then followed by ...And Justice for All in August 1988, which peaked at number six on the Billboard 200.
| Metallica discography | |
|---|---|
 Metallica playing at the San Siro in Milano, Italy in 2019 | |
| Studio albums | 11 |
| Live albums | 8 |
| Video albums | 10 |
| Music videos | 50 |
| EPs | 3 |
| Singles | 49 |
| Soundtrack albums | 1 |
| Tribute albums | 1 |
| Collaboration albums | 1 |
| Box sets | 3 |
Metallica's fifth, self-titled album, often called The Black Album, was released in 1991 and debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. The band embarked on a two-year tour in support of the album. Metallica has since been certified 16 times platinum by the RIAA. Metallica followed with the release of Load and Reload, respectively. After the release of Garage Inc. and S&M, Newsted (who would later join Voivod) departed from the band. Metallica recorded St. Anger without an official bassist (bass parts for the writing & recording during the album sessions were played by the band's long-time producer Bob Rock). Bassist Robert Trujillo joined Metallica in 2003. In 2008, the band released its ninth studio album, Death Magnetic, which was produced by Rick Rubin and distributed through Warner Bros. Records. In April 2009, the band's catalogue was released on the iTunes Store as the Metallica Collection.
In 2013, Metallica released the movie Metallica: Through the Never, together with its soundtrack. Metallica then started writing their tenth studio album, Hardwired... to Self-Destruct, which was released on November 18, 2016. On April 14, 2023, Metallica released their eleventh studio album, titled 72 Seasons. Metallica has sold more than 125 million albums worldwide, with over 67 million records in the United States alone (56.3 million albums since 1991 when SoundScan started tracking actual sales figures).
Albums
Studio albums
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Sales | Certifications | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | AUS | CAN | FIN | GER | NOR | NZ | SWE | SWI | UK | |||||
| Kill 'Em All |
| 66 | 55 | — | 12 | 17 | — | — | 28 | 31 | 142 |
| ||
| Ride the Lightning |
| 48 | 38 | — | 9 | 21 | 40 | 32 | 22 | 35 | 87 |
|
| |
| Master of Puppets |
| 29 | 33 | 52 | 5 | 4 | 30 | 33 | 14 | 17 | 41 |
| ||
| ...And Justice for All |
| 6 | 16 | 13 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 36 | 5 | 7 | 4 |
|
| |
| Metallica |
| 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 1 |
|
| |
| Load |
| 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
|
| |
| Reload |
| 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
|
| |
| St. Anger |
| 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|
| |
| Death Magnetic |
| 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
|
| |
| Hardwired... to Self-Destruct |
| 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
|
| |
| 72 Seasons |
| 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
|
| |
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||||||||||||
Live albums
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Sales | Certifications | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | AUS | CAN | FIN | GER | NOR | NZ | SWE | SWI | UK | ||||
| Live Shit: Binge & Purge |
| 26 | 18 | 40 | — | 68 | 32 | — | — | — | 54 |
| |
| S&M (with San Francisco Symphony) |
| 2 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 1 | 4 | 33 |
|
|
| Orgullo, Pasión, y Gloria: Tres Noches en la Ciudad de México |
| — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| Six Feet Down Under |
| — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| The Big Four: Live from Sofia, Bulgaria (with Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax) |
| — | 71 | — | 31 | 59 | — | — | — | 63 | — | ||
| Six Feet Down Under Part II |
| — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| Live at Grimey's |
| — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| Helping Hands...Live & Acoustic at the Masonic |
| — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| Live in Chile (1993 – 2017) |
| — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| Live in Argentina (1993 – 2017) |
| — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| Live in Brazil (1993 – 2017) |
| — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| S&M2 (with San Francisco Symphony) |
| 4 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 2 | 2 |
| |
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | |||||||||||||
Cover albums
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Sales | Certifications | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | AUS | CAN | FIN | GER | NOR | NZ | SWE | SWI | UK | ||||
| Garage Inc. |
| 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 10 | 29 |
|
|
Tribute albums
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | CAN | FIN | UK | ||
| The Metallica Blacklist |
| 103 | 44 | 48 | 27 |
Collaboration albums
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Sales | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | AUS | AUT | CAN | FIN | GER | NZ | SWE | SWI | UK | |||
| Lulu (with Lou Reed) |
| 36 | 33 | 25 | 16 | 6 | 11 | 12 | 9 | 14 | 36 |
|
Soundtrack albums
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | AUS | AUT | CAN | FIN | GER | NZ | SWE | SWI | UK | ||
| Metallica: Through the Never |
| 9 | 16 | 4 | 9 | 11 | 6 | 11 | 30 | 16 | 36 |
Extended plays
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | AUS | AUT | CAN | FIN | GER | NZ | SPA | SWI | UK | |||
| The $5.98 E.P. / $9.98 CD: Garage Days Re-Revisited |
| 18 | 69 | 16 | 17 | — | 10 | — | 12 | 62 | 27 |
|
| Some Kind of Monster |
| 37 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Beyond Magnetic |
| 29 | 19 | 30 | 15 | 2 | 22 | 22 | 25 | — | — | |
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||||||||||
Box sets
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK | |||||||||||||
| The Good, the Bad & the Live |
| 56 | |||||||||||
| Limited-Edition Vinyl Box Set |
| — | |||||||||||
| The Metallica Collection |
| — | |||||||||||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | |||||||||||||
Singles
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US Main. Rock | AUS | GER | NLD | NOR | NZ | SWE | SWI | UK | |||||
| "Whiplash" | 1983 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Kill 'Em All | ||
| "Jump in the Fire" | 1984 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 30 | — | — | — | |||
| "Creeping Death" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 117 |
| Ride the Lightning | ||
| "Master of Puppets" | 1986 | 35 | 18 | 19 | 100 | — | — | 17 | 69 | — | 22 |
| Master of Puppets | |
| "Harvester of Sorrow" | 1988 | — | — | 100 | — | — | — | 30 | — | — | 20 | ...And Justice for All | ||
| "Eye of the Beholder" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| "One" | 1989 | 35 | 46 | 5 | 31 | 3 | 4 | 13 | 3 | 22 | 13 |
| ||
| "Enter Sandman" | 1991 | 16 | 10 | 10 | 1 | 10 | 2 | 8 | 14 | 11 | 5 |
| Metallica | |
| "The Unforgiven" | 35 | 10 | 10 | 47 | 25 | — | 24 | 32 | — | 15 |
| |||
| "Nothing Else Matters" | 1992 | 34 | 11 | 8 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 11 | 12 | 5 | 6 |
| ||
| "Wherever I May Roam" | 82 | 25 | 14 | 30 | 22 | 2 | 8 | 28 | — | 25 |
| |||
| "Sad but True" | 1993 | 98 | 15 | 48 | 42 | 10 | 5 | 42 | 31 | — | 20 |
| ||
| "Until It Sleeps" | 1996 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 15 | 5 | 2 | 11 | 1 | 22 | 5 |
| Load | |
| "Hero of the Day" | 60 | 1 | 2 | 39 | 25 | 8 | 21 | 10 | — | 17 |
| |||
| "Mama Said" | — | — | 24 | — | 58 | 13 | — | 24 | — | 19 |
| |||
| "King Nothing" | 1997 | 90 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "The Memory Remains" | 28 | 3 | 6 | 20 | 15 | 3 | 23 | 4 | 30 | 13 |
| Reload | ||
| "The Unforgiven II" | 1998 | 59 | 2 | 9 | 23 | 16 | 8 | 22 | 8 | — | 15 |
| ||
| "Fuel" | — | 6 | 2 | 57 | 53 | — | 35 | 49 | — | 31 |
| |||
| "Turn the Page" | — | 1 | 11 | 23 | 42 | 11 | 22 | 13 | — | — |
| Garage Inc. | ||
| "Whiskey in the Jar" | 1999 | — | 4 | 14 | 23 | 47 | 4 | 41 | 15 | 55 | 29 |
| ||
| "Die, Die My Darling" | — | 26 | 82 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| "Nothing Else Matters '99" (with San Francisco Symphony) | — | — | 28 | 2 | 3 | — | — | — | 4 | — | S&M | |||
| "No Leaf Clover" (with San Francisco Symphony) | 2000 | 74 | 1 | 41 | 40 | 41 | 9 | — | 50 | 99 | — | |||
| "I Disappear" | 76 | 1 | — | 14 | 36 | 8 | — | 25 | 20 | 35 |
| Mission: Impossible 2 soundtrack | ||
| "St. Anger" | 2003 | — | 2 | 15 | 15 | 12 | 6 | 38 | 9 | 28 | 9 |
| St. Anger | |
| "Frantic" | — | 21 | 22 | 21 | 22 | 5 | 23 | 13 | 57 | 16 | ||||
| "The Unnamed Feeling" | 2004 | — | 28 | 23 | 24 | 20 | 10 | — | 37 | 47 | 42 | |||
| "Some Kind of Monster" | — | 19 | — | - | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| "The Day That Never Comes" | 2008 | 31 | 1 | 18 | — | 20 | 1 | 14 | 3 | 32 | 19 |
| Death Magnetic | |
| "My Apocalypse" | 67 | 38 | 38 | — | 33 | 9 | — | 15 | — | 51 | ||||
| "Cyanide" | 50 | 1 | 48 | — | — | 15 | — | 14 | — | 48 | ||||
| "The Judas Kiss" | — | — | — | — | — | 13 | — | 44 | — | 79 | ||||
| "All Nightmare Long" | — | 9 | 90 | 15 | 7 | — | — | 44 | — | — | ||||
| "Broken, Beat & Scarred" | 2009 | — | 15 | 75 | 35 | 25 | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "The View" (with Lou Reed) | 2011 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Lulu | ||
| "Lords of Summer" | 2014 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 141 | Hardwired... to Self-Destruct bonus track | ||
| "Hardwired" | 2016 | — | 1 | 70 | — | — | — | — | 72 | — | 186 |
| Hardwired... to Self-Destruct | |
| "Moth into Flame" | — | 5 | — | — | — | — | — | 91 | — | — | ||||
| "Atlas, Rise!" | — | 1 | — | 100 | — | — | — | 87 | — | — | ||||
| "Now That We're Dead" | 2017 | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | 69 | — | — | |||
| "Spit Out the Bone" | — | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| "All Within My Hands" (with San Francisco Symphony) | 2020 | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | S&M2 | ||
| "Lux Æterna" | 2022 | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 72 Seasons | ||
| "Screaming Suicide" | 2023 | — | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "If Darkness Had a Son" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| "72 Seasons" | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| "Too Far Gone?" | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||||||||||||
Promotional singles
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Main. Rock | US Rock | SWI | |||||
| "Fade to Black" | 1984 | — | — | 100 |
| Ride the Lightning | |
| "For Whom the Bell Tolls" | — | 18 | — |
| |||
| "...And Justice for All" | 1989 | — | — | — | ...And Justice for All | ||
| "Stone Cold Crazy" | 1990 | — | — | — | Elektra's 40th Anniversary | ||
| "Don't Tread on Me" | 1991 | — | — | — | Metallica | ||
| "Ain't My Bitch" | 1996 | 15 | — | — | Load | ||
| "Bleeding Me" | 1997 | 6 | — | — | |||
| "Better than You" | 1998 | 7 | — | — | Reload | ||
| "The Ecstasy of Gold" | 2007 | 21 | — | — | We All Love Ennio Morricone | ||
| "The End of the Line" | 2009 | — | — | — | Death Magnetic | ||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | |||||||
Other charted and certified songs
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Bub. | US Heri. Rock | US Main. Rock | AUS | AUT | FIN | NOR | SWE | SWI | UK | ||||||
| "Battery" | 1986 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Master of Puppets | ||
| "Blackened" | 1988 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| …And Justice for All | ||
| "Remember Tomorrow" | 2008 | — | — | 32 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Maiden Heaven: A Tribute to Iron Maiden | |||
| "That Was Just Your Life" | — | — | — | — | — | — | 16 | — | — | — | Death Magnetic | ||||
| "The Unforgiven III" | 14 | — | — | 41 | — | 16 | 8 | 34 | 12 | 120 |
| ||||
| "Hate Train" | 2012 | — | — | — | — | 30 | — | — | — | — | — | Beyond Magnetic | |||
| "When a Blind Man Cries" | — | 22 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Re-Machined: A Tribute to Deep Purple's Machine Head | ||||
| "Halo on Fire" | 2018 | — | — | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Hardwired... to Self-Destruct | |||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | |||||||||||||||
Other appearances
| Song | Year | Album | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Hit the Lights" (original version, later re-recorded for Kill 'Em All) | 1982 | Metal Massacre, Vol. 1 | |
| "Stone Cold Crazy" | 1990 | Rubáiyát: Elektra's 40th Anniversary | |
| "For Whom the Bell Tolls (The Irony of It All)" (with DJ Spooky) | 1997 | Spawn: The Album | |
| "I Disappear" | 2000 | Mission: Impossible 2 | |
| "We Did It Again" (with Ja Rule) | 2002 | Swizz Beatz Presents G.H.E.T.T.O. Stories | |
| "53rd & 3rd" | 2003 | We're a Happy Family: A Tribute to Ramones | |
| "The Ecstasy of Gold" | 2007 | We All Love Ennio Morricone | |
| "Remember Tomorrow" | 2008 | Maiden Heaven: A Tribute to Iron Maiden | |
| "You Really Got Me" | 2010 | See My Friends | |
| "When a Blind Man Cries" | 2012 | Re-Machined: A Tribute To Deep Purple's Machine Head | |
| "Ronnie Rising Medley" | 2014 | Ronnie James Dio – This is Your Life | |
| "Nothing Else Matters – Jungle Cruise Version" | 2021 | Jungle Cruise (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) |
Videos
Video albums
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Sales | Certifications | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Video | AUS DVD | CAN Video | FIN DVD | GER | NZ DVD | UK Video | |||||||
| Cliff 'Em All |
| 20 | — | 7 | — | — | — | — | — |
| |||
| 2 of One |
| 31 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| |||
| A Year and a Half in the Life of Metallica |
| 26 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| |||
| Cunning Stunts |
| 3 | 1 | — | 1 | — | — | — |
|
| |||
| S&M (with San Francisco Symphony) |
| 12 | 1 | — | 4 | — | — | — | — |
| |||
| The Videos 1989–2004 |
| 4 | 1 | — | 4 | 34 | 1 | — |
|
| |||
| Français Pour une Nuit |
| — | 2 | — | 2 | — | — | 9 |
| ||||
| Orgullo, Pasión, y Gloria: Tres Noches en la Ciudad de México |
| — | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| The Big Four: Live from Sofia, Bulgaria (with Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax) |
| 1 | 1 | — | 1 | 4 | 1 | 1 |
|
| |||
| Quebec Magnetic |
| 3 | 3 | — | 1 | 29 | — | 9 |
|
| |||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | |||||||||||||
Music videos
| Title | Year | Director(s) | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| "One" | 1989 | Bill Pope, Michael Salomon | ...And Justice for All |
| "Enter Sandman" | 1991 | Wayne Isham | Metallica |
| "The Unforgiven" | Matt Mahurin | ||
| "Nothing Else Matters" | 1992 | Adam Dubin | |
| "Wherever I May Roam" | Wayne Isham | ||
| "Sad but True" | |||
| "Fade to Black (Live)" | 1993 | Live Shit: Binge and Purge | |
| "Until It Sleeps" | 1996 | Samuel Bayer | Load |
| "Hero of the Day" | Anton Corbijn | ||
| "Mama Said" | |||
| "King Nothing" | 1997 | Matt Mahurin | |
| "The Memory Remains" | Paul Andresen | Reload | |
| "The Unforgiven II" | 1998 | Matt Mahurin | |
| "Fuel" | Wayne Isham | ||
| "Turn the Page" | Jonas Åkerlund | Garage, Inc. | |
| "Whiskey in the Jar" | 1999 | ||
| "Die, Die My Darling" | Joe Friday | ||
| "No Leaf Clover" | Wayne Isham | S&M | |
| "I Disappear" | 2000 | Mission: Impossible 2 soundtrack | |
| "St. Anger" | 2003 | The Malloys | St. Anger |
| "Frantic" | Wayne Isham | ||
| "The Unnamed Feeling" | The Malloys | ||
| "Some Kind of Monster" | 2004 | Bruce Sinofsky | |
| "Iron Man" | 2006 | Joel Gallen, Tim Kettle | Rock and Roll Hall of Fame |
| "The Day That Never Comes" | 2008 | Peter Hjors, Thomas Vinterberg | Death Magnetic |
| "All Nightmare Long" | Roboshobo | ||
| "Broken, Beat & Scarred" | 2009 | Wayne Isham | |
| "Master of Puppets" (Live) | 2013 | Nimród Antal | Metallica: Through the Never |
| "Hardwired" | 2016 | Colin Shane Hakes | Hardwired... to Self Destruct |
| "Moth into Flame" | Tom Kirk | ||
| "Atlas, Rise!" | Clark Eddy | ||
| "Dream No More" | Tom Kirk | ||
| "Confusion" | Claire Marie Vogel | ||
| "ManUNkind" | Jonas Åkerlund | ||
| "Now That We're Dead" | Herring & Herring | ||
| "Here Comes Revenge" | Jessica Cope | ||
| "Am I Savage?" | Herring & Herring | ||
| "Halo on Fire" | |||
| "Murder One" | Robert Valley | ||
| "Spit Out the Bone" | Phil Mucci | ||
| "Lords of Summer" | Brett Murray | ||
| "Now That We're Dead" (second music video) | 2017 | ||
| "Lux Æterna" | 2022 | Tim Saccenti | 72 Seasons |
| "Screaming Suicide" | 2023 | ||
| "If Darkness Had a Son" | |||
| "72 Seasons" | |||
| "Sleepwalk My Life Away" | |||
| "Room of Mirrors" | Tristan Zammit | ||
| "Shadows Follow" | |||
| "Too Far Gone?" | Team Rolfes | ||
| "Crown of Barbed Wire" | Corey Daigle | ||
| "Chasing Light" | Kim Asendorf, Dina Chang | ||
| "You Must Burn!" | Tim Saccenti | ||
| "Inamorata" | Jess Cope | ||
| "Too Far Gone?" (second music video) | Coan “Buddy” Nichols |
See also
Notes
References
External links
- Official website
- Metallica at AllMusic
- Metallica discography at Discogs