Metallica: Ranking Every Album's First Song
Opening with a bang, every time.
As a band, Metallica have been through their fair share of trials and tribulations and emerged as one of the best and most popular rock bands of all time.
Since their formation in 1981, the band have suffered line-up changes, behind the scenes bust ups, and members tragically passing away, but they have never faltered in providing their fans with excellent music.
Metallica have a rich discography stuffed with covers albums, live albums, and that one project with Lou Reed that we won't mention here, but their core output consists of ten studio albums.
In this list, we're going to take a look at how every single one of those albums kicks off.
The opening song is arguably the most important on an album. It sets the tone for the record, hooking listeners in for the next 30-50 minutes, therefore it has to stand out.
Metallica have produced some cracking opening tracks over the years, but which one stands above the rest? Which ones deserve a little bit more love? And which ones could have used a little bit more thought? Let's find out.
10. Ain’t My Bitch - Load
The band's sixth album, Load, was the first released after the band's switch to more commercial rock music with The Black Album.
Despite some fans' displeasure at this shift, it has some really good songs on it. James Hetfield dives headfirst into his traumatic past on this record, creating some of his most personal and tragic lyrics.
That is not the case, however, for the album's opener.
A heavy rock tracks with a slide guitar solo, "Ain't My Bitch" is successful in setting the tone for an album that would see many departures from the band's status quo. However, the song itself is bland with a riff that sounds like every other hard rock song you've ever heard.
The lyrics, which talk about getting rid of something (or someone) causing you a problem, are pathetic in places with the Hetfield coming across as a whiny teenager rather than a rock star.
Songs like "Hero of the Day" or "Bleeding Me" would have served as much better openers if the band wanted to show they were heading in a new direction. As for "Ain't My Bitch", that deserved to be lost in the middle of the track list.