10 Heaviest Metallica Songs Ever Made
2. Don't Tread On Me
Anyone starting out with Metallica should probably know better to come to the Black Album for heaviness. Though there are some decent jams on this album, this tends to fall closer to the hard rock side of the spectrum than something like Ride the Lightning did a few years before. If there is one saving grace though, it comes in the form of Don't Tread on Me.
Falling about midway through the record, this entire song feels like it's about to stomp you into the ground from the minute it starts. Despite lifting the opening guitar fill from the song America from West Side Story, the entire track gives way to a loose swing feel, which works wonders across James Hetfield's guitars. The mission statement of this song is basically that none of it should work and yet it does so well, with the shifting groove being offset by some truly demonic sounding bends in the verses.
Even James' lyrics are a lot more nuanced than you might expect, going after the American mentality and how people look to defend their goods with violence first and asking questions later. Though this really does toe the line between being a pastiche for American pride and actually patriotic, you can't deny the smack in the face that comes whenever you hear those guitars.