10 Most Underrated Metallica Songs

The loss of bassist Cliff Burton in 1986 was something that seemed impossible to recover from. More than just a four-stringer, his advanced musical knowledge helped the band go from typical thrash punks to some of the most complex musical thinkers in the world of metal. This kind of blow struck at the very heart of Metallica, but once they picked up the pieces, a tribute was in order.

Though the band's album And Justice For All is typically seen as Jason Newsted's first attempt on the bass, the presence of Burton looms large over the instrumental "To Live Is To Die." From day one, Burton was always encouraging the instrumental passages, but this one song is something that is integral to the rest of the band. The melodic passages may be based on Cliff's initial sketches, but the melancholy haze of his death is coated throughout this song.

While it starts as a typical thrash groove, the middle section feels like the band grieving through their instruments, as they try to artistically process the death of their musical brother.

Even when the thrash elements return, James Hetfield recites a poem written by Cliff prior to his death, centered around the concept of relief that comes with the afterlife. Cliff Burton may be the missing puzzle piece in Metallica, but this one track showed that the band were strong enough to continue on without him.