12 Most Brutally Heavy Metal Albums EVER

Metallica have become known for having some of the heaviest and the least heavy metal music across their catalog. Whether it's the almighty stomp of "Ride the Lightning" or the lilting ballad of "Nothing Else Matters," the band's sound has truly run the gamut of the sonic spectrum. While many would cite Master of Puppets as the band's metal opus, it wasn't until And Justice For All that the sound became its most powerful.

Make no mistake, there are a few problems on the record which come down to its shoddy production and lack of bass. However, even without an active bass presence, this record is an absolute stomper, with 9 tracks that combine everything that made the band the most powerful thrash act on the planet. "One" stands as one of the band's greatest musical moments, while other songs like "Blackened" and "Eye of the Beholder" show them delving into more prog territory with multiple time changes and extended instrumental passages.

At the same time, the band's intensity was increased tenfold, with songs like "Dyers Eve" almost feeling like a hardcore punk song rather than a metal track. The band may have more popular records in their canon, but nothing compared to this little slice of metal debauchery.