Metallica: Ranking Every Album's First Song
1. Enter Sandman - Metallica
It might be the obvious pick, it might be a bit too commercial for some people, but come on, this absolutely had to be number one.
The first song on the band's self-titled fifth album - better known as "The Black Album" - "Enter Sandman" is easily one of the group's most famous and popular tracks.
Telling the story of a young child suffering from nightmares, the song is as dark as it is catchy. For every line about dragon's fire and saying one's prayers, there's a belter of a sing along lyric that fans have enjoyed screaming along too since the song's release in 1991.
There's also the small matter of that riff, which is routinely featured in lists of the best guitar hooks of all time.
Could this song be seen as the moment Metallica abandoned their underground heritage in favour of a more mainstream outlook? Absolutely, and it is completely understandable why some fans are bitter towards.
However, just consider the impact this song has had on rock music, the number of new eyes it brought to Metallica's music, and the fact that it's just so damn good, and you'll understand why we had to call it their best ever opening track.