by Andrew Bohardt

Created on: September 23, 2010

With a band as complex, talented and just plain legendary as Metallica, a Top 10 list falls far short of including all the great tunes the band has written. Heck, if this list was four times as long, it still wouldn't cover all of Metallica's essential hits, as it has released 45 singles and countless other great songs since "Kill 'Em All" came out in 1983.

That said, certain Metallica songs do stand out above the rest, particularly for fans who know Metallica's entire catalog. I include myself in the category, so my list favors Metallica's early work as you can see below.

10. Unforgiven Trio (various years) - Beginning in 1991, the Unforgiven trio lasted nearly 20 years, ending with Unforgiven III off Metallica's latest effort, "Death Magnetic." All three are beautiful ballads, with the last being one of the best songs off Metallica's ninth studio album.

9.Welcome Home (Sanitarium) (1986) - Following in footsteps of many of Metallica's early work, Sanitarium deals with issues of mental insanity and pain. The song trickles along underneath James Hetfield's powerful lyrics.

8. Seek and Destroy (1983) - For me, this is the song upon which Metallica's greatness is based. Seek and Destroy served as Metallica's first true classic with its dominating main riff and wickedly fast solos.

7. For Whom The Bell Tolls (1984) - An absolutely pummeling song that provides a telling example of the late, great Cliff Burton's influence on the band. The introduction alone, which is Burton playing bass with a lot of distortion, is reason enough to listen to this song.

6. Enter Sandman (1991) - The song that made Metallica a mainstream band, Enter Sandman single-handedly made heavy metal music popular again in the early 1990s, leading the way for acts such as Pantera to explode. Derived from a riff written by guitarist Kirk Hammett, the song discusses nightmares and bad dreams one has as a child.

5. One (1988) - From the somber intro to the unrelenting ending, One has a bit of everything for Metallica fans. A hauntingly graphic narrative accompanies the song about a soldier who suffers physical and mental damage, and is left as a mind inside a shell of a body.

4. Orion (1986) - The obligatory instrumental off "Master of Puppets," Orion has gone largely unnoticed outside of die-hard fans due to Metallica's unwillingness to play the entire song live until recently. Nevertheless, it is just another example as to why "Master" may be the best metal album of all time.

3. Master of Puppets (1986) - While it didn't have the same universal impact as Enter Sandman, Master of Puppets is often referred to as the greatest heavy metal song of all time. It doesn't quite take the top spot on my list, but that says more about Metallica's overall catalog than anything else. Master of Puppets is an absolutely brilliant song.

2. Fade to Black (1984) - A song dealing with suicide, Fade to Black is Metallica's crowning ballad. It also includes one of Metallica's quintessential guitar solos, which has earned the respect of nearly every critic that has reviewed the song.

1. Ride the Lightning (1984) - Perhaps Dave Mustaine's greatest contribution to the band, Ride The Lightning's subject matter covering death by electrocution is every bit as intense as the actual music. With Hammett laying down that chugging guitar riff for the last 25 years, the song has lost little, if any, of its brilliance and remains one of Metallica's best.

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