TOP 10 METALLICA RIFFS OF ALL TIME

In this episode I ranked the best Metallica Riffs!
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[@EM-zj1xm]

Battery is the bluntest, stupidly straight forward and ultra aggressive riff that still has hint of melody and mood in it. Sooo freaking effective! And Leper Messiah - probably the nastiest and filthiest riffs on this album!

[@patriciaeamon1388]

Bow to Leper Messiah!

[@mattmassie2530]

I'd known about Metallica for years and even listened to Black Album religiously as a kid, but but never really "discovered" them until I was mid 20's. I downloaded their entire disgography and just left it on repeat on a playlist, and the one I kept coming back to, the one I'd never really heard but that sunk its hooks in hard, was Battery. Not long after that I would become a permanent fan and still listen to them pretty regularly 20 some odd years later

[@ippotsk]

I'd say Blackened out-edges it by just a bit.

[@TheArtofGuitar]

Rick rocking Met riffs. Gotta love it! 🤘

[@thrash1337]

Hey Mike

[@youWoNtLikeMe04]

Mr Beato bringing worlds together.

[@prometheustv6558]

You’re everywhere mike

[@urgodmen]

He def saw your how to play enter sandman correctly video haha, but missed the master of puppets one (didnt do the cromatic 2-1-0 at the end)😂

[@marcocasati6953]

So wishing he interviews pap Hetfield 🥺

[@ridethelightning7979]

0:23 Harvester of Sorrow 0:55 Seek & Destroy 1:23 Creeping Death 1:55 Fade to Black 2:20 Enter Sandman 2:57 For Whom The Bell Tolls 3:24 Wherever I May Roam 4:12 Welcome Home (Sanitarium) 4:49 Sad But True 5:37 Master of Puppets

[@kafleashraya6589]

'The Thing That Should Not Be' is the most underrated and heaviest riff of METALLICA

[@shakolion]

Concur

[@user-rn1yl8gi4l]

frayed ends of sanity says hello)

[@joshtuk]

Yep. It’s their heaviest song.

[@jeremiahscarlett1784]

@@user-rn1yl8gi4l good contender but Thing's riff is a little heavier.

[@user-rn1yl8gi4l]

@@jeremiahscarlett1784 i dont think so)

[@ThaArjen]

Does this mean there’s an interview with James Hetfield coming up? Would sure hope so!

[@draetonalimoffatt8780]

I'd wouldn't mind the entire band - Lars. Lars is rather unlikable in every way possible, but Robert and Kirk seem nice.

[@luisbras5344]

@@draetonalimoffatt8780 have you heard Lars podcast? Dude is an amazing host

[@kingloser4198]

Hetfield's 58. Only two more years of downstokes left 😲

[@patrickwayne9074]

@@kingloser4198 cool. That gives me more than 15 years…what are downstokes and how do I use them? 😝

[@kingloser4198]

@@patrickwayne9074 When a cat comes near you move your hand from its head to its tail only - but not back the other way. Do that as fast as you can.

[@erikamontiel2901]

Disposable heroes has an incredible galloping riff so I think that riff definitely deserves a mention

[@ali965]

i agree. so simple yet so crushing. the main riff is very cool too

[@marcosfernandes3284]

∆

[@danzemacabre8899]

Mention??? That's their best song of all time imo ,

[@davidhealy4534]

I love playing the bridge riff

[@stacey_1111rh]

Agreed

[@zzzzzz69]

Under-appreciated Gems of Metallica Riffs: - The Frayed Ends of Sanity instrumental interlude (multiple riffs) - Damaged, Inc. breakdown/ending - Blackened verse + breakdown - That Was Just Your Life harmonized breakdown - Through the Never breakdown - Jump In the Fire intro/main riff (Dave Mustaine) As for the more recognizable ones, don't forget Orion and Disposable Heroes.

[@LukezyM]

-The unforgiving , check the guitar only version.

[@midnight347]

@@LukezyM the unforgiven not the unforgiving

[@xemanuelli]

Frayed. By far 👌

[@RK_peace]

James and Kirk still, somehow manage to play Master of Puppets and Creeping Death with all down strokes even now as they approach 60 years of age🤯

[@mitchsmix269]

I mean, they have had a couple years to practice

[@Polarisus]

@@mitchsmix269 yeah just a couple

[@suraceryan]

Ikr crazy

[@alexschneider8494]

Probably because their forearm muscles are so accustomed to it that it doesn’t even wear it out anymore

[@RK_peace]

@@mitchsmix269 yeah just a few

[@robintroy2059]

The breakdown riff in "One" while James is singing "darkness imprisoning me" has got to be their most powerful and iconic riff. Not much to it, but very powerful.

[@tepidtooth8539]

How is that their most iconic lol, are you telling me that’s their most recognizable riff, not Master of Puppets, not Enter Sandman, but the bridge riff from One

[@specmatt1001]

It’s called “the double bass part”

[@rocketsurgeon11]

@@specmatt1001 you mean the "machine gun" riff...

[@doublestrokeroll]

It's a cool part but too simple. What makes it great is the band locking together so everyone is doing the same thing. Good piece of arranging rather than song writing.

[@rickbarr2209]

@@tepidtooth8539 --

[@kartikchandrasekhar2762]

"HAMMETT: I’ll tell you how the main [descending] riff to “Master of Puppets” came about. On the Ride the Lightning tour, James would always play the riff in the dressing room, but on the D string, and I’d play it simultaneously on the G string as a parallel-fourths harmony line. It sounded really dorky and funny. Then one day at rehearsal, James said, “Let me show you this really heavy song intro,” and proceeded to play that exact riff on the low E string. I said, “Ah, so you finally found a use for that dorky little thing!” It’s anything but dorky now."

[@derryXDINES]

Crazy how Hetfield plays the Puppets intro with all downstrokes.

[@LukezyM]

Lets not forget The unforgiven, the most heavy sounding metal ballad and the most touching lyric, a true masterpiece. Holier than you- great riff. And of course Where ever I may roam!

[@metalboy5150]

Can't agree, honestly. I think "heaviest sounding metal ballad" has to go to Pantera's "This Love." Not to say that "The Unforgiven " is a bad song, it's a great song, just not really super heavy.

[@michaelclark2458]

My favorite song

[@HawksNHabsPC]

Great list. I’d add a couple more: -Blackened Main Riff -That was just your life Main riff -Middle section of Leper Messiah when the song speeds up - Sweet Amber riff in the middle of the song

[@lazarpetrovic1241]

Death magnetic fantastic riffs and ofc st anger. Nice list

[@shadowledastray]

Hell, include the rest of Sweet Amber while were at it. That's a fun song to play.

[@LeperMessiah1977]

I've been using this name and gamertag for some 20+ odd years because of that riff. Still love it

[@playstrombacka6320]

Agreed. Sweet Amber, and all the other St. Anger song is killer.

[@imyoursuperbeast8220]

I feel like That was just your life doesn't get the love it deserves

[@zobopup]

Battery and Blackened are 2 of the greatest opening songs in album history.

[@christebo7305]

Amen brother! But a lot of people have trouble playing Blackened... lol Battery is so brutal.

[@eamonahern7495]

Good choice!

[@turquoisetangerinebusiness7240]

Rick should know better at least

[@RastaganTheGreen]

@@christebo7305 that double picked note on the first fret of the fifth string is the one little part that kicks my ass, so infuriating!

[@ViromonXD]

Or fight fire with fire

[@jerryarmitage8904]

Love Metallica. I can't even put into words what this band did for me growing up. Some songs would bring to tears I thought were so good.

[@banjomechanic]

Great list! I’ve always been partial to Leper Messiah. The main riff and the one that leads into the faster middle part. I’d jam out to that song when is was a kid, just listen to it over and over. Thrashing bliss!

[@KenoxProductions]

My favorites are: Battery (main riff) Dyer's Eve (main and chorus riffs) Sad But True (main riff) Ride The Lightning (the spider riff) To Live Is To Die (interlude - clean riff) Enter Sandman (main riff) One (THAT riff) Blackened (everything) The God That Failed (main riff)

[@floydfreeman1318]

Which riff is THAT riff Du du du duuuuu or dududududun dududududun dudududuuuuun

[@anderschristensen4072]

he can not play battery or dyers eve and so on

[@jameshoulding8951]

@@floydfreeman1318 somehow, I know what you meant. I prefer dudududududun dudududududun

[@floydfreeman1318]

@@jameshoulding8951 nice I agree with you

[@mitchsmix269]

Battery is so bad ass. I love RTL too

[@lynncampbell962]

The breakdown in Four Horsemen is one of the most badass riffs ever.

[@jsalvatori]

You mean Sweet Home Alabama? ;)

[@MetalRob81]

@@jsalvatori I think he means the great riff before the SHA. Do do do dadadada da da da

[@alexc656]

@@MetalRob81 yeah that riff is fire

[@Wizpullz]

Horsemen would have made my list. 🤘

[@jamesbeshears4512]

Two great bridge riffs: “Fade to Black” and “The Day That Never Comes”. Both so dang heavy and melodic.

[@Eryk13]

Bleeding Me - many parts that are sheer joy to play. Halo on Fire - amazing chorus, and guitar during the verses is pretty damn good to boot. While I think you got it right mostly, there's some newer stuff that is worth the exploration. I say that as a AJFA guy.

[@rickhamann]

I love your channel, you go through Metallica to jazz, sting and other genres without prejudice. Good music has no limits. Greetings from Brazil.

[@RickBeato]

🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

[@DenerWerb]

BR BR

[@fernandoguita]

BR BR BR

[@300gjw]

Good music is good music, no matter what the genre.

[@shruggzdastr8-facedclown]

Yeah, I loved his video on Oscar Peterson

[@benhernandez3853]

My personal favorite is the Dyers Eve riff. It’s so underrated yet it’s just such a cool riff

[@reaverofsouls]

They played that live in 09, last time I saw em.

[@kevinskogg2179]

Yeah I like that too. That could be the only true "thrash" song on the album, not that genre classing matters, jut sayin.

[@gypate74]

Yes. Dyer's Eve is their most violent and dark song to me, and the riff is a big contribution to this

[@joaquin8416]

Dyers Eve is my favorite Metallica song!

[@gypate74]

@@reaverofsouls yes, I saw them in Nîmes, I was really surprised and happy that they played this one as they rarely played it until then

[@davec1004]

I discovered Metallica when I was 10 in 1988 a neighbor who was 4 or 5 years older than me was listening to The Master of Puppets album. When I heard "The thing that should not be" I was hooked. Still one of my favorite riffs.

[@tmrevenge]

I was around 12 on 1994 and it Motorbreath. My mind was blown

[@m3morabilia]

I personally think that Jasons bass solo and Kirks guitar solo in My Friend Of Misery are pretty underrated!

[@midnight347]

There is 2 guitar harmony part there that is both kirk and het it is so badass then it goes into just Kirk's solo that is such a great song. The entire black album is a classic album people just love to hate on it because it was popular and their style changed some

[@m3morabilia]

@@midnight347 yess! such an amazing album.

[@snorkman2]

That bass into is dark! That song gives me Castlevania vibes.

[@m3morabilia]

@@snorkman2 omg yess

[@MichelLamblin]

Honorable mention to the odd cousin of the Enter Sandman riff: King Nothing. Damn fun to play.

[@Nghilifa]

Also a Kirk Hammett riff :-)

[@Tuvok_Shakur]

that riff fits really well on bass too

[@shadowledastray]

I came here to suggest King Nothing as well. Nice. Such a groovy riff.

[@MKDumas1981]

I jammed on the King Nothing bassline with my band the other day. The guitarist and a guest guitarist played random stuff over it for 45 minutes.

[@DevRSVR]

Blackened all the way. To be fair, I was never able to get that one right myself. Killer riff though. Great work Rick. You have a great channel.

[@CarlosFreitas99]

That for me is number 1. Honestly my top 10 would be half of And Justice For All

[@ck5192]

Blackened is sick. Should’ve made Rick’s top 10.

[@gypate74]

Agreed 👍

[@doublenuts]

Yes! A perfect opening track. The haunting, melodic fade in, and then BAM! Buckle up, kids...

[@Tuvok_Shakur]

of wolf and man is my favorite metallica song but blackened has to be my next favorite. that song makes me want to kick my grandmother in the teeth

[@jordenperkins8735]

One of my favorite Metallica riffs to play is “The Shortest Straw”

[@Caglecardscollectibles21]

The Damage inc riff, after the chorus and before the solo, is probably my favorite riff right now

[@MLBa636]

Solid list, Rick. "Through the Never" is a fun riff to play.

[@davidhealy4534]

Leper Messiah and Trapped under ice are fun to play, so is Ktulu

[@theKid87]

So fun to play!

[@punkfranco]

the bridge riff, it's the most fun to play imo

[@SomeRandomPersonOnYoutube]

That is SUUUUUUUCH an underrated song

[@lonniusmaximus3836]

Such a great riff and an under appreciated song.

[@brettfolkerth7612]

was there anyone else who, when Rick said "A lot of people will expect this to be #1...." was thinking "What!?!?! Master of Puppets is only #6????"

[@colonelaid5206]

Pretty mid tbh

[@martinschmid3409]

Yes, me!!! 😅

[@likestoospooge]

1:35. What I like about no. 8 is that you’re really showcasing how different it sounds when playing it that way and why down-stroking is so important. It sounds so different played like that and definitely doesn’t rock as hard.

[@gregkalbrunner]

Rick, it is amazing how good your production is on these videos. Props!

[@maytons]

Call of Ktulu has long been one of my favorites but being an instrumental usually keeps it off of "iconic" lists. Great job on the riffology Rick!

[@DylanL69]

That one's complicated

[@kamodius]

The Call of Ktulu, Orion and Suicide and Redemption are some of my favorite Metallica songs, bar none. You're not alone!

[@reallyanti]

Glad you mentioned Call of Ktulu, that one is on my list for sure.

[@AceFace50001]

You could pretty much include the entirety of Ride the Lightning and you wouldn't be wrong.

[@kamodius]

@@AceFace50001 Or Master of Puppets for that matter...

[@MusicisWin]

I love the way your Rick'isms still shine through on these awesome riffs-great list man!!! My favorite tallica riff to play that is so easy yet so satisfying is the bridge of No Leaf Clover, right after the guitar solo... DUN DUN DUN, DUN, DUN DUN DUN, DUN DUN DUN DUNNNNNN

[@choowie92]

You meant "DUN DUN DUN, DUN, DUN DUN DUN, DUN DUN DUN DUNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN", right?

[@rocketsurgeon11]

One of the most underrated, underplayed Metallica songs!

[@michaelherscheid9709]

friends with the benedicts

[@snoproblem]

And that machine-like hiss, damnnn.

[@potatos_4_free]

Interesting hearing MoP with no palm mutes.

[@carlos.polaris]

“Welcome Home” and those dreamy delays when the beat starts…

[@AyBi_Studio]

All the riffs from The Frayed End of Sanity could open a top 10 list.

[@Jayhawk3776]

The four horseman, disposable heroes, frayed ends of sanity, welcome home (sanitarium), ride the lightning… top 10 just isn’t enough for Metallica

[@cobrasys]

I very much second Four Horsemen and Frayed Ends of Sanity.

[@kennethchartrand4251]

Disposable heroes is without doubt my fav Metallica song. The crescendo that Kirk plays during the solo is without doubt the highlight of his career.

[@grahamdrummond2412]

As he said, there is a hell of a lot to choose from, mega Metallica fan non guitar player

[@BridgeOps]

Four horseman is not a Metallica riff, but a Mustaine one. Yes, he was in Metallica, but it will always be a Mustaine riff.

[@brians9954]

The Frayed Ends Of Sanity Bridge riff is awesome!

[@GKFC]

The harmonising between the bass and guitar parts during the Orion solo are a favourite for me. Really nice section of their music.

[@ashleyjackson4481]

Love your podcast . It’s always a good vibe , and lesson

[@aayushsharma532]

*Four Horsemen* is the most under-appreciated riff of all time of Metallica. It's the "best" riff in my eyes, Dave mustaine is a beast

[@aayushpandey6839]

dude Four Horsemen is my favourite riff ever (after Iron Maiden riffs ofcourse ;))

[@aayushpandey6839]

small world huh aayush

[@Maggai]

Great list, Rick! Here is mine. Damage Inc - The middle part riff Blackened - Main riff Newsted represent! Creeping death - Die riff Orion - Main riff Frayed ends - "That" gallop riff Spit out the bone No remorse - chorus riff Through the never - Breakdown riff Fixxxer - Main riff Master of puppets - Pre chorus riff There are so many amazing riffs. On all the albums. Even St. Anger has a bunch of really great riffs.

[@tzvonar]

I like your list. We have similar taste. I would also put Lepper Messiah middle riff in it

[@Maggai]

@@tzvonar Nice!! I love that riff as well, there are so many! It's almost impossible to just choose 10!

[@kellydickinson1773]

Thank you for mentioning the Die riff from Creeping Death. I was surprised Rick didn't use that one, way more iconic. Have you seen Kirk being interviewed about writing that riff? Nutty...

[@mrc404]

Lol i would literally have this as my list + battery

[@uknowme1811]

Fixxxer has such a great groove. Great choice alot of people won't mention.

[@rufus_mcdufus]

My favourite to play is probably the first I learnt - "Orion". Oh, and the quieter arpeggiated part in "Master of Puppets".

[@TheShaneGuy]

To live is to die is one of all time favs. Both the heavy bit and the acoustic section.

[@Rynohoopty]

I love how forward you put the bass even in the backing tracks 🤘🏼🤘🏼

[@desenova9135]

Lovely list. Load and Reload have so many simple, yet fun riffs that I feel get left out of people's lists, but they are fun to jam to: The Cure, Bad Seed, Fixxxer, Outlaw Torn, Bleeding Me, Until it Sleeps, Attitude, Wasting My Hate, and on and on.

[@punkfranco]

king nothing!

[@rs3950]

Reload sucks

[@RAIDOVERMOSCOW1]

There's a reason Rick didn't include anything post- Black Album.

[@Countryboy78]

I don't care what anyone says the load albums were good they weren't as good as Master of puppets or Ride the lightning

[@jacobachorn4050]

I didn't really like much of Load or Reload, but I do agree Bleeding Me is a great riff

[@neilp6496]

These were ALL the Metallica songs my band played in high school, great fun to play. I think the only iconic riff we loved playing and missing here is JUMP IN THE FIRE

[@Bass.sick.b1tch]

Battery was also missing lol

[@arkeeper]

Yep Jump In The Fire is top tier.

[@tvnorminstudio3080]

Jump in the Fire was the first Metallica song I could play just because the main riff is just kinda the minor pentatonic scale.

[@gonzaloallwin]

Wow, all of this songs are of my favorites, the ones that made me wanted to learn guitar, and the ones that i enjoy playing the most from Metallica...

[@carpenterjim7906]

Oh, how I love Wherever I may roam. And all the others:) Great vid!

[@grinder2401]

"Searchiiiiiiiiiiiiiin! Seek and Destroy!!!" The whole song is sooooo fun to play, not just the main riff. It absolutely belongs to this list.

[@Tuvok_Shakur]

i used to play that song in a band, the jam part after the last verse always gave us an adrenaline kick

[@midnight347]

My ex band used to do a seek and destroy and four horsemen medly and we called it seeking the horseman on our set list lol. We played tune in d standard (down full step) and our rhythm section was top notch and made us sound super heavy. We would start seek and destroy like Nirmal and do 2 verses till the part where it does the fast part where the drum breakdown is and from there we would transition into four horseman and start the song and do 2 verses and at the part where it has the middle breakdown we would jump back into the end of seek and do the outro part on seek. It was very cool and worked well together that way you wouldn't know it was two different songs if you weren't familiar with the original songs. I am a pretty good rhythm player but not much of a lead guy and we did not have a lead at the time so we did it that way to avoid any crazy solos lol. It really did work well. we also did am I evil and creeping death we called it am I creeping we did it similar when we would jump to creeping death just before am I evil speeds up in the middle we would do one chorus section and go straight into the die die die part then we'd go back into the ending part of am I evil. Those songs really worked well together. I miss playing music I need to find some more guys to jam with.

[@JT-ii9qn]

It’s song number 9.

[@Tuvok_Shakur]

@@midnight347 When playing the first part of the jam (when james starts laughing) I played it normal 2 times then did an exaggerated slide and then played the next 2 times an octave lower on the power chords and with the D I just payed the A and D strings open like the top part of a power chord but you don't notice the bass note missing. James does that on the very next part (and many others) for the G power chord so that's where I got the idea. It was heavy and I kinda wish Metallica had done it so I could hear it on the CD lol (During the part where James laughs I did a trill on the A string between frets 5 and 7 while sliding my hand over the harmonic parts of the string between the pickups like an easier version of the technique Zakk Wylde uses. He does it on Stoned and Drunk at around 1:47 yes I checked lol) such a fun song to play

[@louis_ricks]

Please, Rick, can you consider doing a PANTERA/ DIMEBAG DARRELL “Riffs” episode? Your content is awesome, btw and your knowledge of music is INSANE!!! 🙏

[@adiian_008]

i love how he mixed the bass pretty loudly (I'm kinda biased to be excited by this at this point as a bassist)

[@menzasarma]

Great choice. Personally I find nice to listen and to play the main riff of King Nothing. Pretty groovy and pretty heavy. There are plenty of nice ideas in the Load/Reload sessions, often missed by the fans of "true metal".

[@rhinoutopia]

Love that you can hear the bass in the mix. Sounds really cool. Someone should tell Metallica....

[@alexandrumircea]

I noticed that too!

[@MegaBadseed]

You can hear the bass in their songs, except one Album.

[@alexandrumircea]

@@88_TROUBLE_88 I'm glad to see that 30 years later you have finally moved on from this issue which now gets no reaction from you anymore ;-P

[@rhinoutopia]

@@88_TROUBLE_88 yeah I can't argue with that. It's old humor. It's just still that annoying and sad to me. That album was epic. Got it the day it was released. In fact I heard two songs live before release at 3 rivers in Pittsburgh. You could hear the bass then. That was a great show. Just still wish they'd remaster the album.. mabye with Rob. Probably never happen 😕

[@eisenschmeisser3959]

@@rhinoutopia Spotify, "...and justice for Jason"... then you have the bass.....

[@k1mbr01]

For me personally, Master is their best album and there isn't a better intro to an album in that genre than Battery. So many great riffs on that album.

[@dizzle7558]

Best metal album period..Don't think anything is close..

[@triad5766]

@@dizzle7558 There are too many metal albums to say that one is the best ever, but MOP isn’t even as good as RTL and AJFA imo. Regardless I wouldn’t say any Metallica record is the best metal record of all time lol.

[@andyaustin2824]

Ride the lightning is my favorite

[@fernandocarneiro2327]

Agree. Master is the best metal album ever!

[@DariusKhan]

Still remember hearing that on vinyl for the first time when it came out (Battery). Blew me away. Very very few albums I can say that about.

[@nikajinchvelashvili8741]

Loved it! Keep em coming !!

[@Someguy-ic3mu]

You play these riffs in such a Groovy way, sounds Awesome!

[@johnabbottphotography]

Brother, One of my favorite things about your channel is watching you completely jam out of the songs you love. For a man with the diverse musical background that you have, its so fun to see you apply it to metal. If you ever have someone on your channel to interview you, I'd like to reserve a spot in line.

[@chewybang]

The chromatic riff before the first verse of For Whom the Bell Tolls is such a blast.

[@walkingolga6235]

yes!! one of my faves

[@CCNYMacGuy]

Hearing that blast out of the stereo for the first time was definitely a top 3 formative moment in terms of my musical taste.

[@TibGabinius]

Totally underrated songs: "to live is do die" and outlaw torn" - those are such great songs with so fun to play riffs in it

[@MichaelMeinberg]

It’s super simple, but I love that opening to One. Dead simple to play, but so much power in those few notes!

[@joshski85]

Think a top 20 riffs is needed with this band. Great stuff as always, Rick.

[@kellyzak2375]

At least

[@michaelfrazia4569]

agree..Def could have gone 20..hell I'd watch 40 , but that's for us real fans

[@Will-lh4lh]

Yep def 20

[@Tuvok_Shakur]

i could probably think of 10 bad ass riffs off of every album except st. anger, might have to limit that one to 5. (frantic is a great song, fight me)

[@MattLovesVinyl]

This is a great list, Rick! The only riff I think I would've added somewhere is, "One." It's definitely not a fast thrash riff, but it totally iconic. Is it not necessarily fun to play? I guess maybe it's a little simplistic, but the sound of it is thoroughly haunting and beautiful.

[@fbmch]

Kind of similar to Fade to Black

[@haraldessert]

I was just waiting for the moment when he'd play One, because I was sure it was on the list. To me it is very iconic, fun and heavy

[@nickmonk7945]

Sanitarium? Oops I commented before hearing no.3

[@Bender6amer]

One is such a beautiful song to play. Especially when it gets to the machine gun 16th note triplet break....LANDMINE!!! HAS TAKEN MY ARMS...

[@adityamohan1773]

The main riff isn't that impressive but the interlude riffs are beautiful

[@glennmattsonjr.5251]

I love the first palm muted riff in For Whom the Bell Tolls. Those heavy, low chords in progression with one another are fun for me as a beginner.

[@brighttorch]

"Sad but true" was the first song that I really felt the difference between a CD and Vinyl. Since the Black Album was the first album that I bought in CD, when the rest came for the first time I didn't hear the scratching of the vinyl and for a second I thought that the CD had stopped.

[@El-Scorcho]

I always really enjoyed Blackened, the opening riffs to Ride The Lightning (the song), and All Nightmare Long

[@Flzw]

I think Blackened is the perfect example of it not being fun to play for him (or for me) it's an awesome riff though.

[@jophusxakc3192]

Yes! I'm right there with you on all three. All Nightmare Long is one of the few classics after the Bob Rock desolation.

[@markp9366]

We need a What Makes this song Great on Baker Street by Gerry Rafferty. Amazing sax and one of the best of not the best guitar solo

[@racebiketuner]

I concur!

[@chavis3]

Awesome song. Foo Fighters did an amazing cover of that song in the late 90’s.

[@tonytone5856]

Absolutely. I've thought that for quite a while.

[@stevewhite443]

Dude! I can't stop laughing at the irony of mentioning (While not a bad song, in fact arguably his best. ) something that is the absolute opposite of Metallica!

[@markp9366]

@@stevewhite443 lol

[@quincycostello6726]

i feel like the four horsemen (kill em all) riff is really underrated. i love it, one of my favorite metallica songs.

[@martinfumo4676]

Some absolutely brilliant riffs I don't see mentioned a lot: The harmonic section in the middle of To Live is to Die Dyers Eve's gallop riff after the guitar solo Fight Fire With Fire main riff The Thing That Should Not Be from start to finish

[@charlesrocks]

Glad Master of Puppets was at the top of the list. The Middle Riff in Damage Inc. is also killer.

[@thomasrivard9772]

damage inc is what I immediately thought of when I saw this vid in my notifications lol

[@EliahHoliday]

Yeah! I remember when the Master of Puppets album came out and whenever my friends and I heard that main riff off of Damage Inc. we'd instantly go into a wild frenzied slam dance.

[@Tangento]

@@EliahHoliday Samesies brah

[@coryyoung1876]

That middle riff is pure adrenaline. Their most ferocious riff they've ever done

[@jamesturner2126]

Kirk Hammett's solo in Blackened was legit the best 60 seconds of his whole career.

[@bronnyredding8860]

My personal favorite is his Disposable Heroes solo, but definitely a strong argument could be made for Blackened

[@matthewtaylor1785]

Also Ride the Lightning and Fade to Black. But Blackened and Disposable Heroes for sure too

[@lillaxxitiv1501]

Eh that solo sucked. Fantastic riff though

[@jasonx4008]

his solo in RTL is my personal fav

[@Tuvok_Shakur]

@@jasonx4008 we cant really know for sure but the second part of that solo is very dave mustaine in my opinion

[@peterlundstrom6054]

Great list. Love it.

[@seminole17910]

"Fade to Black" intro is probably my favorite but they have so many good ones.

[@NovaCollision]

I know that Load and Reload are considered the redheaded stepchildren of Metallica's library, but I think Load has some fantastic songs on it, and the riff at the end of Bleeding Me is one of my favourites.

[@legends1979]

The one thing I always loved about those two albums, is that they are some of the best audio quality records ever put to wax. They are recorded extremely well, amazing tones.

[@TheDondoran]

I'm glad someone else feels the same way. "Bleeding Me" is amazing.

[@thedancingguy828]

Also outlaw Torn

[@Luis-st4gq]

@@thedancingguy828 there's a live performance of Outlaw Torn on KZbin that is absolutely bone-chilling.

[@thedancingguy828]

@@Luis-st4gq the 2019 is my favorite performance

[@ek2719]

As someone who learned guitar primarily to play Metallica riffs, this was great! Agree with number 1, stood the test of time for sure. Top 10 Metallica solos now Rick! ;)

[@imac29]

Half of them are from Mustaine.

[@FelipeGruberTV]

@@imac29 they are not!

[@finnvanderbar3935]

@@imac29 your probably trolling but just in case, maybe one or two solos from kill em all would make it, and while they where layed out by Dave, Kirk played them differently on the record

[@DylanL69]

Definitely number 1 I called that one pretty obvious

[@DylanL69]

@@imac29 he wrote their first 2 albums only

[@alexlarson8750]

That kick is super tight. I love the punchyness, makes alot of room for the instruments too

[@adampalic9627]

I'm so thankful for this... It brought me back 15 years back - especially "Sad But True", as you say, is so nicely clean and heavy. Gonna grab my spanish guitar and play it 😅. I remember myslef traveling in a nightbus home. I had my spanish guitar with me. Drunk enough to play it in bus I played couple pop songs and than I noticed these four metalists sitting close to me... So I turned to them and offered master of puppets on nylon strings 😂. It worked. We had fun all the way home.

[@TadeudosSantos]

The rythm guitar during the solos in songs like Ride The Lightning, Fight Fire with Fire, The Frayed ends of Sanity, Battery, Disposable Heroes is amazing. IMO Metallica is unique when it comes to making the parts in their songs build up into epic solos.

[@lanegunnell1218]

Was hoping someone would mention Frayed Ends riff under the solo. When I first heard that isolated it blew my mind. An amazing riff, really wish it'd gotten a chance to shine outside the solo.

[@gjb79ful]

Absolutely. Glad someone pointed this out, Hetfields solo rhythm riffs are awesome

[@marvinshenk]

Blackened is one of my favorites from the Justice for All album.

[@Amp5150]

3:30 I agree with this take about the drumming on the black album I love it

[@mr.keiser4259]

The chorus of …And Justice for All is probably my favorite Metallica riff. Such a fun riff

[@MrIrrelevanT021]

Master of Puppets is what got me hooked on Metallica. I find it interesting no song beyond Black made the list. Loved the old school list.

[@Dave-bo8ry]

I kept thinking of "King Nothing." My honorable mention.

[@distantgalaxymusic1447]

Me too. First time I heard that song I knew Metallica was for me.

[@HvyMetal4Ever]

That was just your life was pretty solid

[@asmith3846]

Was there an album after Black?

[@MrIrrelevanT021]

@@asmith3846 i am one of the weird ones who really liked St Anger

[@nb_tman699]

I enjoyed this. I'd love to see a best 10 riffs by Alice in Chains, and by Black Sabbath.

[@krislong9338]

agreed, both could be killer

[@bazbarrow6160]

Agree with this 100% ☝️ Please do either of these bands Rick!!

[@Ayvekan]

King Nothing and Don't Tread on Me have got to be two of my favorite songs, both to play and to just listen to, any riff from those songs could easily make it onto my version of this list

[@peternettleship6560]

Great list! As you say, there are so many great riffs. Here are some other riffs I love to play :D Kill 'Em All: The Four Horsemen - 17 seconds Phantom Lord - 32 seconds No Remorse - 2 minutes 57 seconds Ride The Lightning: Fade To Black - 5 minutes 5 seconds The Call Of Ktulu - 33 seconds Master of Puppets: Battery - 1 minute 06 seconds Master of Puppets - 3 minutes 34 seconds Welcome Home (Sanitarium) - 4 minutes 49 seconds Disposable Heroes - 32 seconds Leper Messiah - 3 minutes 13 seconds Damge, Inc. - 3 minutes 14 seconds ...And Justice For All: Blackened - 38 seconds One - 4 minutes 35 seconds To Live Is To Die - 4 minutes 58 seconds Dyers Eve - 3 minutes 3 seconds Metallica: The Unforgiven - 34 seconds Through The Never - 2 minutes 52 seconds Load: Bleeding Me - 0 seconds Thorn Within - 44 seconds The Outlaw Torn - 29 seconds Reload: Fuel - 14 seconds The Memory Remains - 6 seconds Fixxxer - 1 minute 9 seconds S&M: - Human - 36 seconds Death Magnetic: Broken, Beat & Scarred - 59 seconds Hardwired...To Self-Destruct: Confusion - 59 seconds Top 10 lists can be crazy hard. But regardless of mood, there's at least one riff above I'll always enjoy playing.

[@ScripulousFimgore]

Wow! the timing of this video, I just started getting into Metallica like a day ago!

[@hodor3024]

good thing to get into.

[@misterfuzzyflippers]

Enjoy your journey into Metallica.

[@mr5811]

I'm jealous that you get to experience their music for the first time. And they're still touring!

[@MLBa636]

Welcome, friend 🤘

[@TexicanMr]

Did we just become best friends?

[@stygian-hollow1573]

The interlude riffs of The Frayed Ends of Sanity can be difficult but are pretty damn fun

[@gerdez]

You just nailed ALL the riffs that I am learning as a beginner/amateur guitar player. My 10 fav songs list also!

My top 10, in no particular order: ● Hero of the day ● Enter sandman ● The call of Kthulu ● ... and justice for all (intro riff) ● Orion ● Wherever I may roam ● Astronomy (cover of Blue Öyster Cult) ● Nothing else matters (James' picking part on the verse) ● One (the verse riff) ● Creeping death

[@aleron27]

Fade to black, the no one but me riff, is by far my favorite distorted riff of all time, the amount of emotion in it is UNREAL!!!

[@Angry5704]

I watched Metallica's 40th anniversary concerts live, and I have come to the conclusion that metal keeps one young.

[@jeffreyyeater1780]

Oh hell yeah it does . Givesme a completely different attitude.

[@fightforthemic9081]

He cheated with puppets too. No shame, so do I. James plays it ALL down strokes, no pull offs. 220 bpm. Impossibly fast. Yet that's why it sounds so hot.

[@jamesbranner4029]

Nailed it man their are so many more riffs it is almost impossible to have the same top 10 list day to day

[@alexmeyer8517]

Making a list like this really just gives perspective on how goated Papa Het is at riff writing. Kirk and Dave too.

[@michaeldean7220]

Great article and love the refreshing jokey honesty about the down picking. Particularly on the Creeping Death demo it just shows how James' stunning down picking takes the riff to another level.

[@fridaymiles]

Ha-because of that I'm willing to give him a pass on the lack of proper downpicking. As James has been saying for decades-it the key! \m/

[@edwardgarcia3718]

This is a very solid list. I might've found a way to add "Battery" which is notably absent, but really, I have no complaints. Very good list.

[@ACBlack99]

Absolutely awesome, like your videos, and your lessons on IG

[@BigPoyoEnergy]

My favorite riff is pretty much the entirety of Ride the Lightning (the song). Honorable mention is Shortest Straw.

[@stevenbeaucaire1161]

Love these kind of videos. You need to play more.

[@tilfmilfy7459]

10- Jump in the fire 9- holier than thou 8- fuel 7- master of puppets 6- disposable Hero’s 5- Damage Inc 4- The Frayed ends of Sanity 3- Fade To Black 2- One 1- Spit out the bone

[@dans80]

I was drving my 8 years old son to his hockey practice, and put my favourite Metallica songs. For one thing he had never really listened any heavy metal songs, his reaction was: OMG dad this is so good who is this new band ?:):):) It's heavy but very melodic !