Reddit Users Name Songs to Introduce Someone to Metallica

What songs would you play to introduce someone to Metallica who’d never heard them before? Fans are having a discussion about the best tracks to play on Reddit.

The original post, which was shared yesterday on the Metallica Reddit page, asked fellow Metallica fans to name the three songs they would play for a hypothetical friend that hadn’t heard the band before.

It’s difficult to imagine there are many people in the world who’ve never heard “Enter Sandman,” but just pretend for fun.

A couple of users pointed out that their responses would depend on who the friend is — what their general music taste is, whether they prefer older music or if they’re even into heavy music at all. The rest of the individuals chose their three songs, with some choosing three for a variety of different styles and moods.

We’ve highlighted the top comments below, and included some of the responses to each of them underneath. Keep reading to see their picks.

The ‘Classics’

The comment with the most upvotes chose three songs they consider “classics” — “Master of Puppets,” “One” and “Enter Sandman.” The responses to this comment were mostly in agreement, with one person noting that those were the first three Metallica songs they’d ever heard.

A Wider Variety

The next fan stressed the importance of showcasing how versatile Metallica’s music can be. They chose a ballad (“Fade to Black” or “The Unforgiven”), a thrash song (“Master of Puppets”) and a mid-tempo song (“Sad But True”).

Metallica, ‘Sad But True’

Chronological Order

Another person wanted to showcase the band’s range, but in chronological order. They also provided detailed descriptions as to why.

“‘Battery’ — Start with this one. That soft acoustic changeover to the wall of sound, and then the final ascent into an absolute thrash ride is exactly what hooked me back in 1986. Maybe it will work on him, too.

“‘Enter Sandman’ — Go ahead and tell him that it’s their most popular / famous song, just so he gets a sense of what a casual fan might enjoy from the band.

“‘The Day That Never Comes’ — A completely different sound, obviously way more raw. James [Hetfield] sings much differently than the songs I mentioned above. Great pace changes… and it’s an epic, which Metallica is definitely famous for. Plus you can boggle his mind a little when you tell him that ‘Battery’ and this one were released 22 years apart.”

Metallica, ‘The Day That Never Comes’

READ MORE: System of a Down Fans Name Worst Song to Introduce Someone to Band

They also suggested substituting “The Day That Never Comes” with “Bleeding Me” from 1996’s Load. 

See some of the responses below.

• “I’d have substituted the last one for ‘One’ or ‘Fade to Black’.”
• “Or [substitute with] ‘Outlaw Torn.’ Probably one of the most underrated / played songs from Metallica catalogue. But having heard ‘Bleeding Me’ on tour 1996, it was a huge song live. Man ‘Load’ from the album sounded lame the next day…”

Depends on How Heavy They Like It

This comment was particularly interesting, as they suggested three songs for three different preferences of heaviness. According to the individual:

For someone who’s a “casual fan of heavy music,” they suggested “Nothing Else Matters,” “Enter Sandman” and “The Unforgiven.”

A bigger fan of heavy music should try “Master of Puppets,” “One” and “Sad But True.”

Someone who’s into older music may enjoy “Seek and Destroy,” “Ride the Lightning” and “Motorbreath.”

Read the full discussion over on Reddit to see the rest of the responses.