Metallica’s existence is surrounded by superlatives. After starting as one of the first thrash metal bands, they released one of the best-selling albums in history with The Black Album and became, undisputedly, the biggest metal band ever. However, even the greatest artists have moments of lesser success, which brings us to another kind of record: what are the least listened-to songs Metallica have ever put out?
To solve this mystery, Metal Hammer has combed through every studio album to bear the Four Horsemen’s name and returned with their 10 least popular original tracks. Don’t expect any Master Of Puppetses or Enter Sandmans to show up as we list these entries found at the very bottom of Metallica’s Spotify statistics.
10. Thorn Within (Load, 1996)
Thorn Within follows Mama Said on Load, yet not many of the beloved country ballad’s listeners have stuck around to hear what comes next. While Mama… boasts 43 million Spotify streams, Thorn… has a measly 6.99 million. The fact that Metallica have never played this song live certainly hasn’t helped its popularity.
9. Room Of Mirrors (72 Seasons, 2023)
Room Of Mirrors is, shockingly, the only 72 Seasons song to make this list, despite the album coming out as recently as April 2023. Thanks to it being both a meat-and-potatoes thrasher and buried between the more popular Too Far Gone? and Inamorata, it has just 6.86 million streams.
8. Shoot Me Again (St Anger, 2003)
St Anger is easily Metallica’s most hated release, so several of its songs make this list. Although the album does have some underrated bangers (especially Frantic), Shoot Me Again isn’t one of them. Its discordant opening means that only 6.81 million listeners have stuck around to give the track a chance.
7. Prince Charming (Reload, 1997)
Prince Charming does not deserve to be here. This deep cut off of 1997’s Reload is dropping with hard rock swagger, its dirty riffs and Hetfield’s snarls nearing Motörhead levels of grit. Alas, it’s buried deep in the album’s track listing and never seen a setlist, sullying it with just 6.8 million streams.
6. Where The Wild Things Are (Reload, 1997)
A heavy metal track named after a children’s picturebook? Yeah, it doesn’t sound like a recipe for success to us either, and the slow, meandering Where The Wild Things Are has only amassed 6.78 million streams. Don’t expect Metallica to call a song Cat In The Hat or Goodnight Moon anytime soon…
5. Poor Twisted Me (Load, 1996)
Load may be controversial, but it’s packed with beloved bangers, from Until It Sleeps to the oft-overlooked Bleeding Me. Poor Twisted Me isn’t one of them. Its start-stop riffs and four-minute length mean that, by the time the song’s properly ramped up, it’s over. Thus, only 6.66 million listens for this one.
4. My World (St Anger, 2003)
While St Anger frequently feels discordant and overly long, My World dodges both traps. Its brisk runtime, catchy howls of “It’s my world and you can’t have it!” and no-nonsense riffing actually make it a standout – not that the numbers portray that. With 6.03 million streams, it’s the album’s third-least popular song.
3. Attitude (Reload, 1997)
You have to think Attitude is more a victim of circumstance than bad songwriting. Given the song’s bluesy, high-octane brilliance, its meagre 5.79 million streams seem thanks to a mix of unenviable placement (second-to-last on a 13-song album) and never once being part of a Metallica setlist. It’s a right shame.
2. All Within My Hands (St Anger, 2003)
Given Metallica have named a charity after All Within My Hands, you’d be forgiven for assuming this song has a bigger legacy than it does. This nine-minute St Anger finale has only been listened to 5.55 million times on Spotify, despite eight acoustic performances. It’s still not the most-skipped song on its parent album, however…
1. Purify (St Anger, 2003)
The dubious honour of Metallica’s least-heard album track goes to Purify, which has just 5.06 million streams. It ticks all the requirements for being overlooked that some other entries here have shown: being on St Anger, being penultimate on a track listing and, you guessed it, never once being played live. Purify’s far from the worst Metallica song though, so a redemption of its public image seems to be in order.
