Metallica's Master Of Puppets voted best album of the 80s

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Louder readers have voted Metallica's 1986 album Master Of Puppets the best album of the 1980s

With roughly 35,000 votes being cast in an online poll, Master Of Puppets topped the list, followed by Guns N' Roses' 1987 classic Appetite For Destruction coming second, and AC/DC's Back In Black third. 

"In the 80s, a lot of mainstream metal sounded lame," says Louder's Content Director Scott Rowley. "It was the era of Reagan and Thatcher, AIDs and apartheid, and they were all singing about girls and worrying about their hair. 

You may like

"Metallica's first three albums sounded livid in comparison – frustrated, angry and defiant – the perfect soundtrack for the times. 

"Master Of Puppets started like the score for a spaghetti western and by the time it finished eight tracks later, the world had changed just a little."

Metallica recently announced the third leg of the WorldWired tour, which will take place in 2019.

They’ve lined up a total of 25 stadium shows which will get under way in Lisbon, Portugal, on May 1, and conclude with a performance in Mannheim, Germany, on August 25. Ghost and Bokassa will have been named as special guests. You can see full dates at the bottom of the page.

Metallica - Master Of Puppets Deluxe Box Set

Metallica - Master Of Puppets Deluxe Box Set

You can now pick up Metallica's best album in an all-mod-cons, reissued box set. Stuffed full with extra tracks, cassettes, a hardback book and any number of other bells and whistles, this reissue can be found in either CD or vinyl editions.

Metallica WorldWired UK and European stadium tour

May 01: Lisbon Estádio do Restelo, Portugal
May 03: Madrid Valdebebas, Spain
May 05: Barcelona Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys, Spain
May 08: Milan San Siro Hippodrome, Italy
May 10: Zürich Letzigrund, Switzerland
May 12: Paris Stade De France, France
Jun 08: Dublin Slane Castle, Ireland
Jun 11: Amsterdam Johan Cruijff Arena, Netherlands
Jun 13: Cologne RheinEnergieStadion, Germany
Jun 16: Brussels Koning Boudewijnstadion, Belgium
Jun 18: Manchester Etihad Stadium, UK
Jun 20: London Twickenham Stadium, UK
Jul 06: Berlin Olympiastadion, Germany
Jul 09: Gothenburg Ullevi, Sweden
Jul 11: Copenhagen Telia Parken, Denmark
Jul 13: Trondheim Granåsen, Norway
Jul 16: Hameenlinna Kantolan Tapahtumapuisto, Finland
Jul 18: Tartu, Raadi Airport, Estonia
Jul 21: Moscow Luzhniki Stadium, Russia
Aug 14: Bucharestv Arena Națională, Romania
Aug 16: Vienna Ernst-Happel-Stadion, Austria
Aug 18: Prague Airport Letnany, Czech Republic
Aug 21: Warsaw PGE Narodowy, Poland
Aug 23: Munich Olympiastadion, Germany
Aug 25: Mannheim Maimarktgelande, Germany

Briony Edwards

Briony is the Editor in Chief of Louder and is in charge of sorting out who and what you see covered on the site. She started working with Metal Hammer, Classic Rock and Prog magazines back in 2015 and has been writing about music and entertainment in many guises since 2009. Her favourite-ever interviewee is either Billy Corgan or Kim Deal. She is a big fan of cats, Husker Du and pizza.

Read more
Linkin Park/Bruce Dickinson/Bring Me The Horizon/Poppy/Zeal & Ardor
The 20 best metal albums of 2024 - as voted by the readers of Metal Hammer
Kerry King in 2024
“Iron Maiden’s tough, because it’s a very different vibe between Killers and Number Of The Beast”: Slayer’s Kerry King names his five perfect metal albums
A collage of metal names including Ghost, Babymetal, Bloodywood, Linkin Park and more
The 50 best metal songs of 2024
Metallica in 1999
"You can only be what the public thinks you are for so long before it becomes boring": The story of how Metallica got themselves an orchestra – and the album that followed
James Hetfield onstage with Metallica in 2024
Metallica’s James Hetfield names who he deems the “master craftsman at lyrics” – and it’s not a metal musician
Papa Roach/Employed To Serve/Nova Twins/Cradle of Filth/Electric Callboy
The 12 best new metal songs you need to hear right now
Latest in
Vera Farmiga in 2021
The Conjuring star Vera Farmiga announces debut album with her heavy metal band The Yagas
'Emo' Ed Sheeran busking
Watch Ed Sheeran cover Chappell Roan's Pink Pony Club on the New York subway while disguised as an emo busker
A close-up shot of the Marshall Major IV on-ear headphones on a turquoise, blue and black background.
I’ve never seen the Marshall Major IV headphones this cheap before - get them for half price in Amazon’s big spring sale
Evanescence in 2025
Evanescence release new song Afterlife from Devil May Cry TV series soundtrack, have their next album in the works
Tony Banks
“You only have to hear the opening sweep to reach for your lighter and wave it in the air”: Tony Banks' greatest Genesis moments
The Horrors
Ghouls Aloud: The Horrors come back from the dead with "a dazzling nocturnal spectacle of sombre reflections and oozing catharsis"
Latest in News
Vera Farmiga in 2021
The Conjuring star Vera Farmiga announces debut album with her heavy metal band The Yagas
'Emo' Ed Sheeran busking
Watch Ed Sheeran cover Chappell Roan's Pink Pony Club on the New York subway while disguised as an emo busker
A close-up shot of the Marshall Major IV on-ear headphones on a turquoise, blue and black background.
I’ve never seen the Marshall Major IV headphones this cheap before - get them for half price in Amazon’s big spring sale
Evanescence in 2025
Evanescence release new song Afterlife from Devil May Cry TV series soundtrack, have their next album in the works
Bruce Dickinson in 2024 and a painting of William Blake in 1759
“This deluxe edition contains actual soil from the grave of William Blake”: Iron Maiden’s Bruce Dickinson is releasing a comic book compilation with dirt from the resting place of one of England’s most famous poets
Steven Wilson in 2015 and Playboi Carti in 2025
“I’ve been touring around indie record stores, and I’ve yet to meet anyone who’s even heard of Playboi Carti”: Steven Wilson comments on chart battle with superstar rapper