Metallica Vinyl LP Records

The Metallica vinyl LP records here cover studio albums from the 1983 debut Kill 'Em All to 72 Seasons, live recordings with an orchestra and extensive box sets. James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich formed Metallica in Los Angeles in 1981, and the band was among those that shaped thrash metal in the early eighties. Most albums are offered in several editions: an original release, a remastered version on 180 g vinyl and a limited coloured edition. You'll also find the Garage Days Re-Revisited EP and the covers album Garage Inc.

Which Metallica vinyl records are thrash metal and which lean towards hard rock?

Metallica's studio albums change considerably over four decades. The tempo, track length and guitar sound depend on the period, so it helps to know where an album fits.

• Thrash metal (1983 – 1988): fast riffs on the raw debut Kill 'Em All, followed by Ride The Lightning and Master Of Puppets with longer, more intricate tracks, and finally ...And Justice for All.
• Black Album (1991): the album titled Metallica is slower and heavier, featuring Enter Sandman and Nothing Else Matters.
• Load and Reload (1996 – 1997): shorter tracks closer to hard rock, with blues influences.
• From St. Anger to 72 Seasons (2003 – 2023): the raw St. Anger, a return to faster thrash on Death Magnetic and Hardwired...To Self-Destruct, followed by 72 Seasons.

What does Metallica sound like on live records?

Metallica recorded the live albums S&M and S&M2 with the San Francisco Symphony orchestra, the first in 1999 and the second in 2019. Tracks from different periods appear in orchestral arrangements, with S&M released on three LPs and S&M2 on four. Alongside these, the range includes recordings of individual concerts and festivals, such as Woodstock 1994 or Winnipeg 1986.

Remaster, coloured vinyl or a box set with CDs and DVDs?

The album Metallica, known as the Black Album, gives a clear example of how editions of the same title differ. The range includes a double LP from 2021, a remastered reissue on 180 g vinyl and the limited Some Blacker edition on coloured marbled vinyl. During remastering, a sound engineer reworks the sound of the original recordings; the music itself stays the same. The box sets labelled Deluxe Edition add fourteen CDs and six DVDs of further recordings to the album.

Load and Reload also have similar box sets, joined by double-LP reissues and limited coloured editions, such as Load in orange and Reload in yellow. Other coloured releases include Garage Inc. on three blue LPs and 72 Seasons in purple or red-and-black marbled vinyl. The albums play at 33 1/3 revolutions per minute. You'll find Metallica on CD on the Metallica Music CDs page, and vinyl and CDs together in the Metallica Vinyl LP Records and CDs section.