More Riffs
Forgotten gems, B sides, rarities
“HIT THE LIGHTS”
Metal Massacre, 1982
A messy homage to British heavy metal (credited to “Mettallica”) the band’s first-ever recording sports a jazzy, unwieldy solo by early guitarist Lloyd Grant.
“THE MECHANIX”
No Life ‘Til Leather demo, 1982 Metallica later retrofitted this gritty Dave Mustaine song about a letchy gas jockey and rebranded it “The Four Horsemen.”
“NOTHING ELSE MATTERS
(ELEVATOR VERSION)”
“Sad but True” single, 1993
The same recording as the Black Album hit but without electric guitar or drums, it relies instead on Hetfield’s intensity and Michael Kamen’s orchestrations.
“ONLY HAPPY
WHEN IT RAINS”
Unreleased, 2007
Hetfield somehow squeezed even more pathos from Garbage’s synth-pop lament by turning it into a moody acoustic rumination.
“WHITE LIGHT,
WHITE HEAT”
Unreleased, 2009
Metallica and Lou Reed found enough common ground in their run-through of the Velvet Underground’s proto-metal bruiser to inspire Lulu.
“AM I EVIL?” The Big Four: Live From Sofia, Bulgaria, 2010
Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, and Anthrax jam on a Diamond Head classic — and Dave Mustaine buries the hatchet with his estranged bandmates.
“DIARY OF A MADMAN”
Unreleased, 2014
With former Ozzy Osbourne bassist Rob Trujillo now in their ranks, Metallica performed a fiery acoustic rendition of one of Ozzy’s best songs.
“DISPOSABLE HEROES”
Helping Hands...Live & Acoustic at the Masonic, 2019
Metallica recast one of Puppets’ hardest-hitting songs as a Zeppelinesque folk-song odyssey.
“ENTER SANDMAN”
Helping Hands...Live & Acoustic at the Masonic, 2019
Metallica turn their signature hit into an eerie cowboy ghost song, à la Johnny Cash, complete with steel guitar.