Welcome to My Music Mondays. Each week I will be delving into my music collection and looking at a new artist going somewhat randomly currently but eventually from A to Z. I’ll examine why I first started listening to them, my favorite album and my top 10 songs for the artist. As my music collection is pretty extensive and I have a lot of one offs, I have set a qualification to be featured here. That is that I have to have at least two albums of the artist’s music before they can be considered. This week I look at Metallica.

I had a choice of which band to do today. On one hand, Pearl Jam’s “Ten” is being re-released tomorrow and the album is being released on Rock Band tomorrow on XBOX Live and Thursday on the PSN. On the other hand, this coming Sunday Guitar Hero: Metallica releases and I was asked specifically by a friend to do a special My Music Monday: Mettallika edition. I know that is spelled wrong, it ties into the request….

Anyway I was turned on to Metallica somewhere around eighth grade and my freshman year of high school. At the time I was big into the 80s hair metal scene, bands like Motley Crue, Def Leppard, Bon Jovi, Europe and Poison were in my tape deck along with Guns N’ Roses. I spent a lot of time listening to those bands and watching their videos on MTV. Then one day I caught the brand new video for “Enter Sandman” and I was hooked. I fell in love with the Black album and quickly began looking into their prior works, to which I was turned onto some of the most heavy, yet melodic music I had ever heard.

I have been a fan for nearly 20 years now and have had the pleasure to see them live a couple times, each of which was a special occasion. The best time I ever had though was during a free concert that the band held in the parking lot of the CoreStates Center, which they entitled the Million Decibel March, was held in November 1997. The concert was insane and at one point I was within just a couple feet of Kirk Hammett, by far the best free concert I have ever been too.

Favorite Album: Master of Puppets

If I had to choose only a handful of albums as my all time favorites, Master of Puppets would be on that list. In my opinion it may be the best metal album ever put together.

10 Favorite Songs

10. Bleeding Me
9. The Call of Ktulu
8. One
7. Wherever I May Roam
6. Nothing Else Matters
5. Master of Puppets
4. Enter Sandman
3. Orion
2. Fade to Black
1. Welcome Home (Sanitarium)

So what do you think of Metallica?