The 4 Metallica records that Slash said are some of his favorites

One of the most important elements of Guns N’ Roses‘ music, the guitarist Slash was born in Hampstead, London, England back in 1965 and became one of the most influential guitar players of all time.

Although he became one of the most famous guitar heroes in Hard Rock music, he has a broad musical taste and also likes Thrash Metal. He praised Metallica many times over the decades and even mentioned 4 records released by them that he loves.

The 4 Metallica records that Slash said are some of his favorites

“Metallica” (Black Album – 1991)

Released in 1991, Metallica’s self-titled album also known as “The Black Album” is their best-selling album but not every fan of the group likes that record. Because the band changed their sound a little bit more and became more commercial. However, in an interview with Spin magazine back in 2021, Slash said that he loves that record.

“I think any Metallica album is a given for a hard rock/metal record collection. They are the pinnacle of that style of music, and they were among the first bands to revolutionize that particular style and sound. But the Black Album crossed over in a way that made them a household name. They achieved that while maintaining their sonic integrity, songwriting and attitude.”

“They took their signature style and recorded an album that became universally accessible, but still fucking cool. That is no small feat and maybe something that artists like Metallica might not even want to do. But on this record, it happened for them. The legacy of the Black Album will live on forever,” Slash said.

At the time, the band was formed by James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett and Jason Newsted. Some of the most famous songs of the album are “Enter Sandman”, “Sad But True”, “The Unforgiven” and “Nothing Else Matters”.

“Master of Puppets” (1986)

Back in 2010 in an interview with Paste Magazine Slash revealed which were his 10 favorite guitar riffs of all time. One of them was from the song “Disposable Heroes”, from Metallica’s “Master Of Puppets” album released in 1986. Explaining why he loved the song, he said it was the best album Metallica had released.

“This one’s off of Master of Puppets, which is the ultimate Metallica album of all time. I love the rhythm and timing on this one, and it’s got a real sinister drive to it, too. Like you just know something bad’s about to happen,” Slash said.

That was the final album with the legendary bassist and songwriter Cliff Burton, who tragically passed away a few months after the album was released. He was only 24 and died in a bus accident when they were touring in Sweden.

Besides the title-track it has songs like “Battery”, “Welcome Home (Sanitarium)”, “Leper Messiah” and “Orion”.

“72 Seasons” (2023)

Released by Metallica in 2023, “72 Seasons” is their eleventh album and Slash told Ola Englund in 2024 that he loved the record. He was asked what he was listening to recently and he revealed that he was usually hearing new records from old bands.

“As far as bands are concerned, mostly the stuff that I’ve been listening to are older bands with new records. AC/DC had a new record. That was really good. Queens of The Stone Age’s got a new record. I love Gojira; it’s great. The new Metallica is fucking amazing. So there’s a lot of new stuff in that vein,” Slash said.

The album was quite successful and peaked at number one on the charts of several countries. It was the first in the UK albums chart and the second on the United States Billboard 200, for example.

Besides the title-track, it has praised songs like “Lux Æterna”, “If Darkness Had a Son” and “Inamorata”.

“Garage Days”

Another Metallica record which was praised by Slash was the EP he $5.98 E.P. – Garage Days Re-Revisited” released in 1987. It was their first extended play and had covers of late 70s and early 80s Metal and Punk bands. It was their first record with Jason Newsted.

Slash praised that EP in an interview with the Sex Pistols guitarist Steve Jones back in 2019. “Some cover records are better than others. But the ones where the artist really relates to the original material and it becomes part of their personality when they re-record it. I think that’s really cool. I thought ‘Garage Days’ from Metallica was one of the best cover records of all-time. It was great,” Slash said.

On that EP they covered bands like: Diamond Head, Holocaust, Killing Joke, Budgie and Misfits.