With a defiant chorus of ‘we’ll hunt you down without mercy/hunt you down all nightmare long’, the world once again had reason to fear Metallica after a decade of indifference.

At just over five minutes in length, Battery represented the shortest of Puppets’ eight tracks. With a pulse that rarely drops below the brink of collapse, it was also the most dangerous.

Eight minutes of emotional, heartfelt music that sees James Hetfield confronting his inner demons once and for all. For sheer passion alone, they don’t come much better than this.

A grand and dramatic introduction makes way for one of the most intense opening riffs of a generation, cementing Metallica’s position at the top of the heavy metal pyramid.

Quite possibly the most famous hard rock song ever written, the chances of at least one middle-aged family not knowing this seemingly immortal anthem are slim at best.

Kick-started by possibly the most distinctive heavy metal bass line ever written, it sees Metallica straying into slower, darker territories for the first time, with spectacular results.

A full-throttle rock and roll hurricane that puts its foot firmly to the floor and refuses to budge it. A rare highlight from an otherwise patchy period in Metallica’s history.

Never pushing beyond third gear, this hefty slab of metallic brilliance stomps along with a menacing purpose. Proof that being heavy doesn’t always mean being fast.

THE FIRST track on the 'Garage Days Re-Revisited' EP that introduced bassist Jason Newsted to Metallica's loyal fan-base, this is a clattering cover of an old Diamond Head tune. And it kicks arse.

The first song that Metallica ever wrote, the track features punk influences that are pushed to the forefront by a series of hyperactive riffs and double-time drum bursts. In just four minutes, metal had changed forever.

A combination of red-hot riffs, percussive precision, beautiful classical interludes, soaring solos and disturbing cackled outros; all of which clock in at just under nine unstoppable minutes.

Written especially for the band’s performance alongside the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, the song has recently begun to work its way into Metallica’s live set. Worth it for the dramatic climax alone.

Arguably the most haunting song in the Metallica arsenal. Opening with a delicate spine-chilling guitar line, it soon evolves into a raging beast, spawning one of the band’s most infamous guitar solos

Thick, crunchy and deceptively dark; like most good chocolate bars. That chart-bothering pleb Kid Rock would go on to sample its base riff years later shows the size its unmistakable impact.

Packed full of meaty guitars and with one of the finest solos of Kirk Hammett’s career shining brightly, this was yet another reminder that the beast was well and truly back.

Dark and brooding right to its very core, Welcome Home was a reminder not only of Metallica’s superior song writing ability, but that they were pushing the boundaries of thrash like few others.