St. Anger

Metallica's eighth studio record represents the band hitting the reset button on their career—but instead of merely reverting to the frenzied thrash of their youth, the quartet choose to sculpt intricate heavy-metal mosaics. On the headbanger-friendly "My World," waves of nu-metal riffs collide with disorienting grooves, while “Some Kind of Monster” simmers with sludgy, bellowing noises. Then there's the aptly named "Frantic," which employs supernova-like bursts of pummelling guitars and snarling vocals to create a righteous ruckus akin to a buffalo stampede.