From TLC chaos to Hall Of Fame glory, AEW superstar Adam Copeland has made a career out of defying gravity – and expectation. It was a surprising Instagram photo with Metallica’s James Hetfield – two legends of their respective crafts, kicking it at a Toronto Maple Leafs game – that led us here. The second Adam raved about his lifelong love of Metallica, we knew a sit-down was inevitable.
When Hammer talks to him, he’s chipper (downright upbeat, in fact) and ready to take us on a full-throttle spin through his favourite song from each of Metallica’s 11 studio albums. His knowledge of the band is encyclopaedic, his passion unrivalled. “There’s something about that music. I’d listen to it on the road and it became my muse. Metallica is a constant in my life,” he says. So here we go. No rankings, no compromises, and no Lulu.
The Four Horsemen (Kill ’Em All, 1983)
“Kill ’Em All is a dirty, gritty thrash metal album and I love it! Especially its garage feel. Four Horsemen and Motorbreath, back to back… wow! I’ve always loved The Four Horsemen. That song just punches you right in the gut.”
Fade To Black (Ride The Lightning, 1984)
“Coming off of Kill ’Em All, to come back on your sophomore effort and have a song like Fade To Black on it… what? Talk about taking risks! And just a beautifully written composition.”
Battery (Master Of Puppets, 1986)
“I direct these vignettes in my head and for this song: I’m walking through the desert, the heat’s rising and you see this lone figure in the distance, slowly making his way to the camera until, BAM! It just kicks in.”
One (…And Justice For All, 1988)
“For me, it’s the whole album, but gun to my head, it’s One. I just sit with my headphones on and it blows me away every time. One is definitely metal but it has so much more than that.”
My Friend Of Misery (Metallica, 1991)
“That bass, the way it starts and the mood it sets...that song has always hit. The Black Album is where they made their sound more accessible to the total population and I feel like it was a great change. It was time. When you’re around that long, you don’t want to be a one-trick pony.”
Wasting My Hate (Load, 1996 / Reload, 1997)
“They cut their hair, big deal. They’re wearing nicer clothes, big deal. Wasting My Hate is a great track. These albums are underrated, but when this comes on, the volume goes up.”
Frantic (St Anger, 2003)
“Along with Load/Reload, these albums might be near the bottom of the list, but I quite enjoy St Anger. I understand about the drum sound and all of those things but I really like Frantic. Killer song.”
My Apocalypse (Death Magnetic, 2008)
“This album was heavier and more in-your-face. My Apocalypse just hits me in the right spot. I think I even plagiarised one of the lyrics for a promo once. Haha!”
Spit Out The Bone (Hardwired… To Self-Destruct, 2016)
“Look at the list that I just did: we go from a very dark ballad [in Fade To Black] to Spit Out The Bone. This is why I like Metallica, they’re more than just metal. This is one of the faster songs on there. It’s just full-on.”
Lux Æterna (72 Seasons, 2023)
“My daughter Ruby and I were listening to the radio and Lux Æterna came on. She went, ‘Dad? Who’s this?’ ‘Oh, honey, this is Metallica.’ And she went, ‘Dad, can you turn it up?’ ‘Yup!’ Haha! But she thought it was called ‘Maxi Turner’. So every time it comes on, she sings, ‘Maxi Turner!’ I got to tell James that story and he goes, ‘Maxi Turner?!’ Haha!”
