Apple Music released its selection of the 100 best albums of all time last Thursday, the 22nd. Although rock was well represented, only one metal album made the ranking.
The chosen album was the undeniable Metallica , Master of Puppets , which occupied the 69th position. Released in March 1986, the album reached number 29 on the Billboard 200, remaining on the chart for 72 weeks. The album was also the band's first to receive gold certification on November 4, 1986, and in 2003, it was certified six times platinum.
Kirk Hammett , the band's guitarist, considers Master Of Puppets his favorite Metallica album, according to a 2017 interview with Revolver Magazine .
“Master of Puppets is my favorite album. Everyone was more or less comfortable in their roles. Everyone was playing well. We knew what we were striving for. We knew what we could do. We knew each other's playing style and strengths well. All of that culminated in this album,” he explained.
Furthermore, the album was also the last to feature Cliff Burton , the band's bassist who died in a car accident in Sweden during the Damage Inc.
Criteria used in compiling the list
Apple did not specify who edited the list, and the criteria for its creation were kept largely confidential.
However, Ebro Darden , Global Editorial Director of Hip-Hop and R&B at Apple Music, revealed on X , formerly Twitter, that a team received some guidelines for making their selections, which were:
- Albums that represented a cultural moment for the artist or genre.
- Albums that were complete thoughts, not just collections of hit songs.
- Albums that fully represent the culture in both production and lyrics.
- Albums that inspired a generation to want to create more music.
- Albums that represent the best in storytelling, musicality, recording, and production.
- Albums that are timeless and have transcended genre categorization.
Click here to see the full list of the 100 best albums of all time, according to Apple Music.
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