Metallica first found commercial success with the release of its third album, Master of Puppets (1986), which is cited as one of the heaviest metal albums and the band's best work. The band's next album, ...And Justice for All (1988), gave Metallica its first Grammy Award nomination. Its self-titled fifth album, Metallica (1991), was the band's first not to root predominantly in thrash metal; it appealed to a more mainstream audience, achieving substantial commercial success and selling over 16 million copies in the United States to date, making it the best-selling album of the SoundScan era. After experimenting with different genres and directions in subsequent releases, Metallica returned to its thrash metal roots with the release of its ninth album, Death Magnetic (2008), which drew similar praise to that of the band's earlier albums. This was followed by the band's 10th studio album, Hardwired... to Self-Destruct (2016), with its 11th album, 72 Seasons, releasing in 2023.
In 2000, Metallica led the case against the peer-to-peer file sharing service Napster, in which the band and several other artists filed lawsuits against the service for sharing their copyright-protected material without consent, eventually reaching a settlement. Metallica was the subject of the acclaimed 2004 documentary film Metallica: Some Kind of Monster, which documented the troubled production of the band's eighth album, St. Anger (2003), and the internal struggles within the band at the time. In 2009, Metallica was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The band co-wrote the screenplay for and starred alongside Dane DeHaan in the 2013 concert film Metallica: Through the Never, in which the band performed live against a fictional thriller storyline.
Metallica has released 10 studio albums, four live albums (including two performances with the San Francisco Symphony), 12 video albums, a cover album, two extended plays, 37 singles and 39 music videos. The band has won nine Grammy Awards from 23 nominations, and its last six studio albums (beginning with Metallica) have consecutively debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. Metallica ranks as one of the most commercially successful bands of all time, having sold over 125 million albums worldwide as of 2018. Metallica has been listed as one of the greatest artists of all time by magazines such as Rolling Stone, which ranked the band No. 61 on its 100 Greatest Artists of All Time list. As of 2017, Metallica is the third-best-selling music artist since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking sales in 1991, selling a total of 58 million albums in the United States.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metallica
Studio albums
Kill 'Em All (1983)
Ride the Lightning (1984)
Master of Puppets (1986)
...And Justice for All (1988)
Metallica (1991)
Load (1996)
Reload (1997)
St. Anger (2003)
Death Magnetic (2008)
Hardwired... to Self-Destruct (2016)
72 Seasons (2023)
The Four Horsemen
Metallica Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Better raise your ears
The sound of hooves knocks at your door
Lock up your wife and children now
It's time to wield the blade
For now you have got some company
The horsemen are drawing nearer
They have come to take your life
On through the dead of night
With the four horsemen ride
Or choose your fate and die
Oh yeah yeah
You have been dying since the day you were born
You know it has all been planned
The quartet of deliverance rides
A sinner once a sinner twice
No need for confession now
'Cause now you have got the fight of your life
The horsemen are drawing nearer
On the leather steeds they ride
They have come to take your life
On through the dead of night
With the four horsemen ride
Or choose your fate and die
Oh yeah yeah
Time has taken its toll on you
The lines that crack your face
Famine, your body it has torn through
Withered in every place
Pestilence, for what you have had to endure
And what you have put others through
Death, deliverance for you for sure
There is nothing you can do
So gather round young warriors now
And saddle up your steeds
Killing scores with demon swords
Now is the death of doers of wrong
Swing the judgment hammer down
Safely inside armor blood guts and sweat
The horsemen are drawing nearer
On the leather steeds they ride
They have come to take your life
On through the dead of night
With the four horsemen ride
Or choose your fate and die
Oh yeah yeah
The lyrics of Metallica’s The Four Horsemen paint a vivid picture of the biblical apocalypse. The song begins with a warning that the four horsemen have arrived and it’s time to prepare for the worst. The chilling sound of their hooves knocking at the door is described as they draw nearer on their leather steeds, coming to take lives. The song offers a warning to listeners that death is inevitable – “you have been dying since the day you were born” – and that it’s time to take a stand and choose to fight or succumb to fate.
The second verse offers a bleak assessment of the toll that time takes on everyone. The horsemen are described as pestilence, famine and death – the bringers of destruction and deliverance. Listeners are encouraged to gather as warriors and to take on the death of those who do wrong. The song is a powerful call to arms, urging people to take control of their own destiny, to don armor, blood and guts, and to be ready to fight for survival.
Line by Line Meaning
By the last breath of the fourth winds blow
This is the final warning that the end is near and something ominous is coming.
Better raise your ears
Pay attention and be aware of the dangers that are approaching.
The sound of hooves knocks at your door
The four horsemen are coming and death is imminent.
Lock up your wife and children now
Protect your loved ones from the impending danger.
It's time to wield the blade
It's time to fight back against the four horsemen and death.
For now you have got some company
You are not alone in your fight against the four horsemen and death.
The horsemen are drawing nearer
The four horsemen are getting closer and closer.
On the leather steeds they ride
The horsemen ride on horses and make a terrifying sound with their hooves.
They have come to take your life
The four horsemen have come to take your life and there's no avoiding death.
On through the dead of night
The four horsemen will come for you in the literal and metaphorical darkness of the night.
With the four horsemen ride
You have a choice to either accept death or to try and fight against it.
Or choose your fate and die
If you choose not to fight, then accepting death becomes the only option.
You have been dying since the day you were born
Death is inevitable and it's a part of life right from the beginning.
You know it has all been planned
The coming of the four horsemen and the end of life may be preordained and out of one's control.
The quartet of deliverance rides
The four horsemen could be seen as delivering death to those they come for.
A sinner once a sinner twice
Everyone has committed sins and will continue to do so.
No need for confession now
It's too late to confess and atone for past sins. Death is imminent.
'Cause now you have got the fight of your life
If one decides to fight, then it's going to be a struggle for survival.
Time has taken its toll on you
Time has a way of wearing people down and ageing them.
The lines that crack your face
Age and stress can cause wrinkles and other marks on one's face.
Famine, your body it has torn through
Famine has weakened one's body from the inside out.
Withered in every place
Famine has left you malnourished and weak all over your body.
Pestilence, for what you have had to endure
Pestilence, or disease, has afflicted you and made life a struggle.
And what you have put others through
This could signify a feeling of guilt for having caused pain or misery to others.
Death, deliverance for you for sure
Death will ultimately come to everyone and it will be the end and deliverance from all suffering.
There is nothing you can do
Death is an inevitability and nothing can be done to prevent its arrival.
So gather round young warriors now
Call upon your allies to gather together to fight against the four horsemen and death.
And saddle up your steeds
Gear up and prepare for battle.
Killing scores with demon swords
Fighting against the four horsemen may feel like fighting against supernatural demons.
Now is the death of doers of wrong
Death could also signify the end of evil deeds.
Swing the judgment hammer down
Those who fight against the four horsemen take on a judgemental role.
Safely inside armor blood guts and sweat
Fighting the four horsemen is a messy and dangerous endeavour so armor is necessary for protection.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JAMES ALAN HETFIELD, LARS ULRICH, DAVE MUSTAINE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
IN RI
By the last breath of the fourth winds blow
Better raise your ears
The sound of hooves knocks at your door
Lock up your wife and children now
It's time to wield the blade
For now you have got some company
The horsemen are drawing nearer
On the leather steeds they ride
They have come to take your life
On through the dead of night
With the four horsemen ride
Or choose your fate and die
Oh yeah yeah
You have been dying since the day you were born
You know it has all been planned
The quartet of deliverance rides
A sinner once a sinner twice
No need for confession now
'Cause now you have got the fight of your life
The horsemen are drawing nearer
On the leather steeds they ride
They have come to take your life
On through the dead of night
With the four horsemen ride
Or choose your fate and die
Oh yeah yeah
Time has taken its toll on you
The lines that crack your face
Famine, your body it has torn through
Withered in every place
Pestilence, for what you have had to endure
And what you have put others through
Death, deliverance for you for sure
There is nothing you can do
So gather round young warriors now
And saddle up your steeds
Killing scores with demon swords
Now is the death of doers of wrong
Swing the judgment hammer down
Safely inside armor blood guts and sweat
The horsemen are drawing nearer
On the leather steeds they ride
They have come to take your life
On through the dead of night
With the four horsemen ride
Or choose your fate and die
Oh yeah yeah
c-95 060
2:37 One of the best composed riffs in the all entire metal history.
Dawid Szafrański
no
Chris_redd24
@Aymungoos this song is wayyy better
brunox
@Scotty Jones Dave? interlude? fuck u bro
Scotty Jones
Mustaine and more Mustaine...period 🎸🤟🔥
MonkeyTV
And the one at the end of seek and destroy
IN RI
By the last breath of the fourth winds blow
Better raise your ears
The sound of hooves knocks at your door
Lock up your wife and children now
It's time to wield the blade
For now you have got some company
The horsemen are drawing nearer
On the leather steeds they ride
They have come to take your life
On through the dead of night
With the four horsemen ride
Or choose your fate and die
Oh yeah yeah
You have been dying since the day you were born
You know it has all been planned
The quartet of deliverance rides
A sinner once a sinner twice
No need for confession now
'Cause now you have got the fight of your life
The horsemen are drawing nearer
On the leather steeds they ride
They have come to take your life
On through the dead of night
With the four horsemen ride
Or choose your fate and die
Oh yeah yeah
Time has taken its toll on you
The lines that crack your face
Famine, your body it has torn through
Withered in every place
Pestilence, for what you have had to endure
And what you have put others through
Death, deliverance for you for sure
There is nothing you can do
So gather round young warriors now
And saddle up your steeds
Killing scores with demon swords
Now is the death of doers of wrong
Swing the judgment hammer down
Safely inside armor blood guts and sweat
The horsemen are drawing nearer
On the leather steeds they ride
They have come to take your life
On through the dead of night
With the four horsemen ride
Or choose your fate and die
Oh yeah yeah
logan brewer
Imagine you were at my station
Ricardo Molina
wait a minute...it only mentions 3 horsemen, famine, pestilence and death, no war
CRS Racing
I've known of this song for a long time now, but I just gotta say this shit bangs. I don't really listen to metal, but I'll listen to Metallica at any time, any where.