Album · Metallica
Kill ’Em All by Metallica
Kill ’Em All is an album by Metallica, released in 1983. 7 songs from it have charted on rock radio countdowns, with 40 countdown appearances in total. The biggest is “Seek and Destroy”, on 29 lists with a best position of #12.
Kill 'Em All, Metallica's debut, came out on Megaforce on July 25, 1983, and it sounds like a band trying to outrun the rest of heavy metal. Label boss Jon Zazula heard the No Life 'til Leather demo, signed them and put up a $15,000 budget, and they cut it in May 1983 at Music America Studios in Rochester, New York. Dave Mustaine co-wrote several of the songs but was fired just before the sessions, so it's James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Cliff Burton and newcomer Kirk Hammett tearing through them.
This is thrash in its raw, breakneck infancy: "Hit the Lights" and "Whiplash" go off like fireworks in a garage, "Seek and Destroy" stomps, and "The Four Horsemen" gallops. It didn't reach the Billboard 200 until 1986, peaking at number 155 after Master of Puppets hit, but it has long been counted a groundbreaking thrash record, and it went 4 times platinum in 2025.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
Songs from Kill ’Em All on radio countdowns
| # | Song | Strength | Lists | Best | #1s | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Seek and Destroy | 29 | #12 | – | 1983–2026 | |
| 2 | Whiplash | 4 | #58 | – | 1990–2013 | |
| 3 | The Four Horsemen | 2 | #179 | – | 1990–2002 | |
| 4 | No Remorse | 1 | #284 | – | 1990 | |
| 5 | Hit the Lights | 2 | #649 | – | 1990–2024 | |
| 6 | Metal Militia | 1 | #681 | – | 1990 | |
| 7 | Phantom Lord | 1 | #716 | – | 1990 |
Only songs that appear on at least one countdown are listed. Release data from MusicBrainz.