I do like a bit of Metallica. I picked up 'Ride The Lightning' when it first came out on recommendation of my local record shop owner. It's a stunning album, and while I'm not a big thrash fan, the bass playing of Cliff Burton elevates it above the norm. It sent me back to 'Kill Em All', which is really only good for the covers of Budgie and Diamond Head.
I don't rate '...Puppets' or '...Justice...' very highy, mainly 'cos the production is horribly tinny. The black album is a step up ub both songwriting and production.
At risk of getting a lot of flak, I think 'Load' & 'Reload' are great albums - proof that the band can go beyond thrash and still make interesting music. I'd love to say the same about 'Lulu', but that would be pushing it. Although, I recall playing with the order of the tracks and getting a much better experience out of it (now there's a blog post).
Since 'St Anger', which has some powerful songs, I've stopped listening. The album mastering is compressed to hell and back and they're just not enjoyable to listen to.