On the Black Album, I like Of Wolf and Man and Sandman will be iconic for me because of Mariano Rivera. Couldn't care less for any of the others, save maybe Through the Never.
To me Puppets is the album that's untouchable, and that alone puts them over Slayer. Is there a better start/end to an album than Battery/Damage Inc? Nah. I probably listen to a part of it every day.
One caveat about my 18 year run of shit - I thought the first S&M was great. I think the S&M version of One is better that the original.
Seen Metallica a handful of times, but I will say I saw Slayer at a club in Boston, where I could go to the bar, get a beer, then get right back to front standing about 4 feet in front of them. There wasn't even really a stage, they were just standing there. Maybe 100 or so people.
And the fuckers went 3 hours hard, no different if it was a stadium. King was an absolute monster. Even got a Jeff Hanneman guitar pick.
Sandman is a song i despise, because that is the song that made them mainstream. And every single radio station played in every 30 minutes for like a year. Everyone i knew didn't like Metallica, but once Sandman came out EVERYONE was a fan, it drove me nuts. I really don't care for the song, but Wolf and Man, The God That Failed and My Friend of Misery are decent.
Ride the Lightning and Master of Puppets are incredible.
I still listen to RtL all the time.
Orion was one of my favorite songs as a kid and the reason i played the guitar in High School.
Slayer to me is just the same thing song after song. Even Iron Maiden has a diverse play set, like Metallica.
NIN used to play at this small venue in Austin, Texas back in the day. My brother and i used to go see them quite often, but like Metallica I think Trent went too mainstream.
I do agree S&M had some hits in there, completely forgot about that album.