Best Metallica Era – Readers Poll

Metallica have enjoyed a successful career that has spanned the decades, but which era of the band is the best? There's definitely high points from the '80s, the '90s and the '00s and beyond, which makes this a difficult decision, but we want to know which era you feel is the best.

In the '80s, the band made their name with such standout discs as 'Kill 'Em All,' 'Ride the Lightning,' 'Master of Puppets' and '… And Justice for All,' yielding a wealth of metal classics. It was also the most fruitful era of their career as they had quick turnarounds between albums.

The '90s gave us Metallica's most commercially successful disc with 1991's self-titled "black" album, which also yielded their biggest hit -- 'Enter Sandman.' The '90s also provided the 'Load' and 'Re-Load' studio albums, the 'Garage Inc.' compilation as well as their first two live discs -- '93's 'Live S---: Binge & Purge' and the orchestral collaboration 'S&M' in 1999. The latter saw the band thinking outside the box, a theme that would carry over into the 2000s.

In 2003, Metallica gave us the 'St. Anger' album, as well as the groundbreaking 'Some Kind of Monster' documentary, which offered a brutally honest look at the strains of the band. There's also the 'Death Magnetic' studio album, the polarizing Lou Reed collaboration on 'Lulu,' a 'Big Four' live album from their in demand performances with Anthrax, Slayer and Megadeth. And most recently the 'Metallica Through the Never' film and soundtrack.

So which Metallica era do you think is the best -- the '80s, the '90s or the 2000s and beyond? Vote in our Readers Poll below.