1991 Metal Hit Named Among Greatest Guitar Riffs of All Time

The most iconic metal songs of all time seemingly all have one thing in common: a generational guitar performance that elevates the song into the pantheon of music greats.

The greatest classic rock and metal hits always seem to be accompanied by a slamming guitar solo that ranks among the greatest of all time.

That certainly holds true for the No. 6 song on Guitar World's list of the greatest guitar riffs of all time: Enter Sandman.

"With its doomy, clean-picked minor key riff, haunting lyrics and massive sound, it was the track that set the template for the rest of The Black Album, both in sound and in atmosphere," Guitar World wrote. "It was also the first song written for the album, born from a riff lead guitarist Kirk Hammett brought in."

Metallica's 'Enter Sandman' Initially Had Different Riff

In a Classic Albumsdocumentary, Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich revealed the riff from Hammett was initially written differently.

"The riff that's on the record and the way it exists today is not really the way Kirk wrote it," he said. According to Guitar World, Hammett's initial idea was the first five-note refrain morphing straight into the powerchord breakdown. But by chopping and repeating the first clean riff, and doubling it up on the bass, Enter Sandman as we know it was born.

"We tried to expand every sound to the max," producer Bob Rock said. "We tried to get the guitars as big as possible, the bass as big as possible, the drums... You know, big and weighty."

Rock revealed to Mix magazine that he had the band change their recording style, bringing the band into one room.

"They thought it was a lot of work," he said, "and they didn't understand it. But this was the only way I knew how to make a record. To me, it was about capturing the feel that they wanted."

The end result was the album that brought Metallica into the mainstream with Enter Sandman reaching No. 16 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and at No. 5 on the UK Singles Chart.

Related: 1980 Metal Hit Named Among Greatest Guitar Riffs of All Time

This story was originally published by Men's Journal on May 27, 2026, where it first appeared in the Entertainment section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

2026 The Arena Group Holdings, Inc. All rights reserved.

This story was originally published May 26, 2026 at 9:23 PM.