Metallica have enough colossal songs to fill about seventeen stadium shows without repeating themselves — but that hasn’t stopped the hardcore faithful demanding James Hetfield and the lads dig a little deeper into the vault. 🔥
Forget “Enter Sandman”, “Master of Puppets” and “Nothing Else Matters” for a minute.
We’re talking about the proper deep cuts.
The songs that make the Metallica obsessive standing three rows behind you suddenly lose their mind and scream:
“NO BLOODY WAY! THEY’RE PLAYING THIS?!”
A recent discussion among Metallica fans has seen people naming the rarely performed tracks they desperately want returned to the band’s live setlists — and some absolute monsters keep appearing.
From “All Nightmare Long” and “Dyers Eve” to “Fixxxer,” “Disposable Heroes” and “The Outlaw Torn,” the Metallica Family clearly wants Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett, Robert Trujillo and James Hetfield to start rummaging around in the dusty corners of the catalogue.
And frankly?
We’re with them.
Grab a pint, warm up your neck muscles and prepare to argue with somebody on the internet.
Here are some of the Metallica rarities fans want back. 🤘
🔥 “All Nightmare Long”
This one appears to be near the top of the wishlist.
Taken from Metallica’s 2008 album Death Magnetic, “All Nightmare Long” is more than seven-and-a-half minutes of snarling, galloping Metallica brilliance.
And considering how perfectly it seems built for the stage, its relative absence is baffling.
According to setlist statistics, Metallica have performed “All Nightmare Long” around 103 times, with its live history overwhelmingly associated with the Death Magnetic era. (Setlist.fm)
That might sound like plenty until you remember we’re talking about a band that has spent more than four decades touring the planet.
In a recent fan discussion, “All Nightmare Long” was one of the standout suggestions, with one fan simply naming the track and attracting plenty of agreement. (Reddit)
And come on.
That riff through a stadium PA?
Filthy.
Bring it back, lads.
⚡ “Dyers Eve”
Ohhhhhhh YES.
If there is one song capable of causing several thousand ageing thrash fans to collectively forget that their knees aren’t what they were in 1988, it’s “Dyers Eve.”
The closing track from …And Justice for All is Metallica at their furious best.
Fast.
Aggressive.
Technical.
Absolutely bloody relentless.
And incredibly, Metallica didn’t perform it live until 5 March 2004, when it finally appeared at The Forum in Inglewood, California.
Setlist statistics list just 35 Metallica performances of “Dyers Eve”, with its most recent currently recorded performance coming on 20 November 2010 in Melbourne, Australia. (Setlist.fm)
Yep.
2010.
Sixteen years, lads.
The song continues to appear constantly whenever fans discuss tracks they want to hear more often, including another 2026 discussion where “Dyers Eve” was one of the most popular answers. (Reddit)
Imagine those opening notes suddenly blasting out during a Metallica show in 2026.
The pit wouldn’t open.
The Earth would.
💀 “Disposable Heroes”
BACK TO THE FRONT!
You can practically hear an entire stadium shouting it already.
“Disposable Heroes” comes from 1986’s untouchable Master of Puppets, and while the title track and “Battery” have become enormously recognisable parts of Metallica history, this eight-minute thrash epic remains something hardcore fans would happily hear far more frequently.
It’s crushing.
It’s dramatic.
It’s politically furious.
And that machine-gun riffing still sounds utterly ridiculous four decades later.
Fans continue to nominate “Disposable Heroes” whenever the subject of underplayed Metallica tracks appears. One 2026 discussion saw the song immediately singled out, with another fan dreaming of finally witnessing it live. (Reddit)
Another discussion grouped it alongside “All Nightmare Long” and “Dyers Eve” as songs deserving far more stage time. (Reddit)
Quite right too.
If Hetfield bellows “BACK TO THE FRONT!”, you answer.
Those are the rules.
🩸 “Fixxxer”
Now we’re entering Metallica unicorn territory.
Closing 1997’s Reload, “Fixxxer” became one of those songs fans spent years wondering whether Metallica would ever actually perform.
And then they finally did.
The band busted it out during their 40th anniversary celebrations in San Francisco in December 2021, finally giving one of the catalogue’s great overlooked tracks its moment.
Unsurprisingly, fans haven’t stopped asking for more.
“Fixxxer” appeared repeatedly in recent fan discussions about rare tracks deserving another outing, frequently alongside songs including “Dyers Eve,” “Bleeding Me” and “The Outlaw Torn.” (Reddit)
The Load and Reload era contains an absolute treasure chest of material that rarely gets the attention afforded to Metallica’s ’80s classics.
Which brings us nicely to…
🌑 “The Outlaw Torn”
If you’ve never cranked “The Outlaw Torn” through a decent pair of headphones at an irresponsible volume, sort yourself out.
The closing track from 1996’s Load is enormous.
Brooding, emotional and atmospheric, it represents a completely different side of Metallica from the frantic thrash attack of “Dyers Eve.”
And fans absolutely adore it.
In an April 2026 discussion asking which songs people wished Metallica played more frequently, “The Outlaw Torn” was one of the most enthusiastically backed answers. (Reddit)
Another fan discussion paired it with instrumental masterpiece “Orion” as a song deserving more stage time. (Reddit)
“The Outlaw Torn” isn’t about starting the biggest circle pit of the evening.
It’s about standing there, pint in hand, watching Hetfield disappear into that gigantic ending while you experience approximately 47 different emotions simultaneously.
Lush.
🤘 “Bleeding Me”
While we’re raiding Load, somebody grab “Bleeding Me.”
Another sprawling, emotional Metallica track, “Bleeding Me” demonstrates why dismissing the band’s mid-‘90s period because everyone suddenly had shorter hair is one of metal’s more ridiculous arguments.
It’s bloody brilliant.
Fans continue mentioning it alongside other desired rarities, including “Fixxxer,” “The Outlaw Torn” and “Dyers Eve.” (Reddit)
Imagine “Bleeding Me” under stadium lights as Hetfield delivers that vocal.
Goosebumps, butt.
⚔️ “…And Justice for All”
You know you’ve got an outrageous catalogue when even the TITLE TRACK OF ONE OF YOUR BIGGEST ALBUMS can become something fans dream about hearing.
“…And Justice for All” is nearly ten minutes long.
Which probably explains part of the problem.
It’s basically Metallica saying:
“How many riffs can we fit into one song?”
All of them.
Fans still regularly request its return, particularly whenever discussion turns towards neglected …And Justice for All material. (Reddit)
Would it swallow a significant chunk of the set?
Yep.
Would we complain?
Absolutely bloody not.
🔨 “The Shortest Straw”
Another Justice monster deserving more love.
“The Shortest Straw” has been performed around 100 times, according to setlist statistics. (Setlist.fm)
Again, that’s hardly never.
But compared with Metallica’s true live staples, it’s practically an endangered species.
That opening riff alone deserves stadium-sized amplification.
🔥 “Spit Out the Bone”
Here’s where things get interesting.
Not every requested rarity comes from Metallica’s ancient history.
Fans have also been calling for “Spit Out the Bone”, the ferocious closing track from 2016’s Hardwired… to Self-Destruct.
The song felt almost specifically engineered to prove Metallica could still go full-throttle thrash decades into their career.
And bloody hell, did it succeed.
Recent fan conversations have included “Spit Out the Bone” among tracks people want returned more regularly. (Reddit)
There’s absolutely no reason deep cuts need to mean exclusively ’80s or ’90s Metallica.
The modern albums have monsters hiding inside them too.
👀 And Then There Are the REALLY Deep Cuts…
Once Metallica fans start digging, things get beautifully nerdy.
Recent discussions have thrown up everything from:
“My Friend of Misery”
“The God That Failed”
“The Frayed Ends of Sanity”
“2 X 4”
“The Unforgiven II”
“My Apocalypse”
“Trapped Under Ice”
“The Unnamed Feeling”
“Devil’s Dance”
“Room of Mirrors”
“Eye of the Beholder”
and even “Where the Wild Things Are.” (Reddit)
And THAT is what makes Metallica’s live catalogue so fascinating.
They’ve got enough material that two fans could design their dream Metallica setlists and barely pick the same songs.
🎸 The Riff Report Verdict
There’s obviously a reason songs like “Master of Puppets,” “Enter Sandman,” “One,” “Seek & Destroy” and “For Whom the Bell Tolls” remain permanent fixtures.
Imagine seeing Metallica for the first time and they didn’t play “Master of Puppets.”
There’d be riots.
Possibly strongly worded Facebook comments.
Maybe both.
But for fans who’ve seen Metallica five, ten or twenty times?
The rarities are where the magic lives.
It’s that split second where Hetfield plays a riff you weren’t expecting.
You recognise it.
Your mate recognises it.
You both look at each other.
OH.
MY.
GOD.
And suddenly you’ve got one of those concert memories you’ll be banging on about in the pub for the next twenty years.
That’s why Metallica digging deeper into their catalogue will always generate excitement.
Give us “Fixxxer.”
Give us “Disposable Heroes.”
Give us “The Outlaw Torn.”
Give us “All Nightmare Long.”
And James…
Please.
For the love of all things loud…
GIVE US “DYERS EVE.” 🤘🔥
Which rare Metallica song would YOU put back into the setlist?
Would you go old-school with “Dyers Eve” or “Disposable Heroes”? Dive into the Load era for “Fixxxer” and “The Outlaw Torn”? Or pick something completely ridiculous from the deepest corner of the catalogue?
Let us know — and remember: Proudly Welsh. Proudly Loud. 🤘🏴
The Riff Report Blog — where the riffs are heavy, the opinions are louder and apparently we’re now demanding Metallica play nine-minute deep cuts. Proper job. 🔥
