If, like us, you get a prickle of delight when you hear a familiar riff embedded in a brand new song, then whosampled.com is a great resource for music nerds and details exactly which samples feature in your new favourite tracks. According to the site, heavy metal legends Metallica have been sampled 222 times.
Here, then, are 10 choice cuts from the buffet table that is the 'Tallica back catalogue.
Anthrax - I’m the Man (1987)
Taken from the Anthrax's EP of the same name, this groundbreaking rap-metal crossover is built around a riff based on a 1918 Jewish folk song Hava Nagila. The song itself is packed with samples, including Run DMC's You Talk Too Much, the Beastie Boys' (You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party!) and comedian Sam Kinison's yell. In amongst the melee is a clip of James Hetfield bellowing "MAST-UH!" from the title track of Metallica's 1986 classic album, Master of Puppets.
Chase and Status - Saxon (2009)
Saxon is not a nod to the Barnsley metallers, but in fact the reggae sound system Saxon Studio International. The track originally featured as a B-side on the electro duo's 2009 single Against All Odds and is a dub-fuelled meditation on the main riff from Wherever I May Roam. One to punish your car's speakers, this. The duo contributed a retooled version of the track to The Metallica Blacklist compilation album.
DJ Shadow - The Number Song (1996)
DJ Shadow – aka Joshua Davis – is intrinsically linked with Metallica. What Does Your Soul Look Like (Part 2) samples dialogue from the movie Johnny Got His Gun, which Metallica used in their delightful promo for One. He also produced Unkle's 1998 debut Psyence Fiction, which featured former member Jason Newsted on bass and theremin on The Knock (Drums of Death Part 2). But it's on his own debut Endtroducing... that he samples Cliff Burton's growling bass intro to Orion during the opening moments of The Number Song.
The Bloodhound Gang - Mope (1999)
Pennsylvania's most sensitive souls sampled For Whom The Bell Tolls for this single from stridently pro-feminist album Hooray for Boobies. Ignore the lyrics by all means, but listen out for Cliff Burton's iconic bass at 1 minute 12 seconds. The song also features samples of Falco's Rock Me Amadeus and Relax by Frankie Goes To Hollywood.
American Bad Ass – Kid Rock (2000)
Before Kid Rock became a walking MAGA cap, Robert James Ritchie was just your regular all-American boy who loved a cigar, Die Hard vests and big hats. This single, taken from his 2000 album The History of Rock, samples Sad But True. Or rather, it doesn't so much sample, but uses the majority of the song to provide a heavy bed for Rock's rappin' and cussin' and general bragging.
Yob - Atma (2011)
This Oregon doom three-piece released their sixth studio album in 2011 through Profound Lore. On their epic title track, the sound of the church bell from For Whom the Bell Tolls sounds ominously during a rain storm, before launching into almost nine minutes of riffs that could crush a tank.
Unkle - Intro (Optional) (1998)
This two-minute track is tucked away on Australian and Japanese versions of the British electronic outfit's debut album, Psyence Fiction. It features a sample from Welcome Home (Sanitarium) around the halfway mark. Five years later, they'd work on a remix of Frantic, which can be found on one of the various formats of The Unnamed Feeling single.
Buck 65 - Up The Middle (2001)
Canadian hip hop artist Buck 65 – or Richard Terfry on his utility bills – sampled Metallica on his 2001 album Man Overboard. At the beginning of Up the Middle, the acoustic intro to Battery is incorporated into the intro and forms the backbone of the track. Isolated on this thoughtful song, it serves to highlight how evocative the original guitar part was on the Master of Puppets opener. The sample was replaced on the major label reissue and lost much of its impact.
Upon A Burning Body ft. Ice-T - Turn Down For What (2014)
With Upon a Burning Body teaming up with Ice-T, this contribution to the Punk Goes Pop series may look like an unlikely collaboration. However, this cover of DJ Snake & Lil Jon’s Turn Down For What is, in modern parlance, a banger. Check out the breakdown which features Lars' cracking snare break from Sad But True. By cracking, we mean tinnitus-inducing.
Eminem - Same Song And Dance (2009)
Taken from Slim Shady's sixth studio album Relapse, this track opens with what suspiciously sounds like the haunting intro to Metallica's One. On the 2009 number, Eminem highlights the pressures of fame and dresses them up in needlessly violent metaphors.
