Which album inspired Kirk Hammett’s guitar riff for Metallica’s “Enter Sandman”?

Soundgarden’s Louder Than Love inspired Kirk Hammett’s guitar riff for Metallica’s “Enter Sandman.”

Hammett developed the initial riff after being influenced by Soundgarden’s 1989 album Louder Than Love. The idea was only two bars long at first. Lars Ulrich suggested a different repetition pattern, helping transform the fragment into the central riff heard on the finished recording.

The instrumental construction moved quickly, but the lyrics took longer. James Hetfield initially felt the song sounded catchy and commercial, so he wrote darker words involving nightmares, family fears, and the unsettling imagery associated with childhood bedtime rituals. The final lyrics were not the original version Hetfield had prepared.

“Enter Sandman” became the first song written for Metallica’s self-titled fifth album and ultimately its lead single. The song was recorded during sessions at One on One Recording Studios in Los Angeles, with Bob Rock producing. Its success helped make The Black Album a mainstream breakthrough while preserving the band’s heavy guitar identity.

Soundgarden’s album should not be confused with Badmotorfinger or Superunknown, which were released later. Louder Than Love was Soundgarden’s second studio album and appeared in 1989.