Which Metallica album opens with the song "Battery"?

The Metallica album that opens with “Battery” is Master of Puppets. Released on March 3, 1986, it is the band’s third studio album and begins with a striking contrast: softly layered acoustic guitars give way to the song’s fast, aggressive thrash-metal attack.

“Battery” was written by James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich, with lyrics by Hetfield. Its title refers to Battery Street in San Francisco, a location associated with the band’s early performances, while the song’s broader imagery concerns rage and destructive force.

The track sets the album’s intensity before the title song, “Master of Puppets,” which follows it. That sequencing is sometimes confused with other Metallica albums, but “Battery” is specifically the opening track here; “Fight Fire with Fire” opens Ride the Lightning, and “Blackened” opens ...And Justice for All.

Master of Puppets became one of thrash metal’s defining albums. It was also the final Metallica studio album recorded with bassist Cliff Burton, who died later in 1986 during the band’s European tour.