Yay-aargh! Just listening to 'Death Magnetic' - which has gone on sale two days early - and it's clearly light years better than 'St. Anger', primarily because it doesn't sound like it's been recorded down Wookey Hole and mixed by a tone-deaf octogenarian with Parkinson's.

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Fans will already have heard 'Cyanide', which the band are giving away as a free download on their official site, as well as lead single 'The Day That Never Comes', the video for which you can watch on the NME Video Blog.

To celebrate their return, here's a selection of classic Metallica YouTube moments. Feel free to suggest your own by leaving a comment below.

One
The song's lyrics were inspired by the novel 'Johnny Got His Gun', about a WW1 veteran whose injuries have left him limbless and unable to see, speak or hear. The video features dialogue from the film adaptation ("Oh God, please let them kill me…"), making it one of the bleakest and most disturbing promos ever made.

Monsters Of Rock, Moscow, 1991
The biggest metal gig of all time, with well over 500,000 people in attendance (though unofficial estimates range all the way up to 1.5 million). Here they are opening with 'Enter Sandman'. Riff drops at 1.50.

Orion
'Master Of Puppets'' epic centrepiece, this eight-and-a-half minute instrumental – penned largely by Cliff Burton - will forever be associated with the bass virtuoso, who died a few months after 'MOP''s release.

Some Kind Of Monster
Metallica's in-the-studio documentary had many highlights, but the epic barney between Lars Ulrich and James Hetfield (culminating in Ulrich screaming, 'Fuuuck!' right in the frontman's face) was unforgettable.

Acting Up With Slipknot
Fast-forward to the end to see the normally-sensible Hetfield and co donning masks and skipping about like berks on stage with Slipknot in 2003.

Sandwiched between Julian Clary and East 17 the MTV Awards 1996
'So What' (sample lyric: "I've fucked a sheep, I've fucked a goat") never sounded more thrillingly incongruous.

Download 2003
A secret performance, not on the main stage, but in the tent. Those lucky enough to witness it will bang on about it for the rest of their lives.

Napster controversy
Lars Ulrich's stand against illegal downloading was always more thoughtful and nuanced than critics made out. It wasn't about naked greed. In this interview he sets out a number of arguments that have provoked remarkably prescient.

Photo Gallery - 25 Things You Never Knew About Metaliica