Watch: Metallica’s For Whom The Bell Tolls hits #4 in Rock 2000 countdown

Metallica’s ‘For Whom The Bell Tolls’ has charged into #4 in the 2026 Rock 2000, putting one of the band’s defining early tracks in listeners most thrashed and loved songs.

Released on 1984’s Ride The Lightning, the song is built around war, sacrifice and mortality, with its title and themes inspired by Ernest Hemingway’s novel For Whom the Bell Tolls. Metallica’s official history lists it among the classic tracks that helped establish the band during the Ride The Lightning era.

For Kiwi voters, it’s been a proper Rock countdown staple. The song has appeared in every countdown, previously reaching its highest position at #11 in 2020.

This year’s #4 is a massive new high-water mark.

Relive the countdown from wherever you are.