Metallica - Master of Puppets (1986)
Genre - Thrash Metal
James Hetfield - lead vocals, rhythm guitar
Kirk Hammett - lead guitar
Cliff Burton - bass guitar, backing vocals
Lars Ulrich - drums
Genre - Thrash Metal
James Hetfield - lead vocals, rhythm guitar
Kirk Hammett - lead guitar
Cliff Burton - bass guitar, backing vocals
Lars Ulrich - drums
Master of Puppets was the third studio album by Metallica and was released on March 3, 1986. This would be the band's last album with bassist Cliff Burton, who died in a bus accident while on tour to promote the album.
Battery - The song opens up with a slow clean acoustic guitar playing, then it is followed by another guitar playing. Some more guitars join in the playing. After about a minute the song really picks up into a very fast riff that stays strong throughout the song. Along with the speedy riffing comes Lars Ulrich on the drums. James Hetfield now adds his vocals into the mix and the chorus is rather fun. After the last two shouts of Battery in the beginning comes a mini solo, then we go back to the vocals. Overall Battery is one of the best tracks on the album and is a rather great way to start the album. 9/10
Master of Puppets - The title track of the album is up next and it is one of my favorites and quite possibly the best song on the album. Master of Puppets is a song I am sure many of you have heard at least sometime. Master of Puppets opens up with the famous "DON DON DON DON" riff that is repeated a bit throughout the song, which is then followed by Lars on the drums. About three minutes into the song it slows down into some melodic playing by the band which has some good bass playing by Cliff, as well as some good guitar playing by James and Kirk. After a while the song goes back to the heavy distortion. James Hetfield kicks into vocals again and then we have one a cool solo. We then go back to the main riff and ending chorus, the song ends with some evil laughing. For those who want to know what this song is about, it is about drugs controlling you. The drugs are your master and you are the puppet. Overall Master of Puppets is one of the greatest songs of all time. 10/10
The Thing That Should Not Be - In comparison to the previous two songs and what follows up, The Thing That Should Not Be sounds mediocre. This would have to be my least favorite track on the album (along with Leper Messiah). This song is not bad but it feels rather average compared to the rest on the album. The song begins with some deep guitar before going off into the down-tuned riff. This song has some breaks between the chorus and the main riff. This song has a solo from Kirk although not the best he could do it works for this song. This song can be skipped but it is also enjoyable when you do take time to listen. 7/10
Welcome Home (Sanitarium) - Welcome to where time stands still no one leaves and no one will. If you didn't realize already the song is about a Sanitarium. The song starts with some plucked strings that sound a bit but not to haunting, which leads into the main hook. The song gets heavier going into the chorus which is where the guitars really seem to stand out. Followed by the first chorus comes in a mini solo. About midway through the song the guitars get heavier again and faster as do the drums. The next Hetfield vocals lead into one of Kirk's solos that is speedy and really good. There is another solo in this song although not as good as the one Kirk did it works well for this song. The song ends with some dual riffing and drumming out. Welcome Home (Sanitarium) is a very good song. 10/10
Disposable Heroes -The war theme of the album is now playing. The intro starts off pretty fast with the riffing and drums. The speedy doesn't last long though going into the vocals, then the speedy playing comes back during the chorus. YOU WILL DIE WHEN I SAY YOU MUST DIE! This song has some fun lyrics BACK TO THE FRONT! A mini solo is featured in the part before the main chorus begins. When the song sounds like it's about to end, it doesn't. The song goes back to the riff before actually ending. 10/10
Leper Messiah - The song starts off with a bass note and James counting to 5 before the whole gang gets into gear. The intro is repeated for a while until it gets into the main riff along with Lars on the drums. Cliff's bass sounds pretty good here. There is a cool guitar solo on this song the downside though it is a bit short. Overall Leper Messiah is a pretty cool song that will get you hooked from the beginning but it gets repetitive and boring sometimes, that's just my opinion. 7/10
Orion - For a song that is an instrumental this sounds pretty epic. The song sounds pretty good overall. Orion opens with Cliff playing some fading distorted bass which is followed by Lars on the drums. The guitars eventually come in with some great riffing. Pretty soon though the song slows down and has some bass playing with some toned down guitars. Then things go back to normal with the riffs, bass, and drumming. The best part about this song though is Cliff's amazing bass solo. For an instrumental song Orion is one of the best. 10/10
Damage, Inc. - Well here we are the last track which is probably the fastest song on the album. Damage, Inc. is the name, speed is the game. The intro starts off with Kirk playing. This intro ends though with the main guitar coming in. The speedy riff of this song kicks some serious ass. The vocals come in with the verse with some shouting by James, then he whispers the words Damage Incorporated. The song slows down for a while and then you hear some more whispers followed by the word Go. Kirk Hammett just seems to be raping his strings throughout the song and I wouldn't be surprised if they have broke a few times at shows. If the main riffing wasn't enough there is a crazy good solo here. Great way to end a great album. 9.5/10
Overall - If you like hard rock or heavy metal at all and want to get into thrash/speed metal, then this is a good place to start. From the riffs, solos, and even to the vocals this has to be Metallica's best work. This album gets a lot of praise for a good reason. If you're a Metallica fan or just like thrash metal pick this up today.
