Master of Puppets (1986)

There is no Metal fan that image does not raise the hair on the back of the neck of. The cemetery. The puppeteer. The strings. The divine "Metallica" logo. Master of Puppets is definitely one among the top 3 Metallica albums, and for good, nay VERY good reason.

Metallica delivered a collection of masterful songs, pun intended, which will always leave you with a craving for more metallic crunch and haymakers. The album starts off with a thrash, I should say. A thrash of metal, with the shrapnel of notes that will keep you on the egde of your consciousness as the music captures your soul in its brilliance.

Here's how the tracks progress.

Battery starts off with a nice acoustic riff, a symphonic equivalent to the charging up of a battery, which eventually explodes in its Metallic power with a grinding distortion for the following breakneck riffs. Hetfield's vocals are brilliant, and the way he growls/shouts the title (battery) charges up every ounce of your mind when you listen to the track. Lyrically the song is rich, and has an underlying meaning, and motive which brings to scrutiny monks of misanthropy (as is also the theme for some more tracks), and peaks for the soul which refuses to being forced into subordination, in a "Battery" like power fueling it. The song respectfully opens up for an equally, if not more brutal line of thrash metal brilliance by the thrash metal Gods themselves. I am not sure to what extent had Metallica assumed a solidarity to the line from the song which says "Battery is here to stay", but as time holds testimony, it has stayed well, and shall stay on. Battery!

Having left the senses alert and charged up, what follows if nothing but a touch of divinity. There are many songs which to avid fans are recognizable by the first few notes of the starting riff, but Master of Puppets, is one of those rare ones which strikes home with the first note itself. The song is a definitive example of what thrash metal is, and stands for. It does not resort to a build up for the bone grinding heavy metal, starting off straight meaning business, with a riff that echoes through the ages. The song is very fast paced, reminding one of the Four Horsemen era of Kill 'em all. Hetfield's vocals is a class of its own in this song, and he unleashes the true beast within, growling "Master! Master!". The lyrics are dark, and cut through the vortex of molten metal puring out of any sound system playing this song. Ulrich's drumming is a perfect combination of beats with immaculate timing and sync with the guitars. The prelude is a soft acoustic arpeggio, slightly modified, building up to a small solo in between, which is calm, but not out of the theme. The song although keeps getting heavier, and after the master solo by Kirk, which is a furious melee of notes and a sumptuous banquet of harmonies, it reaches a climax of throbbing bass drum, complementing the similar notes off James' and Kirk's guitars. Writing about Master... is like dancing about medicine. Hear it to believe it.

Following Master Of Puppets is, The Thing That Should Not Be. This song, unlike the previous, starts of with a mild touch, and then taken over by a powerful metal riff in the true Metallica signature distortion. The vocals are a slow rythmic build up to a heavy main riff. The drumming specially, although not very complex, is perfect for the song, and makes it sound naturally heavy, and not forced. It is another immaculate composition, and does manage to stand out even after its divine predecessor. Because a good composition being shrouded, is a thing that should not be...

Leaving all listeners insane in a vibe of heavy metal, Metallica's Welcome Home (Sanitarium) is a welcome tune, staring off with a very soothing guitar riff of harmonics.
That does not in anyway hint the power withheld thereon which is unleashed in furious main song riff in harmony with Hetfield's vocals, as he sings "Sanitarium, just leave me alone". The solo for the song is preceeded by a very fast riff, courtesy to the immaculate alternate picking and palm muted chugs by Hammet. The drums and guitars are again very well synchronised, and they back each other in an inseparable intertwining. The song is a quotable example of building up a heavy vibe and inner feeling to it. Brilliant, by all means. And liberating.

Disposable Heroes is a no-preamble, full on thrash composition with the lyrics and music reflecting the identity Metallica is related to in the global metal scene. And like most Metallica songs, this one too builds upon a theme, with a very apt choice of words and an equally apt musical composition. It goes on about a war scene, depicting the futility of a fight in a metaphorical wordplay, and the choice of riffs for the song goes well to help narrate the scene.


 Racy, and tempting thrash. Leper Messiah, with his diseased physique is embodied in a more immortal manifest by this song. Living up to the speed and power the previous songs associated with them, alleviating one's expectations. This song too is successful in making a mark after the reign of Master Of Puppets, and that itself proves its worth. Its a good song from a metal point of view, and will keep you headbanging.

Following the foray of a lyrical batallion, is the incomparable instrumental, Orion. Cliff Burton (R.I.P) proved the skills associated to his name to be true as he wrote a major part of this song, and personally called it his second favorite, first being Master Of Puppets. The song is brilliant, and has two bass solos, which are not discernible to a callous listener, as he uses the wah peddle for the first solo, and the effects make them sound like guitar solos. The second solo follows a bass interlude, and is again a magical composition by the gifted bass player whose place remains untouched years after he breathed his last. Orion was also played at his funeral, and Burton immortalized himself through this song. The guitars and drums are so elegantly decorated over silence, it is an auditory equivalent of a masterpiece in art, and contains so many parts of good instrumentals that you can associate to the song from various standpoints and choices. So after a good deal of growling and immensely powerful vocals, Orion comes as an easy to cherish, but musically intricate composition, marking Metallica and specially Cliff among the divine. After Anasthesia - Pulling Teeth, a bass solo from Kill 'em All, Cliff relives his complacency, with Orion, as he does rest among the stars above, an Orion of another magnitude, but similar veneer. Heil!

Damage, Inc. can be taken as a powerful message, or rather warning by Metallica to all its adversaries, and allies equally, after an album like Master Of Puppets, making new standards of music. The lyrics are brutal, the most razor sharp till now, with equally bloody guitaring and drum rolls, as Metallica talks of blood and ferocity through Hetfield's feral vocals, blistering all impunity and ending up a perfect album. Ending time is here. Damage Incorporated.

Overview :
The album is a collection of 8 tracks, making it a full 54:45 mins of metallic mayhem, which instinctively grips the connoisseur of music within you.
The alleviation of the album to the stature of "One of the BEST Metal albums EVER to be recorded" was a rightfully deserved honour, not just marking Metallica as a legend, but also raising the bars for standard of music in the global metal scene. Cliff Burton (R.I.P), delivered the power that coursed through his fingers as he slapped and beat
throbbing music out of his bass guitar, and immortalized the album by contributing irrefutably to every note of music, only accentuating its melody, crunch and bass. By far one of the best albums ever to have been released, talked of, collected, heard in redundant repetition and played wherever a soul craves metal.

Genre : Heavy Metal, Thrash Metal

Track Listing:

Title Writers Length

1.   Battery   Hetfield, Ulrich    5:10
2.   Master of Puppets Hetfield,   Ulrich, Burton, Hammett    8:36

3.   The Thing That Should Not Be    Hetfield, Ulrich, Hammett    6:33

4.   Welcome Home (Sanitarium)   Hetfield, Ulrich, Hammett   6:27

5.   Disposable Heroes Hetfield,   Ulrich, Hammett   8:15

6.   Leper Messiah Hetfield,   Ulrich   5:14

7.   Orion (Instrumental)   Hetfield, Ulrich, Burton   8:25

8.   Damage Inc.   Hetfield, Ulrich, Buton, Hammett   5:31

Total Album Time - 54:45

Personnel/Contributors :

James Hetfield — Lead Vocals, Rhythm Guitar

Kirk Hammett — Lead Guitar

Cliff Burton — Bass, Backing Vocals

Lars Ulrich — Drums, Percussion

Flemming Rasmussen — Production, Engineer

Michael Wagener — Mix Engineer

Release Date : 3 March 1986

Recorded : 1 September - 27 December, at Sweet Silence Studios at Denmark

Supporting Tour : Damage, Inc. Tour

Trivia : In the song "The Thing That Should Not Be", James Hetfield sings, "Not dead which eternal lie; stranger aeons, death may die". That lyric is taken from the short story "The Nameless City" by H.P. Lovecraft. Most of the song is inspired by the Lovecraft.

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