When talking about heavy metal music, it's damn near impossible for Metallica not to come up in the conversation. Formed in the early 1980s in a grungy Los Angeles basement, drummer Lars Ulrich and rhythm guitarist/vocalist James Hetfield created what would be known as one of the cornerstones of not just heavy metal, but rock music in general. The band went on to sell more than 50 million records in the United States alone. Earlier this year, the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, joining the likes of The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and The Who.
One of the defining albums of its career, as well as among the most popular among fans and critics, is the 1986 classic, Master of Puppets. It stands as one of Metallica's most significant works, even today.
Looking back, the lineup of Metallica at that time is considered to be one of the band's best. Hetfield and Ulrich were still there, joined by Kirk Hammett on lead guitar and the late great Cliff Burton on bass.
The album kicks off with the song "Battery," which begins with a Western-sounding acoustic guitar intro before diving into a jarring chug-a-lug riff that catapults the song into a freefall. The rhythm intentionally sounds like a gallop as to mimic a scene of cowboys riding into a shotgun town.
The title track is a heavy metal classic in its own right. The song begins with a traditionally fast and heavy verse and chorus. Then, there's a slowed-down instrumental section that reminds the listener that Metallica can do more than just heavy.
The lyrics deal with addiction and how the things that you own begin to own you. "Chop your breakfast on a mirror" refers to chopping up lines of cocaine. In pop culture, the song was used as the soundtrack for a scene in the film, Old School, in which the fraternity pledges are kidnapped.
"Welcome Home (Sanitarium)" is another exemplary track on the album, and is about as melodic as Master of Puppets gets. Continuing with the album's theme of hopelessness, the song deals with being trapped in a mental asylum, featuring lyrics like, "Keep him tied, it makes him well / He's getting better, can't you tell?"
Though the band has got a few years to its credit, Metallica still is going strong today. About a year ago, it released its ninth studio album, Death Magnetic, to rave reviews. The band has been on tour pretty much ever since, stopping by Charlottesville this past weekend. The band still sounds tighter than a two-sizes-too-small turtleneck, and Hetfield's vocals have held up surprisingly well.
Master of Puppets is one of the greatest heavy metal albums of all time. It's up there with the likes of Black Sabbath's Paranoid and Judas Priest's British Steel. And, unlike those bands, Metallica still is putting out heavy music and selling out arenas around the world.
Read More
The best albums of 2014
By Noah Zeidman | December 4, 2014Across genres, it has been a pretty great year in music.
Top 10 movies of 2014
December 4, 2014This has been an excellent year for film, offering everything from gripping blockbusters to innovative personal films.
Iggy Azalea is “Reclassified”
December 4, 2014It has become common practice among music artists to repackage their albums in an effort to simultaneously boost single sales and dish out new content by slightly renaming the album or slapping “Deluxe” onto the title.
