Metallica’s Finest
January 30, 2007 by Jo Minor
Metallica’s over twenty years in the music business can be compared to a successful space program - where the remnants of a rocket are seen by thousands on earth in the form of space debris burning bright upon it’s re-entry into earth’s atmosphere, long after it has carried out it’s primary mission of carrying a priceless payload into the sky.
Just when they lost their popularity with the Metal die-hards - thanks to their misadventures in music and forgettable commercially successful endeavors - they have been warmly accepted into the mainstream by the likes of MTV, who, for some strange reason, seems to be showering the band with so much coverage after almost twenty years since their last respectable album, …And Justice For All.
And it didn’t help matters that they were acknowledged as MTV Icons, shortly after the release of the terrible St. Anger.
To help us forget about these frightening situations, let’s take a look the real Metallica - best described by their first four albums: Kill ‘Em All, Ride The Lightning, Master Of Puppets and …And Justice For All.
Kill ‘Em All
Ten hell-raising Thrash Metal tracks make up this fun, enjoyable album - full to the brim with youthful and rebellious rock ‘n roll feel to it all. Many of the band’s most memorable songs are present in Kill ‘Em All - including the brilliant The Four Horsemen, Cliff Burton’s mystifying bass solo Anesthesia, and the anthem-like Seek And Destroy.
The killer guitar combination of rhythm guitarist James Hetfield and then lead guitarist Dave Mustaine (currently in the band he single-handedly created to rival Metallica, Megadeth), combined with the thunderous bass playing of Cliff Burton, created an album that was as groundbreaking as it was nostalgic.
Kill ‘Em All was a taste of better things to come.
Ride The Lightning
Brilliant, unadulterated and frighteningly good - Ride The Lightning came soon after the release of Kill ‘Em All. It proved to be a much better and far more mature release than their debut, and with the quality and creativity of the songs on display in Ride The Lightning it was proven that the band was destined for even greater success.
Believed by many Metallica fans to be the band’s finest album to ever see the light of day, Ride The Lightning was a diverse and truly memorable album - having within its boundaries the eardrum-shattering Fight Fire With Fire, the tear-jerking ballad Fade To Black, the Biblically-themed epic Creeping Death and the monumental instrumental track The Call Of Ktulu.
This is a superb display of an energetic band at its creative peak.
Master Of Puppets
Hailed by many to be the band’s best album, Master Of Puppets is a far more focused and rigid effort than Ride The Lightning. The album possessed a healthy dose of progressive elements and Hetfield’s trademark guitar riffs, and inevitably had lengthier songs - there are three songs that run for more than eight minutes long, and none of the songs in Master Of Puppets are shorter than five minutes long.
Almost all of the songs in this album are live favorites, except for maybe Orion (Instrumental) - but then again, the band has been lately playing the Master Of Puppets album in it’s entirety at some live shows - which shows that even the band members themselves have accepted this masterpiece to be their favorite one as well.
Master Of Puppets displays a thoughtful and progressive Metallica.
…And Justice For All
As progressive as Master Of Puppets, …And Justice For All was just as complex as well. The album reeked of death and war, and dealt with other tragic issues as well. Overall, this was a gloomy album, perhaps so because it was the first one to be released after the demise of the well-loved Cliff Burton.
The album suffered from poor production, which undoubtedly hampered the effect of the songs present in this album - including the nearly ten-minute long title track.
The last respectable album from Metallica, its release marked the inevitable end of the glorious age for the band.
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