Review by Ben for Metallica - Master of Puppets (1986)
One of the finest albums recorded in any genre, Master of Puppets raised metal music to new heights!
Metallica’s third album, Master of Puppets, was released in March 1986. Following up the groundbreaking Ride the Lightning album was always going to be a difficult task, but Metallica were never a particularly ordinary band. These guys had ambition that far surpassed being an underground metal band. Kirk, Lars, James and Cliff will always be the ultimate Metallica line-up and this would tragically be the last time they would record material in the studio together. Their sound consistently progressed with each release in the 80s and Master of Puppets is undoubtedly the band at the peak of their powers. The evolution from raw thrash metal to technically impressive and structurally progressive metal, which was first hinted at on Ride the Lightning, can be found in full effect here. That’s not to say that Metallica didn’t thrash hard at this stage, as tracks like Battery and Damage Inc. are as brutal as the band would ever be. But in between these ripping bookends can be found masses of compositionally impressive music, talented musicianship and surprisingly thought provoking lyrics. Running through the tracks one by one is like a nostalgic trip through my impressionable teenage years. I thought this album was completely awesome back then and nothing has changed my mind since.
Kirk and James’ guitar work is exceptional throughout and nowhere is it more impressive than on the title track. It’s probably the highlight of the band’s career, but then with other classics included here such as Welcome Home (Sanitarium), colossal instrumental Orion and the aforementioned rippers that start and finish proceedings, that’s not such a clear cut statement. Just as on Ride the Lightning, there are a couple of tracks that are slightly less quality (Leper Messiah in particular), but this time they’re still good enough to keep the momentum going. Master of Puppets was the first Metallica album to gain a gold record (awarded for sales of over five hundred thousand) and would eventually be certified platinum six times over (selling six million copies in the States alone!). It not only made Metallica a household name, it still ranks today as one of the greatest metal albums of all time, topping numerous polls over the years, even making non metal specific lists such as Time magazine’s All Time 100 albums and Rolling Stones’ 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. If those sorts of accolades don’t impress you, then nothing I say will. No matter what material Metallica excrete upon their fans in modern times, albums like this one will always put the band at a level simply unreachable by all but the very elite.
The story of Cliff Burton’s death is a tragic one indeed. Metallica were touring through Sweden during the European leg of the Damage Inc. tour to support the Master of Puppets album. Sleeping on the tour bus had been difficult due to uncomfortable cubicles, so each night the guys would draw cards to see who would get to pick where they slept for the evening. On September 26, 1986, Cliff drew an Ace of Spades which gave him first choice. This fateful decision would result in his death at a few minutes before 7am the next morning, when the bus apparently ran over black ice (or so the driver claimed, avoiding criminal action) and flipped onto the grass near Dörarp in Southern Sweden. While all other passengers had only minor injuries, Cliff was thrown through the window of the bus and crushed under the vehicle. He was eventually cremated and his ashes were scattered at the Maxwell Ranch while Orion fittingly played in the background. “…cannot the Kingdom of Salvation take me home?” is written on Cliff’s memorial stone which would end up in the lyrics on To Live is to Die on the …And Justice For All release. Burton was deservingly inducted posthumously into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with the rest of Metallica on April 4, 2009 where his father Ray made a speech on his much loved son’s behalf.