Throwback Thursday: Master of Puppets, by Metallica

In 1986 thrash metal band Metallica put out their third studio album: Master of Puppets. It was in this album that the band really made a big breakthrough as a common household name in the world of heavy metal. The two albums before were absolutely fantastic, but this is where Metallica kind of came into their own and started to leave a big lasting impression on their fans and the world. To this day Master of Puppets is considered by many to be THE essential Metallica album and also an essential heavy metal album in general.

Master of Puppets is where Metallica really started getting into big heavy production, long songs with as many distinct riffs as possible thrown in, and the overall big crunchy dark sound we all know and love them for. You can tell they ran out of all of the material written by former lead guitarist Dave Mustaine (who would go on to form Megadeth), but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. Now that the band was completely writing on its own they went into new territory that was really inspiring and driving for them.

When that acoustic intro to Battery kicks in, you might be a bit confused at first because this doesn't sound like something Metallica would do at all until the electric guitars come crashing in with a great big wall of sound that then quickly degenerates into a speedy thrashy riff. The build-up to this is actually quite genius in my opinion, at least for the time. Now it's not uncommon but I appreciate it for its innovation at the time. Plus, who doesn't love getting goosebumps before a good headbanger of a tune?

Master of Puppets (the title track) is to many of the band's fans the iconic Metallica song. Whenever anyone mentions the name Metallica, that's the song that comes to most people's heads first. The intro riff is something almost every metal guitarist I know (even myself included) has learned to play. It's an epic 8 and a half minute song broken up into multiple distinct parts that flow together beautifully. For a thrash metal song, it's surprisingly well constructed. The musicianship is top notch. There are hard, fast, angry moments, but at the same time there are slowed down, melodic, and beautiful ones as well. Definitely go to this song for your first impression of Metallica.

I remember Master of Puppets being my first Metallica album as a teen. I had not really listened to Metallica before, but when I popped this on for the first time I was pleasantly surprised. I'd even venture to say blown away. This was one hell of a way for me to introduce myself to the kings of thrash metal. I would highly suggest the same for you if you're looking to check out Metallica or the thrash metal genre in general. Master of Puppets is a huge musical thrill ride from start to finish. It's a wild ride that you had best be ready for when you put it on your player.

Master of Puppets, by Metallica receives 4 out of 5 stars.

Track List:
1. Battery
2. Master of Puppets
3. The Thing That Should Not Be
4. Welcome Home (Sanitarium)
5. Disposable Heroes
6. Leper Messiah
7. Orion (Instrumental)
8. Damage, Inc.

Buy the album on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Master-Puppets-Metallica/dp/B00EBDXTJG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1470382714&sr=8-1&keywords=Master+of+Puppets