411 Metallica Roundtable: Master Of Puppets

Posted by Mitch Michaels on 09.04.2008

The 411 staff continues the build towards Death Magnetic with a look at Metallica’s early masterpiece…

On September 12th, Metallica releases Death Magnetic, their first studio album in over five years. Anticipation for this album among the Metallica faithful, haters and just plain curious has reached a fever pitch over the last couple of months thanks to comments from the band, new live leaks, cover art, track listings and, finally, a pair of official downloads - all leading up to the big Friday drop date.

But why all the hype for a band who, in most folks' opinion, completely dropped the ball on their last release? Well, 411 has decided to find out and tell you all about it. How? By taking a look back at Metallica's other eight studio sets, from the thrash juggernaut of 1983's Kill ‘Em All to the questionable ProTools mess of 2003's St. Anger. Because to understand the future, you need look no further than the past. Or some shit like that. Here's some metal up your ass!

(If you missed it, be sure to check out Parts 1 (Kill 'Em All) and 2 (Ride The Lightning) !)

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PART THREE: MASTER OF PUPPETS
The success of Ride The Lightning led Metallica to bigger things. The shows got bigger, and the band left Megaforce for major label Elektra Records. Following a co-headlining tour with W.A.S.P. and some very big festival dates (including Monsters Of Rock with Bon Jovi), the foursome headed back to the studio to record their third album.

In early 1986, Metallica released what many consider to be their masterpiece, the deep and layered Master Of Puppets. As a testament to the band's growing commercial success, Puppets shot to #29 on the charts and was certified gold by the fall of the same year.

The 411 Music staff has decided to revisit the epic record and its themes of power lost.



Do You Have This Album?

Mitch Michaels: When I first got in to Metallica in 1997, I knew that I had to go out and get Master Of Puppets. And I did. I remember picking this up at the Disc Jockey at my nearest mall. My crazy lesbian boss from that summer had sent me out for some kind of supplies and I felt the time was right. I think I rocked out to "Battery" all the way back to work.

Scott Rutherford: As I've said previously, I bought the entire back catalog in 1989 when I go into …And Justice For All. All albums now live in my iTune/iPod and copies safely made to an external hard drive.

Jesse Coy: Yes, and it's the same as the first two Metallica albums, as in late '87 to early '88. I recognized these tracks a bit more than the others, having seen Cliff 'Em All a bit before getting the album. That home video was heavy on Master of Puppets tracks.

Blake Lauderback: Yes of course. I believe it was somewhere near number three, four, or five in the collection.

Dan Marsicano: Master Of Puppets was the album that got me into Metallica full-time. From the acoustic opening of "Battery" to the thrash monster "Damage Inc," Master of Puppets took me for a journey every 12 year old music fan should be required to go on. I fell in love with metal because of this album, which I picked up at my local independent record store, where I picked up much of Metallica's earlier catalog.

Dan Haggerty: And here we hit the big one. Might not be the all out head buster than Ride the Lightning was, simply because it is a formula recap of that album but with tighter production and an admitted better change up in the last two songs. This came out shortly after I discovered the band for the first time on RTL, and was more than enthusiastic to get this as soon as possible when it hit the streets. It might have been a marketed continuation of Lightning, but it was a welcome continuation that reasserted the bands position as the kings of a whole new metal order. I consider it the bands second best album by a slim margin, but that goes in the face of most who would put this first.

Ben Piper: I bought it two weeks after it was released way back in the day. Did so based upon the astounding word of mouth from my fellow high school metalheads that I was associating with at the time, despite the fact that I had not ever listened to one note of Metallica up to that point. The side effects of which I'll go over in my closing comments...


What Tracks Do You Love?

Mitch Michaels: Starting off with "Battery" may be the best idea Metallica ever had. While the rest of Puppets sort of furthers the progressive experimentation of Ride The Lightning, "Battery" is just sheer, brutal thrash and I fucking love it. Then you have the dark and brooding balladry of "Sanitarium", which sits comfortably with Metallica's other classic power ballads with awesome intros. "Disposable Heroes", "Leper Messiah", Cliff Burton's shining moment in the intrumental "Orion" and Kirk Hammett's greatest statement "Damage, Inc." - this album is eight vital, epic tracks.

Scott Rutherford:

Side One: This isn't hyperbole, I consider Side A to be perhaps the great side of any release, ever. I'm sure non-metal fans will scoff, music buffs will sight some obscure Nick Drake album but for those who appreciate all music…this is it. Even with only four songs running nearly 25 minutes, there isn't a wasted note. The music ebbs and flows and knows when to kick into gear and when to lay back and the production revolutionized the way hard rock/metal albums sound. Even the relatively obscure "Thing That Should Not Be" holds up against the might of Metallica classics "Master of Puppets", "Battery" and "(Welcome Home) Sanitarium". In fact "Thing That Should Not Be" may be my single favorite Metallica song ever and contains the wildest solo of Kirk Hammett's career.

"Orion": The crowning achievement in the career of Cliff Burton. While I rightly called bogus on the guitar-solo-played-on-bass that was "Pulling Teeth" from Kill ‘Em All, this time around I grovel at the greatness. The reason why this is different is because Burton created a melodic counter point to the guitar around him that was at once brilliant and utterly insane. In any universe that note selection should not have worked but Burton and his amazing gift for melody crafted something that sits uncomfortably in your brain, sort of like if your skin was two sizes too small for your body and you are trying to rip it off.

Jesse Coy: For now, I'll pick my favorite tracks as being "The Thing that Should Not Be" and "Sanitarium." For me, the latter is their best metal ballad, and the former is just a great, heavy track. Primus' cover of it is a lot of fun, by the way. Les did audition to be Cliff's replacement.

Blake Lauderback:

"Battery": This makes two albums in a row that the band decided that the first sound heard should be acoustic guitar, which is a somewhat unusual move for a metal band. This song is an outstanding opener.

"Master of Puppets": This is another iconic song from the band that has maintained its spot as a metal classic over the past few decades. Over all it is an immensely powerful song, but the band manages to slip in a few moments of beauty amongst the chaos.

"Welcome Home (Sanitarium)": More proof that these guys can rock without going a million miles an hour. Some truly stellar guitar work here.

"Orion": This is another brilliant instrumental tune, though I don't think it is quite as ingenious as "Ktulu". That said, Cliff Burton shines brilliantly here.

Dan Marsicano:

"Battery": Very reminiscent of Ride The Lightning opener "Fight Fire With Fire," with the acoustic introduction leading into a thrash attack. The track is the perfect way to open the album up and leads into what some have called one of the greatest metal songs of all time.

"Master Of Puppets": This track put Metallica on the map in the minds of metal heads worldwide. The eight and a half minute track progresses from a memorable chorus/verse structure before calming down in the middle for a brilliant solo section from Hammett, with Hetfield even jumping in on the action. The song is one of the first real progressive metal songs the band has written, a characteristic that the band would expand upon with …And Justice For All.

"The Thing That Should Not Be": After the greatness that is the title track, any other track would pale in comparison. Metallica doesn't try to one-up themselves, deciding to go all slow paced on us with "The Thing That Should Not Be." The song slugs along, taking its sweet time to build up to a HEAVY chorus. While one of the lesser known tracks, "The Thing That Should Not Be" is Metallica going all sludge/doom metal on us.

"Welcome Home (Sanitarium)": The "ballad" of the album, "Welcome Home (Sanitarium)" is always mentioned alongside "Fade To Black" and "One" as one of the band's best ballads. While not the best one the band has done (I give it to "Fade To Black"), the band sounds more at home with the slower sound than in the early days.

"Disposable Heroes": What an epic thrash track, what else can be said? That opening riff from Hetfield alone has probably caused concussions and neck damage from all the headbanging. The band sounds on fire throughout the eight minutes, with Lars even pounding on the double bass like he is Dave Lombardo all of a sudden. The lyrics, talking about the negative effects of war, are bleak and desperate, with the music following suit.

"Leper Messiah": Like "The Thing That Should Not Be," a track that a lot of fans skip over when talking about Master Of Puppets. While one of the "weaker" tracks on the album, "Leper Messiah" has a slight groove to it, made more visible by Burton's bass line, clearly heard in the mix. Personally, it's one of my favorite tracks off of Master Of Puppets, one that takes the issue of televangelists and makes a strong argument against them.

"Orion": The best instrumental Metallica has ever written, without a shadow of a doubt. It's sad to listen to the track, made memorable by Cliff Burton's phenomenal bass solo about six minutes in, realizing that less than six months later, Burton would be dead. "Orion" is Burton's final masterpiece, a track that shows why even to this day he is missed by every Metallica fan.

"Damage Inc.": After a calming bass introduction, the band turns it up full throttle for a heart-racing conclusion. The track is furious, full of anger from Hetfield, and sounds like a more mature version of "Whiplash." The band would replicate using a fast thrash song as a closer for …And Justice For All with "Dyers Eve", but I still prefer "Damage Inc.".

Dan Haggerty: "Battery" raises the double barrel shot gun and opens fire, being one the best pure speed ball busting openers to hit a side of vinyl. The band then turns around and just takes that shotgun and batters you with it like a club for closer "Damage Inc." Brain damage never sounded so good. The title track has a methodical crunch and possessing lyrics that enrapt you in the chaotic flow of its law. "Sanitarium" haunts and hunts, going toe to toe with its RTL equivalent in "Fade to Black". "Disposable Heroes" owns as well, putting the anger back into your parents pansy anti-war song.

Ben Piper:

"Master of Puppets": It's the ubiquitous thrash metal song, plain and simple. Shifting time signatures, intelligent lyrics, the slow middle section, everything. A masterpiece of metal songwriting. And to this day, and after twenty years of playing the guitar proficiently, there is still one riff in it that I still cannot master correctly at full speed.

"Welcome Home (Sanitarium)": For what ever reason that I truly cannot explain, I've found myself several times throwing myself into a rabid mosh pit once this song kicks into overdrive at their live shows. And I have no business whatsoever diving into a mosh pit. Whatsoever. I'm undersized by pit standards (to say the least) but I've found myself putting life and limb in danger because of this song on more than one occasion.

"Orion": Another great instrumental, furthering the fact that Metallica wasn't your typical thrash band of the time. On top of that it was ultimately Cliff Burton's last hurrah, in that he really shined on this track in many ways. It's a shame he didn't get a chance to stick around and make more great music longer for all of us to enjoy.


What Tracks Do You Skip?

Mitch Michaels: There are very few albums I say this about, but on Master Of Puppets, you don't touch it. You push play and get the fuck out of the way.

Scott Rutherford: "Leper Messiah": Sometimes I just don't have the patience to sit through this song and "Disposable Heroes" all at once and invariably I will skip this for no other reason than I like "Heroes" more.

Jesse Coy: There's no songs I don't like on this. I think it all fits together quite well. Song per song, this might be the perfect example of their blueprint they used for albums two through four (the blueprint nearly identical from release to release).

Blake Lauderback: If I had to choose a least favorite...

"Leper Messiah": Again, certainly not a bad song, just the weakest of a very strong bunch

Dan Marsicano: Like Ride The Lightning, I really don't skip any of the tracks.

Dan Haggerty: I really like "Orion", and it is a wonderful display of atmosphere, but man some days I wish they would have left a minute on the editing room floor. If I go on a Metallica binge (and purge!), after a few spins in the car this starts to get skipped.

Ben Piper: None. This is all truly ground breaking stuff for the time that it was released, and it all still holds up true to this day.


Final Thoughts

Mitch Michaels: There are great Metallica albums and there are great albums. Master Of Puppets is a classic album. It's one of my Top 10 favorite of all time. The band took the blunt instrument that was Kill ‘Em All and honed it to a fine point by their third album. And after forging that piercing blade, they jabbed it into metal's skull. No one has done it bigger or better since.

Scott Rutherford: This album defines the genre term "metal". Enough said.

Jesse Coy: Even though I think this might be a sort of perfecting of the early Metallica blueprint, and it is a classic thrash album, there are times when I also prefer their follow-up, ... And Justice for All. Of course, time to piss off lots of Metallica fans... I think their best release ever was what DIRECTLY followed this, the Garage Days Re-Revisited EP.

Blake Lauderback: Now, the jump from Kill 'Em All to Ride the Lightning is almost startling from a developmental standpoint, as the band did show much growing and maturing. The jump from Lightning to Master of Puppets is less shocking, but still very crucial. Master of Puppets

Dan Marsicano: Master Of Puppets had Metallica go 3 for 3 on brilliant albums. Some people criticize the album as being overrated and a shadow of the band's former self, with others even saying that the album was the beginning of the end for metal as we knew it. Don't worry; we all know those people are crazy to begin with. Master of Puppets is the quintessential masterpiece, and an album every metal fan should have in their collection, alongside Paranoid, The Number Of The Beast, and Rust In Peace.

Dan Haggerty: Hey – Even if I think a number of heavy metal albums are better than this one, I still say it's near the top. More importantly for you, my friends, 99% of the general public thinks this is the grand-daddy of them all. So put it on and try a spin for yourself. Bare minimum, you're going to be a happy mosher one way or the other. Lighting was the call to arms, and this pulled the trigger. Metal was never the same again, and the great race to continually push the envelope had begun.

Ben Piper: I'm going to be completely honest here. As I stated previously, this was my first taste of Metallica. While I was a devout headbanging metalhead at the time Master of Puppets was released, I was primarily listening to the likes of Dio, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, and Ozzy. (RIP Randy Rhoads, you still rock to this day, although your tone is sadly dated.) I was not in any way prepared for Metallica or this album when I first listened to it. The first track I listened to was "Battery". My initial thoughts were "nice acoustic intro. I like that". I was then barraged with a wall of sound that I was not expecting, which was followed up by a blistering guitar riff that my sensitive ears at the time was again, not even close to being prepared for. I quickly skipped the needle ahead to the following track, "Master of Puppets". Again, I was in no way ready for what Metallica had in store for me.

So the first time I ever listened to Metalllica? I completely hated it. I didn't get it or understand the hype about this being the underground band that you HAVE to pay attention to. The first time that I listened to them, they were simply beyond my reach with regards to my understanding of what music was or could be.

But then I started to play the guitar, and take lessons, and while I wasn't in any way good when I started, I was decent from a beginner's aspect. In other words, I took to it quickly.
As my teacher of the time brought me around to musical theory, as well as song structures, I finally gave Master of Puppets a second listen after it had spent several long months on my shelf, completely ignored in favor of the tried and true I was familiar with...

And once I gave it a second chance, it completely blew me away. Somehow, I finally GOT IT. I finally understood why all my friends were clamoring, and why this was a truly important band. While Ride The Lighting probably would have been a better and more welcomed introduction to Metallica at that point in time for me, Master of Puppets, once I got over my initial distaste, proved to be a moment in time that captured the band's overall brilliance, all the way around. None of the songs are pedestrian in any way. The song structures are pitch perfect, even after they've admitted to "cramming as many riffs into every song" that they could at that point in time.

This is a seminal recording. It's because of this I opened up and broadened my horizons musically, with regards to what I was willing to listen to. Because of Master, I found my way to Anthrax, and then to Slayer, and beyond.

In other words, while I freely admit that I hated the first time I listened to it, I truly worship the ground this album treads on, it's that great. It opened me up to the possibility of a whole new musical world that at the time I wasn't aware of. It challenged me and my musical sensibilities to evolve and expand.

And yes, I quickly became a steadfast fan of this "underground band" that I've heard everyone else talking about. I was fully on board, finally. And I could not wait for what was next...

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Join us tomorrow as we move forward to a new era in Metallica with Jason Newsted and …And Justice For All!