The Expedition Continues with...
I keep putting this review off because I want it to be highly detailed, specific, and well thought out. The thing is, I am not really quite like that—but I do like writing, so write I shall. A lot.
First, momentary flashbacks to RTL start as "Battery” opens with an acoustic guitar intro. It sounds vastly superior to the acoustic intro from “Fight Fire With Fire,” and while I have never cared how a band progresses from their previous album, I must say, I am impressed already. I still do not understand why Metallica can not just start the album with a bang instead of…an acoustic intro. Regardless, “Battery” is one hellofa an opening track. Easily the best thrash song Metallica has made so far. The riffs, drumming, bass, speed, beat, tempo, lyrics, vocals, it is all there, in perfect clarity. This song alone toasts most tracks from RTL.
Next, the title track. Remember when I said that
Ride the Lightning has the best riffs of any album? Well, "Master of Puppets” easily has the best riffs of any song I have heard. It is not just one riff either, there are multiple riffs and a variation. The thing with the riffs is while they are certainly monstrous on their own, they never disappear from the song, that is, they are played constantly; and are precisely the kind of riffs I want to hear in a song. The extended introductory section of this song could very easily be my favorite moment in all of heavy metal, possibly even in all of rock music. When Hetfield comes in with the vocals, he is clear, he is loud, and best of all, shouts instead of sings. His entry into the song is virtually without flaw, coming in right as the song really “starts” with the 2nd riff variation. While I do not care about the lyrics, the ones in this song are simple, easy to understand, and most importantly, they are singable. How many times have you seen or heard “Master of puppets I’m pulling your strings!” referenced on the internet?
Again, same as with Ride the Lightning, I have not a word, let alone a full sentence to describe the guitar playing in this song. Around the four minute mark is the classic breakdown section that breaks up the monotony of the track. Like the rest of this song, I could not bash any part of this song even if I wanted to, but I think the weakest link in this song is perhaps this long instrumental section. Even then, it is really not that weak. Then the song speeds up again with a short bridge, followed by a fiery solo from Hammett. Hetfield kicks the riffing into high gear adding some freestyle-ish riffing before we get the last verse. This song could have ended any number of minutes ago, and it still probably would be one of my favorite songs, but the fact that it keeps going without getting monotonous is very impressive. Hetfield picks up right where he left off with the vocals, and the rest of the instrumentation follows suit–it is as if that instrumental section never happened.
I have played “Master of Puppets” wow, precisely 200 times according to my Last.FM profile.
...so that should tell you all you need to know about what this song means to me. Easily one of the most well written, arranged, and well produced songs, probably the most of what I have heard so far in my metal journey.
Alright, enough about that track. “The Thing That Should Not Be” is next, a much derided track from this album that starts with a very unique, watery-sounding guitar riff with Ulrich lightly tapping his cymbals to provide a de facto beat. Easily the best of the short intros in Metallica’s discography certainly. It really does a fine job setting the atmosphere for the song. The riff progresses then finally explodes into a chugging, heavy riff. When Hetfield comes in with the vocals, he is surprisingly (and oddly) unintelligible. Then the first of the song's many crescendos plays as James finishes the first line of the verse. This track gets a lot of flak for simply repeating the same parts over and over, but I thoroughly enjoy every second of it. The solo is crazy and the song is brutally heavy, and doom-y--slow. Just all around a great song. “The Thing That Should Not Be” is one of the first Metallica songs I heard and liked.
Now, the album takes a dip in quality for a bit. “Welcome Home (Sanitarium)” is a tad on the slow side, but ramps up, albeit slowly, to a great riff and a space-y guitar solo. I like that part of the song, but I cannot stand the watery-guitar riff. It is nowhere near the heaviness of the similar-sounding riff from the previous track, and just plods along. The song ramps up again to the same riff, then goes off-tracks for a bit and I just am NOT a fan of that part. I do not like sporadic playing that goes nowhere, and that is exactly what this song is: it goes nowhere. Not the most well-written song, but it does manage to kick some ass with the riffing and solos, just with a lot of random crap thrown in that tests my patience.
The dip in quality is short-lived though as Metallica does a full 180 spin and goes from walking, to flat-out sprinting on “Disposable Heroes.” Surely this has to be one of the heaviest, yet fastest riffs in all of thrash metal. Wow! “Disposable” is also singable, air-guitar-able, and brilliantly written. Just fantastic.
"Leper Messiah” has (surprised?) another great, heavy riff. It is impressive to make a song played at half the tempo of “Disposable Heroes,” but not sacrifice any of the heaviness.
The instrumental “Orion” opens with an over thirty second long fade-in to a few sustained guitar chords after which Ulrich brings in the beat and the song begins. A downpicking barrage plays for a bit before Hammett takes the reigns and plays, perhaps, one of the first solos I like in Metallica’s discography. It is not anything fancy, but it sounds very cool! A very hard, mean riff variation plays before Hetfield takes us out of this part of the song and into some fantastic bass work by Cliff, and then a very long bridge begins. God, I cannot stand this bridge. This is one of my favorite Metallica songs for sure, but this bridge bores me to tears. After the bridge ends, Hammett takes us home with one of my favorite solos of all-time, and the riffs fade-out, played at their meanest yet.
"Orion" is the first Metallica song I ever heard. I remember sitting on my roommate’s couch in our dorm room, almost exactly one year ago, and I was listening to “South of Heaven” by Slayer, and I just got this urge to look up Metallica. I went straight to Master of Puppets as that is their most well known album by far, and I read a short review for it. The review mentioned something about an instrumental track called “Orion,” and I downloaded the track immediately. I have always loved instrumental tracks, and “Orion” did not disappoint. I hated the solos and the bridge section, but I just loved those "heavy guitars" as I called them when I first listened to it, so I just played the first part of this song over and over and over. Months later I finally bought this actual album, but “Orion” was how my Metallica journey began.
Anywho, “Damage, Inc.” (or is it “Damage Inc.”?) is the final track and is very similar to the opening track “Battery,” only with far better, heavier, and faster riffing good Lord! This could very easily be the heaviest song from this album as Hetfield is practically spitting these lyrics and the guitars are very scratchy and harsh sounding. Have I mentioned the riffs?? They just destroy; all of them. Destroy. DESTROY. The riffs that play after the solo, (or time index 4:39) is one of my favorite Metallica moments.
And it is over? Not fair! I really go back and forth on my opinions on Metallica's best album (really it is just either this, or
Kill Em), and while
Master does have a few weaker tracks, I sill find "The Thing" or the title track far superior to any track from
Kill Em. It took a while for me to full appreciate this album when I first heard it a year ago in late January. I noticed after a while that I kept playing "Master of Puppets" and very quickly that started to grow on me, then I played some of the other tracks and those grew on me too. Once I began to hold this album in high regard I found myself comparing other metal albums to it. I still do actually. The guitar tone especially I compare other metal albums to.
Alright, those are my thoughts on Metallica. One way or another I have reviewed all the Metallica albums worth listening to (I am NOT doing the black album, so forget it!).