Metallica - Master of Puppets

 

Cost: $2.00 

I'm a little late in getting around to writing about this one, and in the meantime, I actually found another copy of Master (an earlier press; this one is a later version since it amends the fanclub info with the Metallica website in the booklet) as well as a copy of Ride the Lightning and the bootleg I already covered. And while not pristine, all of them were in pretty good condition to boot. That would have been unthinkable even just a few years ago. For 25 years, the only '80s Metallica I ever even saw in a cheapo bin was a severely water damaged copy of AJfA (my local pawn shop also had an empty Kill 'Em All case on the shelf back when they were selling CDs for $3 a pop, but someone had swiped the disc).

Another album that I don't need to bother describing in any way, so I'll just give some brief thoughts.

Much like Reign in Blood, I think this album is terribly overrated compared to more underground stuff, but I like it more than I did when I initially heard it, and I get the impression I like it more than other people might think based on my personal tastes in metal. While there are some cool ideas here, in hindsight I think they were trying a bit too hard to shake metal stereotypes and be seen as more complex and proficient musicians. It's also quite long for an 8-song thrash album-- all of the 6+ min. songs could stand to have some fat trimmed. 

1. Battery

The first time I ever heard this, I thought of it rather negatively. Mellow acoustic intro leading into fast aggressive opening track? They already did that on "Fight Fire with Fire," and it's not even as good. I can appreciate the speed and aggression now, although I've always thought the chorus vocal patterns and gang vox felt kind of wonky.

2. Master of Puppets

Great. All that middle section stuff is kind of extraneous but it doesn't really bother me either.

3. The Thing That Should Not Be

Not bad, kind of feels like a precursor to some of the stuff on the self-titled album.

4. Welcome Home (Sanitarium)

Okay, though the balladish stuff isn't my favorite. I think it comes off better than "Fade to Black," at least.

5. Disposable Heroes

Always thought this was a severely underrated song--one of my favorite non-Kill 'Em All Metallica tracks.

6. Leper Messiah

I have no strong opinions on the track itself. It's not bad, it's not great, I just see it as mid-paced filler. I think it's got one of the better solos of the album, though.

7. Orion

I've been conditioned to like the middle part that they used for the credits of the Cliff 'Em All video after seeing it so much. But overall this feels like they were focused more on being progressive and less on writing killer tunes (foreshadowing the entire ...And Justice album, perhaps?). It's got enough substance where it's not as throwaway as "Anesthesia," but I'd much rather hear "Call of Ktulu."

8. Damage, Inc. 

They were good at the straightforward fast stuff, it's a shame it went severely downhill after this. This might have made a better opener than "Battery."