A Totally Unbiased Review of Metallica’s Master of Puppets
Sike. I’m a Metallica enjoyer.
Hello and welcome to where time stands still, no one leaves and no one will. I will be writing my thoughts on Metallica’s 1986 release, Master of Puppets — a classic, one of my all-time favorites, the first-ever vinyl that I bought and with my own money. It’s a huge thing that I can purchase this record because, with my money, I either splurge it once I have it, or I completely forget that I do have it and end up spending it on nothing because I’m not that much of a big spender on anything but food. This vinyl purchase was genuinely thought through for days by me in the history of me thinking through things, and without further ado, here’s the guy.
I think it’s appropriate if I tell you guys a bit of my history with metal. I remember being overwhelmed by college assignments one night in November 2020, and at that point in the pandemic, I’ve met a few metalheads online and we began following each other on Spotify. I would notice their listening activity, occasionally listen to a few seconds of the metal songs they usually listen to, but I never thought much of them, that is, until that one fateful night.
The first metal band I’ve sat down and listened to was actually Megadeth, and I vividly remember my first ever metal track being “Chosen Ones” from their Killing Is My Business album that was released in 1985. I listened to metal thinking it would keep me pumped and awake to complete all of my assignments in one sitting and, good news, I did. Also, little did I know, in the next few months I would be jumping into the rabbit hole of metal music and began expanding my genres even further — mostly because of a picture of a young, scraggly-haired James Hetfield and Dave Mustaine which you will see below. All credits go to whoever took this photo — and thank you very much for taking it.
Adorable. Moving on.
I notice that once I start listening to a specific genre of music, I often dive deep into the bands that are huge within the genre since they could usually sum up the whole scene; and if I’m invested in a specific era of music, I would dive deeper into the era’s charts or even the lesser-known bands during that time, occasionally. All of this music curiosity has been occurring ever since I listened to releases from the 60s and 70s, which was pretty recent, sometime around 2018.
Each time a band sparks my interest, I would learn about their lineup, listen to their entire discography in chronological order, dive into the history of the band (e.g. lineup changes, what they did before they became famous, read or hear stories from people who know them or watch or read the band’s interviews, etc.), rewatch old concert footage with usually awful quality — all out of curiosity of what I’ll be getting into.
Still, I wouldn’t call myself a super hardcore crazy fan of anyone or any band, though, because there will always be people who will excel on that more than me. I know plenty of hardcore fans of various bands and musicians out there who are willing to defend their idols as if their lives depended on it and to be frank, I never completely understood how they can go to that extent and worship another human who is just as flawed as they are (or even worse) — or vice versa. I’m usually keener on the works, the stories, and a band as a whole anyway, because, within metal, I think most of us know that some of the personal statements some individuals have put out are quite controversial. In the end, I have my opinions and they have theirs.
Like many music enjoyers, I listen carefully to every single word being sung (or screamed), and I often stick with bands I find myself relating to for months or even years — yes, I end up getting attached to them. I’ve only been listening to Metallica since late November 2020, though, but I think I can say I’ve dived deep enough to consider myself a huge fan. Now, you can make my eyes tear up by playing the middle section of “Orion” when I’m in an unpleasant mood because I would usually end up being very introspective and I would remember bassist Clifford Lee Burton’s tragic and untimely death.
On to the review. Remember, although the title said this is a “totally unbiased” review, I said “sike.” Everything I write is strictly my opinion, so feel free to disagree with them.
Below is the paragraph I wrote while listening to “Disposable Heroes” after a while of not listening to it:
The guitar playing, what the f**k. The powerfully aggressive and insane vocals, what the f**k. The drumming and the speed, what the f**k. The lyrics, what the f**k. “Orion”, what the f**k. This album is just unreal on so many levels to me. I can’t believe a group of 20 something-year-old boys crafted this complex and profound masterpiece that continues to exhibit what this four-piece is capable of creating and that paved the way for themselves, other thrash metal pioneers like them at the time, and those after them.
For real, though. That paragraph mostly sums up how I feel about the entirety of Master of Puppets by Metallica. Now, it’s 01.48 am, I’ve just submitted a college assignment, I’m going to bed, and I will continue writing once I wake up.
I woke up at 10.45 am on Sunday and I ate fries and nuggets for breakfast. Let’s continue with a track by track review.
“Battery”
“Battery” is a fast and aggressive opener and I remember having a huge smile on my face when I first played it on my newly-purchased turntable that my dad bought for me (thanks, Dad!). I love the solo and the middle part. I remember it took me a while to scream “Battery!” on time while singing along to the song, but I’ve mastered it by now.
“Master of Puppets”
“Master of Puppets” is unquestionably a classic and if you don’t yell “Master! Master!” and sing along to the iconic guitar harmonies with me, ew. The laughter at the end of the song would probably scare the shit out of my nine-year-old self who was used to singing my heart out to “What Makes You Beautiful” by One Direction on repeat, but due to my familiarity with “Master of Puppets” today, I find the laughter quite comforting.
“The Thing That Should Not Be”
“The Thing That Should Not Be” is an eerie piece, is one of my favorites, and an underrated song in my opinion. The live performance of the song in Seattle in 1989, aka the greatest concert I never attended, is insane and heavy. I love the drums during the verses (“Messenger of fear in sight”), the overall dark tone of the song, and the opening really has meme potential (and has been wonderfully used for meme purposes by Metallica-related YouTube channels). The solo sounds like sharp shrieking in my ears — it suits the song very much, which I think is about a monster in the sea or something or probably that Cthulhu creature that the band wrote an instrumental on in their 1984 release, Ride The Lightning.
“Welcome Home (Sanitarium)”
“Welcome Home (Sanitarium)” is a favorite of mine. The vocals are genuinely music to my ears. The opening and the solo just before the vocals kick in always give me chills — thank you, lead guitarist Kirk Hammett, for the treat. The lyrics are amazingly written and this song is probably my favorite in terms of it. Just like the previous track, the lyrics and the music convey the theme of both songs perfectly.
“Disposable Heroes”
I always thought “Disposable Heroes” was a bit too long for my liking (although I enjoy listening to the entirety of “Orion” on repeat just fine) but after I sat down and listened to it again, it is probably one of the most hard-hitting and complex songs Metallica has ever crafted. The lyrics are tragic and in some parts unfortunately true.
“Leper Messiah”
“Leper Messiah” is another favorite track of mine because I’m a huge fan of the main riff, vocals, political lyrics, and the part when the song speeds up and the lyrics talk about sheeps gathering — you know which part I’m talking about. Although James Hetfield — the frontman of Metallica, in case you’re uncultured — said that his lyrics are solely his opinion and he’s not trying to influence anyone else’s, I find myself agreeing with most of them, especially with this and the previous song.
“Orion”
“Orion” never fails to overwhelm me with feelings I can’t describe. Listening to it at nighttime with the lights out while closing my eyes just hits so different. It feels like I’m slowly levitating to outer space during the moodier and iconic middle section that was skillfully crafted by the late Metallica bassist, Cliff Burton. The bassline? I can hear it in my head right now as I type this down. The solos and guitar harmonies? Phenomenal, if you will.
“Damage, Inc.”
“Damage, Inc.” is just the perfect amount of violence and destruction. I can’t believe human hands can make guitars and drums sound that fast. I constantly find myself driving faster when the song starts playing in the car. I think “Damage, Inc.” has the same vibes as “Battery”, but with more brutal lyrics and a more hurried feel to it.
As closing remarks, I think Master of Puppets deserves the status of being one of the greatest heavy metal albums of all time. Music-wise, the precision of the guitar playing, the drumming, the speed, the raucousness — everything is amazing. James Hetfield’s voice has certainly matured from the screamy and slightly screechy voice he had in the band’s 1983 debut album, Kill ’Em All, and I love listening to him! James Hetfield is probably one of my favorite vocalists ever besides Robert Plant and Freddie Mercury.
The themes of the album are perfectly conveyed by the songs and the virtuosity is just all over the place, and again, I can’t believe a group of 20 something-year-old boys crafted this complex and profound masterpiece, which is also one of the main reasons why I look up to this band very much — they really were just very talented, young dudes messing around on a whole new level, and they’re still active to this day! I’m sure that this album and Metallica themselves influenced other bands around them and in the future, and undoubtedly deeply influenced this 19-year-old girl.
I’m glad I could let this all out because this album is one out of the many things I’m extremely passionate about. If you’ve made it this far, thanks for reading!
