Master Of Puppets - Metallica > Reviews > Battery is found in this...

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Definitely a cut above the rest
Lyrics	Thought-provoking
Quality and consistency of tracks	Flawless
How does it compare to the artist's other releases	Outstanding
Value for Money

Advantages:	Brilliant mix of melody and power
Disadvantages:	Their only great album  -  it's all down hill from here

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

I consider this to be the only runaway success of Metallica’s career - this was the pinnacle of their greatness - indeed, their only real moment of true greatness. In the early days the vocals were too horrible to stand - nowadays every element of their music is too horrible to stand. This was the middle ground.

The album opens with a mellow, but slightly sinister acoustic intro, before blasting into the frenetic opening track, Battery. Here Hetfield’s vocals are the strongest they have ever been - aggressive and angry, but with a melody which was lacking in previous albums. This style of guitar playing too has influenced most American metal bands who emerged in the nineties - just listen to an album like Iced Earth’s Night of the Stormrider to hear that chaotic, triplet picking guitar in full frenzied flow.

The title track is another Metallica classic, played live even by the band who call themselves Metallica nowadays. The lyrics on this track are really excellent, again, something they hadn’t really managed before this album, and the song is excellent, progressing more than enough to alleviate the boredom which could otherwise arise with an eight minute song. Again the vocals are strong, and the drumming is some of the best I’ve heard from Lars Ulrich. Also, the solo and the bridge section, with it’s downbeat acoustic guitar, is really a fantastic touch, showing that Metallica could have both pummeling power and enough melody and feeling to cater to all tastes.

Also excellent tracks are The Thing that Shoul not Be, with it’s ultra-heavy riff dragging you in, to the excellent chorus, and wonderfully sinister atmosphere, and Welcome Home (Sanitarium). In fact, I’d go so far as to say that this is the best track on the album - sublimely written lyrics, conveying imprisonment and the possibility of insanity and violence. The acoustic parts contrast excellently with the heavy, crunching guitar tone in the heavier parts. What’s more is that James Hetfield’s vocals are amazing on this track, conveying a real epic quality that many modern bands till try, and fail to capture.

All of the musicianship is excellent apart from the drumming, and even that is more than adequate. The bass really stands out - this was the last album which Metallica made before the untimely death of bassist Cliff Burton (may he rest in peace). His amazing skill is shown for all to see on Orion, a fantastic instrumental filled with some amazing solos and catchy riffs.

Overall, this is the only really essential Metallica album - all of the others fall well short in blending musicianship, melody and unbridled aggression and power.