Master Of Puppets - Metallica > Reviews > The 'Masters' of 'Puppets'

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Groundbreaking
Lyrics	Sublime
Quality and consistency of tracks	Flawless
How does it compare to the artist's other releases	Outstanding
Value for Money	Excellent

Advantages:	Flawless Heavy Metal record, technically stunning time signature shifts with occasional classical structuring
Disadvantages:	20 year old production job, could do with a re - mastering

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Time for my ultimate review of what I feel is the finest metal record of all time, 'Master of Puppets' by the masters themselves, 'Metallica'.

Myself, a fan of Heavy Metal entirely because of the music from these guys. It was the 'Black' album that started it all for me in the early 90's upon hearing 'Enter Sandman' on the radio; I was pulled out of my stupid Pop childhood, and taken away into a darker musical place I liked very much. I immediately purchased a copy of the 'Black' album and upon hearing this I read more into the band learning of their thrash roots and much more diverse heavier past. So I sought after their older material beginning with 'Master of Puppet's'. Which brings me to today, where I have quite a collection of 'Metallica's' music having trawled CD fairs for the rarities and odds and sods to build that collection.

I've seen these guys sporadically over the past ten years, and to be there in person one particular time when the entire album, 'Master of Puppets' was performed in full was more than just special to say the least. It was Download festival 2006, it was Saturday night and it was the best performance I have ever seen them do, mind you I was only a few meters from the stage. It began with the band leaving the stage after having played a handful of songs, then suddenly the monitors either side of the stage lit up showing a short film. It displayed info about the anniversary of 'Master of Puppets' and a tribute for the late 'Cliff Burton'. The screen then announced that 'Master of Puppets' would be performed in full to mark the occasion, then I could hear the clean intro of 'Battery' begin to play from the sidelines of the stage and the band emerged. Everyone had tears streaming down their faces, full of emotion they just couldn't believe it, couldn't believe that 'Metallica' would be performing 'Master of Puppets' at it's full length, god no even to hear 'Orion' performed live!!!

Ok enough of that, I'm just trying to give you all a picture of how it was that night, but anyhow it's time for the review of the album itself.

'Master of Puppets' clocks in at 54 minutes and 47 seconds, considering there are only eight tracks this is a long album. The majority of songs here go way beyond 6 minutes, with some almost up to the 9 minute mark. Despite the length of the songs, there isn't a single boring moment on the album with everything being some sort of high point, whether that be the twisted heaviness of 'The Thing That Should Not Be', the impressive classical time signature changes throughout, or the beautiful guitar harmonies from both 'Kirk Hammet' and 'James Hetfield' that swim beautifully alongside the masterful metal on display.

The technicality on show is bewildering, solos and metal riffs that are so hot they could set the fret boards on fire, but delivered with a tight intricate passion the likes we don't often hear these days. 'Lars Ulrich's' drum set explodes in flourishes at the right points, blazing underneath the Guitars and Bass at a frantic pace. But what of the Bass? it's almost as if a parallel universe has opened and a being from another world has stepped in, not only does Cliff's bass add to the guitar harmonies, it goes a lot further to push the barriers of what can be achieved alongside other instrumentation. Just listen to the riveting Bass intro to 'Orion' and you'll know what I mean, the bass creates a picture that sounds like the writings of a certain 'H.P. Lovecraft', very otherworldly but above all still sounds amazingly fresh by today's standards.

The album 'Master of Puppets' begins with some classical sounding clean guitars on the first song 'Battery', to hear these notes play sends a shiver down my spine and raises the hairs on the back of my neck every time, they have a certain elegance. I must also say that this is a very satisfying guitar part to perform. After a long metallic instrumental lasting over one minute, things abruptly erupt like 'mount Vesuvius' and we are into a battering ram of thrashed out riffage and galloping drums "Lashing out the action, returning the reaction, weak are ripped and torn away…" Hetfield's lyrics are perfect and highly intelligent, which proves some thought has gone behind the writing process. "Pounding out aggression, turns into obsession, cannot kill the Battery" cries Hetfield with immediacy in the chorus. This track is so charged up and electrified its equivalent would be the energizer bunny (But one hell of a monster bunny). At 3 minutes and 19 seconds a flawless solo emerges on a driving riff that escalates the technicality. If you were blown away with the pummeling thrash metal of 'Battery', then just wait till you've heard this solo, it'll blow you away with much more force!!!

Next we have the album title track 'Master of Puppets' and at 8 minutes 35 seconds (Not 38 seconds, as per the tray inlay) this is the albums longest track. Beginning with four stabs of metallic power and corresponding drums, the track rolls into a descending riff with a furious pace. A few perfect medium to high guitar squeals then introduce the verse riff which is an absolute monster "End of passion play, crumbling away, I'm your source of self destruction…" Hetfield's lyrics are plainly about the negatives of drug abuse "Leading on your deaths construction…" and much later in track "Pain monopoly, ritual misery, chop your breakfast on a mirror, taste me you will see, more is all you need, you're dedicated to, how I'm killing you." the word play is very clever on this track and will always remain poignant, but more so today than when this album was first written.
The chorus is a master class in how to combine a snaking super riff with great lyrics "Come crawling faster, obey your master, your life burns faster…" awesome.
At 3 minutes and 34 seconds the pace drops as the word "Master" is repeated in increasingly darker tones. We get a beautiful segment of clean guitars with the beginning of what is about to become one hell of a guitar solo (see the band live and people all around will hum this one, or at least try to hum this part). The harmony and interplay between the two guitarists is almost unrivalled, but today we are certainly seeing some great guitarists emerging, most citing this album or this song amongst their main influences.

'The Thing That Should Not Be' is the heaviest track on this record, where the guitars have been downtuned ever so slightly to create that perfect 'H.P. Lovecraft' imagery in your mind that's oozing from the lyrics "Messenger of fear in sight, dark deception kills the light." The main riff is gargantuan, thanks to that de-tuning. At 6 minutes 36 (Not 32 seconds as per blah, blah, blah. You know what I mean) this track is quite a runner, most long tracks by other bands are usually this kind of length, for 'Metallica' this is middle ground, 5 minutes is a short track by their standards. But I would say that no part of any of the songs here is wasted as we go through different compositions, it's as if a few short tracks had been spliced together to make one progressive monster. Thing is it works so well!!!
The start/stop segments that make up the verses on 'The Thing That Should Not Be' blend into an abyss that drives toward an intense chugging riff near the end of the chorus "Hunter of the shadows is rising….Immortal….In madness you dwell." The drumset is pounding so hard near the end of this part, that the monster of a chorus is realized within this segment. Again we go through the verse, bridge and chorus back into the segment of pure instrumental rage. Towards the end of the track after the second chorus we hear a solo burst into life in a manor so close to the line "Hunter of the shadows is rising" that the lead harmony itself has become its own monster. Backed by that driving riff, drums and bass the solo furiously kills off anything living in its wake. It is one of the high points on this album for me, although other friends of mine prefer some of the more interesting structures in the other songs. As if this beast of a song was hard to lay to rest, the song batters on the monster riff after the third chorus with intermittent drum beats in it's dying notes, then as we're fading away an interesting scratchy pattern emerges over the disappearing guitar riff until the song ends.

'Welcome Home (Sanitarium)' opens with beautifully clean guitar strings being plucked. Then the momentum takes a melodic plunge and we remain with the clean riff, no heavy stuff yet. The drums come in; in a rhythmic pattern over the clean parts as a sweeping guitar solo builds anticipation for what's to come. 'Hetfield' then sings "Welcome to where time stands still, no one leaves and no one will…" in an eerie but uplifting way. Then as 'James's' vocals become increasingly more aggressive we prepare to break into the first metal riff in song "Sleep my friend and you will see, that dream is my reality, they keep me locked up in this cage, can't they see it's why my brain says rage". This brings in the chorus that veers onto a tightly woven metal riff as the bracketed song title is angrily vocalized "SANITARIUM….LEAVE ME BE…" After the chorus we get a second longer guitar solo with intricate dual harmonies to lull us back into the gentler sound. We flit in and out of the clean parts and the chugging anticipation, plus the 'let it loose' chorus, then at this point we go back into the metallic onslaught we know so well as the tempo in the song quickens beyond the first half of the song. At 3 minutes 45 seconds, just after James has shouted, "Just leave me alone" the riffs chug along on adrenaline. A melodic but entirely heavy piece breaks into the riff pulling us slightly away as 'James' sings "Fear of living on, natives getting restless now, mutiny in the air…" at 4 minutes 27 we get the third solo over this mammoth section where the underlying riff accompanies the franticly paced lead fretwork. The second half of this guitar solo mimics 'James's' singing in the last part, adding a bit of dual harmony over 'Lars Ulrich's' changing drum patterns. Things eventually draw to a slowing close with one final metallic stab from all instruments closing the track.

'Disposable Heroes' - boom. badda, badda, badda, badda, da. da. da. This riff is intense, and furiously paced. It was hand picked by 'Chimaira' to be covered for the 20th Anniversary version of 'Master of Puppets' that was given away freely on cover mount magazine 'Kerrang!'. What a choice from another great band, it lived up to the hype. Now back to the original, and we're on that intro riff, the thing that strikes most is how tight the band have become over the years. There are absolutely no moments in this track where you don't feel amazed; it's that precise right through. At 8 minutes 16 seconds this kind of intense riffing is bewildering, how on earth do they manage to keep the momentum up for so long? It's over one and a half minutes before 'Hetfield' has even begun to stretch his vocal cords "Bodies fill the fields I see, Hungry heroes end, no one to play soldier now, no one to pretend…" The thrashing verse riff has a melodic focus, which moves the song into different areas. Then as if that wasn't enough, we get full on thrash metal "Soldier boy, made of clay, now an empty shell, twenty one, only son, but he served us well…" the lyrics about a lone man's visions at war combined with the future track 'One' from "…And Justice for All." Tell the story of a soldier pushed to the frontlines but ending up mortally wounded, losing arms, legs hearing, sight, speech etc. The lyrics have never seemed as powerful as they do now, especially with the war on terror in the Middle East.
At 4 minutes 28 seconds, the tracks solo breathes new life into the barrage of metallic intensity. As per usual we get some unbelievable fretwork on a lengthy twisting segment, mid-pace we get a couple of time signature changes and a difference in substance for the solos temporary focus. We go through several different parts before ridding on back on to the main verse riff. Then the track gradually begins to break down with changing pace on the drums, alternating over the driving riffs. "Back to the Front" cries 'Hetfield' towards the songs close.

'Leper Messiah' is slower in pace than 'Disposable Heroes' but its riff is more groove driven than thrash oriented. It's heavy as hell and one of the secret weapons of the album. The riff marches like an elite regiment in tight unison, and then there is some bass, guitar and drum interplay with a dense bass riff pushing the sound forwards whilst acting as a merger for the gaps between the guitar stabs. "Spineless from the start, sucked into the part, circus comes to town, you play the lead clown…" words about societies negligence of human disfigurement, 'James's' lyrics really make you think. The chorus riff descends, giving the listener a feeling of 'falling off', although the chorus riff itself doesn't descend at the pace or amount that the main riff in 'Master of Puppets' does. It's quite a simple riff but used to great effect here. The track goes on to repeat the verse and chorus, then at 3 minutes and 12 seconds my favorite 'Metallica' lead riff plays picking the listener from his or her seat with a helping hand, and flinging you until you're off into the sky. "Witchery, Weakening, sees the sheep are gathering, set the trap, hypnotize, now you follow" shouts James over full-on galloping metal with double bass kicks breaking fourth in this short part. A full high-end solo that moves up and down the fret board while snapping at the other guitar begins, 'Kirk's' talent as usual is in full force. The track moves back through some familiar segments before coming to a halt.

'Orion' is an entirely instrumental track; opening up with an abstract bass intro the sound here is closer to a rhythm Guitar than an actual Bass, which shows off Cliff's technical ability. Distorted and challenging, this riff slowly creeps towards the listener. At 30 seconds the sound of 'Lars Ulrich's' drum kit fades into life with a gently pulsating beat. Then shortly after this at 58 seconds the guitars abruptly come to life with a metallic riff of futuristic proportions that remains in the realm of classical structuring. Alternate structuring and tight jagged riffs are order of the day here, with intricate layers of lead guitar parts occasionally licking at the menacing heaviness from the other band members and that dense bass sound. At 2 minutes and 12 seconds we get some galloping riffs over some mid-paced drumming, then we're back off into a familiar riff with 'Kirk's' guitar licking away at 'Hetfield's' until we enter into a full blown solo. As you have come to expect by now we are treated to an elegant classical structure from Kirk's solo. Next we get taken into 'H.P. Lovecraft's' world with a calming bass solo from 'Cliff Burton' beginning at 3 minutes 59 seconds. Before long lead guitars flicker into life over the top of some slower, smooth and more relaxed drumming. The guitars build up in harmony until we arrive at another solo which has so much sugary melody it could be it's own sweet shop. As if to announce that this segment is too calming at 6 minutes and 55 seconds we jet off into the monster of a riff from earlier in the track, but instantly we are treated to an up-paced guitar solo over a chugging guitar riff, while 'Lars' marches on beneath. This slowly fades and the track ends.

'Damage, Inc.' opens on another 'Cliff' Burton' Bass intro and again, apart from the depth of the sound you wouldn't realize it was a bass guitar. The distorted harmonies fade in like an evil accordion but much, much darker with the occasional high note reached. It is the work of a pure genius, and one who will always be remembered, never forgotten for his talent and love of the music he played.
After the intro segment, and just like the four stabs at the start of the track 'Master of Puppets.' We get considerably more brutal stabs in parallel to the drums after a vortex of sound at the end of the Bass solo. Soon enough there is basically a musical explosion where 'Damage, Inc.' leaves its own mark on your stereo. Thrashing guitars, pounding drums and a pace difficult to keep up with, mesmerize the listener. You'll think to yourself how on earth can a guitar possibly be played so fast. Well it's all down to the picking style by sirs 'Hammett' and 'Hetfield' which they have mastered over the years. It's more than two minutes before 'Hetfield's' aggressive yet melodic vocals charge in like a rhino "Dealing out the agony within, charging hard and no one's gonna give in…" At the chorus we are met with stabs of reverb metal on tight drums "Blood will follow blood, dying time is here…" before the last line is almost whispered by 'James' with the words "Damage Incorporated." We march away from the chorus and back into the melodic thrashing metal as before, then we're back into the chorus followed by a period on an almighty metal riff that drops the pace ever so slightly "We chew and spit you out, we laugh, you scream and shout, all flee, with fear you run, you'll know just where we come from." At 3 minutes 48 seconds 'Damage, Inc.' throws us it's solo and it's a blistering bag of brutal energy that whip's up one hell of a trail of dust. We get one more verse and a final chorus where the song ends as "Damage Incorporated" is whispered then the sound of slowing drums closes the track, and the album in style.

Ok so this brings me onto the package, this one I have was released further on from the original release of 1986, in 1989. The CD is clipped to a matt black tray in a clear plastic case, track names and their lengths are listed on the back of the CD, while on the CD itself we have a full track listing and info on who wrote each song as well as info on the producer, engineer and mixer of the album. The booklet features full lyrics to each song neatly separated with chorus text pushed slightly over, so you know what part of the song your singing to. There are liner notes on the creation of the album and a thanks list just inside the back page. There are several small black and white photo's of each band member throughout the booklet, with a series of colour shots on the back cover. The album cover has a moody red sky with the puppet masters hands pulling strings attached to a series of white cross shaped grave stones. The bands logo looks as if it were carved out of a white marble with darker lines running through which stands out immediately against the deep red background it sits on.

This brings me to the tracklisting for 'Master of Puppet's':

1. Battery
2. Master of Puppets
3. The Thing That Should Not Be
4. Welcome Home (Sanitarium)
5. Disposable Heroes
6. Leper Messiah
7. Orion (Instrumental)
8. Damage, Inc.

I most certainly recommend this album to potential buyers, it is without a doubt the best 'Metallica' album released thus far. It clearly defined the 'Metallica' sound to it's full potential, and above all was a flawless masterpiece. If you like pre 'White Noise' 'Anthrax', 'The Art of Balance' by 'Shadows Fall', anything by 'The Haunted'. In fact, if you like the vast majority of modern and old school heavy metal or thrash bands, then there is much for you to like on 'Master of Puppets'. If you haven't heard this already, what the devil are you waiting for…?