Master Of Puppets is an immortal classic, a defining moment in metal's history. This is the sound of youthful fury that knows how to play guitar really, really well. This is the greatest accomplishment thrash metal has ever achieved. And above all, it rocks. 1986 was arguably the golden year for thrash metal. Between Slayer's "Reign In Blood" and Megadeth's "Peace Sells..." it would have been great enough, but throw this into the mix, the best of the three, and you have a hallmark year. The way I see it, "Master..." was the first genuinely mature heavy metal album, addressing real issues such as drug abuse, war and religious corruption. The technical proficiency of each member is dazzling, and they all know it. With huge instrumental sections and solos populating the whole album, by the time the 54 minutes are up you'll be picking your jaw up off the floor. James Hetfield's voice was also in it's prime here, suitably gruff to compliment the albums general atmosphere. What's also remarkable is the variety shown between songs, another symptom that this is a true masterpiece. The songs range from thrash attacks, like "Battery," to fist-pumping hammer-fests, guaranteed to get you headbanging like "Leper Messiah," to the surprisingly emotional instrumental "Orion." This also stands out as being a great work as, despite the fact that it is fast and brutal enough that it should please fans of even the most vicious metal out there, it's still reasonably accessible - that's not something many bands are capable of making. The best song on here is probably the epic "Disposable Heroes." All in all, an indispensible classic. You can't call yourself a music fan without it.
Next time, something comtemporary.. something Modern Rock.. something Korn.. :)
Current listen: Metallica - Master of Puppets, Apocalyptica, Sepultura, Limp Bizkit - 3 Dollar Bill Y'all
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