Masters of Puppets - Metallica (Cassette)

Go ahead and call Metallica what you want. Call them sell-outs, greedy bastards or whatever else crossed your mind. However, it's hard to argue that the band recorded some bone-crushing metal when the group was in its prime. While this is one of the best heavy metal albums of all time, it's also noteworthy in that it was the last one on which bassist Cliff Burton appeared. Burton, of course, was killed in Sweden when Metallica's bus crashed while the band was touring in support of this disc. His influence on the band was massive, and it seems the band went off in weird directions after his...

METALLICA MONOLOGUES: THE PUPPETS SPEAK A new play by Eve Ensler Bass Guitar You want me to talk about Master of Puppets ? Well, I'll tell you, it was the last album with Cliff Burton. That s most what I think about when I think about that album. Cliff died in that bus crash in Sweden, or where-the-f*ck-ever. I miss Cliff he played me really well. He was rhythmic and powerful when he played me, I felt percussive. And the bastards mixed me down. Listen to Master of Puppets now? All guitars, all drums, all James. Guitars, guitars, guitars, drums, drums, drums, James, James, James. Where s the...

I could go on and write a long and detailed history of this album and all about how important it was - but quite frankly, pretty much everybody already knows who Metallica is (and if not, I'd like to know the location of the rock which you reside under). And of course, when people think Metallica, most of the time their thoughts immediately turn to their landmark 1986 album Master of Puppets, which is regarded as not only one of the most important albums in metal, but in music as well. And I feel that I'd be failing in my job as a metal reviewer if I go any further without giving this album...

There was no doubt about it: Metallica was coming into their own. Ride the Lightning had made it clear that this was not a metal band to be toyed with; now they just had to prove their staying power. The balancing act, as always in this subculture, was between taking the band's sound somewhere new without wussing it out and alienating their core fan base. And, guess what, that's exactly what Metallica did. We all miss the days when they actually had their fans in mind. But Master of Puppets did indeed come out as an album that capitalized upon the band's strengths, bolstered them with new...