Master of Puppets

Master of Puppets is one of the band’s finest masterpieces, on which METALLICA, while keeping speed and weight, highly assembled long construction, contrasting parts and a detailed succession of riffs. James Hetfield’s rhythm guitar builds the songs’ frame, and Kirk Hammett’s leads and Cliff Burton’s low end add deep shadow to it. The aggression of thrash metal and progressive constructive beauty fuse ideally. From the dramatic development of the title track “Master of Puppets” and the shadow of “Welcome Home (Sanitarium)” to the beauty of the instrumental “Orion,” each song wins through not only aggression but the swing of development and emotion. Songs like “Battery,” “Disposable Heroes” and “Damage, Inc.” breathe overwhelming playing too. This record is also known as the last studio album on which Cliff Burton — who died in a tragic accident — took part. Raising the expressive power of thrash metal a step and decisively expanding the genre’s possibilities, it is an enduring masterpiece.