Artist: Metallica
Label: Elektra
Release Date: 1983
Rating: 4 Skulls
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Title: Kill 'Em All Artist: Metallica Label: Elektra Release Date: 1983
Rating: 4 Skulls |
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Death's Review:
They might be MTV Icons now, but once they were a bunch of thrash metal fuck-ups sometimes known as "Alcoholica." Think about it - the Kill 'em All album cover is a lot like the Load album cover - only one features splattered cow cum and the other one features splattered blood. Anyway, "Hit the Lights" is the quintessential opener, from back in the day when metal bands had rousing, signature openers written solely for the sake of being openers (and they also gave shout outs to themselves in the middle of songs or named songs after the name of the band). "The Four Horsemen" is of course one of the best Metallica songs ever written. Epic in nature, with time changes and different riffs. "Motorbreath" is perhaps one of the albums heavier and weaker songs, both at the same time, but it kicks ass in its own biker/gearhead kinda way I guess. Cool solo. "Jump in the Fire" has one of the earliest examples of that trademark Metallica bounce to the main riff - Hetfield's vocals sound great ("Jump in the fiiiiii-ahhh!")."Anesthesia (Pulling Teeth)" is the quintessential Cliff Burton moment and is easily one of the most classic metal bass performances of all time. "Whiplash" is a classic thrasher that achieves the second element of the holy early metal album formula - a shout out to the band in the middle of the song. "Phantom Lord" has some of the heaviest riffs on the album at the end, and Hetfield sounds awesome when he screams, "fall to your knees, and bow to the Phantom Lord!!!!!" "No Remorse" is one of the other best songs on the album, with the balance of catchiness, thrashiness and heaviness with some mild progressive, technicality foreshadowing the sound Metallica would soon evolve into (and later move away from). To this day, few Metallica songs have exuded as much charisma as does "Seek and Destroy," a simple, yet engaging song with many memorable riffs and lyrics. "Metal Militia" is (as it should be) the thrashiest and most metal number, one of the earliest examples of speed metal and what would later become known as the Bay Area Sound.
All in all, although it is surely the rawest version of Metallica you'll ever hear, the band's first album isn't its finest. The darkness of Ride the Lightning, the depth of Master of Puppets, and the complexity of . . . And Justice for All were each yet to come, and were each only visible in their most nascent of states on Kill 'Em All. But the album nevertheless stands alone as the missing link between old school metal like early Motorhead and Iron Maiden and the Bay Area speed metal that dominated the scene a few years later. Even if Metallica had never put out another record, this one would probably be regarded by some as a classic. My opinion? Good but still my fourth favorite Metallica album (1 - Master; 2 - Ride; 3 - Justice).
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