Day 0568 - Master of Puppets

Metallica "Master of Puppets" (1986) - got it

I actually got into Metallica through their later (90s) material, particularly the two LOAD albums, so I tend to go back and forth on what I find to be their best work/era.

This is most likely their definitive musical statement though.  The band had been steadily developing and refining their sound over the preceding two albums.  This album follows the pattern of most of their 80s albums: first track has a mellow intro that crashes into a speedy thrash riff, the second track is a monster title-track, track 4 is the ballad/mellow song, and the last two tracks are an instrumental and a hard-n-fast thrash track.

The band is firing on all cylinders for this album, with all 4 members contributing to the songwriting and arrangement, and all taking time to solo or showcase their chops.  Even the oft-mocked drumming of Lars Ulrich is tight and effective here.

The songs move between straight-ahead, fast thrash, to more complex, densely harmonic (almost classical) arrangements in songs like the title track, and the instrumental "Orion", this latter largely composed by Cliff Burton and featuring some stellar bass soloing from him.

Burton died in a bus accident while touring for this album.  The band would seek a more uniform sound in their follow-up "...and Justice For All".  They would simplify their sound for their 90s albums, then meander for a while before finding their way back to attempt to recreate their 80s masterpieces... but with mixed results.  While their 90s albums were successful and enjoyable, they don't reach the same heights of collaboration, and ambition as Master of Puppets.

Day 0456 - Back in Black

AC/DC "Back in Black" (1980)

 
AC/DC had managed to pull themselves up by their Aussie bootstraps to 'take on the world'. By the time they released "Highway to Hell" they had won over Europe, but hadn't quite cracked the US. Tragedy befell them when their lead singer Bon Scott died after a night of drinking.

The band didn't pause.  They started recording straight away and recruited British vocalist Brian Johnson to take up lead singer duties. The album opens with tolling bells and then slow, ominous guitar, leading you to believe that maybe the band were going to deliver a solemn eulogy to their fallen bandmate... at least you might believe that if you were unfamiliar with the rest of their work. Pretty quickly,  the slow opening gives way to an 'all hands to the pump' rocker, and things doesn't really let up from there.

The band continue with their misogynistic, wild-time lyrics and solid riffing rock. Solid is the word too; apart from Angus Young's flashy lead guitar parts, the music is fairly workmanlike in its simplicity. The rhythm section mainly hold down the most basic groove needed to support the guitar riffs, which in turn provide a bed for Johnson's vocals to bounce around on top of. It is rock economy, and it works really well for the songs.

The album took off in the US. It has since racked up 22x platinum sales, and sits as the sixth highest selling album of all time in the US!

Day 0427 - Highway to Hell

AC/DC "Highway to Hell" (1979)

Apparently this was Acca Dacca's 5th album. The title had come from Angus Young being asked to describe their drunken bus tours, he responded with "like a highway to hell" and it just kind of stuck.

I've obviously heard plenty of AC/DC before, but have never really sat down and listened to an entire album in one sitting before.  All in all they make pretty solid rock n roll (though I guess that should go without saying).  There's just not quite enough variety for my tastes. Looking forward to 'back in black' presumably coming up on this list though.

This was Bon Scott's last album with the band before his alcohol-related death.