Ah yes, Metallica. I think it’s a safe bet to say that the band is a shadow...of a shadow...of a shadow of it’s former self. Having long since entered mainstream music & not looking back on their decision, they’re considered sellouts & traitors by hardcore Metal Heads. I truly feel bad for younger people getting into Metallica today, and I feel even worse when they actually like modern Metallica more than older. However, if you can honestly believe it, there was a time when Metallica was considered to be a great Heavy Metal band. One of the Big 4 of Thrash Metal, to be exact. Today’s review is the album that put this band on the map. That album’s name.....is Kill Em All. Let’s begin the review!
Background
Originally lined up with guitarist/vocals James Hetfield, drummer Lars Ulrich, bassist Ron McGovney, and finally lead guitarist Dave Mustaine (Of Megadeth fame), Metallica released Kill Em All on July 25, 1983. The lead-up to Kill Em All is quite the story: Because of the tensions he had with Mustaine, McGovney decided to leave the band. To take the place of Mcgovney, they brought in Cliff Burton. In April 1983, Mustaine was kicked out of the band, due to drug and alcohol problems, overly aggressive behavior, and clashes with bandmates. Mustaine’s replacement was Kirk Hammett, who had played with Exodus beforehand, and was once a student of Joe Satriani. After beginning his guitar work, which Kirk had based off of Mustaine’s original material, production began.
The name of Kill Em All also has a interesting history: the original title of the album was to be called Metal Up Your Ass. The cover was to feature a toilet bowl with a hand clutching a dagger emerging from it, but the band’s label at the time (Megaforce) asked them to change it. Metallica agreed, and Kill Em All was used instead. Burton was originally credited with the album title, which was a reference to timid record distributors at the time, basically saying "Why don't we just kill 'em all?". The irony of this was that the band released a "Metal Up Your Ass" T-shirt with the proposed artwork during their touring.
Again, Metallica released Kill Em All on July 25, 1983. Since its original release, it has been certified 3× platinum by the RIAA, having sold over three million copies in the United States.
Basic Description
Kill Em All kicks all kind of ass!
If you were to listen to something off of Death Magnetic, or Lulu (Sorry, vomited in my mouth a little when I typed that name), and then you’d listen to something off of Kill Em All, you’d suffer whiplash so bad, your neck would probably snap in half. This album has a raw intensity & relentless fury that Metallica severely lacks in this modern age of music, not to mention a strange kind of freshness to everything on the album. Sure, you can definitely tell that it comes from the early 80s, but the instrumentation, vocals, and overall production value come across a very well done. There’s really nothing wrong with anything on Kill Em All, apart from a strange sound that crops up in Seek & Destroy, but even then it’s just during surprisingly specific parts.
Best Songs
Kill Em All has two classic songs that show off the reasons why Metallica was king back in the 80s. For starters, we have The Four Horsemen. Now, I’m a sucker for anything with the Horsemen (Well, most things), so it’s already won me over with it’s name, but that’s not the only thing I like about the song. The instrumentation is fantastic: the drums come crashing down like a horde of hooves, and the guitar work comes at you in a well-paced frenzy. The two sides collide, and the spawn they create is gorgeous. The vocals are great as well: despite not wanting to be the vocalist at first, James Hetfield does a surprisingly good job singing. He brings an intensity that’s almost never seen in the band today, but at the same time he’s surprisingly clear as well. Because of this, you never really get lost when you try to listen to the singing.
The Four Horsemen
The other song on here that kicks the most ass is the fight-inducing Seek & Destroy. There’s more of a rough quality to the song, both in terms of vocals & instrumentation. In fact, the roughness almost comes across like it was a forgotten track that the band never used. This roughness actually helps the song, as it adds more to the song’s attitude. This is the kind of song you listen to when your trying to pick a fight with someone. This is the kind of song that you hear in your head as you’re punching someone right in the face, and this is the kind of song that gives off a serious “Fuck You” vibe as it plays. If Seek & Destroy was a person, then I wouldn’t want to cross it’s path.
Seek & Destroy
Worst Songs
Kill Em All’s only real weakness (At least for me) is how much I like the rest of the music. If anything, there are no bad songs on this album, as everything on here is good. Damn good, in fact! It’s just that everything else I don’t like as much as the two previously mentioned songs. With that said, I’d listen to pretty much anything on this album, and you should too!
Overall Impression & Rating
Kill Em All is both a classic & a reminder. It’s a classic because it has some of the best Heavy Metal that the 80s can provide. The brutality of it all is an experience that should be experienced at least once, whether you’re a Metal Head or not. Sadly, Kill Em All is a reminder of days gone by. When Metallica had a musical backbone, and didn’t care about paycheck or popularity. As we go further down their discography, this will become more & more apparent.
Old-School fans will probably give Kill Em All a 9 out of 10, maybe a full-blown 10 even. For me, I’m giving the album an 8 to 8.5 out of 10.
Well, that was it for Kill Em All, a classic album from a band that once was. Join me next time, for something a little more personal. See you soon!
*
I’ve recently created a Facebook page to get some popularity for the blog. I’ve put the link below so you can take a look at it.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Heavy-Metal-Otaku/1484696505148815
No comments:
Post a Comment