courtesy of wikipedia
I decided to do this album for a reason besides the fact that it’s one of the most iconic releases Metallica has and besides the fact that it was the first. On July 25, 2013, Kill Em All by Metallica turns 30 years old and I am here to celebrate. It’s probably one of the most contrversial and legendary of the albums for the stories behind it. Metallica’s original line up consisted of James Hetfield (Guitars/Vocals), Lars Ulrich (Drums), Dave Mustaine (Guitars), and Ron McGovney (Bass). Ron McGovney would end up leaving Metallica due to tensions between him and Mustaine hence the reason Cliff Burton was brought in as his replacement. When the band travelled to New York to record the album, they fired Mustaine because of his drug and alcohol problems as well as his aggressive behavior and his clashes with the band. That is when Metallica called in the one time student of Joe Satriani and at the time Exodus guitarist Kirk Hammett to replace him. The story doesn’t end there though with Dave Mustaine as you’ll see in the next paragraph. Let’s check out the album!
Hit The Lights is the very first track on the album and it’s actually a song that James brought over from his original band Leather Charm. I like how when the track starts out, it sounds like a bunch of madness before the razor sharp, fast as lightning thrash metal playing begins and it’s a song about hitting the stage to rock out. The Four Horseman is the next track on the album and it’s one of four songs that feature Dave Mustaine with a writing credit. The only thing is that James changed the lyrics and the title of the song from Mechanix to The Four Horseman and he wrote about the four horseman of the apocalypse. One interesting fact about the song is that it was based off of the main riff to Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Sweet Home Alabama when Dave was goofing around with it in rehearsals with Cliff. Motorbreath is the next track and it’s actually the shortest track on the album. It’s one of my favorite tracks on the album because every time I hear it, I think of Motorhead for some reason because of the beginning. Jump In The Fire is the next track on the album and it’s another one that gives credit to Mustaine and it’s also one of the first original songs. When Metallica performed the track live, it was in standard g tuning, but since 2004 they changed it to F standard tuning. Lars at one time claimed that the song was written to sound like Iron Maiden’s Run To The Hills which was a very popular song at the time. (Anesthesia) – Pulling Teeth is the iconic bass solo track by Cliff Burton which showcases the legendary skills that Cliff had.
Whiplash is the next track on the record and it was the first single released about the effects of headbanging during concerts. “Bang your head against the stage like you never did before,” is an example of a lyric that talks about it. There’s also a rumor that this was Kurt Cobains favorite Metallica song. Phantom Lord is another track on the album that gives Dave Mustaine credit. The beginning of the track has that early Maiden Killers era like beginning before it shoots out of the canon like a Diamond Head track. No Remorse is a track that starts off with some Metal swagger before it kicks into the prototypical thrash song with the solo in the beginning. There are moments where it seems like Metallica experiments with elements of Doom like in the 1:23 mark. This is definitely one of my favorite tracks on the album. Seek & Destroy is one of the most iconic Metallica songs that was heavily influenced by Diamond Head and Saxon. I say that because Lars claimed that the track was heavily influenced by Diamond Head’s Dead Reckoning. The first three mini solos were influenced by Saxon’s Princess Of The Night. I wonder how many of you have noticed the unusual pitch of the string bend in Kirk Hammett’s solo at the 3:47 to 3:48 mark because Kirk has certainly apologized for it since it’s release stating that it is a bum note.
Metal Militia is the last track on the album and it’s also the last credited to Dave Mustaine. It’s also another thrash classic and you can certainly hear Dave’s influence on the track. I’m telling you that there hands are moving at the speed of light on the guitar because the song just blazes a trail behind it. Thanks to Cliff Burton, the album was called Kill Em All instead of Metal Up Your Ass which the producers thought was too offensive. I suggest that anyone that wants to get deep into Metallica’s music needs to listen to this record because of it’s historical significance to the band. Expect reviews of Ride The Lightning and Master Of Puppets to come at a later time, but for now this one needs a final grade. I am going to give this album four stars out of five only because it was their first record and it definitely made an impact.
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