Metallica's Reviews
Master Of Puppets (Average Rating: 9.62 out of 10)
Epic album from the Masters of Metal (Rated this album with 10 out of 10)
Reviewed by
Mark Sasaki
from Sydney, Australia
MOP is one of those albums that grew on me over time. When I first heard it I actually wasn't too impressed (!), but after a few listens it finally sunk in how incredible this album is. In my opinion it is Metallica's finest, with every track completely unique and original in itself, and due to the fantastic variety of the tracks it does not fall in the all too common trap of many metal albums whose songs simply run into each other because of their similarity. The order of the tracks is also perfect, with the whole rhythm of the album flowing nicely. The album is a masterpiece and presents the full potential of creative heavy metal music, played with intelligence and extraordinary skill.'Battery' kicks the album off, with a nice classical guitar intro lulling you into a false sense of security before the metal begins. A fast track, a true thrash classic, it sets the scene for the rest of the album with terrific vocals, an excellent solo and roaring drums and bass. Very well suited for the album's 1st track. 'Master of Puppets' is an absolutely awesome track. A concert favourite, and whilst the live versions pack a punch with concert adreline and improvisations, there is still nothing quite like this original version. An 8 and a half minute epic, its one of those tracks that you can still enjoy even if the true meaning of the lyrics are uncertain. I've heard various intepretations, including that it is about a drug addiction, but going over the lyrics I can't be sure that this analysis is correct. Nevertheless the lyrics still have potency, as does the killer riff. Almost half way through the song the speed slows down dramatically and for about a minute a melodic bridge takes over with skillful guitar harmonics and a well structured, and brief James Hetfield guitar solo. Speed once again takes control very quickly and the brutal pace leads into an excellent and complex solo from Hammett. The track is brilliant in its innovation and tempo changes, is very addictive and provides the backbone for the entire album. 'The thing that should not be' is a good track to have coming in at number 3, with a significant slow down in tempo after the first 2 blistering entries. This song has been criticised for being too slow and plodding to fit in with the rest of the album, but I find it once again very creative and allows you to interpret it in a number of ways. Excellent imagery is created with the heaving riffing shadowing each of Hetfields haunting lines. A short but sweet guitar solo is accompanied by a very impressive fade out that reinforces the haunting nature of the track . This one is underrated. 'Welcome Home (Sanitarium)' offers an intriguing story from the point of view of a mental patient in a sanitarium. Not sure what Hetfield was on whilst writing this entire album but his ability to use lyrics to create vivid imagery in the mind of the listening, against a backdrop of metal and in such a limited amount of time is truly ingenious. This track proves no exception and the listener is placed directly in the shoes of someone locked away, and mentally torchered by his captives. Slow intro and mid section with a sudden speed up about 3/4 of the way through, leading to a good but relatively simple guitar solo. A nice ending with thumping pace throughout. 'Disposal heros' presents a large increase in pace and intensity from the prior 2 tracks and is probably the albums heaviest song. A dominant war theme underlies graphic lyrics depicting death, violence and the horror associated with war. This song walks a fine line between an anti war sentiment and almost glamourising the brutatlity, however the strength of the lyrics lead me to believe the former. It rocks along, is quite long (8 and a half minutes) but does not feel it because it is so unrelenting in force. An awesome, skilful guitar solo from Hammett is the song's peak, and whilst the drumming of Lars is excellent throughout the entire album, it is particularly extraordinary in this track and is a dominant force emphasining Hetfields vocals. Heavy duty, complex riffing creates a 'wall of sound' in this song, and is probably the loudest track. A brutal piece of metal. 'Leper Messiah', while not being a bad song, is totally outdone by the other tracks. On any other album it would probably be a major song, as it flows along nicely with interesting lyrics and a strong beat. It differs from the rest as the pace remains medium throughout, and the riffing is quite sparse and simplistic. A moderate solo, but the weakest track on the album. 'Orion' is a sublime instrumental, with a stunning fade in followed by very heavy riffing. The song is broken down in 3 parts. The track steamrolls along until about half way, with another startling change of pace. The mid section is an excellent, ballad like waltz, with terrific lead and rhythm guitars. An emotional theme seems to underlie this slow section, and presents the only 'nice' part of the album, yet still is quite powerful in its subtlety. Perhaps the unique thing in this track is the main solo is performed by Hetfield, not Hammett. Hetfield has taken on the solos in other tracks (noteably 'Nothing else matters'), and they are very impressive as they are in stark contrast to Kirk Hammetts work. They convey a real emotion to them, and he does not atttempt to use blistering pace. Soon after the speed picks up once again for an effective fade out finish. 'Damage, Inc' reinstates the thrash status of the album with blistering pace, and excellent lyrics. The solo is terrific with powerful riffing throughout. A great track to finish on. Overall this album goes down as a metal classic, and should be in the collection of any rock fan.
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