![\"Metallica](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Metallica-1984-Far-Out-Magazine-1140x855.jpg\")
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Credit: Alamy<\/p>\n
Mon 28 September 2026 21:14, UK <\/p>\n
If you want to be adored, do something attractive; if you want to be remembered, do something different. In the case of Metallica<\/a>, they brought a bit of both to the fore in the mid-1980s as they joined the heavy metal fray. <\/p>\n Throughout their crucial first decade, James Hetfield\u2019s songwriting prowess helped to boost the group to the height of their genre, but most importantly, they pioneered the thrash metal subgenre. <\/p>\n They were, as Hetfield put it, \u201cinfluenced by the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal, which included bands like Venom and Diamond Head \u2013 underground stuff,\u201d and when this was thrown into the mixing pot of \u201ca very explosive\u201d American scene, as Dave Mustaine put it, they birthed a new branch of aggressive rock. <\/p>\n However, what made them so unique is that they were also more than just a thundering bunch. There was a depth to their sound and a personable humility that made them endearing. In fact, part of the reason for their sound was because Lars Ulrich \u201cwas always nervous onstage, so he\u2019d play faster and faster,\u201d Heltfield once explained. <\/p>\n Much of Metallica\u2019s success as the first of their kind stems from their impressive guitar ability, especially Kirk Hammett\u2019s mind-blowing talent for killer solo riffs. Throughout his four-decade run with the group so far, he has forged a signature style of lightning-fast licks, detailed picking, and many a push on the wah pedal. <\/p>\n Hammett\u2019s solo style underpins Metallica\u2019s distinctive DNA as much as Hetfield\u2019s vocals, but a lot also must be said of Hetfield\u2019s distinctive rhythm guitar approach. The chugging, fuzzy chords, which invariably pound in time to the baselines of Cliff Burton, Jason Newstead and now Robert Trujillo, form the very essence of thrash metal, a style that is at once aggressive, hostile and emotionally captivating. <\/p>\n The 1986 album where it all came together<\/p>\n After forming in 1981, Metallica gained statewide adoration with the release of their first two albums but made a quantum leap with the 1986 masterpiece Master of Puppets<\/a>. The album signified the beginning of a golden age for the band, bristling with riotous arena tours and iconic albums like Metallica, Load and Reload, stretching into the 1990s. <\/p>\n Further reading: From The Vault<\/p>\n Impressively, Metallica has managed to remain active for over four decades and, within their associative parameters, still found ways to mix up their output. Still, it seems there is very little legendary artists can do to eclipse the majesty of early masterpieces. While some favour later masterpieces, few can deny the colossal influence of Master of Puppets.\u00a0<\/p>\n Speaking to Rolling Stone in 2012, Hammett reflected on Metallica\u2019s golden era, picking out Master of Puppets as the band\u2019s unbeatable acme. \u201cAmazing. Totally and completely amazing to me,\u201d he said, apparently still in awe of the album\u2019s triumph. \u201cThat album, for me, is my favourite Metallica album. We had been playing together as a band with that lineup for about three years. We were definitely peaking, and Master of Puppets, in my opinion, was the sound of a band really gelling and really learning how to work well together.\u201d<\/p>\n Indeed, Master of Puppets was something of a revelation for Metallica. The seeds planted in Kill\u2019 Em All and Ride the Lightning had flourished into verdant bloom, with a balanced mixture of energetic headbangers like the title track and brooding, contemplative highlights like \u2018The Unforgiven II\u2019. <\/p>\n \u201cWe had no idea it would have such a range of influence that it went on to have,\u201d Hammett reflected. \u201cIt was the first time that we could spend time in the studio and work on guitar sounds for a couple of days, really experiment with different sounds and overdubs.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt was just a good time for me, and I played a lot of poker with Cliff Burton in the studio,\u201d Hammett added. The album launch coincided with the band\u2019s most important touring schedule to date as an opening act for Ozzy Osbourne. These shows undoubtedly rivalled the giddying effect of Hammett and Burton\u2019s poker sessions. <\/p>\n \u201cI took Metallica on tour with me after the release of Master of Puppets,\u201d Osbourne once said, picking the album out as one of his top ten favourite metal albums<\/a>. \u201cThe album was a milestone for the band and for heavy metal.\u201d Everything had almost inadvertently come together with raw enthusiasm up until this point, but their epic \u201986 \u201cpeak\u201d was full of poise and purpose. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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