Metallica Essay Research Paper Like Led Zeppelin

Metallica Essay, Research Paper

Like Led Zeppelin before it, Metallica combined relentless touring and an uncompromising musical approach with a carefully cultivated air of mystery to achieve enormous commercial success. That it has become one of rock’s most popular groups is made all the more amazing by the fact that not one of its peer bands which were also playing a sped-up, harder-edged take on heavy metal has succeeded, or survived, for that matter. And even those who don’t care for Metallica’s music recognize that few bands have treated their fans as well once they reached the top.

When Metallica started out, they were a bunch of teenagers who wanted to make some loud noise. Indeed they succeeded with their first album in 1983 Kill em all . This album featured several now famous songs, such as Jump In The Fire, Seek & Destroy, and Metal Militia. The majority of the songs were created by the usual suspects (James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich) but some songs were partly made by the late bassist Cliff Burton, and former Metallica member Dave Mustaine (Dave was kicked out of the band for alcohol abuse, and later went on to form Megadeth). This album is not the band’s greatest album, in artistic terms, mainly because the songs were made during Metallica’s climb to fame, while they were still touring the clubs in California. An obvious example is Whiplash, which describes the fans head-banging and the mosh-pits. However, “Kill ‘Em All”, wasn’t entirely void of meaning. The song No Remorse, described the indiscriminate killing in war, which most likely was the base of what would soon be a recurring theme in Metallica songs, such as For Whom the Bell Tolls, and Disposable Heroes. Also, since The Four Horsemen was created in part by Dave Mustaine, he took the song with him on his exit from the band and after creating Megadeth, adapted the song to its Megadeth form: The Mechanix.

Whiplash

Bang your head against the stage

Like you never did before

Make it ring, Make it bleed

Make it really sore—–Whiplash

Following up on their first album was Ride the Lightning . This album, their second, which arrived a year later, allowed for a little more artistic freedom than “Kill ‘Em All” which had to be fast and furious to please the club crowds. Songs grew to have more of a meaning on this album with Fight Fire With Fire, as an example, which described a nuclear war and the following nuclear apocalypse. The song for which the album was named, Ride the Lightning, questioned man’s power to take another’s life away and the possible hypocrisy of capital punishment. However, the two most popular songs of the album have been For Whom the Bell Tolls and Fade to Black. For Whom the Bell Tolls, named after the famous Ernest Hemingway novel, told the story of a soldier wondering about the true purpose of the war, and whether it was justified. He receives his final enlightenment as a bullet takes his life. Fade to Black, was written, on the obvious level, about a man who sees little left in his life worth experiencing and writes his suicide letter. Critics complained about this song, saying it promoted suicide, but many fans said that it actually helped them deal with the problems. On a less literal level, it was also written after all the band’s equipment was stolen. Most of it was replaced after a little work, but one lost item was a nearly irreplaceable amplifier, which created a special sound the band needed for the songs. Whether or not one of the band members contemplated suicide because of this is unknown to me, however. Creeping Death told the story of the book of Exodus and Moses delivering his people from the pharaoh. The final song, The Call of Ktulu, is an instrumental inspired by the fictional god Cthulu, created by horror writer H.P. Lovecraft. Cliff Burton and Kirk Hammett expressed interest in his writing and exposed the other half of the band to it.

Master of Puppets their third album, was not only a musical tour de force; it also brought Metallica increased visibility. A 1986 tour with Ozzy Osbourne was its last as an opening act, but tragedy struck that September, when one of their tour buses flipped over on an icy road in Sweden, killing bass player Cliff Burton. Though devastated, Metallica held auditions in San Francisco less than a month after Burton’s death. Five bassists competed to fill the suddenly vacant spot. One, Jason Newsted, knew Metallica’s complete repertoire, and when asked by the band which song he’d like to play, he responded, “Any one you like.” Newsted played his first show with Metallica in November 1986. As a tribute to Burton, Metallica compiled a home video of its late bandmate’s years with the band titled Cliff ‘Em All, culled primarily from fans’ bootleg videotapes.

And Justice for All (1988), Metallica’s fourth record, continued to push its hard-edged, uncompromising sound with grand arrangements. Despite the lack of airplay, the album quickly vaulted into the Billboard Top 10, and the band was one of the top attractions on that summer’s mammoth Monsters of Rock tour. Justice garnered a Grammy nomination for Best Heavy Metal Performance, but Metallica lost out to veteran British folk-rockers Jethro Tull. Rather than sulk in defeat, the band had stickers placed on the album reading “Grammy Award LOSERS.” Metallica would go on to win a Grammy in 1990 for its first-ever video, “