Master of Puppets best track

[EGW-Eric]

Battery followed closely by MoP.

 

[Uzi Nein Millimetah]

The answer:

Yes

 

[BABMusic]

Heros could have easily been cut to 6 minutes, but I suspect the band were really giving the middle finger to the established "3 minute" song thing with all those extra parts. I bet Metallica knew they were unnecessary, but they are were thinking "we can get away with this, so let's push it" The outro I really like because it has some interesting harmonies while the melody sounds like it's descending to hell. The solo is also one of Kirk's best.

It's also a divisive album among guitar players I knew. Some really hated the tone of the guitars and called it sludge. Others like me, made me really interested in Mesa/Boogie amps.

 

[GuitarVacation]

I can’t say it’s the best song, just looking at the list I’m reminded how great that album is.

I voted Disposable Heroes as a personal favorite. It’s stripped down compared to other tunes on the album, but that’s probably what makes it stand out to me. Great rhythm and the “born for dying” peak is epic.

 

[Simon Dorn]

Pastor of Muppets?

 

[Uzi Nein Millimetah]

I can’t say it’s the best song, just looking at the list I’m reminded how great that album is.

I voted Disposable Heroes as a personal favorite. It’s stripped down compared to other tunes on the album, but that’s probably what makes it stand out to me. Great rhythm and the “born for dying” peak is epic.

The vocals were truly great on the '80s albums (in different ways---I love the high schoolish, angry wailing on KEA!!). Peak James for vocals started with MOP, by that time a full grown Warrior.

Fearless wretch, insanity
He watches, lurking beneath the sea
Great Old One, forbidden site
He searches, hunter of the shadows is rising

I'm glad that one of my first vinyl albums (just before they faded out the first time) and my very first heavy album was MOP. I had heard only a small part of the title song on the radio and thought "I gotta have that!".

By the time I had fully absorbed the album, I said "Finally...THIS is Heavy Metal". You simply could NOT easily hear this kind of music on the radio or even MTV in those days. You had to buy it, trade tapes with someone, or see them in concert. It was truly the Underground.

 

[riffsfordaze]

Orion

RiP Cliff

 

[angelspade]

Master and Dispose are a coin flip...Damage honorable mention for sheer energy and aggression

 

[anomaly]

This is not even close. Master of Puppets is THE song and actually my favorite metal song of all time. That riff, the slow part with the twin guitars, the laughing at the end, thr subject matter, etc. It has everything and just a perfect metal song.

Agreed 100%, but Battery is a close runner up IMO, it's just such a great thrash metal song.

 

[anomaly]

This is the first metallica album with multiple filler songs, but the highlights (battery, MOP, Damage, Orion) are very high indeed

I think MOP, Battery, Orion, or Damage are all acceptable answers here. This one isn't obvious like with Creeping Death, although it's probably more clear than KEA because there are a few filler tracks on this album. The Thing That Should Not Be drags like all holy hell, and should probably have been cut in half. Leper Messiah has some awesome riffs but needs reworked. Disposable Heroes has great parts but repeats over and over and over and should have been cut in half.

I disagree with all of this. The album is near perfect. Now if you were talking about some of the tracks on AJFA, I'd agree with you. And you don't think KEA has filler tracks??

 

[anomaly]

The whole album is strong. Too bad Lars faked the drums.

What makes you say that about the drums? They are not samples.

 

[Kordoba]

I had heard only a small part of the title song on the radio and thought "I gotta have that!".

Same here. My local radio station played a promo/commercial with maybe 10 seconds of the title track with no mention of the band or song title. So, went to a record store and told the cashier I heard a song that I think was called Master of Puppets, but I didn't know the bands name. Then I preceded to rock accordingly.

 

[BABMusic]

While the verse and chorus of Leper Messiah might be a little duller, the interlude or middle section with that E minor riff is one of my favorite moments on the album. Kirk sounds like he was struggling to play that solo, but I kind of like how the whole track sounds a little less polished and raw. And since a lot of the album was about manipulation, the lyrics of this song really hit home for a lot of us who've been involved in "groups."

 

[Exo-metal]

Battery

 

[watson503]

I've got to go with Orion if pressed to pick but it is one of those albums that I love from start to finish as it was such a big impact on me when it came out and for the next couple of years was such a soundtrack to those days and nights.

I remember being stoked as hell seeing them interviewed in Thrasher in the August 86 issue, they've got the entire issue up online (and most from back then in their archives which is pretty cool for nostalgic reasons as I've lost those issues years ago)

https://www.thrashermagazine.com/articles/magazine/august-1986/

 

[DanTravis62]

I disagree with all of this. The album is near perfect. Now if you were talking about some of the tracks on AJFA, I'd agree with you. And you don't think KEA has filler tracks??

That's great that your opinion has been completely made non-objective by nostalgia, but there is absolutely nothing I've said that's controversial if you don't pay attention to Steve Huey or Thomas Erlewine mainstream record reviews about MOP and overrate it to the moon

I don't think it's a perfect record.

The highs are probably the highest Metallica would ever get, but there are gigantic flaws in both the songwriting and playing

 

[DanTravis62]

What makes you say that about the drums? They are not samples.

Because they are tape-sped up. Same with the guitars on like 4 songs.

 

[rsm]

All of the above.

Everything is better than everything else.

 

[TheGreatGreen]

Battery is a great show of force and a great album opener, Orion grooves and takes your imagination in a lot of directions, but Master of Puppets really does have everything and does all of it well. It's about as perfect as a heavy metal track gets.

 

[crwnedblasphemy]

I was listening to MOP on vinyl the other day. I thought to myself, "This song is so awesome" when listening to LM.