So this is why (warning Metallica content)...

There's a difference between playing that fast, and playing that fast consistently enough to triple track 3 really tight guitar tracks to tape while the recording studio time is running and you need to get an album out the door. Obviously they weren't getting the level of inhuman precision they wanted and had to figure out a way to.
1000%. If you play ONE track, and had it on a metronome or whatever, and you are good, it'll sound really tight. Put two on and now there's going to be a serious struggle. Though it MIGHT just sound fat like that if there aren't too many staccato parts
 
The whole Master of Puppets album start to finish was done September to December 1985. And that would include setting up for and recording all the different instruments on the analogue equipment of 1985.

They made a decision to get the sound they wanted which is no worse at least than modern people quantizing every drum and guitar note.


however long it was, it wasnt a time issue, it was they couldnt play as fast and as tight as they wanted, so they cheated. its not changing my opinion of the album, if anything it just helped me in my guitar journey cause i spent who knows how many hours practicing over their albums learning every nuance at full speed, but finding out one of my favorite bands recorded slow and sped it up is like finding out my favorite player who won me a championship was cheating on steroids the whole time, i still love the dude and the memories are great and will last forever, but now its tainted knowing he cheated. i take pride in recording everything i record in one take as if it was a live band, hearing bands do much as much editing as some dude bums me out
 
Het used to nail puppets during the Black Album tour but he struggles these days.

While on topic, to the guys with mighty right hands, do you notice that you've slowed down a tad or just don't have the same arm stamina as you got older? I used to be able to chug to 220bpm for 3-4mins straight no sweat and now I struggle to get past 2mins. Aging is a bitch 😭
I cut my teeth on playing that Hetfield downpick chug. Im like you man. As I get older, I cant do that anymore so im over in the corner like B.B. King, sweating and holding one note.
 
I think we all know that Hetfield can in fact play MOP st this speed with precision. But I've always thought there is this odd feel, tightness and tonality to the rhythm guitar tracks....this definitely explains it, at least for me.
Ya he can play it at album speed for sure. I'm sure there's concert footage of them playing it even faster too. This old news about them speeding up the tracks to tighten them a bit though.

Sucks that I can't play this song at album speed anymore, downpicked. I could in my 20's all day but I got on a medication that fucks with my fine motor skills. I hate it.
 
I cut my teeth on playing that Hetfield downpick chug. Im like you man. As I get older, I cant do that anymore so im over in the corner like B.B. King, sweating and holding one note.
Lol, me too and I'm only 42. I don't know how Hetfield still does it. My excuse is medication related though.
 
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Bro who takes 6 months to record their songs
Huh, Master Of Puppets was tracked a lot faster than that and Hetfield had like 6 rhythm tracks for each song. It wasn't till the black album that they started recording at such a slow pace... Over a year for that album.
 
I doubled tracked thisa while back without a metronome, just using the original track with the guitars removed. The beginning where there's long stretches without drums were just me playing and hoping the drums came in at the right time.



Lol you bet your ass it took multiple takes and cutting parts together, hah. Coming up with a track that sounds consistently tight like that is not easy at all.

But to hear the originals were played slower and then sped up afterwards? That really does feel like a betrayal.
 
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