Not many heavy metal bands ever had as much claim to fame as Metallica did back in the 80's. After their successful debut album "Kill 'Em All", the band's style and technique became much more refined as they progressed. Their songs gradually began to grow in length, and the lyrics were far more imaginative and overwhelming.

In 1984 they released their sophomore album, "Ride the Lightning". Many fans proclaimed that album to be one of their best, but from my standpoint, aside from a couple nifty tracks like "Fight Fire With Fire" and "Fade to Black"; I really didn't care much for it. Lead singer James Hetfield still sounded like he was about twelve when they recorded it and even the title track was barely tolerable, and I'm not sure why so many people took to that song. Anyway, I was interested to see what they could do next. Whether they would stay with their trash roots and lightning quick guitars, or perhaps if they evolved into a more complete rock band by clearing up their often silly lyrics and create more complex guitar rhythms. After the released of "Master of Puppets", Metallica showed all of us that they're very capable of making some outstanding, diverse, and provocative music.

THE TRACKS:
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1) Battery (5: 12) - 5/5 Stars
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"Lashing out the action, returning the reaction
Weak are ripped and torn away
Hypnotizing power, crushing all that cower
Battery is here to stay

Smashing through the boundaries
lunacy has found me
cannot stop the Battery
Pounding out aggression
turns into obsession
cannot kill the Battery"

If there's one thing that Metallica knows how to do well, it's how to open an album. "Fuel" and "Fight Fire With Fire" can't match the raging intensity found in "Battery". If getting up in the morning is as gruelling an ordeal for you as it is for me, consider waking up to this track. This song deals with battery as a physical violence or assault, obviously it's not talking about the Duracell variety. I liked how Hetfield repeated the word "battery" several times throughout the song, as it gives the word more power and a feeling of being unstoppable. "Circle of destruction" and "Cannot kill the family, Battery is found in me" are two lines that stick out the most, and all of it leads up to a pounding climax that's done with considerable skill.

Don't be fooled by this song's soft opening melody; this is probably their second fastest song, next to my personal favorite "Dyer's Eve". Hetfield's vocals sound a lot more mature than in the previous album and it's quite a bit more enjoyable to listen to.

2) Master of Puppets (6: 35) - 5/5 Stars
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"Master, Master, Where's the dreams that I've been after?
Master, Master, You promised only lies
Laughter, Laughter, All I hear and see is laughter
Laughter, Laughter, laughing at my cries

Hell is worth all that, natural habitat
just a rhyme without a reason
Neverending maze, drift on numbered days
now your life is out of season"

The most recognizable track on the album is the title one, and for good reason. This is where Metallica proves that they're more than just a simple, trashy band and manages to rise above all the rest with songs like this. Lyrically, "Master of Puppets" remains unsurpassed in terms of creativity and heaviness, they carry a lot of weight. Not to be outdone, the drumming by Lars Ulrich is fantastic and Kirk Hammet's guitaring borders on greatness. As far as I can tell, this song deals with cocaine addiction. It's interesting that you won't find those words in the actual song, they're just subtlety implied. Overall this is one of Metallica's best; a dark, creepy, and harrowing experience.

3) The Thing That Should Not Be (6: 37) - 2/5 Stars
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"Not dead which eternal lie
stranger eons Death may die
drain you of your sanity
face The Thing That Should Not Be

fearless Wretch
insanity
He watches
lurking beneath the sea
great Old One
forbidden site
He searches
Hunter of the Shadows is rising"

The least impressive song is "The Thing That Should Not Be". If you would have put it on one of Metallica's later album's like "Reload" it would have been awesome, but when it's stack up against all the other good material on this disc, it just doesn't compare. It moves a lot slower than any of the other seven tracks as it deals with death in a methodical but not particularly interesting way. Others may take to it, but I'm going to stick to the other tracks, as this one will get limited playback from me.

4) Welcome Home (Sanitarium)- (6: 24) -4/5 Stars
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"Build my fear of what's out there
and cannot breathe the open air
Whisper things into my brain
assuring me that I'm insane
They think our heads are in their hands
but violent use brings violent plans
Keep him tied, it makes him well
he's getting better, can't you tell?"

Sanitarium begins slowly with some of the best guitaring of any Metallica song to date. Even though it won't match the speed of "Battery" or "Damage Inc.", this song is unique nevertheless. The steady drums by Ulrich eventually explode around the 4: 45 mark, and Cliff Burton's playing the bass is terrific. It's sad that this was his last album after his death while on tour, because he was an integral part of the band and a truly talented individual.

5) Disposable Heroes (8: 19)- 3/5 Stars
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"Back to the front
you will do what I say, when I say
Back to the front
you will die when I say, you must die
Back to the front
you coward
you servant
you blindman"

Out of all the great Metallica songs I've heard, from "Dyer's Eve" to "...And Justice For All", "Disposable Heroes" has unquestionably the most prolific opening to any song. It's 100 mph thrash for the first thirty seconds and it immediately grabs your attention and holds it there. If only it had succeeded in doing that for the whole song, but alas even with some quality lyrics "Heroes" wears thin much too quickly. It deals with soldiers being brainwashed before sending them off to war and recounts one man's horrifying experience of it. It's interesting for about five minutes into the song, but if Metallica had chopped off the last two or three minutes instead of recycling most of the song again, I would have been more forgiving with my score.

6) Leper Messiah (5: 39) - 2.5/5 Stars
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"Time for lust, time for lie
time to kiss your life goodbye
Send me money, send me green
Heaven you will meet
Make a contribution
and you'll get a better seat
Bow to Leper Messiah"

Another decent but not really memorable track that features some heavy lyrics screamed out by Hetfield, who's in top form here. It's a shame that the lyrics themselves aren't better written and feel kind of mundane. Credit Hetfield though for making them sound a lot better than they really are. The theme here is you'll get a better seat in Heaven--for a price, hence the "send me money, send me green" line. The song isn't bad, it just suffers the same fate as "The Thing That Should Not Be", in that it can't compete with the rest of the tracks on the album.

7) Orion (8: 32) - 3.5/5
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Bad lyrics can't hurt a song if there aren't any, which is the case with the total instrumental "Orion". Here is the track where bassist Cliff Burton was at his best, and he really shines alongside Hammet with some wonderful, brooding guitar work. You won't miss Hetfield's screeching vocals at all, as the song has many different vibes to it and is always a pleasure to listen to.

8) Damage Inc. (5: 30) - 5/5 Stars
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"Dealing out the agony within
charging hard and no one's gonna give in
Living on your knees, conformity
or dying on your feet for honesty
Inbred, our bodies work as one
bloody, but never cry submission
Following our instinct not a trend
go against the grain until the end

Blood will follow blood
Dying time is here
Damage Incorporated"

The third five star song here is "Damage Inc." Again, it begins like "Battery" with delicate guitars, like the eerie calm before a storm hits. It also compares to "Battery" in terms of song structure. Starting off slowly, then for about two minutes of obliterating lyrics and drumming followed by one of the best guitar solos, and wrapping up nicely as Hetfield goes all out to finish up the track. Death is once more apparent as the theme from the lines "Blood will follow blood" and "Dying time is here".

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS:
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While it may only have eight tracks, something many people complain about, the vast majority of them are incredibly fun to listen to. Some of my favorite songs are on this disc, and Metallica's ability to mix raging drums with graceful guitar solos is astonishing, creating one of the defining albums in thrash history.

Recommended: Yes

Great Music to Play While: Waking up