Master Of Puppets
by Metallica

What an incredible album this is! The emotion and power that is driven across to the listener is mesmerising and the sheer talent on display is fantastic. The energy never slows throughout the whole record and it is extremely powerful and can so easily dominate you. This is mainly due to the instrumental performances we get which are just astounding. The highlight of this is the guitar work with the incredible riffs and phenomenal solos we get on tracks like Battery, Orion and of course Master Of Puppets with this being the best song on the album. It is 8 minutes of pure energy and emotion that stuns me every time I listen to it both in the context of the album and outside of it. Then there is the drum work which is brilliantly frantic yet controlled at the same time and make all songs pack that extra punch behind them. I am also a massive fan of the vocal work on this record and it is one of the best metal voices I have ever heard. However, for me I do have to be in a certain mood to listen to an hour worth of metal music as it is difficult to keep up with the intensity. Also, the second half isn't as memorable as the first and it does feel a little bit slower in comparison. Overall, this is one of, if not the best, metal album ever made and it is a must listen for any music fan regardless of whether you like the genre or not. (Edited)

I was 13 when it came out. My friend Mark and I went into the local record shop. He bought Master of Puppets. I bought a Hawkwind album. We got back to his gaff and I played the Hawkwind album first. It was OK but not especially heavy (I hadn't smoked dope by this point). Then Mark put his purchase on. The nice acoustic intro fooled both of us. For a moment we thought we had been given the wrong record. Then 'Battery' started crashing through the speakers like an out of control truck doing a ton down your local high street. To be honest I was terrified. In fact I thought it was just a complete noise. But I taped a copy off Mark and stuck with it. Once I had made that leap of faith and accepted this new step up in aggression, speed and heaviness it all started to click. And in the end it was worth it, because Master of Puppets is one of the best, if not the best, heavy metal albums ever made. It has the perfect combination of song writing, memorable hooks, instrumental virtuosity and true heart and soul. And it's this 'heart and soul' that gives this album the gravitas to elevate it above the mere ordinary and into the realms of the classic album.

The Smiths' Queen is Dead is a good album, but M.O.P. is clearly the best of '86 and arguably the greatest metal album of all time. I'm in my mid-40's now and have had this in some form in my music collection for about 30 years now. The arrangements on this album are astounding and right up there with the classical and jazz greats.

Thrash metal masterpiece. I love this album start to finish although I personally prefer Ride The Lightning in terms of quality they're almost equal. Album starts with very intense Battery, then we have masterful song about addiction - Master Of Puppets which takes you through a downward spiral of addict's life, guitar on this track really intensifies lyrical content. The Thing That Should Not Be has dark atmosphere and heavy riffs throughout. Welcome Home (Sanitarium) is one of the more lyrically great tracks on album and is followed by probably the most underrated Metallica track - Disposable Heroes, which depicts war like a never-ending torture and slaughter, which is intensified by instrumental that does not give listener any break from the fast machine gun barking. Then we have quite good Leper Messiah, phenomenal instrumental - Orion and Damage Inc. is ending the album in such intense way that it deserves. (Edited)

From Strangel TOP 100 COMMENTER 08/30/2016 06:21 | #173785 | TOP COMMENT Vote up your preferred comments and the comments with the most votes will be flagged.

For a period of time in the 80s Metallica were at the pinnacle of alternative music. They were innovative, edgy, controversial, and above-all, relevant to a groundswell of angry youths wanting to rebel against a generally aloof, removed ruling class. Ironically, when grunge came about, Metallica's attempt to remain relevant means they lost relevance. The sound and lyrics coming from Master of Puppets is what engaged this generation of misfits and because they were the leaders of this genre, they could so easily have progressed without alienating their fan base so radically. MoP is grand in scale, with a very tight group of musicians, powerfully projecting intricate compositions. Add to this themes revolving around the senselessness of War, drug addiction, and religious hypocrisy, and you have a thrashing metal album with real integrity.