They were crazy enough to think they could top Lightning, and they did. Both mostly follow a similar structure-acoustic intro, second song as title track, a “ballad” on the fourth song, a long instrumental-and yet Metallica were not copying themselves or refining their approach. In this way, Puppets wasn’t a radical break from Lightning. It’s basically “Fire” widened in philosophical scope and tightened in performance. Puppets opens with “Battery,” a celebration of destruction as a liberating force, trading in commentary for a purely aspirational message, albeit one the heshers could revere. Its predecessor, 1984’s Ride The Lightning, began with “Fight Fire With Fire,” a song fueled by nuclear paranoia, which was not at all uncommon in the ’80s. That the early roughness stands starkly shows how relentless they were in making a defining metal record. Genius does not appear out of thin air and Puppets was a culmination of Metallica’s influences and forward direction, so yes, it will give you a more rounded sense of how a masterwork came to be. Recording a masterpiece was the easy part. Will this reissue of Master of Puppets-a remastered and expanded box set, featuring studio outtakes and live performances from around the world and one of bassist Jason Newstead’s first shows at a club in Reseda, Cali.-convince you it’s the greatest metal record of all time, if you’re not convinced already? The numerous early takes and rough demos have a diehard appeal (there’s a reason Metallica has a dedicated archivist on their payroll), though the live recordings present a band going through its most monumental transition punctuated by monumental tragedy. It was music not content with its own alienation, ready to lash back as a big-tent alternative that demanded a deeper understanding. Metal was both assimilated into pop culture and a bastion of musical expansion, a reimagination of progressive rock with more direct propulsion. Thrash also brought about an element of social consciousness, adding flourishes to British crust pioneers Discharge’s brute simplicity. Melody was increasingly prominent, bringing with it a wounded and raw beauty. The Bay Area thrash scene where they originated-and quickly divested themselves from-was born from one of the most successful mergers in music: metal riffs and punk energy.
The lasting characteristics that took metal from its from heavier rock offshoot to its own distinct form were already taking shape by the time Metallica released their third album Master of Puppets in 1986.
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