Welcome to the first installment of Rock Rewind, where we will be reviewing albums and cds that are considered industry favorites, seminal releases or propelling starting points for the band...the question is are they really any of those things? How would they stand up in today's musical landscape? Are they better by today's standards or perhaps not as good as we have come to accept and think? We will be pushing the limits of traditional thinking and the fun part is you may totally agree or stand up and protest our opinion, but one thing we will promise is you will never look at a popular album or cd the same way again! We invite you to suggest albums from the 70's, 80's and 90's for re-review... it's the Rock Rewind, the ultimate test of endurance, popularity and competency for the old vs. the new.
So, let's get started with Master of Puppets by Metallica. Master of Puppets was the third album by Metallica and was released on March 3, 1986; it marks the last recording by bassist Cliff Burton, who tragically died in a bus accident while on tour to promote the album. After debating whether or not to break up or to move on with a new bass player, Metallica decided to hire a new bassist, Jason Newsted and the rest they say is metal history.
Master of Puppets met high critical reception upon release, and is now considered a classic heavy metal album by fans, critics, and the band members themselves alike. All of the band members consider it Metallica's crowning glory. Master of Puppets reached #29 on the U.S. Billboard 200 album chart and was the band's first Gold record for sales of 500,000 copies. While #29 is respectable20it was even more so considering that this was done without any radio airplay or the release of a single. The album is now 6× Platinum in the U.S., with over 6 million copies sold in the U.S. alone. Almost every song now has radio play, with the title track and Welcome Home (Sanitarium) receiving the heaviest airplay to date.
So, if Master of Puppets were released today, would it still be a classic? Let's take a listen.
If puppets are predictable and repetitive than Metallica’s Master of Puppets is appropriately named…that’s not to say there aren’t some glistening jewels tucked away, namely the title track and “Welcome Home (Sanitarium)”, but as a whole the promise of better things to come in Master of Puppets is hard to uncover but it is there. The feeble production of Flemming Rasmussen is clearly the downfall of the album as scooped mids end up muddying the musical prowess of each member. There’s a wash over the album that you can’t just wipe away.
Hatfield’s vocals don’t leave one range, Hammett’s guitar leads while repetitive don’t get the punch they deserve, Burton’s bass is almost indiscernible which is tragic as his skill and aesthetic is almost lost, Ulrich’s drums are capable and after 8 tracks, the listener gets it that he can perform triplet rolls and keep a steady backbone but the question is where is the thump of the kick drum and when did bass drums go “click”?
Overall, Master of Puppets is competent but one can’t help but feel that it has the opportunity to be consummate - and in the end dynamics are awol. What is there, and which saves the album, is two or three tracks that must have been produced when Flemming Rasmussen walked out of the room as they truly have the depth Metallica can achieve.
3.5 Stars
