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Class 6(66)
Metallica: Kill 'em all
07/10/11 || InquisitorGeneralis
Introduction
Let’s put all the current hate for Metallica aside, as hard as that may be. St. Anger blew dick, all the shit with Napster made them look worse than Osama Bin Laden on Sept 12th, 2001, the Blvck Album was a major step towards mainstream accessibility, and that movie with them whining in therapy sucked too. Ok, now that the obligatory reasons for why Metallica is currently lame are out of the way let’s get down to business. Their debut record, 1983’s “Kill ‘em all”, completely fucken rules and is a landmark in the history of metal. There are reasons why Metallica still fills stadiums and is (for better or worse) the undisputed most popular metal band in history. Those reasons are an unfuckwithable streak of albums in the 80’s that still allow the band to be a prominent, driving force in music even though it has been a long, long time since they have put out a really good record. “Death Magnetic” was ok, I’ll admit that.
Seriously, how many bands could release the “Load” albums, “St. Anger”, that record full of lame covers (sorry Smalley, but those covers are weak), and still headline over Slayer and Megadeth? The streak began with “Kill ‘Em All”, Metallica’s most raw, gritty, and (in my opinion) best album. I know that is going to get some vagina’s open and weeping on the forums, but this is the Metallica album I go to first when I need my Hetfield fix. Maybe it’s the youthful energy, or the lingering hints of Mustaine, or the presence of Cliff Burton that makes this record stand out to me. I know that “Ride the Lightening” and “Master of Puppets” have the more complicated, big hit tracks, but “Kill ‘Em All” has the attitude and anger.
Songwriting
9. Four words for you fuckos; THE FOUR FUCKEN HORSEMAN! It’s the best song Metallica has ever done. Why? because it is the formula that every other classic Metallica song, until you hit the “Black Album”, is based on. “Ride the lightening”, “Fade to black”, “Master of puppets”, “Blackened”, and “One” all following the same basic fast chorus/refrain/fast chorus/refrain/breakdown/slow melodic solo/fast chorus/refrain formula that “The four horseman” does to perfection. The first tempo-change is fucking epic, the melodic solo/middle section is cheesy as shit but still awesome, and the bridge back to the speed gets you fired right back up. “Seek and destroy” echoes the mid-paced groove tracks that would come to dominate the band’s sound later in their career. It also features another classic breakdown at the end of the song which is signaled by some awesomely cheesy laughter courtesy of a teenage James Hetfield…
Seek and… seek and destroy! Ha ha ha!
No joke, that part is sweet. “Hit the lights”, “Motorbreath”, “Metal Militia”, and the classic “Whiplash” are straight up speed metal thrashers. You might forget this, but, Metallica could run with fastest kids on the playground back in the day. “No remorse” and “Jump in the fire” are both heavier and slower, but no less awesome. “No remorse” especially stands out and would make a sweet addition to modern-day Metallica setlists. For a debut record by a bunch of teens/twenty-somethings “Kill ‘Em All” features a surprisingly varied selection of songs; fast and slow, long and short, speedy and groovy. Even the bass solo “(Anesthesia) Pulling teeth” is awesome. Fuck, I miss Cliff.
Now, when discussing songwriting on “Kill ‘Em All”, you have to mention Dave Mustaine. He is credited on “Four Horseman” (a reworking of his original “Mechanix”, but I am sure you already knew that), “Jump in the fire”, “Phanton lord”, and “Metal militia”. Considering each of those songs is awesome, you have to give credit where credit is due… even if it’s due to a wanker like Mustaine. The dude can play and write awesome metal though, regardless of any personality issues. Moving on…
Production
9. I’m going with a close-to-perfect score here because “Kill ‘Em All” sounds exactly the way a 1983 thrash debut should; loud guitars and a raw overall feeling. The slightly muffled kick-drums are the only flaw I can detect. On the one record where Lars’ footwork is actually impressive (yeah, I said it), sometimes it tought to clearly hear the bass drum. Now, I am saying this record deserves some modern-style, pro-tooled, clicky-clack sound! But, some more uuummppphhhh in the kicks would be nice. Overall, I think “Kill ‘Em All” sounds great but I am sure many will disagree.
Guitars
9.5. Riff, shred, riff, shred, riff shred!!! That pretty much sums things up here. There are classic guitar moments all over “Kill ‘Em All”; the breakdowns “Seek and destroy” and “The Four horseman”, the solo that ends “Hit the lights”, the main riff to “Jump in the fire”, the frenetic shredding of “Whiplash”…the list goes on and on. Way back when, Hetfield and Hammet were and incredible guitar team. While later albums may feature more epic sections like the end of “Fade to Black” or middle of “Master of Puppets”, there is something about the energy and aggression of the guitars on “Kill ‘Em All” that ranks it high on my Axe-O-Meter.
Vocals
7.5 One of the things that did get better for Metallica over the years was James Hetfield’s vocals. They don’t suck on “Kill ‘Em All”, but the youthful sneer found here is far from perfect, and a bit low in the mix. Still, they are good and get the job done.
Bass
9.5. Cliff Burton was a bass beast and his presence had a major impact on the bands sound and songs. From his awesome bass solo “Anesthesia” to the rumbling lines of “The Four Horseman” C-Burt unleashes bassomination of the global scale. Fuck, Metallica was good when he was breathin’.
Drums
9. This is best album Lars has ever done. Period. It’s the fastest, it has the best footwork (sorry, “One” really isn’t that awesome), and it has the most interesting time changes and breakdowns. Lars thrashes and grooves with skill and delivers his best performance. Talk about shooting your load early…pun fucken intended. Highlight moments include the multiple tempos on “The four horseman”, The heavy grove of “No remorse” and “Phantom lord”, and the big breakdowns on “Seek and destroy”.
Lyrics
9. The apocalypse, hell, war, fighting, METAL… all the bases are covered here.
JUMP IN THE FIYYYYAAA!!!!
“The Four Horseman” sets the standard for Metallica’s biblical/religious themes while “Metal militia” reminds us all of our duty to fight and serve metal. “No remorse” features a catchy, simple chorus. “Seek and destroy” is a metal version of “Saturday night’s all right for fighting”. Shit, I’m running out of a material.
Logo
7. Extremely well recognized but not insanely awesome, Metallica’s logo gets a decent score. At least it hasn’t changed… unlike the band’s style, sound, awesomeness, and haircurts.
Cover
9. Hitting someone with a hammer would definitely kill ‘em, and blood is metal. Plus, it’s somewhat iconic methinks. The next few covers would be better, but this is one is simply and cool in its own right.
Booklet
5. Mine is an old copy with just one page of song titles and credits; nothing special but I am sure a remastered or reissued edition has something better.
Overall and ending rant
“Ride the Lightening” has some awesome moments, as does “Master of Puppets”. Still, when I want serious Metallica I reach for “Kill ‘Em All” first. You don’t have to argue if it is a sell out album (“S/T”), there are no production points to argue (”…and Penises for All”), and it doesn’t completely blow donkey dick (“Load”, “Reload”, “Load in Smalley’s Mouth”, and “St. Anger”) either. Metallica’s debut record help set the standard for thrash metal and has a pretty solid cornerstone for the band’s undeniably successful career. “Kill “Em All” is the real deal and definitely the ‘Tallica record I listen to the most. It has a nice combo of speed-metal shredders like “Whiplash” and “Hit the Lights” along with more groovy, long tracks like “Phantom lord” and “The four horseman”. While later records would make Metallica one of the best selling and most popular bands in music history, the youth, aggression, and raw awesomeness of “Kill ‘Em All” can not be topped in my book.
- Information
- Released: 1983
- Label: Metal Blade
- Website: www.metallica.com
- Band
- James Hetfield: vocals, guitars
- Kirk Hammet: guitars
- Cliff Burton: Bass
- Lars Ulrich: drums
- Tracklist
- 01. Hit the Lights
- 02. The Four Horseman
- 03. Motorbreath
- 04. Jump in the Fire
- 05. (Anathesia) Pulling teeth
- 06. Whiplash
- 07. Phantom Lord
- 08. No Remorse
- 09. Seek and Destroy
