Kill Em

Product Information

Vertigo EU 89 reissue "DMM": Great version to listen the album. Contains the best mastering of "Bod Ludwing". And because they're the biggest, they're also the most visible and most controversial. Everybody has an opinion on the great dramas of Metallica's career, like how Dave Mustaine is the only good thing that ever happened to them (saying their early era was only good because of his influence is like saying The Courtyard of the Old Residency, Munich is only good because Hitler painted it), or how the commercialization would have never happened if Cliff Burton hadn't tragically died in that bus crash (he was a huge REM fan and wrote many of the melodic parts on Master of Puppets, he would have had no problem with, and in fact probably would have encouraged, a new direction), or how Lars is a wretched fame whore and money snatching gremlin who is a smooth talker but a crappy drummer (well... that one's true). The point is that no metal fan's development went by unblemished by the unmistakable scent of Metallica. They're just ubiquitous and profoundly influential on the development of heavy metal as a whole, and unless you entered the scene via Brenoritvrezorkre and Enbilulugugal, you've heard the first four or five albums at least once.

Of course, we can't review a Metallica album without speaking of Lars Ulrich. Lars' drumming here isn't anything to jizz about but it's consistent and flows well with the rhythm of the music, which is what it's supposed to do in the first place. That's the idea behind drumming. His style is basic and at times fast, showing the punk influence in every song. I think he would showcase his skills a lot more on the next couple of albums but here, he does what he's supposed to do.

Statistics

Here the guitars sound as raw as ever and the sound is ultra sharp. Surely the best guitars you can have from this legendary album. The cons is the bottom end. This pressing like the 1st "MFN" pressing, hasen't big bass and the reason for that is because "Tim Young" mastering was like that in the beginning. But this "Roadrunner" pressing has little more bass and warmer sound against the "MFN" 1st pressing. Is much more better pressing with very natural sound. First. I'd like to say that James Hetfield is a riff machine! Hetfield's riffs are in vein of Diamond Head's Brian Tatler but faster. Hetfield clearly shows his inspiration from the NWOBHM. Hetfield's vocal delivery is also raw and unhinged, he shouts with a raspy edge; unlike his Sean Harris vocal delivery of the demo days.

But, is it a perfect thrash metal record? Well, obviously not. I won't discuss musicianship, since Kirk and Cliff joined halfway through, and Lars was never a good drummer - but his primitive drumming fits here perfectly, at least. And while James' shrieking noises were annoying at first, they grew on me. I mean, if I can stand Sean Killian or Stace McLaren, then why James Hetfield from 1983 should be any different? No, I'll discuss some other things. The year was 1983, and the stage was set for a phenomenon. An up and coming band had just fired their guitarist Dave Mustaine and called upon the services of former Exodus man Kirk Hammett for the recording of their ten song debut. The band was Metallica, taking their influences from the brash style of Venom and Judas Priest, they were to push the boundaries of what was acceptable in heavy music of its day to the absolute limit, creating a raw, powerful debut album that is generally considered to be the absolute birth of thrash metal. Mustaine has been mysteriously credited by a majority for decades, as the sole innovator for this album's concept, although if you listen to the early demos and then compare to the official release, it's no secret that the solos that Kirk fixed were his own, and it times even shared little to no similarities to what Dave was responsible for.Kill 'Em All marks the start for one of the most well-known thrash metal acts of all time. A band which I don't think I have to introduce, since you're here already, anyway. As I was saying, what we have here is a prime cut of pure thrash from a former giant, and it is good. There are a few albums – specifically debut albums – that work much better because of their simplicity. I’ve written something similar about Iron Maiden’s debut and I feel that Kill ‘Em All fits the mould too. Style, songs, cover art – none of it complicates the basic enjoyment of pure heavy metal. And, yes, I would classify Metallica’s debut as something closer to pure heavy metal than actual thrash metal as we know it today, because this (as the almost indisputable First Thrash Album) was a blank slate that described a kind of thrash metal without rules and restrictions. I like it all the more for that.

There were many bands in the same musically aggressive vein of Metallica, even from the same location in the States, who were out to disarm the glam/hair "metal" scene and wipe it off the map.. And this album was the first real blow to the glam scene, and the catalyst that would fuel an army of bands who would eventually develop the thrash metal tag that would contribute greatly to the death of anything glam-related. However, unlike nearly all of the rest of those bands who joined Metallica in glorious musical battle against these drag clowns giving the genre a bad name, Metallica were the first to go the full mile and actually record a studio album and drop the first nuke on glam country, instead of firing demo missiles left and right, which bands like Exodus were guilty of.

Side guide

Overall, Kill Em All doesn't disappoint, the album is just full blown old school thrashing madness, over the 51 minutes that the album spans, there isn't a single boring moment to be found. It's all killer, absolutely no filler! If you want a classic album to rage to look no further! Bang that head that doesn't bang! Unlike Metallica's later and current material, there are actually songs on here that don't break the 5 minute mark, which is a definate plus. Too many bands nowadays seem to think that a song isn't good until it's over 12 minutes long, has a thousand changes in it, and consists of guitar solos that regularly break the 2 minute mark. There is such a thing as overdoing it, and thankfully at this time period Metallica understood that. The production is rather weak, but what would you expect? So, a fine thrash metal record, all in all, but Metallica improved and released much better albums after this one. Still, a must have for thrash fans, as Kill'em All was one of the pieces that really shaped and created the genre. Regarding bassist Cliff Burton he does a good job on all the songs, Pulling Teeth of course being his instrumental masterpiece, which accompanied with Lars Ulrich's drums makes a good break from James and Kirk's thrashy madness. I once heard someone say Cliff plays bass as if he's a lead guitarist and I'd say that's true for this and Metallica's follow-up album Ride The Lightning. As always, it's a shame he died so young, but for what we do have on this record, it fulfills. Beyond that, this vinyl is one of the best sounding pressings of the album and probably the 2nd best out there (imo) after the "Columbia House" club edition of 1988 that contains the best mastering of "Bob Ludwig.