Record Roulette: Master of Puppets
If you've watched the most recent episodes of Stranger Things (and even if you haven't), you know Eddie Munson, played by actor Joseph Quinn. Eddie is the stereotypical metalhead burnout with a nerdy side; he plays Dungeons & Dragons, partakes in marijuana (among other things), and can shred on the guitar.
In a pivotal scene in the last episode of Volume 2, Eddie shakes up the Upside Down with a flawless rendition of Metallica's "Master of Puppets". I've never been more convinced to listen to thrash metal than I was watching that particular scene.
The power Stranger Things holds in bringing back a decade of music is unlike any other piece of media in the past few years. First, the show made Kate Bush's "Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)" skyrocket in popularity, and now here we are again, talking about Master of Puppets, 36 years after its release.
To preface this, I would like to formally state that I know almost nothing about thrash metal. For a brief internship many moons ago, I interviewed Mr. Bungle bassist Trevor Dunn, but that is where my knowledge ends. My dad always told me Master of Puppets was one of his Top 5 Favorite Albums, but I never had any interest in listening- until now.
Master of Puppets was Metallica's third studio album, released by Elektra Records on March 3rd, 1986. Before we get into it, let's cover the basics; Metallica 101, if you will.
Drummer Lars Ulrich formed Metallica in Los Angeles in 1981, and the original lineup consisted of lead guitarist Dave Mustaine, bassist Ron McGovney, and guitarist/vocalist James Hetfield. In creating their first LP, McGovney was replaced by Cliff Burton and Mustaine by Kirk Hammett. Their 1983 record, Kill 'Em All, "marked the beginning of the legitimization of heavy metal's underground, bringing new complexity and depth to thrash metal" (AllMusic). Their second album, Ride the Lightning, led the band to sign with the esteemed Elektra Records.
Pre-Puppets, the band didn't hold much weight in the mainstream music community. The general consensus is that thrash metal was born out of San Fransisco in the early '80s and was "commercially unpalatable." The genre lurked underground, for the most part, so the odds of "making it big" were slim to none unless you went overseas (classic metal/rock bands like Motorhead, Iron Maiden, and Black Sabbath all came out of the UK). Puppets changed that.
To summarize the album's importance, I will refer to Daniel Bukszpan's National Recording Registry guest essay: "When [the album] was released, it sold half a million copies, with almost no commercial airplay, no music videos, and no mainstream promotion. Its success was 100% an organic product of fan enthusiasm, and the mainstream music industry had no choice but to embrace the group and give a forum to this genre of music."
The band's third album was such a massive success that it established a foundation for thrash metal to thrive in the next few decades. Metallica became one of the genre's "Big Four" bands, along with Slayer, Anthrax, and Megadeath, and Master of Puppets is widely regarded as one of the greatest metal albums of all time. In 2015, the album was inducted into the Library of Congress's National Recording Registry, which showcases "the range and diversity of American recorded sound heritage in order to increase preservation awareness."
Thrash metal may not be your cup of tea, but you can't deny the importance of a band solidifying a seat at the corporate table for an entire genre. Hell, even the government thought it was important enough to preserve for the foreseeable future.
It is also worth noting that Burton tragically passed away in a bus accident during their 1986 "Damage, Inc." tour. He would be replaced by Jason Newsted of Flotsam and Jetsam, but Burton's revolutionary, upfront bass playing could never quite be recreated.
On to the music! Master of Puppets is precisely what you would expect it to be from the viewpoint of a metal-newbie. Throughout the eight songs, you'll find aggressive emotion, terrifyingly beautiful guitar and drum solos, and the accelerated tempo consistent with most thrash metal songs. If you're intimidated by the genre's intensity, a great jumping-off point would be "Welcome Home (Sanitarium)". It's a little slower initially and generally easier on the ears if you're not used to Metallica-esque music. However, it does ramp up toward the end, giving you the gusto you may need to finish the album.
As I stated before, metal isn't a genre I typically listen to, so I'm probably not the right person to recommend how to listen to Puppets. However, when I asked my father, a dedicated Metallica fan, for his thoughts on the album, he said, "When I bought it I played the song 'Master of Puppets' so many times that I warped that part of the tape." So take that for what you will.
All I'll say is that you won't know if you’ll like a piece of music or not unless you listen to it, so give it a shot! You might discover your inner Eddie Munson was just waiting to be unleashed.
Listen to Master of Puppets on Spotify, Apple Music, or YouTube