For any of you wondering when you were going to get a band you've heard of, here you go. Metallica may be the biggest name metal band of all time, and not without reason. One of the earliest thrash metal bands, they generated considerable buzz in the burgeoning underground metal scene in 1982 thanks largely to their enormous energy on both stage and record. Like a lot of people, I didn't hear Metallica until they already had three albums in the can, one of them certified gold, and had played shows for tens of thousands despite minimal radio play and having never (yet) released a music video during MTV's heyday. Metallica wasn't just speed and bluster though. Their first four albums, aside from their huge influence on the decades of heavy rock that have passed since, were musically inventive and flirted with some of the characteristics that became associated with progressive metal, specifically longer and more elaborate compositional forms, and use of mixed meters. With their fifth album in 1992, Metallica changed direction, aiming for a more accessible and commercially viable sound, more obviously embracing their punk and alternative musical influences and the widespread acclaim that had built up around them. I kind of lost interest in them soon after that, but for their fantastic first four albums and the fact that most modern metal has their stamp in it, Metallica remains one of my all-time favorite bands.
A lot of people view 1986's Master of Puppets album as Metallica's pinnacle, and I think an argument could probably be made for any of their first four. For me, their recording career highlight is 1988's ...And Justice for All, probably because it's the most progressive of their releases. The songs are long with frequent tempo changes, and the production is colder and more clinical sounding than on their earlier albums. My favorite song on it, and probably my favorite in their entire catalog, was their biggest hit to date when it was released. It's hard to imagine a song like this having the kind of popularity on release that it did then. It's just too demanding of the listener. "One" tells the story of a soldier horribly maimed in battle awakening from his coma to the realization that he's been left with no limbs or means of communication with the world around him. The music tells the story as much as the lyrics, beginning peacefully, somewhat blearily, and rising to despair, desperation and finally rage perhaps tinged with madness. It's a rare work, one in which popularity and art somehow managed to meet in the same place at the same time. Give it a listen below, and I'll also include an old live performance from before their first album to give you a sense of why these guys were so infectious in their formative years. As you watch it, contrast with what you can remember listening to in early 1983 (if you can remember that far back).
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