METALLICA — Kill 'em All (review)

METALLICA — Kill 'em All album cover Album · 1983 · Thrash Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
3.5/5 ·
Negoba
Metallica Version I

Kill 'Em All is the closest thing we have to a recording of Metallica with Dave Mustaine. Though Hammett is already on board for solos, Mustaine's stamp is all over this record. He wrote many of the songs, the style and delivery resemble Megadeth as much as the definitive Metallica of Puppets and Justice, and Hammett's style is clearly derivative of Mustaine's at this point anyway.

Mustaine aside, the real importance of Kill Em' All is that quite a few of these songs are simply classics of the genre. "Seek and Destroy," "The Four Horseman," and to a lesser extent "Jump in the Fire" are simply classics of metal. And the other songs are still strong. Cliff Burton's showpiece "Anesthesia" is one of the classiest solos on a metal album. "Hit the Lights" has a great syncopated riff.

The album does get a little same-y by the end. But it was really fresh when it came out and still no one can deny the raw energy these kids had. For many of us, these songs hold such an attachment to our teen years. For some, playing these songs in dirty garages and basements while we destroyed our eardrums was just part of growing up.

The next 3 (1/2) albums are better, but this is #4 in the discography of the most important metal band ever.
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