For the past few days I was mulling over what I should cover next and the very obvious answer I had was picking Metallica’s highly influential debut, “Kill ‘Em All”. For an album that has had so much coverage and multiple different takes from multiple different people; it puts me off a little to come up with something that will stand on its own against the back drop of voices but I hope to try my best. Coming slap dab in the middle of summer 1983, Metallica came out of the gates running with an album that many would call one of the greatest metal albums of all time, some expressing that it is the greatest. Now I do think it’s one of the greatest and it’s influence is widespread but I’m not one to think it is the best, let alone the best thrash metal debut, but I do believe it is a tremendous album and an album that helped pave the way for the genre as a whole.
To begin, if there is a way to describe what “Kill ‘Em All” is, it is in all of its 80s glory a “raw, furious thrasher”. Fueled by NWOBHM and classic metal / rock with a dash of punk aggression, all the contents are mixed together in a caldron of sonic proportions only to great the dish named, thrash metal. Ok yeah I know that there is some contention and debate on “who REALLY put out the first thrash metal album” but what really matters is that this album, along with Slayer’s debut a few months later, was what put thrash on the map. The album is unpolished, distorted, and raw but still retains a charm to it. Matter of fact, as I re-listen to it in full today here in 2020, I notice how well it still sounds and how much it holds up. The guitars are nice and loud, the drums back a punch but not overbearing, the bass is loud enough to be heard but at places I do wish it was higher in the mix, and Hetfields shrieky, angsty vocals is in central focus here, but just like the drums in the production it isn’t over shadowing the instrumentation. So yeah, besides the bass being a tad bit low in places, the overall production is pretty great for a debut and packs a bunch of sound.
For the better part of “Kill ‘Em All”, Metallica’s focus is on NWOBHM influenced riffs but sped up ten times faster. “Hit The Lights” is the perfect representation for my statement, as it has a clear Iron Maiden influence with its galloping rhythm but with the tempo dial turned up a notch. If slowed down a little, I could see “Hit The Lights” ending up on one of Iron Maiden’s early albums honestly. The majority of the album is like a literal speed rollercoaster; speeding down the tracks more than they slowly go up them. Besides “Hit The Lights”; “Whiplash”, “Motorbreath”, “Phantom Lord”, “Metal Militia” all offer that same energy as the riffs and solos spill out in a quick pace but there is some variety here that isn’t all just quick riffing as Metallica does offer some mid-paced performances. “Jump In The Fire”, “No Remorse”, and “Seek & Destroy” all fit that mid-paced bill with influences ranging from Motörhead to Diamond Head sprouting from the seems; giving us the listeners some breathing room. Hell if you were to really slow down “Seek & Destroy”, I could see that as something Black Sabbath could have written. Metallica also adds little moments between songs where a melodic break or a melodic solo happens which I feel adds more to the song than being a straight forward speed thrasher.
A nice outlier from “Kill ‘Em All” is the late Cliff Burton’s bass solo in “(Anesthesia)- Pulling Teeth”. It is very experimental and totally different from everything else on the album that I couldn’t not stop and talk about it individually. I really love that buildup towards the 2 minute mark, then the rest of the instruments kicking in but not overtaking the bass. It’s a stand out in Cliff’s short career and definitely a standout here. Back to the album as a whole, I will say that it isn’t the most technical or complex in nature. The riffing follows a basic path and pattern, not verging much off from the well placed solos and the occasional melodic break or melodic solo that I’ve mentioned. Some think that “Kill ‘Em All’s” simplicity here is a negative but I don’t share those views. It’s easy for someone now to say “well look at all these albums that have come out since then, this is piss easy compared to them” but just look at when this came out, this album was very much different from what was going on and helped set a standard for the upcoming thrash genre. Even then, “Kill ‘Em All” may not be as complex or technically impressive, it sure as hell is a lot more memorable as a whole compared to a plethora of albums. So yeah, just because something is simple doesn’t make it bad, moving on.
Getting to our lineup, James Hetfield, Kirk Hammett, Cliff Burton, and Lars Ulrich all preform fantastically, for the most part. James’s performance here is very much different from how he sings on later albums as he is much more raw here. He’s just full of screeches and shrieks as he more so yells at you than he does sing at you. He does have some more melodic singing like he’d utilize on later albums, such as in “No Remorse” and “Seek & Destroy” but for the most part stays pretty powerful and raw in “Kill ‘Em All”. James is also on rhythm guitar and his skill is excellent here as he keeps up with Kirk’s impeccable leads. Cliff Burton is fantastic here as his bass lines really help shape the songs and give the music a extra dimension. Fun fact, Cliff’s only writing credit here is“(Anesthesia)- Pulling Teeth” as he would join the band shortly before the recording of the debut. Never less, his performance here is a stand out in the genre and he’d only get better with his next release.
Kirk Hammett is a monster on the lead guitar and his early solo work is something that is hard for a lot of musicians to match now. What else makes Kirk’s solos top notch here and in early Metallica albums is how catchy those verses are. You just listen to the onslaught in “Seek & Destroy” or the beginning of “No Remorse” and not tell me that doesn’t want to make you shack head with the rhythm. Then there’s Lars Ulrich who gets the job down remaining consistent throughout. The drumming is not really complicated here on “Kill ‘Em All” nor has Lars ever been a standout drummer for me but he does do a great job on the studio albums, at least the early ones, but the less said about his...live performances, the better.
I guess the last thing I should mention is the elephant in the room; good ol’ Davey Mustainey. It would be disservice not to talk about Dave’s contributions for Metallica as he did greatly help shape their sound early on. You know his distinct style of writing when you hear “Jump In The Fire”, “The Four Horsemen”, “Metal Militia” and “Phantom Lord” as those songs have a little more, technicality to it? More meat and bones to the riffing I suppose? I mean you just listen to that melodic solo and the slow melodic break in “Phantom Lord” and you know that Dave’s sweaty fingers were all over it. In the end, I’m glad that Dave was fired from the band as it gave us some of the best riff writing and solos in the genre over in the Megadeth camp.
So after all of this long winded rambling, what is my final verdict on “Kill ‘Em All”? Well I personally think this a fantastic record and a fantastic debut. The album is memorable from beginning to end as Metallica handles catchiness and aggressive speed in tandem as if they were from different sides of the same coin. Their stance on the metal way of life and the lyrical subject matter is something the thrash genre still writes about, even after almost 40 years since this album released. Sure, there are some stuff that could be fixed or changed, like upping Cliff’s bass in the mix or cutting some time down in “No Remorse” but as a whole, “Kill ‘Em All” just fucking slays. It’s simple (for the most part) in its writing but difficult in its execution and Metallica definitely executes. I may not hold “Kill ‘Em All” as my favorite thrash debut, that title belongs to “Feel The Fire”, but the exceptional skills and memorability at play are something many can’t say they can repeat and with how successful and influential “Kill ‘Em All” became, it deserves every bit of it.
Label: Blackened Recordings – BLCKND003RD-1
Format: Remastered Vinyl 12" Limited Edition
Country: US
Released: 15 Apr 2016
1. Hit The Lights (0:00)
2. The Four Horsemen (4:15)
3. Motorbreath (11:27)
4. Jump In The Fire (14:35)
5. (Anesthesia) - Pulling Teeth (19:17)
6. Whiplash (23:32)
7. Phantom Lord (27:40)
8. No Remorse (32:40)
9. Seek & Destroy (39:06)
10. Metal Militia (46:02)
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