The Definitive 1000 Songs Of All Time 1955 to 2005: Number 484

Number 484

Metallica

"Fade to Black"

(1984)

Genre:Hard Rock

Long before Metallica became twats, there was a time when their music spoke, instead of the drummer. If you want to see what I really think of Metallica >click this link<. I have learned over the past few years about how certain artists are disliked, the ones that seem to be consistently disliked are the following 10: Rolf Harris [for killing a Led Zeppelin song - heresy they say]. 9: Courtney Love [for killing grunge music twice - boy am I gonna be in trouble for that]. 8: Kanye West [for going off on his website at fans for making them wait hours at a concert & other various meltdowns- boo hiss]. 7: REM [for politically stabbing other artists with inane social comments - I thought I was the worst offender for that crime :p] 6: U2 [for caring about every other poor starving sod in the world, except for the country they came from - your a heartless lot] 5: James Blunt [for pissing every man off on the planet with his pretty face and girly songs - shrug] 4: Britney bloody Spears [for being a spoilt music pop tart brat who needs a good smack - amen] 3: Nickelback [for making every song sound the same as each other & making millions from essentially 1 song - no?]. 2: Creed [for making out like good x'tians & then making a porno film with Kid Rock - C'mon, that was just the lead singer] and NUMBER 1? duh Metallica [for dobbing in thousands of loyal fans who downloaded a song from their favourite artist - guess they got confused between the words Loyal & Royalties]

to the point

Kill 'Em All may have revitalized heavy metal's underground, but Ride the Lightning was even more stunning, exhibiting staggering musical growth and boldly charting new directions that would affect heavy metal for years to come. Incredibly ambitious for a one-year-later sophomore effort, Ride the Lightning finds Metallica aggressively expanding their compositional technique and range of expression. Every track tries something new, and every musical experiment succeeds mightily. The lyrics push into new territory as well -- more personal, more socially conscious, less metal posturing. But the true heart of Ride the Lightning lies in its rich musical imagination. There are extended, progressive epics; tight, concise groove-rockers; thrashers that blow anything on Kill 'Em All out of the water, both in their urgency and the barest hints of melody that have been added to the choruses.

spot the gimp

Some innovations are flourishes that add important bits of color, like the lilting, pseudo-classical intro to the furious "Fight Fire with Fire," or the harmonized leads that pop up on several tracks. Others are major reinventions of Metallica's sound, like the nine-minute, album-closing instrumental "The Call of Ktulu," or the haunting suicide lament "Fade to Black." The latter is an all-time metal classic; it begins as an acoustic-driven, minor-key ballad, then gets slashed open by electric guitars playing a wordless chorus, and ends in a wrenching guitar solo over a thrashy yet lyrical rhythm figure. Basically, in a nutshell, Metallica sounded like they could do anything. Heavy metal hadn't seen this kind of ambition since Judas Priest's late-'70s classics, and Ride the Lightning effectively rewrote the rule book for a generation of thrashers. If Kill 'Em All was the manifesto, Ride the Lightning was the revolution itself. ~ [Steve Huey, All Music Guide]

For Courtney Love see Number 507

For more Courtney Love fly to Mellow Mix Vol 1 #030

For R.E.M see Number 597 & #712

For U2 see Number 661

For more U2 fly to Mellow Mix Vol 1 #038 & #129

For Nickelback fly to Mellow Mix Vol 1 #034 & #057

For Creed fly to Mellow Mix Vol 1 #003 & #048

For more Metallica fly to Mellow Mix Vol 1 #033

And Mellow Mix Vol 2 #136

For Judas Priest see Number 527

What does Lolz'ing Fone think about Metallica?

In the '80s — when big hair and small ideas dominated heavy metal — Metallica's dense blend of brains and brawn gave the genre a much-needed charge. By 1991, fans had responded to Metallica's message in droves, buying 6 million copies of the group's fifth full-length album, Metallica, and elevating their previous LPs to platinum. In the process, grim-faced guitarist-singer James Hetfield became not only a hero for the nation's largest fraternity of misfits — suburban metalheads — but also a critically respected songwriter and bandleader. Metallica ended the decade as the biggest-selling rock act of the '90s. Hetfield and Lars Ulrich came from different worlds to form Metallica in the L.A. suburbs in 1981.

Mr St Anger

Hetfield, whose father was owner of a trucking company and mother a light-opera singer, was raised in a strict Christian Science home; Ulrich, a recently transplanted Dane, had intended to become a professional tennis player like his father, Torben Ulrich. What the two teenagers shared was an interest in the gritty music of U.K. hard rockers Motörhead. Adding guitarist Dave Mustaine and bassist Ron McGovney, the band started writing songs and recording demo tapes. Metallica's lineup solidified after Clifford Lee Burton replaced McGovney in 1982, and the Bay Area guitarist Kirk Hammett replaced Mustaine the following year. Mustaine, who was booted out for excessive substance abuse, went on to form Megadeth.

The legendary Kirk

After gaining a solid cult following among fans who could not identify with contemporary pretty-boy pop-metal combos such as Van Halen and Bon Jovi, Metallica became known for their sophisticated, often complex song structures and serious lyrics that reflected teen obsessions with anger, despair, fear and death. In sharp contrast to those of other death-obsessed metal bands, Metallica's lyrics pose deeper questions about justice and retribution, drug addiction, mental illness and political violence. The group's debut album, Kill 'Em All, is an anarchic catharsis of gloom, with songs like "No Remorse" decrying the insanity of war and "Seek and Destroy" looking at mindless street violence. (Rereleased in 1986, the album went to Number 155.) On subsequent albums, the subject matter alternated between the political (...And Justice for All) and the personal (Metallica). ~ [edited : RS Metallica Bio]

For Megadeth see Number 981

For Van Halen see Number 617 & #822

For Bon Jovi see Number 522

Rolling Stone magazine deemed their '484th Song of all Time' was "I Love Rock n Roll" by Joan Jett. Joan Jett has not appeared in The Definitive 1000.