HEAVY MUSIC HISTORY: Kill ‘Em All – Metallica

With METALLICA so influential in music; being the stadium and festival headlining behemoths they are today, it’s hard to imagine a time when they were just getting started and bringing out their debut album Kill ‘Em All. Of course there was and forty years ago now.

How METALLICA got to this point is a story in itself. The band formed in 1981 with core members Lars Ulrich (drums) and James Hetfield (vocals/rhythm guitar). They were eventually joined by guitarist Kirk Hammett, formerly of fellow Bay Area thrashers EXODUS, who would replace the fired and fiery Dave Mustaine, who, following this firing would go onto form MEGADETH. Though Hammet played on Kill ‘Em All, Mustaine‘s contributions were still present. The line up would be rounded off by the legend in loon pants, Cliff Burton (bass), who replaced Ron McGovney and was known for his own inimitable bass style and vibe.

These four horsemen of the metal apocalypse had joined together to kickstart a revolution in heavy music. They began the Thrash Metal boom and it started with Kill ‘Em All. It wouldn’t be a stretch to say it changed metal and extreme music in general.

METALLICA were first out of the gate with this album and cultivated a sound which blended New Wave Of British Heavy Metal influences with the buzzsaw punk of GBH and DISCHARGE. This fusion was simply electric personified. The album starts as it means to go on with opening track Hit The Lights (which namechecks the band’s legendary demo No Life Til’ Leather which preceded Kill ‘Em All) and flies by all the way through to closing track Metal Militia with a frenetic pace that still sounds vital today in just under an hour.

There are songs on the record that have been live staples ever since such as The Four Horsemen, formally known The Mechanix and played at early shows under this title. Interestingly, Mustaine recorded this track for MEGADETH‘s Killing Is My Business….And Business Is Good (1985). Mustaine aside, live tracks included the perfectly titled blur of Whiplash and the brilliant call and response Seek And Destroy. Tracks like Burton‘s instrumental (Anesthesia) – Pulling Teeth, Phantom Lord, and No Remorse showed the band weren’t afraid of experimenting with music this early on and the results were mindblowing. The tracks flow with that youthful raw power but crackles with a certain rough around the edges energy that adds to its charm.

Kill ‘Em All‘s cover artwork also deserves a special mention and was just as stark as the music contained within with the shadow of a hand letting go of a bloodied hammer acting as a violent visualisation of not only the music of METALLICA but Thrash Metal in general.

METALLICA immediately made their mark with Kill ‘Em All and it was a constant upward trajectory for the band from there. The raw and youthful energy is still influencing a whole host of bands today. Kill ‘Em All demonstrated the hunger and drive that METALLICA had could start a whole new scene worldwide. The amount of bands that started as a result of this ground zero moment simply cannot be overstated.

The band hit the road in support of the album with the likes of RAVEN, EXODUS and ANTHRAX, also supporting VENOM on the Seven Dates Of Hell tour. It was clear from the start there was something special going on and a changing of the guard that spread like wildfire.

Simply put, Kill ‘Em All is an extremely important album in heavy music. Arguably, it is one of the most influential albums of all time. Everything has to start somewhere and, for a new form of extreme music, it undoubtedly started right here. So in celebration of its four decade history, crank up Kill ‘Em All very loud and revel in its exhilarating and exuberant raw thrashing brilliance.

Kill ‘Em All was originally released on July 25 1983 via Megaforce Records.

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