Back when I was but a wee lad, I was a pretty huge Metallica fan. Considering that they were some of the earliest music I recall listening to, outside of nursery rhymes and stuff on the radio in the late 90's, it's no wonder I would be reviewing them yet again for METAL MARCH. Also, it is the 30th anniversary of this LP, so why not add to the endless praise of one of Thrash metal's best albums.
To start, I'd rank this LP just under ...And Justice For All, as my favorite Metallica release, though that has the tendency to change from time to time. And for anyone who has given this album a listen, that's not hard to understand, because Puppets is an album full of nothing but pure classics that have certainly stood the test of time.
Album opener, "Battery" is still one of the most blood-pumping openers to any album, bar none, and the title track still gives me chills, especially when James sings "Just call my name/ cause I'll hear you scream", also the image of obeying a master that is ultimately destroying you (in this case, drugs) is just as potent as the first time I heard it nearly 15 years ago. Another one of my favorites is the haunting "Welcome Home (Sanitarium)" which not surprisingly, deals with psychosis and has a stellar rift courtesy of Kirk Hammet.
But it's the instrumental classic "Orion" that really steals the show, featuring amazing bass playing from the late great Cliff Burton, who sadly passed away while touring this album. "Orion" just builds and builds, not loosing hold of the listener for the entire 8 and a half minutes it lasts, and truly a testament to how amazing this band was in their prime.
This album is just so layered and intricate, I could talk about it for hours; I mean, the title track alone has enough shifts in tone and rhythm to put most modern metal acts to absolute shame. But, that's just proof that technology is not a replacement for pure talent; something I think a lot of musicians could learn a thing or two about.
10/10
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