Metallica – Kill ‘Em All – 1983

Kill ‘Em All is the debut album of the now legendary band Metallica. It was originally meant to be called Metal up you Ass but the record company wouldn’t let them call it that. At least that’s what the legend said. If it’s true or not? Who knows and who cares, it’s a great story! Credited as members of the band at this point were James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammet, and Cliff Burton. Dave Mustaine is also given some songwriting credits.

Speaking about Dave Mustaine. It has long been debated how he lost the position with the band in those early days. There are a few different stories out there, and it’s obvious that Hetfield/Ulrich and Mustaine don’t really see it the same way. But on the other hand, how many people can actually say that they have been a member of not one, but two of the Big Four of Thrash bands? Dave Mustaine is one of the very few. I guess you should include Kerry King there as well, as he was briefly playing with Megadeth.

If you know anything about me and what my tastes in music are, you know that I have a soft spot for debut albums. They’re not necessarily the best albums sound-wise or production-wise. Quite the contrary actually. But there’s a genuine energy that so often gets lost when the second, third, and fourth albums are released. The band gets more aware of what they’re doing, and if they have had massive success, they need to improve themselves to keep in the business. It tends to become more about the money and the business than the music.

I really like this first album. It displays energy that has now been long lost. The songs might be mostly pretty simplistic riffs, and the structure is not as complicated as it were to become. But it’s easy recognizable songs that get stuck in your head. They might not be the most complex, though, to even have been released, but I tend to like almost everything on Kill ‘Em All. 

It’s an innovative album in some ways. That’s largely due to the early influence of Cliff Burton, I guess. If you look him up and what fellow musicians think about his legacy today, you’ll find that they’re mostly ecstatic about his contribution to the world of bass playing. There’s no doubt about it, he was a major force on the bass. He paved the way for so much to come in his short life. He died in a bus accident at age 24. Just check out the classic (Anesthesia) – Pulling Teeth, where he uses everything from distortion to wah-pedals to get his sound.

I also think that Dave Mustaine’s early influences shouldn’t be underrated. I know the Metallica puritans might think that he wasn’t such a big deal, but I think that what Cliff Burton knew and taught the others about harmonies, Dave Mustaine was when it came to creating those early riffs. 

Of course. James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich have song credits on almost all of the songs. Dave Mustain has it on a few. most notably on The Four Horsemen, essentially the same song that he would later release in its original form on Megadeth’s first album as Mechanix. Ok, the lyrics are different and way better in the Metallica version, and there’s a bridge and stuff like that. 

There are definitely some classics on Kill ‘Em All. I don’t know how many of these they still play like, but songs like Seek & Destroy, The Four Horsemen, and Whipash should never be forgotten. Come to think of it. For me, there’s actually only one filler on this album. Phantom Lord might be simplistic, and Jump in the Fire might have a juvenile vibe to it. But the one song I usually skip is Metal Militia. I just enjoy it as much as every other song on Kill ‘Em All.

Kill ‘Em All is a debut album that should never ever go unappreciated!