Master of Puppets
[Elektra]
35 years ago, they made their last album with the late, great Cliff Burton (who died in a bus accident in Europe on the tour promoting the album); it was their first to go gold (without the aid of radio or MTV, a feat unimaginable at the time) and eventually sold six million copies. It was also deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" to warrant induction in the National Recording Registry by the United States Library of Congress, becoming the first metal album to be honored in this fashion. Quite apropos for a hands down, metal masterpiece that decades later is still as intense, powerful and transcendent as it was when it debuted. And, quite likely, will always be. Damn.
Which is why despite all the infighting amongst the band faithful all these years, they still love this one unanimously. As it should be.
(On a personal note, it was the first of their albums I ever heard, and to this day, “Battery” not only remains my fave song of theirs, but it rocks even harder every time.)
Widely acclaimed as one of the greatest rock albums of all time, it is undoubtedly one of the greatest metal albums ever made. Not too shabby for a bunch of kids from SF. Yeah...
Released March 3, 1986.
