"?When I was in third or fourth grade my older brother bought me a small boombox with a tape player and a copy of Master of Puppets. I remember that I used to listen to the album every day and read horror books. My favorite was Bram Stoker's Dracula because at the time the movie had just came out so I had a screen play adaptation with pictures of impaled Turkish soldiers, naked vampire ladies, and all. So I always associate the two. I think this is the heaviest and best Metallica record and I would say it is probably the first metal record that truly changed my life. I still get a rush when I throw it on more than 25 years later. It is absolutely timeless, kind of like Dracula. I wish they still sounded like this, and I love all of the early Metallica records but also similar to Dracula, they have become a parody of what they once were. I always feel bad talking shit on Metallica... but I was so upset when Load, and Reload came out that I’m not sure I have ever really recovered. Master of Puppets essentially began my story as a musician and without it I’m not sure I would have followed the direction I have in my life that I have in terms of being a heavy metal musician. I’m glad I had the album as my baseline so that I was always seeking out the heavier options when it came to discovering new music." - Ethan Lee McCarthy, Primitive Man?
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"I will never forget the first time we played with Metallica. It was around 1985 and such a great time for metal. You could just feel it in the air, see it, hear it, that something absolutely huge and amazing was about to happen. We played a couple of smaller gigs and a festival on the Loreley at the Rhine River in Germany. It was the first festival of this metal magazine called Metal Hammer, and I played right before Metallica with my band Warlock. After we finished our show I couldn't wait to see Metallica on a big stage and in front of the most excited metal crowd and I was truly blown away. I liked the guys in the band so much and being a singer of course I loved James Hetfield's performance, his voice and his attitude. There was so much magic in the air and I could feel that Metallica would be one of the biggest bands on the planet one day. I loved the first album, Kill 'Em All, loved also Ride the Lightning and was absolutely sold on the third one, Master of Puppets. I loved every song on it, the production, the attitude, the guitar work and especially James Hetfield's vocals. The opener 'Battery' and the title track are still my favorite songs till this day. I still get so much inspiration, motivation and power from them. When I'm getting ready to go on stage I always put on that record and it instantly puts me in the right spirit and mind frame to give it my all, 180 percent at least." - Doro Pesch, Doro/Warlock?
“I was in elementary school when Master of Puppets came out... I missed it completely. It wasn’t until a friend of mine in eighth grade handed me The Black Album that I discovered Metallica. Then just like all music I was discovering while coming of age, I went backwards. I became a student of it all. It was an archeological dig. Each step backwards the band was thrashier, faster, less polished. It was exactly what I was looking for.” - Chris No. 2, Anti-Flag
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"When a band puts out their best album, and it is referred as their Master of Puppets, that speaks volumes about the masterpiece that Metallica created. Growing up listening to my older brothers’ records, Master always stood out as a special album of its own. Not that it is just some of their best songwriting, but it’s also the way they crafted the album flow. It was such a crucial aspect that makes this more of a full listening experience. From the very acoustic intro of 'Battery,' all the way to the melodic section of 'Master of Puppets,' it is just an amazing sonic journey. As a bass player, it wasn’t until years later that I discovered one of the solos on 'Orion' was played on bass, not guitar. That blew my mind. Cliff’s bass work is timeless on this record. I just recently saw them on the Hardwired tour, and it’s still a treat to see them play these jams live. You know 'Master of Puppets' is a classic when the whole crowd sings along to the guitar solo!" - Derek Engemann, Cattle Decapitation
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"The first time that I heard Master of Puppets was in my attic bedroom, at my father's house. For myself, it is a time stamp; I only lived with my father for maybe six months’ time, so the two events are forever tied together, in my mind. I bought the cassette of Master of Puppets at a store called Everybody's Records, in Silverton, Ohio, on the outskirts of Cincinnati. I knew the album was out for like two weeks at that point, but I hadn't had the money to get it. I rode the bus to Everybody's Records hoping that they still had a cassette available. I had my Walkman on, as usual; however, I decided, before I arrived at the store that I would not listen to the cassette on the bus, I would wait for that, I would read the liner notes and check out the artwork and photos, but I wanted to save the music for when I got home. I didn’t want to have to focus on anything other than hearing the album. It was extremely difficult to stick to my decision to wait to hear it, but I did! In my room, I had a pretty kick ass boombox that I listened to music on as loud as I could, as often as I could, for as long as I could. I put the cassette in, I opened up the fold out insert so that I could read the lyrics, while I listened, I hit play, and my entire world changed forever! From the very first acoustic chord of the 'Battery' intro, until the last note of 'Damage, Inc.,' every single hair on my body stood on end! This was the most orchestrated, yet somehow, 'in your face' thing that I had ever heard! This album is perfect! I literally loved every single second of what I just heard, that never happens! I cannot believe what I have just heard; I don't even remember flipping the cassette! All that I know is that I am on the most amazing ride that I have ever experienced. I am so blown away by each song that I cannot wait to hear the sound again, yet there is no way in the world that I am pausing to rewind because I am so excited about what will come with the next song. At the end of 'Damage, Inc.' I sat for maybe five seconds.... Then I played it again from the start, this time I am going to try to play less air guitar and less air drums, this time I am going to actually read the lyrics, as I had intended to do on the first listen. Now, I am completely blown away and my brain is like a lightning storm, these words, these riffs, to me they all seem as if they are something that I have been waiting to hear for my entire life. These topics that are being talked about, they are my life, my fears and a true representative of how I, too, see the world.
"I honestly cannot believe that I have just heard such a masterpiece of music, this was a whole new level of ability and song writing -- this is perfection. I had been a fan of Metallica for about a year and a half at that point, but these first listens solidified me as a fan for life. Every aspect of this album seems to be as it should be: every solo, every harmony, every pause, this is genius! There has been no other album that has had the same effect on me. Master of Puppets is not only a musical masterpiece, in my opinion, it is also a profound view of the world, one that spoke to me deeply . This is an album that I see as much a classic as the The Beatles’ White Album or Led Zeppelin II. I cannot imagine a world without Master of Puppets. It inspired me in ways that no other album has, it set a standard for music that i think is rarely matched, I am forever indebted to Metallica and specifically James for his lyrical inspiration, and the flawless vocals on Master of Puppets, as well as the incredible songs and creativity, it is a complete masterpiece!" - Steve Tucker, Morbid Angel
"Coming from a small town, I could only rely on friends and music magazines like Metal Hammer and the Swedish mag OKEJ to get some metal and rock info. Metallica articles were frequently featured in both. In the early '90s when the compact disc player came to town, the first CD I bought was Master Of Puppets and I had to go 45 minutes by car to a town north from where I lived to buy it. It is still an awesome record and my favorite tracks are and have always been 'Orion' and 'Battery.' The thing I like with Metallica’s early records is the furious riffs but there is always a good hook in it. That is something I always include in my own songwriting, bone crushing riffs but with a hook that will make you cry/drop your pants/drink loads of beer." - Thomas Jäger, Monolord
"Back in the days that Master of Puppets was released there was no love between hardcore punks and metal heads. Fights erupted in 7-11 parking lots, youth with thin mustaches in Iron Maiden shirts showed up with knives at skateboard ramps, cars with Dead Kennedys stickers had their windows smashed in the night. Thus I was surprised to see a full page ad for Master of Puppets in Thrasher magazine, which seemed like an intriguing peace offering.