Metallica - Master Of Puppets (1986)

What else is there to really say about this masterpiece of an album ? 'Ride The Lightning' showed all the magic, mature promise with its intricately structured thrash epics, but 'Master...' really raised the staked, and put the band out their in their own field, away from the usual imitation crunch thrashers. Slayer did the say, releasing a monstrous opus to make them untouchable, and 'Master...' was simply one of those one-off moments constructed by a bunch of guys who'd outgrown their rawer punkier thrash roots and sought something far huger.
The only blot on the landscape here was to be the death of bassist Cliff Burton, an integral part of the four-piece who, on 'Master...' became heavy metal kings.
Only the opening battering ram of 'Battery' hints at the thrashier past, from then on its wonderfully orchestrated thrash rock big enough to fill arenas and shake the stereo. The sheer arrogance to create a monster instrumental such as 'Orion' epitomised the band's confidence, at a time when heavy metal was at a peak but still shrouded in mystery and theatre.
Metallica were pretty much no thrills in their outlook, but 'Master...' displayed an overwhelming intelligence, each track a lengthy journey into alienation, rebellion and technical brilliance.
The riffs here are gigantic, not mere plodding dinosaurs re-inventing Sabbath, but instead earth quaking works interwoven with mellower, subdued genius and ominous chanting.
It's difficult to pick a top track, the title cut is a booming epic from its mind-numbing orchestration to the pounding chorus, whilst 'The Thing That Should Not Be' displays a gloomy darkness with Lovecraftian inspired lyrics.
Personal favourite is the haunting 'Welcome Home (Sanitarium)' a memorable rock soundcsape fuelled by Hetfield's growls and Ulrich's precise drumming. Flip over and become bewitched by the thrashier 'Disposable heroes' with its sneering lyric, the relentless 'Leper Messiah' end track 'Damage Inc', it's breathtaking heavy metal, leadweight riffs, crisp production and eight songs that make for one of the greatest rock albums of all time.
10/10