METALLICA: KILL 'EM ALL

SCORE: 93/100

Metallica is a band that I have liked for a while - but they've never been a group that I've loved too much. I've found their style to fall under a metal subcategory that I was never that loving towards, but I've been a lot more into metal lately; and after a conversation with my parents about the band, I couldn't help but feel drawn in to listening to an album or two of theirs. I debated starting with 'Ride The Lightning', but I went with their debut instead to give me more of a look into their beginnings.

I have a newfound appreciation for 80s thrash metal (thanks Slayer), and 'Kill 'em All' is an excellent example of what makes the genre as strong as it is. The songs are wild and unapologetically so, with loud, intense riffs and instrumental work fast enough to make your head spin, Metallica clearly knew what they were doing from the very start of their career as a band. This being their first LP is wickedly impressive on its own, but the quality of the album itself is truly something to marvel at.

'Kill 'em All' is a stunning showcase of a band's raw talent at their earliest stages of creating official works. It doesn't have as many standout tracks as it does songs that blend together into the context of the album- making it a great project to listen to front to back. The whole album keeps a deep-rooted consistency throughout its runtime, and even the longest of the tracks whip by quickly.

It's fast, loud, and full of energy throughout its entire runtime. Once the album kicks off, there's no going back from it - and everything is done to an absolute masterclass level, from the guitars to the drums all the way to the vocals - there's something for any metal fans to love on this album.

Made with just 15 thousand dollars by a band with a dream, 'Kill 'em All' is an absolute essential in the metal genre as a whole, although I'm not upset I hadn't heard it sooner. The reason I'm not upset that I hadn't given this a shot sooner is because I don't think I would've appreciated it near as much as I do now if I had at any other time in my life up until this point. Thrash metal is something that I'm just now forming a bond with, and this album is something that feels very well suited to me now as compared to how I would've felt a year ago.

The guitar and drum work are both deeply, highly impressive all throughout the album. The showcase of instrumental prowess is all over this entire album, and it's done in a way where it really, really showcases the strength that the band had at this point into their career - and they were just getting started (no, literally, they were JUST getting started).


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