Master of Puppets” hit stores on March 3, 1986, and it remains a landmark album even 40 years later. In its first year, over 300,000 copies were sold. Metallica recorded the album at Sweet Silence Studios in Copenhagen from September to December 1985, with producer Flemming Rasmussen at the helm. Kirk Hammett took guitar lessons from Joe Satriani to enhance his solos, while drummer Lars Ulrich worked with an instructor to keep up with the album’s demanding rhythms.
“I hope with this album people will start taking the whole musical side of us a lot more seriously than they have in the past,” Ulrich said back in 1986. Metallica signed with Elektra Records in 1984. The title track combined speed and melody, featuring a middle section that paid tribute to Iron Maiden’s twin-guitar harmonies. James Hetfield wrote about addiction, illustrating a world where the master controls helpless puppets. The song runs for eight minutes, shifting tones throughout.
The album opens with “Battery,” which starts with layered acoustic guitars before exploding into heavy riffs. The title comes from Battery Street, where they performed during their early years in San Francisco. “Orion,” an instrumental track, showcases bassist Cliff Burton’s classical training, featuring moody basslines that twist and turn. Tragically, Burton died in a bus accident in Sweden on September 27, 1986. At his funeral, the band played the melody from “Orion.”
In 2016, the Library of Congress added “Master of Puppets” to the National Recording Registry, making it the first metal album to receive this honor. The album gained renewed attention when it was featured in a key scene in Season 4 of “Stranger Things,” leading to a surge in streaming.
