Even though Master of Puppets didn't take as gigantic a leap forward as Ride the Lightning, it was the band's greatest achievement, hailed as a masterpiece by critics far outside heavy metal's core audience. It was also a substantial hit, reaching the Top 30 and selling three million copies despite absolutely nonexistent airplay…
Even though Master of Puppets didn't take as gigantic a leap forward as Ride the Lightning, it was the band's greatest achievement, hailed as a masterpiece by critics far outside heavy metal's core audience. It was also a substantial hit, reaching the Top 30 and selling three million copies despite absolutely nonexistent airplay. Instead of a radical reinvention, Master of Puppets is a refinement of past innovations. In fact, it's possible to compare Ride the Lightning and Master of Puppets song for song and note striking similarities between corresponding track positions on each record (although Lightning's closing instrumental has been bumped up to next-to-last in Master's running order). That hint of conservatism is really the only conceivable flaw here.
Master of Puppets was originally released on March 3rd, 1986, on Elektra Records and went on to become the first Metallica album to be certified Platinum by the RIAA. The album has been certified 6x Platinum in the United States and has sold over 10 million copies worldwide. In 2016, the album became the first metal album to be added to the National Recording Registry of the Library of Congress, an honor granted to works deemed “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”.The Limited Edition Deluxe Box Set will include a 108-page hardcover book including never before seen photos, outtakes and previously unreleased interviews, three LPs, ten CDs, a cassette, two DVDs, a lithograph, a folder with handwritten lyrics, and a set of six buttons…
The 30th anniversary of Metallica’s Master of Puppets came and went last year without much fanfare from the band. Now, the heavy metal giants are finally ready to celebrate their landmark third album with the deluxe boxset it deserves.
Legendary Arizona alt-rockers Meat Puppets are returning with their first new album since 2013, and their first featuring their original lineup intact since 1995. Though brothers Curt and Cris Kirkwood reunited in 2006 and have toured and recorded together since then, the band’s original drummer, Derrick Bostrom, has not recorded with the band since 1995’s No Joke! The original Meat Puppets first reunited for a performance at the Arizona Music & Entertainment Hall of Fame in 2017, and subsequently began work on a new full-length. Now Dusty Notes, their 15th studio album, is due out on March 8 on Megaforce Records. Keyboardist Ron Stabinsky and Curt’s son Elmo (guitar) also play on the record.