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Formed in 1981, Metallica is one of the most successful and most influential bands of all time. Members James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett, and Robert Trujillo have paved the way for many musicians, and many bands. Metallica has won 9 Grammys, and has lasted 33 years and counting, has 9 studio albums, countless DVD releases, a full length movie, and is one of the top touring artists of all time. Needless to say, their legendary mark on history was and is massive. One of the unique things about Metallica that sets them apart from other bands, is frontman James Hetfields lyrics and lyrical styles. James touches on key themes, and uses metaphors that stand for different things to give songs hidden meanings. Being raised Christian Scientist, James felt really alienated growing up, (Warren, 2011) and many songs reflect on this. Other themes that are popular within Metallicas 120 plus song library are death, apocalypses, drugs, love, anger, and depression among many others. Throughout the years, Hetfields lyrical themes have changed from album to album. As the boys got older, the music they wrote matured. Metallicas debut album, Kill Em All, was loaded with fast, hard driving riffs with Lars Ulrichs mile-a-minute drumming keeping time. Most of the songs were structured fairly simple, yet still well written. James lyrics in Kill Em All were fairly similar. Not very deep, and very straight to the point. Songs like Motorbreath" talk about living fast and not missing chances. The line those people who tell you not to take chances they are all missing on what lifes about. You only live once, so take hold of the chance, dont end up like others the same song and dance (Metallica, 1983) shows the simplicity and straight-forwardness of the lyrics at that time. Other lines such as we wont stop, we wont quit

cause were Metallica! (Metallica, 1983) in the song Whiplash also sheds good light on the frame of mind these lyrics were wrote in. In 1984, Metallica released Ride The Lightning. Ride The Lightning was a step in a new direction for the band. Out of this album came lyrics with deeper meanings, melodic guitar harmonies, and slower songs. Ride The Lighting in a sense, became less about in your face, pounding songs, and became more about emotion and more about the music. The song Fade To Black touches a deeper lyrical meaning, teenage suicide. I have lost the will to live, simply nothing more to give. There is nothing more for me, I need the end to set me free (Metallica, 1984) clearly demonstrates an example of one feeling lost in their life and wanting to turn to suicide. On the title track of Ride The Lighting, Hetfield sings about a very controversial political topic, the death penalty. Guilty as charged, but damn it, it ain't right. There is someone else controlling me. Death in the air. Strapped in the electric chair. This can't be happening to me. Who made you God to say "I'll take your life from you!? (Metallica,1984) is a clear cut example of the thoughts of someone was charged with the death penalty, and in the process of being executed. Hetfield also writes about biblical themes, which he does throughout Metallicas discography, and continues to till this day. The lyrics So let it be written, so let it be done. I'm sent here by the chosen one. So let it be written, so let it be done. To kill the first born pharaoh son. I'm creeping death. (Metallica, 1984) can be easily recognized as the story of Exodus 11 from the Bible. Metallicas third studio album, Master of Puppets debuted in 1986. Musical styles for Master of Puppets almost combined the styles of earlier works Kill Em All, and Ride The Lightning. Puppets contained heavy, fast riffing songs intertwined with soulful guitar

melodies, and also a few slower, more intricate, melodical tracks. Lyrical themes in Puppets range from drug addiction to war to insanity. Master of Puppets title track is, without doubt, one of Hetfields best works and best examples of using hiding meanings in his lyrics. On the surface, upon first listen, Master of Puppets seems to tell a tribal story of a puppeteer controlling somebody, however, the true meaning is much deeper. The real meaning behind these lyrics are about drugs, and specifically how they control your life. Lines such as taste me you will see, more is all you need, Im pulling your strings, twisting your mind and smashing your dreams, chopped your breakfast on a mirror, I will occupy. I will help you die. I will run through you. Now I rule you too., needlework the way, never you betray, and life of death becoming clearer. Ritual misery. Pain monopoly. (Metallica, 1986) are just a handful of examples of the honest tale that Master of Puppets conveys to the listener. Another track off of Master of Puppets is (Welcome Home) Sanitarium. Commonly referred to as simply Sanitarium, this song goes deep inside the head of a mental patient that has been admitted to a psych ward, or a sanitarium. No one leaves and no one will, just labeled mentally deranged, they keep me locked up in the cage, cant they see its why my brain says range (Metallica, 1986) are a couple lyrics that perfectly describes what could be going on inside this figurative persons mind. Due to a tragic bus accident, Metallica lost their bassist and friend, Cliff Burton. The band decided to dust themselves off and carry on and produce And Justice for All in 1988. This was the first album with new bassist, Jason Newsted. Hetfield, Hammett, and Ulrich put Newsted through a lot of really mean and cruel things as his initiation into the bad. Perhaps the meanest of them all though was making his bass guitar virtually inaudible for every track on And

Justice For All. Because of this, the album has a very treble-y tone with very little low end. The title reflects the main idea behind most of the lyrics for this album. In the title track, And Justice For All James sings about injustice, and the corrupt justice system. This is demonstrated in the lines justice is lost, justice is raped, justice is done, hammer of justice crushes you, overpower, I cant believe the price we pay. Nothing can save us, and Lady Justice has been The year is now 2003. Following three studio albums and a short hiatus due to Hetfield seeking help for his addiction to alcohol, St. Anger is released. Often characterized as Metallica's most controversial album, St. Anger is snubbed by the majority of fans for many reasons. On the album, Metallica incorporated new sounds and ideas that didn't necessarily mesh with the sounds of past albums, such as lower, heavier tuning of instruments to achieve a more raw )or as Hetfield describes, ugly) sound, the removal of Hammett's signature guitar solos, and a more blunt sound from Lars drumming, which many described as jarring." Of the entire discography, St, Anger is the album in which nearly every song has the exact lyrical theme. To state the obvious, St, Angers theme is anger and more specifically releasing anger in a healthy manner. Ulrich is quoted in the bands documentary, Some Kind of Monster saying weve proven that you can make aggressive music without negative energy. Thats something that I dont think anyone ever thought was possible. (Metallica: Some Kind Of Monster, 2005) St. Anger provided fans with raw, aggressive, in-you-face music that Metallica is always known to deliver. The song St. Anger contains the lyrics And I want my anger to be healthy. And I want my anger just for me. And I need my anger not to control me. And I want my anger to be me. (Metallica, 2003) Here, a listener can see an exact example of the mindset behind St. Angers lyrics. The lyrics I stand

on my own. I'm stranded and sold. Shoot me again, I ain't dead yet from Shoot Me Again, gives listeners a positive outlook on bad things that happened in their life. Until the next album drops in 2015, Death Magnetic is Metallicas most recent album. Like nearly every other Metallica album, the lyrical theme is portrayed in the albums title. Empty, they say, Death, won't you let me stay? Empty, they say, Death, hear me call your name! Suicide. I've already died. You're just the funeral I've been waiting for. Cyanide, Living dead inside. Break this empty shell forevermore (Metallica, 2008) are lyrics from the track Cyanide that exemplifies death, dealing with death, and suicide. This song does not glorify suicide, but rather shows the toxic state of mind that might lead to suicide. Before Metallica, bands stuck to easy, content-lacking, simple lyrics. Metallica introduced melodies, instrumentation, harmonies, soul and passion to the world of metal and rock and roll music. Today, Metallica is a band nearly every new band strives to be like. Bands strive to be like Metallica musically, lyrically, and even more-so, popularity. After Metallica, more artists attempted to hide meaning in their lyrics, and touch on more themes than just cheesy love songs. Reoccurring themes in albums is another thing that Metallica pioneered. In this day and age, reoccurring themes in an artists album is an everyday thing and no almost considered the norm. Bullet For My Valentines guitarist, Matt Tuck, said "I learned guitar by putting on Metallica records. It was as simple as that. I didn't get any coaching, any books. It was just something that was hugely influential for me. As soon as I heard that band I thought, 'I want to be that.' Tuck said that from there he bought the albums, saved up a guitar, learned about tuning and power chords, and that was it. "I just sat down for a couple of years and literally played for hours in my bedroom until I could play every Metallica song, (Hodgson, Peter, 2014)

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Often attempted, no band can nor will ever reproduce or come close to filling the shoes of the monster that is Metallica. Having one of the largest, most passionated, and committed fan base in the world, Metallica has reached out to its fans through their music and lyrics, and in some instances, even saving lives. In 2011, Kerrang! magazine actually named Metallica Most influential band of the past thirty years. As of 2014, Metallica is thirty-three years old and still counting. Well into their forties and fifties, Hetfield and the gang are still touring at full-speed, and currently in the writing process for a new album. The dedication James, Lars, Kirk, and Rob have for the MetFam is unsurpassed, or so much as even touched by other bands. Whenever Metallica finally does decide to throw in the towel, it will be world news. Nowadays, Metallica is a household name, and will remain so for decades to come. Metallicas mark on history and influence on music, bands, artists, and people is ,without argument, massive. Their work will remain timeless and lives theyve touched, countless.

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Works Cited Warren, Lee. "Metallica's James Hetfield Featured in Documentary on Absent Fathers." Metallica's James Hetfield Featured in Documentary on Absent Fathers. N.p., 16 May 2011. Web. 21 Apr. 2014 Metallica. Motorbreath. Kill Em All. Megaforce, 1983. CD. Metallica. Whiplash. Kill Em All. Megaforce, 1983. CD. Metallica. Fade To Black. Ride The Lighting. Megaforce, 1984. CD. Metallica. Ride The Lighting. Ride The Lighting. Megaforce, 1984. CD. Metallica. Creeping Death. Ride The Lighting. Megaforce, 1984. CD. Metallica. Master of Puppets. Master of Puppets. Elektra, 1986. CD. Metallica. (Welcome Home) Sanitarium. Master of Puppets. Elektra, 1986. CD. Metallica. And Justice For All. And Justice For All. Elektra, 1988. CD. Metallica: Some Kind of Monster. Dir. Joe Berlinger. Perf. James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett. Paramount, 2005. DVD. Metallica. St. Anger. St. Anger. Elektra, 2003. CD. Metallica. Shot Me Again. St. Anger. Elektra, 2003. CD. Metallica. Cyanide. Death Magnetic. Warner Brothers, 2008. CD. Hodgson, Peter. "1991: Nirvana and Metallica Change Rock Forever." 1991: Nirvana and Metallica Change Rock Forever. Gibson.com, 11 Apr. 2014. Web. 1 May 2014.

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