Long story short (many years before the internet existed) I was still discovering what sort of music I liked. It was much harder to do back then but on the radio the monsters of rock festival was playing and played 'harvester of sorrow' and 'one'. That was my introduction to Metallica. I got the AJFA album and was blown away by intro to 'blackened' (I was listening to a lot of jimi hendrix). AJFA was my daily go to for something to listen to for a long time. A friend of mine got MOP, I listened to but to start with I wasn't really into it. And that's the story of I become the most hated Metallica fan the world 🤣🤣🤣🤣
I don’t think it’s easy to hate on Metallica at all. And come to think of it… really only drummers and guitar players usually do haha 😂 idgaf though I will always say papa Het is the best front man there is.
Disposable Heroes, track 5 on MoP. The riff between the verse and chorus is just like a storm of metal that clamps down on your senses and dosen't let go.
Thrash fans love Disposable Heroes, but it's a bit too much for the casual music listener. It's goes too hard for too long. MOP does give you some breathing room with the interlude.
@@bertall1ca I honestly prefer disposable for that reason, it keeps up the energy and speed whereas puppets starts to drag with the interlude. Purely my taste tho
@@alebarajas3045 yea. He cuts the very end of Blackened solo. I think he just thinks it's not that technically satisfying. I enjoyed it tho. I think he should play the whole deal .
@@Slenderchunk I 100% agree. Same with the ending solo to fade to black, he improvises the solo every time they perform it. While I enjoy the difference and uniqueness from other shows, I’m just itching to hearing him play the original versions at least once again.
The Blackened intro live is absolute goosebumps, as well as Battery intro and Struggle Within Intro. Unfortunately they play none of the intros live but only "loop it in". The goosebumps is because they only loop in the intros when they start with one of the songs (not aware of exceptions). So after "It's a long way" and "Ecstasy" there is even a further crescendo until these Gods of Metal shine upon us.
This is one of their best songs for me. Top 3 prolly. Scratches my evil itch as well haha. And that little gallop James plays in the main riff is really gnarly to play correctly.
On this live version after Kirk solo ends, they jump to the last chorus where James sing, while on the album after Kirk solo ends there are another 2 bars of the main riff including 1 bar of reverse drums rythem...great song 🤘🎸
@@nicopillay4059 that’s wrong, the timing isn’t fucked up, he just doesn’t do that third fill and then what happens at that show in particular james got reversed on the notes to palm mute for the last little bit of that riff
Blackened is the song that grew on me the most. The very first time I thought "yea thats okaayish". But after a while it became TOP 3 Metallica songs for me. This song is such a banger. LOVE the harmony section next to all those killer riffs
Most Metallica fans say MOP is their favorite album, mine is Justice. I just love the riffs, the arragements, the drumming and the entire vibe of the album. Interesting because I play bass and well, we know the story about the bass in this album... still, killer. And Blackened is my favorite song from Justice.
Blackened is one of the best song they did Epic construction, Dark, killer riffs, odd times signatures, and wicked vocals then, and the drumming is exceptionnal, i don't care about the hype. Lars was a master of arrangement and knew his rudiments . And later on, He can still, beign On, lay down the track. I think he likes the song a lot, as shortest straw
All of Justice was slept on for 30 years and suddenly everyone's waking up to how genius it is. It's different, very different, and I think everyone was pretty happy with how lightning and puppets went and where they were going and then Justice didn't go in that direction at all. It's by far the deepest album, every riff dredged up from somewhere way down in their souls after losing their best friend.
AJFA is the best metal album of all time. lack of bass just made it even more awesome. that guitar tone is sharp as a freshly broken chert or obsidian.
@@shawn7090 nope. Hetfields peak vocals were during AJFA era and they were really hungry and pissed off . MoP, while great of course, was always RTL pt.2 for me. those 2 albums are more similar than Load and ReLoad. sanitarium and few unnecessarily repeated parts on title track and disposable heroes is keeping it from perfection.
This was my introduction to Metallica my uncle gave me a cassette of this album for Christmas at the time I though gnr was heavy this song blew me away and quickly I was a full blown headbanger
The AJFA album had some of their best songwriting in it. Listened to that album backwards and forwards in high school mid-2000s. A girl introduced me to the album.
Can we get a mention for Robs absolutely thumping bass line, cements the tapestry of brilliance together! Its what we should have heard on the original album! Fucking love this tune and im going to Download next year !
Blackened may be my favourite Metallica song, but Master of Puppets is better composition-wise. About Blackened - best intro and main riff for sure (thanks Mr. Newsted for that) but something fells off after the breakdown imo. Master of Puppets is sick sh*t from start to finish. Breakdown is epic. Those 8,5 minutes flies by, I don't even know when.
no one ever talks about this song. can someone explain the part at the end on the recording where it seems like it goes out of time and then syncs back up? i always wondered if this was a mistake or a musical genius level im not at. around the 5 :30 MARK
late respone here. It doesn't go out of time, riffs are still playing normally but Lars plays it in reverse. Obviously written like that and it's awesome.
They cut out the best part of the song post-solo (and have excluded it for years live) when the timing of the drum hits completely change and then reverts back to "normal" when the verse starts back up, one of my favorite parts of the studio version for sure - and this video rules when explaining what the heck is actually happening during that part - ua-cam.com/video/YRQXVCrcUz8/v-deo.html
Ive always argued with my friends AJFA is a better album than puppets….every song on justice is a masterpiece….And the live shit B&P AJFA medley is epic
There is no need for an argument lmao. Everyone has different tastes and it’s not thier fault that a particular peice of music doesn’t move them as much as the other. So it’s kinda dumb on you to argue.
JASON NEWSTED WROTE THE MAIN RIFF TO BLACKENED. Despite the bass volume on AJFA, he wrote the main riff to an opening song which is on the same par like Battery, Fight Fire, Lights. What an achievement!!! Here is a tape where he teaches Hetfield how to play it. ua-cam.com/video/YPRhxdSbvo8/v-deo.html&ab_channel=MariosB.
I was talking with someone once who said Master of Puppets was their last great album-I said but what about the song Blackened? To which he conceded Blackened was indeed a great song.
Blackened is an amazing song and one of my favourites, I love the breakdown. Dave Mustaine could of course write a song as good as blackened but in a different way as I think where Metallica and Megadeth differ is technicality over impact. Megadeth songs are like riff salad, fast, technical but often without any structural arrangement and quite stop starty whereas Metallica has massive simpler but in my opinion far more powerful and impactful riffs and smoother transitions and breakdowns. A lot of people argue megadeth are better because they are more technical etc which if that's what you want is perfect and I love that too but for me Metallica songs are better for the reason I stated above, they are songs rather than shows of ability
@@deletedhero5579 yeah.. depends in personal taste.. for me I prefer Megadeth. Metallica got me into metal world but after i found Megadeth.. i never listen to Tallica anymore.. Megadeth lyrics are relevant..one thing i dislike Metallica is Kirk repetitive use of Pentatonic & wah wah pedal and Lars drumming. I'm not a great fan of the Black Album although its their biggest commercial success. But i enjoyed RTL & AJFA.. so for me its dial M for Megadeth ❤️
@@AkPurustry789 Awesome man, personal taste can never be wrong. I think Kirk although not the most technical or virtuoso guiatrist has created some iconic solos that I love but it's not for everyone
This has been my favorite Metallica song since Christmas Eve of 1989 when my cousin received AJFA on cassette as a Christmas present. We couldn't get downstairs to a boom box fast enough and from the moment the harmonies started to fade in I was hooked. And you are correct (of course!), this song is hard to play - especially correctly. Even Metallica simplifies it live, and changed "the tail" (those of you that have learned/tried to learn this song, you know what tail I mean 😉) to be more manageable at higher speeds.
My favorite Metallica song. In the studio version the part right after the solo there is a shift in the phrasing of the main riff. For the whole song the drums emphasize a different beat and then for one measure the drums shift to being 1/8th note ahead on the beat. I dont know what it is about that part but its makes me feel some sort of way.
Blackened is my favorite song off of And Justice for All. IMO the most overlooked tracks are on the black album and death magnetic. Sad But True, Suicide and Redemption, Broken, Beat and Scarred and That was Just your Life in particular.
Justice had the hardest solos. Dyers eve, some other. And then Justice for all main track, it doesn’t get much recognition but the solo is really good and some parts of it are really hard.
Blackened was always a real favorite of mine... Some seriously dark melodic genius. Kirk did a great job with the solo. You should be playing the studio original.
The one thing that I miss about Jason was his almost death metal like backup vocals but hearing that beast of Roberts bass thumping is very satisfying as a bassist.
Used to cover blackened and followed it up with holy wars. 2 of the hardest songs I've learned. That down picking main riff in blackened was hard as hell to get the speed right. My wrist was always fried when we were done with those 2 songs.
I think one of the biggest reasons Metallica ends up being my favorite band is because to me they feel like a culmination of a lot of bands I like. Like, you pointed out the Sabbath and Maiden, but other stuff like a lot of Hendrix and Page in Kirk's solos (also why I love the wah overuse), tons of punk influence in sound + attitude, Load and Reload have that real southern groove that I love, the dirty rawness of St. Anger, I enjoy Lou Reed so adding Metallica was the icing for me. I mean they just scratch so many itches and I love each album for their own reasons. Will always love and have massive respect for Metallica despite the stigma around being a fan
Both great,different signatures of course,a different dish if you will. Got Master in 86 from xmas at 10 yrs. old and got reborn.Time really flies by when you're havin fun. Salute!
It took me a long time to warm up to and justice album but once I started listening to more complex music and wanting to learn to play I ate it up. Still can't play but freaking love Blackend and is superior to mop in complexities and speed and 666 evilness. Both are great tracks I like all early Metallica.
I feel the reason that some songs resonate with people more than other songs is simple, they just connect with more people on whatever level that person chooses. Of course coming from a guitarist point of view he/she might find the more intricate or musically complex songs a better song but to others maybe the more simpler songs, if you can say that about Metallica or thrash metal more broadly, a better song. It’s just different strokes for different folks, that’s it in a nutshell!
So back in the 90's i was going through a parent's death, and two songs came to the fore. Fade to Black and MoP. Since i've never done drugs, Fade hit me at an emotional level. Now MoP I consider the most re-listend song for me of all time. I get chills every time. Now MoP vs Blackened. MoP is all about the highs...the Chill ...then the Hell. Blackened is up there but is not as attention grabbing because throughout history first listeners to MoP had to try and guess the subject matter. It's obviously a more personal song. Even today people still don't believe in Global destruction.
Blackened is my favourite Metallica song ever, definitely one of their best, every member shines on that song. I wish you watched the performance of this song from 1989 because since 2000 or so, they’ve been cutting out a part of Kirks second solo and the pretty proggy section after it, which you’ve missed in this live video.
Blackened, creeping Death, disposable heroes, dyer’s eve and master of puppets (if played like they did from late 86 to 89) are my favorite Metallica songs
Yea,thank u man,,it's the song I always start warming my hands up,puppets is a great song,but and justice to me,is the greatest album ever made,great song pick dude,thank u for getting the word out🤘
If you take it musically Master is a lil bit above blackened cause of its Melodies in the middle otherwise the intro on blackened alone was a way new thing back then plus the rythim is more difficult than master (For a mindful being that will play it alternate and wont have time to copy it with downstrokes)
I'll do you one better; there was a lot of hype surrounding Master Of Puppets in Stranger Things, but let's not forget that The Four Horsemen made an appearance way before Puppets did. I definitely consider this song better than Master Of Puppets. And I like how instead of using a clean melodic interlude for the middle section like they usually do, they went for a heavier almost break down type riff. And after listening to it again, I think it's my new favorite off of Justice For All.
Shred, this album showcase a their more progressive writing and performing skills. Though considered thrash metal still, this album took that style and magnified it many times greater. Thanks for reviewing this composition!
I think, when comparing the two songs, you need to remember to look at the tracks as whole compositions, rather than a comparison between how hard or technically advanced the track is. And I think when looking at it that way, MoP beats Blackened any day.
No it isn't if you know his best solos. This was a walk in the park for him, Kirk even have better ones on KEA. RTL and MOP still have his best work in times of creativity and technique. AJFA was him having fun and showing off to please guitarist fiends who wanted just complexity.
Lars started using a click-track in his left in ear monitor a little over a year, because he has terrible tinnitus, which is actually one of the reasons why he played not good for over a decade. As musicians, we never wanna think we need help because we know our instruments, but at some point you just have realize, you do need help. I was born with tinnitus, so i understand that struggle all too much, at the same time being born with it made it easier for me to learn to cope with it while I was growing up. Kick Ass Man!🤘🏻🤘🏻
blackened is the second most popular song on and justice for all, following one, the song that literally won them a grammy. A more underground hit from ajfa would be like frayed ends of sanity or perhaps the title track if you want something really prog.
This harmonized section is by far the top three by Metallica, inmy opinion. In fact, as an opening track on And Justice For All...this is the top three tracks in this album, IMHO. Such a great album from start to finish. The most progressive release by Metallica, ever. When I was in a band at 19, we played this track and Shortest Straw as part of out setlist at a summer house party. It was challenging but was so much fun. I remember practicing my ass off. Our drummer was 15 at the, he was unbelievable 🤘 It was said that many of the songs were put together using unused material Burton had written. However, I do believe, the album doesn't mention Burton for any writing credits so I'm not sure if this is true. 🤘
damage inc-puppets blackened-justice sad but true- black album and i thought load and reload sucked when they first came out, and not too long ago thought i'd revisit those 2 albums and to my surprise they're actually great albums...especially reload
Justice has always been my favorite Metallica album and one of my favorite albums in general, and Blackened is possibly my favorite Metallica song period.
Going w a live cut dude? They haven’t played it through its entirety since before 2000? I mean the solo section, the reverse “drum beat” after the solo… shoulda played the Album cut after hearing your set up , imo
Certain songs get play in movies because most often the music directors don't even listen to the genre of music they select, much less specific artists within that genre. They instead find some popularity list somewhere and they pick based on that.
I was an average Metallica fan until I heard Between the Buried and Me cover Blackend. I then went and checked out the And Justice For All album and had my mind blown.
Their best song imo. The fading reversed intro is itself a building up to the mayhem to come. The rhythm guitar part behind the solo (album version of course) is absolute madness.
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Long story short (many years before the internet existed) I was still discovering what sort of music I liked. It was much harder to do back then but on the radio the monsters of rock festival was playing and played 'harvester of sorrow' and 'one'. That was my introduction to Metallica. I got the AJFA album and was blown away by intro to 'blackened' (I was listening to a lot of jimi hendrix). AJFA was my daily go to for something to listen to for a long time. A friend of mine got MOP, I listened to but to start with I wasn't really into it. And that's the story of I become the most hated Metallica fan the world 🤣🤣🤣🤣
Thanks for this shred. One of my favorites for sure! I just saw Kirk didn't finish the 2nd solo. That is a crime. Kirk is so weak.
It's easy to hate on metallica but as a guitarist you perceive the music differently, underrated song , keep up the good work shred
Well said
I dont think Blackened is underated at all. People go nuts when that intro tape comes on.
I don’t think it’s easy to hate on Metallica at all. And come to think of it… really only drummers and guitar players usually do haha 😂 idgaf though I will always say papa Het is the best front man there is.
I'm a drummer that's been switching to guitar and learning metallica songs has given me a much better understanding and appreciation for this band
I think it's easy to say that the most underrated song is Disposable Heroes. That one goes so hard and not even many fans seem to care
Disposable Heroes, track 5 on MoP. The riff between the verse and chorus is just like a storm of metal that clamps down on your senses and dosen't let go.
@@joshtaylor9884 frfr man it makes me wanna move more than any disco shit
That song does go hard AF
Thrash fans love Disposable Heroes, but it's a bit too much for the casual music listener. It's goes too hard for too long. MOP does give you some breathing room with the interlude.
@@bertall1ca I honestly prefer disposable for that reason, it keeps up the energy and speed whereas puppets starts to drag with the interlude. Purely my taste tho
Thanks to Jason Newsted for writing the main riff of Blackened (my favorite Metallica riff)
Jason is the best metallica bass player
The live version from Seattle in 89 is amazing, as is that whole concert.
Helsinki 1988.
The verse in MoP is just something special. Blackened is my fave Hammet solo. Creative and fun to play.
Shame he missed out the best part of it
@@dixienormus6941 was about to say the same thing.
The solos are cut short because of either their setlist needing to fit more songs or Kirk just doesn’t enjoy playing parts of some solos anymore.
@@alebarajas3045 yea. He cuts the very end of Blackened solo. I think he just thinks it's not that technically satisfying. I enjoyed it tho. I think he should play the whole deal .
@@Slenderchunk I 100% agree. Same with the ending solo to fade to black, he improvises the solo every time they perform it. While I enjoy the difference and uniqueness from other shows, I’m just itching to hearing him play the original versions at least once again.
Unbelievable how great they sound live
Master was the first album I bought but Justice for me is just Epic. Probably because I saw them on the Justice tour too..incredible gig.
The Blackened intro live is absolute goosebumps, as well as Battery intro and Struggle Within Intro. Unfortunately they play none of the intros live but only "loop it in". The goosebumps is because they only loop in the intros when they start with one of the songs (not aware of exceptions). So after "It's a long way" and "Ecstasy" there is even a further crescendo until these Gods of Metal shine upon us.
Blackened and Battery are probably my 2 favorite Metallica songs, and have been in the very short list for decades.
Unfortunately Metallica are not good enough musicians to figure out how to actually play the intro to blackened
@@julesbrunton1728 it’s reversed, and probably impossible to copy.
ua-cam.com/video/YJ1vCidA53c/v-deo.html
This is one of their best songs for me. Top 3 prolly. Scratches my evil itch as well haha. And that little gallop James plays in the main riff is really gnarly to play correctly.
Fun fact: the intro to blackened actually is audio played backwards. Sounds awesome played the other way around
On this live version after Kirk solo ends, they jump to the last chorus where James sing, while on the album after Kirk solo ends there are another 2 bars of the main riff including 1 bar of reverse drums rythem...great song 🤘🎸
It's a shame kirk doesn't play the full solo
On binge in purge is the way Kirk wanted the solo. He was rushed on the justice solos. He had two weeks.
I can live with it
Lars fucks the timing up immediately after the solo. If you hear him in the Seattle 89 show, you hear him mess the drumming up.
@@josephkunath4173 source?
@@nicopillay4059 that’s wrong, the timing isn’t fucked up, he just doesn’t do that third fill and then what happens at that show in particular james got reversed on the notes to palm mute for the last little bit of that riff
Blackened is the song that grew on me the most.
The very first time I thought "yea thats okaayish". But after a while it became TOP 3 Metallica songs for me. This song is such a banger. LOVE the harmony section next to all those killer riffs
Metallica sounds unbelievable these days! It's awesome having a band like them still staying relevant today. Another great 69 666 video Shred! 🤘
Most Metallica fans say MOP is their favorite album, mine is Justice. I just love the riffs, the arragements, the drumming and the entire vibe of the album. Interesting because I play bass and well, we know the story about the bass in this album... still, killer. And Blackened is my favorite song from Justice.
Blackened is one of the best song they did
Epic construction, Dark, killer riffs, odd times signatures, and wicked vocals then, and the drumming is exceptionnal, i don't care about the hype.
Lars was a master of arrangement and knew his rudiments .
And later on, He can still, beign On, lay down the track.
I think he likes the song a lot, as shortest straw
All of Justice was slept on for 30 years and suddenly everyone's waking up to how genius it is. It's different, very different, and I think everyone was pretty happy with how lightning and puppets went and where they were going and then Justice didn't go in that direction at all. It's by far the deepest album, every riff dredged up from somewhere way down in their souls after losing their best friend.
Still love how the intro to BLACKENED is actually reversed meaning originally the reverse was the original intro.
Blackened has the best riffs, glad someone is covering it
AJFA is the best metal album of all time. lack of bass just made it even more awesome. that guitar tone is sharp as a freshly broken chert or obsidian.
Agreed a true metal album, booming kick drum
Agreed. My favorite album. At the same time, I felt bad for the missing bass because that also sound special.
P L E A S E ......master of puppets is way better....no doubt
@@shawn7090 now.. You also make a great point
@@shawn7090 nope. Hetfields peak vocals were during AJFA era and they were really hungry and pissed off . MoP, while great of course, was always RTL pt.2 for me. those 2 albums are more similar than Load and ReLoad. sanitarium and few unnecessarily repeated parts on title track and disposable heroes is keeping it from perfection.
This was my introduction to Metallica my uncle gave me a cassette of this album for Christmas at the time I though gnr was heavy this song blew me away and quickly I was a full blown headbanger
Blackend makes a statement. Master of Puppets tells an entire story
Blackened has always been one of my favorites - Top 10 track for sure!
The AJFA album had some of their best songwriting in it. Listened to that album backwards and forwards in high school mid-2000s. A girl introduced me to the album.
Blackened is my personal favorite metallica because of how hard it hits, the musical writing, and the energy behind the solo at the end
Blackened is a juggernaut! My personal favorite is Damage Inc. Great channel brother! Dig your vibe
Can we get a mention for Robs absolutely thumping bass line, cements the tapestry of brilliance together! Its what we should have heard on the original album! Fucking love this tune and im going to Download next year !
Blackened may be my favourite Metallica song, but Master of Puppets is better composition-wise. About Blackened - best intro and main riff for sure (thanks Mr. Newsted for that) but something fells off after the breakdown imo. Master of Puppets is sick sh*t from start to finish. Breakdown is epic. Those 8,5 minutes flies by, I don't even know when.
Agree. Master of puppets is like a whole classical piece in metal form while blackened is just an amazing thrash song.
no one ever talks about this song. can someone explain the part at the end on the recording where it seems like it goes out of time and then syncs back up? i always wondered if this was a mistake or a musical genius level im not at. around the 5 :30 MARK
late respone here. It doesn't go out of time, riffs are still playing normally but Lars plays it in reverse. Obviously written like that and it's awesome.
Riff written by Jason! Awesome.
0:17 bruh blackened wasn’t even written when stranger things is set
I love blackened. It's beautiful and brilliant
They cut out the best part of the song post-solo (and have excluded it for years live) when the timing of the drum hits completely change and then reverts back to "normal" when the verse starts back up, one of my favorite parts of the studio version for sure - and this video rules when explaining what the heck is actually happening during that part - ua-cam.com/video/YRQXVCrcUz8/v-deo.html
where lars moves the one around
The main riff was written by Jason Newsted. It’s actually sounds like Flotsam & Jetsam.
Ive always argued with my friends AJFA is a better album than puppets….every song on justice is a masterpiece….And the live shit B&P AJFA medley is epic
Absolutely! So much more depth than puppets.
There is no need for an argument lmao. Everyone has different tastes and it’s not thier fault that a particular peice of music doesn’t move them as much as the other. So it’s kinda dumb on you to argue.
JASON NEWSTED WROTE THE MAIN RIFF TO BLACKENED. Despite the bass volume on AJFA, he wrote the main riff to an opening song which is on the same par like Battery, Fight Fire, Lights. What an achievement!!! Here is a tape where he teaches Hetfield how to play it. ua-cam.com/video/YPRhxdSbvo8/v-deo.html&ab_channel=MariosB.
Fight fire with fire is pretty damn epic and the guitar solo to Ride the lightning is my favorite by Kirk.
I was talking with someone once who said Master of Puppets was their last great album-I said but what about the song Blackened? To which he conceded Blackened was indeed a great song.
Blackened is an amazing song and one of my favourites, I love the breakdown.
Dave Mustaine could of course write a song as good as blackened but in a different way as I think where Metallica and Megadeth differ is technicality over impact. Megadeth songs are like riff salad, fast, technical but often without any structural arrangement and quite stop starty whereas Metallica has massive simpler but in my opinion far more powerful and impactful riffs and smoother transitions and breakdowns.
A lot of people argue megadeth are better because they are more technical etc which if that's what you want is perfect and I love that too but for me Metallica songs are better for the reason I stated above, they are songs rather than shows of ability
Metallica songs becomes boring after listening ..but megadeth riffs are so addicting
@@AkPurustry789 I love them both but I just gravitate more towards Metallica's songs and they do far more for me personally
@@deletedhero5579 yeah.. depends in personal taste.. for me I prefer Megadeth. Metallica got me into metal world but after i found Megadeth.. i never listen to Tallica anymore.. Megadeth lyrics are relevant..one thing i dislike Metallica is Kirk repetitive use of Pentatonic & wah wah pedal and Lars drumming. I'm not a great fan of the Black Album although its their biggest commercial success. But i enjoyed RTL & AJFA.. so for me its dial M for Megadeth ❤️
@@AkPurustry789 Awesome man, personal taste can never be wrong.
I think Kirk although not the most technical or virtuoso guiatrist has created some iconic solos that I love but it's not for everyone
@@AkPurustry789 Megadeth lyrics are corny, Metallica lyrics are cool and ambiguous.
You should have done a version with the full solo it is much better.
This has been my favorite Metallica song since Christmas Eve of 1989 when my cousin received AJFA on cassette as a Christmas present. We couldn't get downstairs to a boom box fast enough and from the moment the harmonies started to fade in I was hooked. And you are correct (of course!), this song is hard to play - especially correctly. Even Metallica simplifies it live, and changed "the tail" (those of you that have learned/tried to learn this song, you know what tail I mean 😉) to be more manageable at higher speeds.
My favorite Metallica song. In the studio version the part right after the solo there is a shift in the phrasing of the main riff. For the whole song the drums emphasize a different beat and then for one measure the drums shift to being 1/8th note ahead on the beat. I dont know what it is about that part but its makes me feel some sort of way.
You should have picked the live footage while they were with Jason because he was the one who made the main riff
id say sweet amber is the best “under the rug” song Metallica has imo
Blackened is my favorite song off of And Justice for All. IMO the most overlooked tracks are on the black album and death magnetic. Sad But True, Suicide and Redemption, Broken, Beat and Scarred and That was Just your Life in particular.
Justice had the hardest solos. Dyers eve, some other. And then Justice for all main track, it doesn’t get much recognition but the solo is really good and some parts of it are really hard.
Blackened was always a real favorite of mine... Some seriously dark melodic genius. Kirk did a great job with the solo. You should be playing the studio original.
How do you sing and play that at the same time? I always loved this song!
The one thing that I miss about Jason was his almost death metal like backup vocals but hearing that beast of Roberts bass thumping is very satisfying as a bassist.
I was at the Madison WI show madly in anger tour May 2, 2004 they opened with Blackened and Ended with Dyers Eve.
Used to cover blackened and followed it up with holy wars. 2 of the hardest songs I've learned. That down picking main riff in blackened was hard as hell to get the speed right. My wrist was always fried when we were done with those 2 songs.
I think one of the biggest reasons Metallica ends up being my favorite band is because to me they feel like a culmination of a lot of bands I like. Like, you pointed out the Sabbath and Maiden, but other stuff like a lot of Hendrix and Page in Kirk's solos (also why I love the wah overuse), tons of punk influence in sound + attitude, Load and Reload have that real southern groove that I love, the dirty rawness of St. Anger, I enjoy Lou Reed so adding Metallica was the icing for me. I mean they just scratch so many itches and I love each album for their own reasons. Will always love and have massive respect for Metallica despite the stigma around being a fan
Both great,different signatures of course,a different dish if you will.
Got Master in 86 from xmas at 10 yrs. old and got reborn.Time really flies by when you're havin fun.
Salute!
Fun Fact: The Blackend riff was Jason Newsteds riff. In the deluxe remaster, they were learning Jasons riff per the riff tapes.
Weird I’m seeing this now, legit 2 days ago I started to appreciate blackened more and I think it’s my favourite song as of now lol
Same, and justice for all is a masterpiece album
First track on Justice and its absolutely epic. Dont think its lost on even the casual Metallica fan like me.
It took me a long time to warm up to and justice album but once I started listening to more complex music and wanting to learn to play I ate it up. Still can't play but freaking love Blackend and is superior to mop in complexities and speed and 666 evilness. Both are great tracks I like all early Metallica.
This is in fact my favorite Metallica song . Just a masterpiece ! Cheers Shred 🥃
I feel the reason that some songs resonate with people more than other songs is simple, they just connect with more people on whatever level that person chooses. Of course coming from a guitarist point of view he/she might find the more intricate or musically complex songs a better song but to others maybe the more simpler songs, if you can say that about Metallica or thrash metal more broadly, a better song. It’s just different strokes for different folks, that’s it in a nutshell!
So back in the 90's i was going through a parent's death, and two songs came to the fore. Fade to Black and MoP. Since i've never done drugs, Fade hit me at an emotional level. Now MoP I consider the most re-listend song for me of all time. I get chills every time. Now MoP vs Blackened. MoP is all about the highs...the Chill ...then the Hell. Blackened is up there but is not as attention grabbing because throughout history first listeners to MoP had to try and guess the subject matter. It's obviously a more personal song. Even today people still don't believe in Global destruction.
If he was a real metallica fan; he'd know that the intro was reversed, and couldn't be played live
Blackened is my favourite Metallica song ever, definitely one of their best, every member shines on that song.
I wish you watched the performance of this song from 1989 because since 2000 or so, they’ve been cutting out a part of Kirks second solo and the pretty proggy section after it, which you’ve missed in this live video.
Two things you need to know. Rob Zombie isn't cool enough to emulate, and blackened isn't a deep cut. Quit being a poser.
Great song. Would have rather heard a live version from the 80’s or very early 90’s, but hey I’m glad they’re still doing it.
I totally agree and Justice is still my favorite album of Metallica \m/ Great video!!
Never forget that Newsted wrote the main riff ⚡
The greatest band of all time. There is no discussion...
Blackened was always one of my favorite Metallica songs and I would say Justice is my favorite album from them. Definitely doesn't get enough props
They did a COVID version in. I believe in 2020 via Zoom where each member was in their own homes. It’s basically acoustic but it was incredible
I really liked the video but the moment i heard you mentioned about Marty Friedman (10:23) who is my idol,i had to give this video a like!
Blackened, creeping Death, disposable heroes, dyer’s eve and master of puppets (if played like they did from late 86 to 89) are my favorite Metallica songs
Yea,thank u man,,it's the song I always start warming my hands up,puppets is a great song,but and justice to me,is the greatest album ever made,great song pick dude,thank u for getting the word out🤘
If you take it musically Master is a lil bit above blackened cause of its Melodies in the middle otherwise the intro on blackened alone was a way new thing back then plus the rythim is more difficult than master (For a mindful being that will play it alternate and wont have time to copy it with downstrokes)
Opening song on ...and justice for all. That is my pick for the best Metallica album
I'll do you one better; there was a lot of hype surrounding Master Of Puppets in Stranger Things, but let's not forget that The Four Horsemen made an appearance way before Puppets did.
I definitely consider this song better than Master Of Puppets. And I like how instead of using a clean melodic interlude for the middle section like they usually do, they went for a heavier almost break down type riff. And after listening to it again, I think it's my new favorite off of Justice For All.
I totally agree with you, one of the best Metallica tracks
It's even more complicated in the original Studio version, lately theyve been leaving out a part, idk whose fault this is, lars or kirk.
Shred, this album showcase a their more progressive writing and performing skills. Though considered thrash metal still, this album took that style and magnified it many times greater. Thanks for reviewing this composition!
I think, when comparing the two songs, you need to remember to look at the tracks as whole compositions, rather than a comparison between how hard or technically advanced the track is.
And I think when looking at it that way, MoP beats Blackened any day.
This is actually easly kirk hammet's BEST solo... as someone who often bash kirk's solos, this is actually a good and unique solo.
No it isn't if you know his best solos. This was a walk in the park for him, Kirk even have better ones on KEA. RTL and MOP still have his best work in times of creativity and technique.
AJFA was him having fun and showing off to please guitarist fiends who wanted just complexity.
Haha James cut off Kirk's solo! 🤣 You can tell James came in way too early with the vocals. But the band being such pro's recovered so perfectly
they do an edit of this one now...they dropped the part before the last verse where lars moves the one around ages ago.
They don’t do that post solo part anymore, they haven’t done that since like ‘91.
Lars started using a click-track in his left in ear monitor a little over a year, because he has terrible tinnitus, which is actually one of the reasons why he played not good for over a decade. As musicians, we never wanna think we need help because we know our instruments, but at some point you just have realize, you do need help. I was born with tinnitus, so i understand that struggle all too much, at the same time being born with it made it easier for me to learn to cope with it while I was growing up. Kick Ass Man!🤘🏻🤘🏻
It’s missing the section between the last solo and last verse. They’ve been leaving it out since at least 2009. Why?
AJFA is still from start to finish my favorite Metallica album.
blackened is the second most popular song on and justice for all, following one, the song that literally won them a grammy. A more underground hit from ajfa would be like frayed ends of sanity or perhaps the title track if you want something really prog.
Frayed ends is in my top 5 Metallica songs, always winds me up when they play the intro live and never the full song!!
This harmonized section is by far the top three by Metallica, inmy opinion. In fact, as an opening track on And Justice For All...this is the top three tracks in this album, IMHO. Such a great album from start to finish. The most progressive release by Metallica, ever. When I was in a band at 19, we played this track and Shortest Straw as part of out setlist at a summer house party. It was challenging but was so much fun. I remember practicing my ass off. Our drummer was 15 at the, he was unbelievable 🤘
It was said that many of the songs were put together using unused material Burton had written. However, I do believe, the album doesn't mention Burton for any writing credits so I'm not sure if this is true. 🤘
Agreed, blackened sounds like standing on a mountain while fighting a dragon. Awesome
Jason’s first credited song. His main riff. Bad ass song
He wore that shirt last year in Louisville, KY.
damage inc-puppets
blackened-justice
sad but true- black album
and i thought load and reload sucked when they first came out, and not too long ago thought i'd revisit those 2 albums and to my surprise they're actually great albums...especially reload
Justice has always been my favorite Metallica album and one of my favorite albums in general, and Blackened is possibly my favorite Metallica song period.
It's 1 of my favorite songs from them. And my favorite album.
First time i heard Blackened i was blown away with the energy power fast riffs this song was.
Going w a live cut dude? They haven’t played it through its entirety since before 2000? I mean the solo section, the reverse “drum beat” after the solo… shoulda played the Album cut after hearing your set up , imo
Certain songs get play in movies because most often the music directors don't even listen to the genre of music they select, much less specific artists within that genre. They instead find some popularity list somewhere and they pick based on that.
When I was younger we always adored Fight fire with fire and to this day I still jam it but Blackened? Fa getta bout it!!!
I was an average Metallica fan until I heard Between the Buried and Me cover Blackend. I then went and checked out the And Justice For All album and had my mind blown.
He failed to mention its a Jason nested riff
Their best song imo. The fading reversed intro is itself a building up to the mayhem to come.
The rhythm guitar part behind the solo (album version of course) is absolute madness.
When I’m playing metal, I want “And Justice for all” tone