Tied for 2nd with And Justice for All... Master of Puppets to me is their absolute best work, Ride the Lightning a very close 3rd everything had come together and then tragedy with Burton's death.
Hit the Lights was the first song that James and Lars wrote together, so in essence you're listening to the birth of Metallica in this song. It also perfectly sets the tone for the rest of the album.
The first time I heard this song, or Metallica for that matter, was a live performance back in 1983 at a small club in Reseda, Ca. Friends at school told me I needed to check them out. Glad I did, and bought this album after the show.
This is the album that kicked it all off. This is the song we heard the first time we put the album on. We already had bootleg videos of them playing live but this is it. Geddy Lee was blown away by it. All of us heavy rockers were.
The songs were re recorded with Kirk Hammett after Mustaines dismissal. The solos are Dave inspired but Kirk Is the one playing the solos in Kill em all. As far as the rest of Metallica each song is equally as amazing. Sure they changed their sound during the 90s but they were still amazing.
The death of Cliff Burton was a major hit to them. Cliff was a heavy hitter as far as song writing this forcing the band to change forever. Tragic. Cliff is still a major influence on my bass playing
@@JeremyPatMartin cliff was amazing but they didn't change their sound because they didn't have him it was inevitably going to happen after the justice tour. They became dissatisfied with the long drawn out songs they wrote on justice and wanted to simplify their sound
The 1st time I heard this was on the Metal Massacre album. I went to my 1st Metallica show on June 7th 1984 and went to see them specifically because of this song. This was in Germany so we drove to Frankfurt. We ate at the Wendy's there and happened to sit next to some guys we assumed were also going to the show. After eating we walked over to the hall that was up on the 2nd floor of this old building. Behind us the same guys were walking with guitar classes and They went in the side door. Turned out to be Metallica and we had never seen photos of them. They warmed up for Twisted Sister that night and I got their autographs after the show on a Jump in the Fire poster. Still have the poster and a good memory to go with it.
I started listening to Metallica in 1987. A friend of mine in school liked them and I went out and bought this album. This was the first song I ever heard and I was hooked right away. Justice had already come out at the time but for some reason this was the one I bought and I couldn't have made a better choice
🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 This is an album I can play start to finish any day of the week. Think they reached peak Metallica perfection with the Master album. Shows evolution and maturity without too much commercial sound
DUDE! I have been listening to this shit for forty years and I NEVER drew the parallels between the FIRST TRACKS on the FIRST ALBUMS from Metallica and Megadeth! Especially that "Whoaw!" once the songs take off! I can't believe I never made the connection myself sooner! Great catch!
What's wild is 1983 when this came out along with Iron Maidens Piece Of Mind album. The new and the old. Two great albums. It was like being in some kind of time warp.
Kill Em All is like one album long thrash song. It's Metallica at their rawest. It's Kirk Hammett playing but he may be copying Mustaines licks. Mustaine with Metallica is out there on UA-cam on Metallicas demo tape No Life Til Leather.
Well that brought back memories...my best friend was a huge Metallica fan so anytime I rode with her it was what we were listening to...every now & then she would compromise & play some AC/DC for me but she drew the line at Foreigner & Journey LOL...she would be shocked at what I'm listening to now!
Another favorite of mine (not off of this album) it was recorded for the B-side of the song Eye Of The Beholder in 1988, and it's off of their album "Garage Inc". The song is a cover called "Breadfan". Breadfan was song by the Welsh group "Budgie" about greed and someone who cherishes money more than anything. Originally put out by the band in 1973! A true early metal anthem. When I saw Metallica in 1994, they opened with Breadfan and it was electric! I was 4th row and I'll never forget it. The black album was Metallica's latest release, but this was a breath of fresh, thrashtastic air in the moment. I'm 229 years old, and It still gets me pumped! 🤘
I remember when this came out on album with the picture actually on the album, I had to have it lol. Yes, I agree, where do you go from here-this song really blows the hair back or off 🤘🏼🎸🤘🏼
TY for going back to the good stuff, it is real for me. Metallica fade to black was playing in the room next door to mine, in the group home I went to after my mom tried to kill me when I was 12 yrs old, so, yeah...
As a Bay Area resident my whole life, I’m 53 now, I was 14 in November 83 when I saw them at Berkeley, Ca. Dude get the movie Murder in the Front Row….seriously Google it….this was our scene and our life..and it changed the world
They were younger then, and a true Thrash Metal band, maybe the best one ever. As they aged, their metal changed, and it was magnificent to watch happen in real time. But I fucking love this album. Serious intense Thrash, from the gut.
I was 11 years old when this album came out in 1983 and it was foundational for me. It wasn't long before I was wanting guitars, drums, and more metal albums. I am so nostalgic with this album. Their bass player Cliff Burton is still a major influence on my bass playing
Oh brother if you haven't heard Kill em all in it's entirety your in for a treat. Super raw, aggressive and relentless. Holy Wars is my favorite metal song but Kill em all is my favorite album (Ride the lightning being an extremely close 2nd) Try Whiplash next bro. You won't be disappointed
This is one of James favorite songs for audience participation. It's hilarious watching the concert footage of this song in Mexico! James goes down to the front line of the audience and has people sing/scream "HIT THE LIGHTS"! They butcher the words and most definitely CAN'T sing, but it's fun to watch!
I have the cd with those songs; unfortunately, it is stuck in my cd player along with Master of Puppets, Ride the Lightning, Sepultura Arise, and a couple of others lol.
I think Mustaine was already booted out before this album was recorded and released. One of the most interesting links was when Mustaine formed Megadeth and modified The Four Horsemen's arrangement to a shorter but faster track called Mechanix.
Dude I saw them live at the Texas Jam 85, 86 or so and they tore the whole cotton bowl stadium a new one It had to have been 120 degrees in the stands and they were spraying water on everyone close enough to the stage with a fire hose.
'Hit the lights' was the first song James Hetfield ever wrote with Lars Ulrich in 1981... When the 2 met that year, neither was experienced in playing music. James & then-bassist Ron McGovney were auditioning musicians, and Lars was terrible on drums ("his kit was ten different colors... he hit the cymbal and it kept falling off..."). However, Lars had connections w/ the L.A. metal scene, and one was Brian Slagel, the founder of Metal Blade Records - Slagel gave Lars a slot on a compilation release called 'Metal Massacre' of various demos of local bands. Lars also had a name for the band - Metallica, which he took from metal fanzine editor Ron Quintana... Lars still had no band, but he went back to James Hetfield and convinced him to record a demo on tape... James had 'Hit the lights'... James played guitar, Lars played drums, Ron McGovney played bass... and they got a local guitarist Lloyd Grant to play lead guitar. James sang lead, but had laryngitis at the time, so he sounded hoarse on the original demo. 'Hit the lights' made it on the first pressing of 'Metal Massacre' on Metal Blade Records in 1981 (Ratt was also on the original pressing)... A lot of bands got exposure on 'Metal Massacre' compilation releases - Slayer, Flotsam & Jetsam, were included on later releases. With Metallica becoming a band in late 1981, Dave Mustaine came into the picture in early 1982 when he auditioned for the band on lead guitar... Metallica played their first 2 shows in L.A. opening for Saxon at the Whiskey-a-go-go club... They also started writing more songs, primarily from James & Dave (according to Dave, Lars contributed little to the early songs, but still got credit for songwriting)... 'Hit the lights' was re-recorded w/ Dave Mustaine on lead guitar and a proper vocal track from James... They approached Armored Saint vocalist John Bush (later of Anthrax) to join Metallica, but he declined. The demo versions of 'Hit the lights' are available on UA-cam. In the first few months of 1982, Metallica had also recorded a demo cassette they named 'No life til leather' which had early recordings of 'Hit the lights'... 'Mechanix' ... 'Jump in the fire'... w/ Dave Mustaine on lead guitar and Ron McGovney on bass. But after some friction between Dave & Ron, Metallica wanted a new bass player... they saw Cliff Burton play in San Francisco is a band called Trauma, and begged him to join. In early 1983, Cliff Burton agreed to join Metallica if they moved to San Francisco... and they did. Cliff Burton played his first shows w/ Metallica in the spring of 1983 and were contacted from New York City by Megaforce Records label owner Jon Zazula to travel to the East Coast to play gigs and record an album. By that point, most of the songs on "Kill 'em all" had been written & performed at shows. When Metallica arrived in NYC in mid-1983, they had enough hassles w/ Dave Mustaine and wanted to replace him (On the road trip to NY, Dave had a tendency to constantly find trouble) ... They were given a rehearsal space next to Anthrax, and then opted to bring in Exodus guitarist Kirk Hammett... Dave Mustaine was woken up 1 morning and fired, whisked to the bus station and sent back to L.A. and when Kirk Hammett arrived, they were also apprehensive cos they didn't have money to send him back if he failed the audition. Thankfully, he pulled off Dave's solos on the record, so Hammett was in. Megaforce Records also had Manowar on their roster, and they had just recorded their 2nd album 'Into glory ride'... so Metallica were recommended that same NY studio to record "Kill 'em all"... w/ Jon & Marsha Zazula overseeing the album's production. The only changes were to 'The Four Horsemen' which was an extended version of Dave's song 'Mechanix'... James Hetfield played all the rhythm guitars... Kirk Hammett played all of Dave's solos for the record... Originally titled "Metal up your a--", Megaforce couldn't get a distributor w/ that album title and artwork 😂 So, it was renamed "Kill 'em all" and released in late 1983, just ahead of Slayer's debut album 'Show no mercy' and Anthrax's 'Fistful of metal' ...but it was the best record of the thrash metal genre, hands down. According to Dave Mustaine, he was furious when he heard all his tracks had been recorded by Metallica without him... he had to write a new batch of songs for Megadeth's debut album 'Killing is my business' which came out in 1985.
@@tallycahamuhlhetru26 There's some debate about that. Ron McGovney is credited on bass on the original pressing. The song was recorded on a 4 track, so they jammed on it. Also, McGovney was working w/ Hetfield on putting a band together when Lars auditioned. Their first recordings were made in McGovney's garage where they jammed. Another possibility was that they had another guitarist who played bass but was never credited... (Iron Maiden never credited Dennis Wilcock for lyrics to 'Charlotte the harlot' or guitarist Paul 'Mad Mack' Cairns for the Soundhouse tapes).
This is back in the days when Metallica deserved their title as king of metal. They were awesome through and justice for all but then they fade it out to a lot of us fans when they went main stream but in their credit that also made them explode in popularity.
@@keithbrown7685 that’s right, the Black album made them soft and appetizing enough for those who were not really into thrash metal and that’s where they’re true fame, began for sure. And justice, for all was a great album, and it kind of kick them a little more into the lime light, but it was black that blue them up. That was the album that turned a lot of us old time thrash heads that started with them away because it was not the same.
Ft. Bragg 1983, in a shoe box on the counter of a Peaches Record Store I found this for the first time. One first listen I basically gave up on every other metal out there for months. Wore this cassette out multiple times, rebuying it during my military tour. Great Album
This is real Metallica, imo. 1st of all, we still had Cliff. 2nd, they were still young and raw,.. hadn't grown up, gotten married, had kids. They were still kids themselves, basically. Check out Anesthesia (Pulling Teeth). It's Cliff Button's masterpiece
This song reminds me of drinking beers in the woods, riding arnd on minibikes blasting this album, Having to hit RadioShack for 16 D batteries multiple times in a weekend, also denim jackets.
Just for your education. The songs off this album written by Dave were "Four Horseman,"(mechanix) "Jump into the Fire," "Phantom Lord" and "Metal Militia." However the recording of this album, Dave was not a part of. All lead you hear is by Hammett
Kirk Hammett plays these solos and both Kirk and Dave based them off the solos of Lloyd grant who played on the original metal massacre hit the lights release in 1982
Ride the Lightning is the BEST! They really matured in a year and Fight Fire with Fire is the way to kick off a Metal album. James really came into his own Lyrically and the Growl really came through on their 2nd slice. Album reaction without a doubt. Peace.
The extreme metal from the 80s was ignited by this album. If you want to hear earlier extreme metal, check out early Venom, albums Welcome To Hell and Black Metal (yep, they coined that term way back in '82).
He wrote more than he got credit for, on three albums. They only gave him credit for recordings that had already been in hands of himself, and others that could prove he wrote them. You can always hear Dave's stank on songs he wrote. His style is unique.
@@profanepersonality literally the only one Dave says he didn't get credit for was a riff in leper messiah but that's because his riff on an old jam barely resembles the riff in leper Messiah just a close chord progression
I used to have the Metal Massacre compilation album w/ this song on it, and from what I remember it was a different version of the song and had their first bassist before Cliff. Wish I still had it :( do not know what happened to it.
So many fanfukntastic songs on this album. Whiplash, Four Horsemen, No Remorse, Seek and Destroy, Jump in the Fire, and of course Am I Evil which was added later and is a remake. I think we can all wonder if thrash would have been as prominent as it was had it not been for this album - it paved the way for this music because it was so damn good, people started paying attention.
Slayer - Aggressive Perfector Has a kinda similar intro It's off their Haunting the Chapel 4 song EP You'll probably like it That whole Kill Em All album is good, every song I had it on vinyl back in the day, like 83
Pure, precision thrash, with elements of their future evolution into progressive speedmetal over the next 3 albums already heard here (when you listen to their discography from start to finish). This album and Ride The Lightning are my top favorites of the band. Nothing against the 90s+ material, that was their choice to change things up (and garnered different new fans, which is cool too), but I'm an 80s metal kid. "Where do you go from here?" They went on to better production quality & gear due to this success -- so of course the sound changed a little by the next album, but it was essentially still the same Metallica, IMO. On that very next album is my favorite Metallica song of all time, Creeping Death (who else but Metallica could put a scary Old Testament story to metal? Chilling & cool)...that phenomenal song is every bit as fast and metal as anything on this album, simply with better production values, that's all.
Insightful comment, spot on. I enjoy most of their stuff, but mostly in passing nowadays. As a young guitar player, it was hard not to love Metallica's iconic, challenging, and FUN riffs!
the lead guitar on the entire album of Kill em all is played by Kirk Hammett . Dave Mustaine wrote some of the songs but never got to record kill em all with Metallica. a lot of people get confused with that
I wants Metal Meltdown shirt…where do I order!!!! Also Kirk didn’t have time to construct much for his own solos, so the producer suggested starting the first bars of the solo as Dave’s solo then kinda go where he wanted after that. Honestly, I think Kirks solos were miles beyond Mustaines demo solos for this album…but Dave went on to become fucking awesome on his own!
One thing you could do is go and look at the old 'No Life 'Til Leather' Demo. It features the same set-list but with Dave on lead and Ron Mcgovney on base. I actually prefer the sound on the demo to how they're mixed in 'Kill 'Em All'.
what you don't understand is when they came out the were considered underground music and not popular at all. It's people like me and my friends who made them popular with our support which I still agree with!!!
This is Metallica in it's raw form, before they became commercial I started with Ride the Lighting, still my favorite, than I went back to Kill 'Em All. This one has a lot of good songs. I'd recommend you do the whole album. There is one song that Metallica and Megadeth have that is very similar song but with different title, lyrics and tempo. Metallica's For Horseman and Megadeth's Mechanix. The Four Horseman has Hetfield , Ulrich and Mustaine cited as writers. You had reacted to both back in April of 2020.
Hello T! To me this is Metallica at their best. You ought to try some songs from Garage Days it's all covers but it's great. There are 2 Garage Day albums, try the 1st one.
T will u please react to Metallica's Garage Days re-revisited $5.98 EP. It's the only time you'll hear Jason's bass in the mix of an album. Its raw and powerful, Lars sounds good (no drum splicing in the recording), James' voice sounds better than any other album, and Kirk's solos are flat out amazing. You won't be disappointed.
Old school Metallica - the only Metallica!!! Thrash metal was born! It’s fucking great, afterwards Metallica was a sold out pop-band! So shout out to megadeth 🤘
first song they ever wrote jon zazula (rest his soul) sold me this album before it was released to the public and i still have it (never played) !!!!!!!!
IMO, their best album. Every song is a banger!
Hit the lights....hooked my soul!
This one and the next one, tied for best to me.
Tied for 2nd with And Justice for All... Master of Puppets to me is their absolute best work, Ride the Lightning a very close 3rd everything had come together and then tragedy with Burton's death.
Hit the Lights was the first song that James and Lars wrote together, so in essence you're listening to the birth of Metallica in this song. It also perfectly sets the tone for the rest of the album.
Lars have nothing to do with this. Hugh Tanner.
It was in the works before Metallica even officially formed
@sadsadsa asadasd It's well known James wrote that with Tanner, but Lars always gets a songwriting credit anyway because he makes mouth noises.
@sadsadsa asadasd You can do the research yourself. Google is useful.
@sadsadsa asadasd I'm not surprised you're that easily fooled since you can't use Google.
The first time I heard this song, or Metallica for that matter, was a live performance back in 1983 at a small club in Reseda, Ca. Friends at school told me I needed to check them out. Glad I did, and bought this album after the show.
That would be so cool! Wow!
You lucky bastard.
This is the album that kicked it all off. This is the song we heard the first time we put the album on.
We already had bootleg videos of them playing live but this is it.
Geddy Lee was blown away by it. All of us heavy rockers were.
The songs were re recorded with Kirk Hammett after Mustaines dismissal. The solos are Dave inspired but Kirk Is the one playing the solos in Kill em all. As far as the rest of Metallica each song is equally as amazing. Sure they changed their sound during the 90s but they were still amazing.
The death of Cliff Burton was a major hit to them. Cliff was a heavy hitter as far as song writing this forcing the band to change forever. Tragic. Cliff is still a major influence on my bass playing
I’m pretty sure the lights solos were Lloyd Grant’s writing but Kirk recording btw. At least the demo of the song was Lloyd for sure.
Most of kill em all sounded like Black Sabbath or Motörhead .. it’s cool stuff but ride was a much better album
@@JeremyPatMartin cliff was amazing but they didn't change their sound because they didn't have him it was inevitably going to happen after the justice tour. They became dissatisfied with the long drawn out songs they wrote on justice and wanted to simplify their sound
@@redshift912
Nope. Kill em all was so raw and real.
Kill em all is better.
The 1st time I heard this was on the Metal Massacre album. I went to my 1st Metallica show on June 7th 1984 and went to see them specifically because of this song. This was in Germany so we drove to Frankfurt. We ate at the Wendy's there and happened to sit next to some guys we assumed were also going to the show. After eating we walked over to the hall that was up on the 2nd floor of this old building. Behind us the same guys were walking with guitar classes and They went in the side door. Turned out to be Metallica and we had never seen photos of them. They warmed up for Twisted Sister that night and I got their autographs after the show on a Jump in the Fire poster. Still have the poster and a good memory to go with it.
I started listening to Metallica in 1987. A friend of mine in school liked them and I went out and bought this album. This was the first song I ever heard and I was hooked right away. Justice had already come out at the time but for some reason this was the one I bought and I couldn't have made a better choice
Justice was '88, sorry to nitpick 🤘
@@vlt873 It could have been, I was in 8th grade and thought it was the first half
🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
This is an album I can play start to finish any day of the week. Think they reached peak Metallica perfection with the Master album. Shows evolution and maturity without too much commercial sound
DUDE! I have been listening to this shit for forty years and I NEVER drew the parallels between the FIRST TRACKS on the FIRST ALBUMS from Metallica and Megadeth!
Especially that "Whoaw!" once the songs take off! I can't believe I never made the connection myself sooner! Great catch!
i literally just impulse bought this album at Walmart an hour ago. My first copy of this was a cassette tape. My favorite Metallica
My favorite is Ride the Lightning. I believe their best album.
I believe Master of Puppets is the greatest metal album ever recorded, front to back with no weak song or covers, and fillers like Dawn Patrol.
Man this whole album is fire!!!!!!
I use to Listen to this whole album As I was falling to sleep every night for a year or two.
What's wild is 1983 when this came out along with Iron Maidens Piece Of Mind album. The new and the old. Two great albums. It was like being in some kind of time warp.
Kill Em All is like one album long thrash song. It's Metallica at their rawest. It's Kirk Hammett playing but he may be copying Mustaines licks. Mustaine with Metallica is out there on UA-cam on Metallicas demo tape No Life Til Leather.
Well that brought back memories...my best friend was a huge Metallica fan so anytime I rode with her it was what we were listening to...every now & then she would compromise & play some AC/DC for me but she drew the line at Foreigner & Journey LOL...she would be shocked at what I'm listening to now!
@@bschuler6216 and everything else by Skull Fist! It's so cute how you pretend you don't love them! 😊
@@bschuler6216 and now I will too...couldn't allow that one up on me so I just ordered it...and the new one!
Such a great song I love it, just to think how young they were it’s crazy.
Living in Belgium I heard Motorbreath on a French speaking radio station. Took almost a year for me to learn the name of the band.
The only Metallica album that i can still handle listening too!
Another favorite of mine (not off of this album) it was recorded for the B-side of the song Eye Of The Beholder in 1988, and it's off of their album "Garage Inc". The song is a cover called "Breadfan".
Breadfan was song by the Welsh group "Budgie" about greed and someone who cherishes money more than anything. Originally put out by the band in 1973! A true early metal anthem.
When I saw Metallica in 1994, they opened with Breadfan and it was electric! I was 4th row and I'll never forget it. The black album was Metallica's latest release, but this was a breath of fresh, thrashtastic air in the moment. I'm 229 years old, and It still gets me pumped! 🤘
Dude, your on FIRE!
Zeppelin, sabbath and now this?!?!?
I remember when this came out on album with the picture actually on the album, I had to have it lol. Yes, I agree, where do you go from here-this song really blows the hair back or off 🤘🏼🎸🤘🏼
TY for going back to the good stuff, it is real for me. Metallica fade to black was playing in the room next door to mine, in the group home I went to after my mom tried to kill me when I was 12 yrs old, so, yeah...
As a Bay Area resident my whole life, I’m 53 now, I was 14 in November 83 when I saw them at Berkeley, Ca. Dude get the movie Murder in the Front Row….seriously Google it….this was our scene and our life..and it changed the world
They were younger then, and a true Thrash Metal band, maybe the best one ever. As they aged, their metal changed, and it was magnificent to watch happen in real time. But I fucking love this album. Serious intense Thrash, from the gut.
I was 11 years old when this album came out in 1983 and it was foundational for me. It wasn't long before I was wanting guitars, drums, and more metal albums. I am so nostalgic with this album. Their bass player Cliff Burton is still a major influence on my bass playing
Oh brother if you haven't heard Kill em all in it's entirety your in for a treat. Super raw, aggressive and relentless. Holy Wars is my favorite metal song but Kill em all is my favorite album (Ride the lightning being an extremely close 2nd) Try Whiplash next bro. You won't be disappointed
This is one of James favorite songs for audience participation. It's hilarious watching the concert footage of this song in Mexico! James goes down to the front line of the audience and has people sing/scream "HIT THE LIGHTS"! They butcher the words and most definitely CAN'T sing, but it's fun to watch!
This is still my fav Metallica album. Have an old tape of this that has Blitzkreig and Am I Evil on it. I’d love it if you’d do the whole album
I have the cd with those songs; unfortunately, it is stuck in my cd player along with Master of Puppets, Ride the Lightning, Sepultura Arise, and a couple of others lol.
haha i remember when my dad first heard this he was like "not bad for a bunch of drunk kids!" perfect statement
I’m not a big Metallica fan nowadays but this album is the best pure thrash metal album ever. Changed the game.
I think Mustaine was already booted out before this album was recorded and released.
One of the most interesting links was when Mustaine formed Megadeth and modified The Four Horsemen's arrangement to a shorter but faster track called Mechanix.
Glad taht you take your time and enjoy the music, when this came out Dave was out of the band despite he was the composer of many songs in this album!
Best do Motorbreath on this album. The catchiest one imo.
Dave was kicked out before album was recorded but they used several of his songs, pissing him off to no end.
One thing is for sure
Metallica's music gives you a life"s lesson.
@@bschuler6216 Lmao. Good one 🤣
Battery is incredible!! Different album but Creeping Death is also!
Kirks playing the solo but he's emulating what Dave used to play. So even if Dave didn't write it, his style is still all over it.
Dude I saw them live at the Texas Jam 85, 86 or so and they tore the whole cotton bowl stadium a new one
It had to have been 120 degrees in the stands and they were spraying water on everyone close enough to the stage with a fire hose.
Oh yes. The early days. I saw them on the Lightening tour ‘85 Sacramento and then in Oakland for Day on the Green. Great times.
First song of first album! Direct shot at Dave by giving Kirk so much spotlight on this song and he did well with extra time.
One of my favorite things in the world is watching black people discover and lose their minds to Metallica!! 🤘🏻🤘🏻
'Hit the lights' was the first song James Hetfield ever wrote with Lars Ulrich in 1981... When the 2 met that year, neither was experienced in playing music. James & then-bassist Ron McGovney were auditioning musicians, and Lars was terrible on drums ("his kit was ten different colors... he hit the cymbal and it kept falling off..."). However, Lars had connections w/ the L.A. metal scene, and one was Brian Slagel, the founder of Metal Blade Records - Slagel gave Lars a slot on a compilation release called 'Metal Massacre' of various demos of local bands. Lars also had a name for the band - Metallica, which he took from metal fanzine editor Ron Quintana... Lars still had no band, but he went back to James Hetfield and convinced him to record a demo on tape... James had 'Hit the lights'... James played guitar, Lars played drums, Ron McGovney played bass... and they got a local guitarist Lloyd Grant to play lead guitar. James sang lead, but had laryngitis at the time, so he sounded hoarse on the original demo. 'Hit the lights' made it on the first pressing of 'Metal Massacre' on Metal Blade Records in 1981 (Ratt was also on the original pressing)... A lot of bands got exposure on 'Metal Massacre' compilation releases - Slayer, Flotsam & Jetsam, were included on later releases.
With Metallica becoming a band in late 1981, Dave Mustaine came into the picture in early 1982 when he auditioned for the band on lead guitar... Metallica played their first 2 shows in L.A. opening for Saxon at the Whiskey-a-go-go club... They also started writing more songs, primarily from James & Dave (according to Dave, Lars contributed little to the early songs, but still got credit for songwriting)... 'Hit the lights' was re-recorded w/ Dave Mustaine on lead guitar and a proper vocal track from James... They approached Armored Saint vocalist John Bush (later of Anthrax) to join Metallica, but he declined. The demo versions of 'Hit the lights' are available on UA-cam.
In the first few months of 1982, Metallica had also recorded a demo cassette they named 'No life til leather' which had early recordings of 'Hit the lights'... 'Mechanix' ... 'Jump in the fire'... w/ Dave Mustaine on lead guitar and Ron McGovney on bass. But after some friction between Dave & Ron, Metallica wanted a new bass player... they saw Cliff Burton play in San Francisco is a band called Trauma, and begged him to join. In early 1983, Cliff Burton agreed to join Metallica if they moved to San Francisco... and they did. Cliff Burton played his first shows w/ Metallica in the spring of 1983 and were contacted from New York City by Megaforce Records label owner Jon Zazula to travel to the East Coast to play gigs and record an album. By that point, most of the songs on "Kill 'em all" had been written & performed at shows.
When Metallica arrived in NYC in mid-1983, they had enough hassles w/ Dave Mustaine and wanted to replace him (On the road trip to NY, Dave had a tendency to constantly find trouble) ... They were given a rehearsal space next to Anthrax, and then opted to bring in Exodus guitarist Kirk Hammett... Dave Mustaine was woken up 1 morning and fired, whisked to the bus station and sent back to L.A. and when Kirk Hammett arrived, they were also apprehensive cos they didn't have money to send him back if he failed the audition. Thankfully, he pulled off Dave's solos on the record, so Hammett was in.
Megaforce Records also had Manowar on their roster, and they had just recorded their 2nd album 'Into glory ride'... so Metallica were recommended that same NY studio to record "Kill 'em all"... w/ Jon & Marsha Zazula overseeing the album's production. The only changes were to 'The Four Horsemen' which was an extended version of Dave's song 'Mechanix'... James Hetfield played all the rhythm guitars... Kirk Hammett played all of Dave's solos for the record... Originally titled "Metal up your a--", Megaforce couldn't get a distributor w/ that album title and artwork 😂 So, it was renamed "Kill 'em all" and released in late 1983, just ahead of Slayer's debut album 'Show no mercy' and Anthrax's 'Fistful of metal' ...but it was the best record of the thrash metal genre, hands down.
According to Dave Mustaine, he was furious when he heard all his tracks had been recorded by Metallica without him... he had to write a new batch of songs for Megadeth's debut album 'Killing is my business' which came out in 1985.
Not Ron Mc Govney on first compilation pass. James did the bass on top of rythmn.
@@tallycahamuhlhetru26 There's some debate about that. Ron McGovney is credited on bass on the original pressing. The song was recorded on a 4 track, so they jammed on it. Also, McGovney was working w/ Hetfield on putting a band together when Lars auditioned. Their first recordings were made in McGovney's garage where they jammed.
Another possibility was that they had another guitarist who played bass but was never credited... (Iron Maiden never credited Dennis Wilcock for lyrics to 'Charlotte the harlot' or guitarist Paul 'Mad Mack' Cairns for the Soundhouse tapes).
I grew up with that and iI remember when this album came out. Keep on rocking, brother.
This is back in the days when Metallica deserved their title as king of metal. They were awesome through and justice for all but then they fade it out to a lot of us fans when they went main stream but in their credit that also made them explode in popularity.
Black album did it. It made them world famous, loved by old people, and what can I say, awful.
@@keithbrown7685 that’s right, the Black album made them soft and appetizing enough for those who were not really into thrash metal and that’s where they’re true fame, began for sure. And justice, for all was a great album, and it kind of kick them a little more into the lime light, but it was black that blue them up. That was the album that turned a lot of us old time thrash heads that started with them away because it was not the same.
There is also the fact in the bass player, Cliff Burton-RIP, was there too
Ft. Bragg 1983, in a shoe box on the counter of a Peaches Record Store I found this for the first time. One first listen I basically gave up on every other metal out there for months. Wore this cassette out multiple times, rebuying it during my military tour. Great Album
Where are you from? Arkansas?
This is real Metallica, imo. 1st of all, we still had Cliff. 2nd, they were still young and raw,.. hadn't grown up, gotten married, had kids. They were still kids themselves, basically. Check out Anesthesia (Pulling Teeth). It's Cliff Button's masterpiece
This song reminds me of drinking beers in the woods, riding arnd on minibikes blasting this album, Having to hit RadioShack for 16 D batteries multiple times in a weekend, also denim jackets.
YESS! FInally! You can hear that this song is Dave's really, including the solos.
Dave didn't write this song James did. And Kirk and Dave based the solos off Lloyd grant
When me and my cousins perform, this is the song we always end with. Of course, faster...always fun
Just for your education. The songs off this album written by Dave were "Four Horseman,"(mechanix) "Jump into the Fire," "Phantom Lord" and "Metal Militia." However the recording of this album, Dave was not a part of. All lead you hear is by Hammett
Ahhhhh! High Schol memories
so now go and check out the demo of this album. its on UA-cam. it will blow your mind.
Kirk Hammett plays these solos and both Kirk and Dave based them off the solos of Lloyd grant who played on the original metal massacre hit the lights release in 1982
WHOOOOO!! Therapy for the adolescent in all of us! 😄❤
Ride the Lightning is the BEST! They really matured in a year and Fight Fire with Fire is the way to kick off a Metal album.
James really came into his own Lyrically and the Growl really came through on their 2nd slice. Album reaction without a doubt. Peace.
There are no songs on ride the lightning or master that you just say nope I’m skipping this song!
@@susanconstable2113 Cliff 'em all. ( ͡❛ ͜ʖ ͡❛)✌
Probably my favourit!!!
The extreme metal from the 80s was ignited by this album.
If you want to hear earlier extreme metal, check out early Venom, albums Welcome To Hell and Black Metal (yep, they coined that term way back in '82).
The song that started it All. My world changed 666 procent after this one. ❤️
Kill’em all, Ride the lighting, master, and injustice for all. All of them are in my top ten albums. Lol probably top five
Would be amazing the last song from their last album they called it as “turn off the lights”.
This is Kirk on lead. Mustaine has writing credit for 4 songs. I was still doing mostly older metal (Accept, Motorhead, etc) when this came out.
He wrote more than he got credit for, on three albums. They only gave him credit for recordings that had already been in hands of himself, and others that could prove he wrote them. You can always hear Dave's stank on songs he wrote. His style is unique.
@@profanepersonality No he got credit for everything he helped write o don't understand why people keep saying he didn't.
@@profanepersonality literally the only one Dave says he didn't get credit for was a riff in leper messiah but that's because his riff on an old jam barely resembles the riff in leper Messiah just a close chord progression
I used to have the Metal Massacre compilation album w/ this song on it, and from what I remember it was a different version of the song and had their first bassist before Cliff. Wish I still had it :( do not know what happened to it.
The first compilation of "Kill 'Em All" was Lars, James rhythm & bass & Lloyd Grant on lead.
So many fanfukntastic songs on this album. Whiplash, Four Horsemen, No Remorse, Seek and Destroy, Jump in the Fire, and of course Am I Evil which was added later and is a remake.
I think we can all wonder if thrash would have been as prominent as it was had it not been for this album - it paved the way for this music because it was so damn good, people started paying attention.
Slayer - Aggressive Perfector
Has a kinda similar intro
It's off their Haunting the Chapel 4 song EP
You'll probably like it
That whole Kill Em All album is good, every song
I had it on vinyl back in the day, like 83
Pure, precision thrash, with elements of their future evolution into progressive speedmetal over the next 3 albums already heard here (when you listen to their discography from start to finish). This album and Ride The Lightning are my top favorites of the band. Nothing against the 90s+ material, that was their choice to change things up (and garnered different new fans, which is cool too), but I'm an 80s metal kid. "Where do you go from here?" They went on to better production quality & gear due to this success -- so of course the sound changed a little by the next album, but it was essentially still the same Metallica, IMO. On that very next album is my favorite Metallica song of all time, Creeping Death (who else but Metallica could put a scary Old Testament story to metal? Chilling & cool)...that phenomenal song is every bit as fast and metal as anything on this album, simply with better production values, that's all.
Insightful comment, spot on. I enjoy most of their stuff, but mostly in passing nowadays. As a young guitar player, it was hard not to love Metallica's iconic, challenging, and FUN riffs!
the lead guitar on the entire album of Kill em all is played by Kirk Hammett . Dave Mustaine wrote some of the songs but never got to record kill em all with Metallica. a lot of people get confused with that
Thrash Till Deeeath !!! ❤❤❤❤
You can hear punk's influence on thrash metal with this song. Also Motorbreath
I wants Metal Meltdown shirt…where do I order!!!!
Also Kirk didn’t have time to construct much for his own solos, so the producer suggested starting the first bars of the solo as Dave’s solo then kinda go where he wanted after that. Honestly, I think Kirks solos were miles beyond Mustaines demo solos for this album…but Dave went on to become fucking awesome on his own!
Definitely do the songs individually for sure! Let the journey begin 🤘🏾
This song is by James and Lars. James played both bass and guitar.
Great take on a great song man!
One thing you could do is go and look at the old 'No Life 'Til Leather' Demo. It features the same set-list but with Dave on lead and Ron Mcgovney on base. I actually prefer the sound on the demo to how they're mixed in 'Kill 'Em All'.
Hello
U've been listening to that stuff for 30 years now
Thank you for your review !!
By the way, you seem to be strong like hell !!!
The songs were first written with Mustaine and recorded with Hammett - Kirk played lead on all Metallica records except the Demo No Life Till Leather
Mustaine had nothing to do with he writing of this song, just 4 of the songs on kill em all
@@deletedhero5579 True he didn’t write this one . It was all Hetfield and Ulrich
@@sonusworld666 Yea Dave wrote four horsemen (90% if it), jump in the fire, phantom lord and metal militia
@@deletedhero5579 Right on 🤘🤘
@@deletedhero5579 I will add this though the first lead solo on the four horsemen was Kirk’s contribution - His only contribution to Kill Em All
That is a great song to open up a new Band 👌🏼
I just saw your face melt!
my first caset of metallica was *kill em all* (tape) when i was 8-9yrs old :) i rand that bit.. to she broke :) hehe
what you don't understand is when they came out the were considered underground music and not popular at all. It's people like me and my friends who made them popular with our support which I still agree with!!!
like every single other metal band in existence.
I love this whole album!! I had it on cassette when I was training in the CAF Reserves. Great to work out to. If you could, review The Four Horsemen.
Check the channel it’s up
I've listened to the demo with Mustaine's solos ("No Life 'Til Leather"). In my opinion, Kirk's solos are just better.
I know I commented about Marty making love to the guitar and Dave fucking it😂😂
"That was exhausting."
And song 2 is The Four Horsemen.
Whiplash is THE song from this album - it's the ultimate eponymous anthem.
This one comes close, as does Motorbreath, but Whiplash is the best.
Love u bro \m/...dont fuckin stop...peace
The solos are all kirk, but a whole bunch of riffs on the album are dave's
This is Metallica in it's raw form, before they became commercial I started with Ride the Lighting, still my favorite, than I went back to Kill 'Em All. This one has a lot of good songs. I'd recommend you do the whole album. There is one song that Metallica and Megadeth have that is very similar song but with different title, lyrics and tempo. Metallica's For Horseman and Megadeth's Mechanix. The Four Horseman has Hetfield , Ulrich and Mustaine cited as writers. You had reacted to both back in April of 2020.
Hello T! To me this is Metallica at their best. You ought to try some songs from Garage Days it's all covers but it's great. There are 2 Garage Day albums, try the 1st one.
I agree this album is Metallica at their rawest - funny, I love garage inc., but I prefer disc two for whatever reason.
5:59 the solo was long but it was great
I couldnt play that song loud enough in my jacked up, large tired 73 Super Beetle. 😂
This song more INFLUENCE into 80'S UK PUNKS BAND
Raw,young,hungry and honest.
Just wait to hear Metal Melitia and Four Horseman.
Their 2nd best album,RTL is the best one,in my opinion,of course.
T will u please react to Metallica's Garage Days re-revisited $5.98 EP. It's the only time you'll hear Jason's bass in the mix of an album. Its raw and powerful, Lars sounds good (no drum splicing in the recording), James' voice sounds better than any other album, and Kirk's solos are flat out amazing. You won't be disappointed.
Im thinking this this first track
Listen to No Life Till Leather Demo that has Dave on it its horrible quality but god damn Dave Mustaine Guitar rips through that old sound equipment
Totally agree, may open the eyes to the stubborn Metallica fans that disregard any contribution Dave Mustaine had with the band
@@rattlehead1816 I don't think any metallica fan does though they just dispute the myths that Dave wrote everything haha
Kirk Hammett wasn't even 18 I believe here, he's a human shedding machine!
Old school Metallica - the only Metallica!!! Thrash metal was born! It’s fucking great, afterwards Metallica was a sold out pop-band! So shout out to megadeth 🤘
Love and respect all Metallica and JH. I much rather hear a more mature JH then a screaming kid.
first song they ever wrote jon zazula (rest his soul) sold me this album before it was released to the public and i still have it (never played) !!!!!!!!
This came out. It changed the face of music. The Black Album did the same thing. Metallica literally changed the face of music twice.
they set the bar high every time they release new album,untill black albu.After that it just a meh for me
Bro, you are fucking metal