Metallica - Master of Puppets (cover)

This song is... uhhh. Too many memories.

Early 90's, 1991 or 1992. High school, first year. I already knew that it would be very tough (and I was right) - cold, demanding, often ruthless place, teachers were pretty much this cannibalistic type, classmates were these typical brainless, stuck-up bitches and generally I felt as an outsider to say the least. Yet the luckiest was that I had a classmate who turned to be my best friend; a girl with a totally similar music taste, but since she had a lot of other rocker/metalhead friends, she had a much better chance than me to hear some really hard/heavy stuff. 

I remember, it started as a kind of deal between us. My friend, Eszter could borrow all the coolest, heaviest albums from friends on cassette, but she couldn't copy them for herself, because she had a single-deck cassette player only. I already had a double-deck player, which I could copy any cassette any time with. I offered Eszter to copy all the albums she'd like to have, just she should bring me an empty cassette as well. And obviously, as I was copying her the current cassette(s), I could also have a listen to these albums (and of course making a copy for myself, too). This way I was introduced to bands like Megadeth, Bathory, the entire Florida death metal scene and of course, Metallica among many others. (in exchange I showed her KISS, Pantera, Biohazard, later Faith No More and Pearl Jam)

I remember, on an especially ugly, gray day in November (or December) 1991 Eszter arrived at school with a wide grin, waving with a cassette in her hand at me, then she dropped it right in front of me with "prettypleasecopythisformepleasepleaseplease". It was Metallica's "Master of Puppets" album. At that time I was listening to the black album (the very first Metallica-material I could put my hands on, thanks to this girl) and Kill 'Em All, and I just started to get introduced to Ride The Lightning, which eventually became my favorite Metallica-album of all times.

I remember as I was copying and listening to Master of Puppets, I was surprised by its brutality and heavy, raw power after the first album's simplicity and Ride The Lightning's complex themes. I did copy it for myself of course, but somehow I listened to it just a few times. I kept listening to Ride The Lightning (or Kill 'Em All), then I got to know a row of new bands and I got hooked on them. Master of Puppets fell into the darkness of oblivion.

Shame on me. I know.

Sure, sure. I know that lately, especially knowing all today's endless row of new bands and all the current and former genres, it has been trendy to think of Metallica as a laughing matter, as a kind of nursery home for 4 aging metalheads, coming up with a bunch of other (talented, more or lesser known) musicians as a counter example, being technical and/or versatile in their style. Some of these charges have a real basis, but it still remains everyone's personal opinion at the end. The thing is - and this is again a personal opinion, just it's mine - back then in the early 90's we didn't love and worship Metallica for their skills or the members' virtuoso style or their musical experiments in the different albums or songs. (Does any of you remember what a scandal it was when they released "Loud"? Or even the black album?) We loved them because they were brutal, raw and authentic. And we really didn't need anything else back then.

Talking about this cover, I think it was a great idea from Cygnus Rock Band to pick this Metallica-song and I tell you why. There are a bunch of other Metallica-songs, each of them are very popular, they have been covered a million times, but this song is not only much more difficult than a simple listener would ever think

time signature switches, just to mention this one

and all the 4 musicians can show their true talent and skills

Let's make two things clear.

1. I know you didn't recognize it. You didn't even recognize the original song's complexity. You don't even recognize the difference between an orange and a contrabass bow. Do you recognize your own mother?...

2. Coming up with "oh, I know this song from that and that tv series!" is invalid.

but I find it cool, courageous and creative not to hop on the popularity train and cover e.g. "Seek And Destroy" or "Sad But True". No, they picked a song that makes even the listener sweat. They said "challenge accepted" and they dropped this cover.

Be sure it hit a fkin moon-sized crater.

We all know the original song, I won't get into details about it. It hits hard right in the beginning with its iconic riff and the song continues just like that.

Cygnus Rock Band made it nuclear.

No joke. The listener gets hit in the groints right in the beginning by the rhythm section and the guitar.

Yes, I'm aware that Lars Ulrich is a controversial drummer. People either hate him or worship him and both sides are right. Lars, while definitely not belonging to the group of skilled, versatile drummers, was still a legend for many in the 80's and 90's, for the very same reason the other members of Metallica were. He had statements in the public which he made many people disappointed with, and these people were upset with a reason. In the meantime he was and still is a rock god, a role model and a musical inspiration for thousands, if not millions of musicians and fans.

Lars keeps getting a lot of critics - again with reason - for his drumming skills. Still I think, and it's only my very own point of view that Metallica-songs are a great chance for drummers to show their own skills and put their own style and marks into the song. And I'm very happy to hear how Ruxx takes the chance and throws all his tricks, breaks, crashes, how he adds extra cymbals, but the thing I love the most is how much he brings the maximum out of this song without a tower-sized of drum kit. I can make anyone sure you won't miss the double kickdrums and the myriad of tom toms. A single kickdrum, a snare, floor toms and a minimal amount of cymbals. And Ruxx wil break through your eardrums. (pun intended, thank you 😘) You will have to seek for your jaw that dropped on the floor.

Still talking about the rhythm section, Cliff Burton has always been one of my most favorite bass players. He was a genius, though I think many still haven't and will never recognize his ground-breaking talent and uniqueness. Only bass players (and some with open eyes, ears and heart) will see what he made with his bass. He was unwilling to accept the usual role of bassists, playing these reliable but a bit monotonous chords; instead he dared to let his instrument live its own life. He was a real virtuoso and in his own time his playing and style was like as if he was from another planet.

If anyone (with heart, mind and ears...) gives a good listen to this song, they will recognize soon the HUGE load of work the bass is doing.

And Deneb made it.

He fkin MADE IT, he didn't just made it but he made it NUCLEAR, because it's the mfkin bass that hits you right in the stomach as you start to listen to this cover.

I don't know what he did to that E string, if he replaced it completely with enriched uranium (with plutonium added) or just an extra load of his secret potion OR both, but I'm sure the Geiger-Müller counter would have hit the roof if it had been around the studio during the recording. And I want to recommend anyone to watch Deneb's hand on the guitar's neck

because I know you haven't watched any live video of Master of Puppets and if you have, you didn't watch the bass player

just to get a glimpse on what an enormous job he (and Cliff) made for this song.

I'm wondering how many bass picks were used during the recording. If anyone knows it, leave me a comment.

It's great to see Blu as well, getting rid of his usual elegance, letting himself go and get cranked up for this song. It's especially great to hear Ruxx singing - yes, I did love and still love James's screaming in Metallica's songs. Again many may say that it was just some static howling, but again I want to emphasize that Metallica's simple, raw and heavy music needed exactly such vocals: simple, heavy and aggressive, and James did his very best. And while Ruxx is screaming his heart out (supported by Deneb at the chorus), he still adds his trademark legatos and it gives a great and gratifying extra flavor to the cover.

I still beg to get to know how the chorus at 3:25 was done 🥺

One of the surprises of the song is the legendary solo part. I remember how hard it hit us every time we listened to it, it even brought tears to some people's eyes, to hear this arpeggo solo after the brutality of the first part.

And here enters Reny. 

I don't just find it very creative to add keyboards to a by default raw and brutal Metallica-song (for many it would be a kind of blasphemy, but it doesn't matter now), but I especially love the harpsichord-alike sound of it. And what I enjoy most of all and find the ultimate sign of the talent of all these musicians is that the keyboards, this beautiful, delicate, baroque-ish sound doesn't take away the aggressivity of the song, on the contrary, it emphasizes that. And this is what I find the most fascinating and beautiful, along with all these I mentioned above.

Be sure it doesn't end here.

Watch the bass during the solo, watch the drums, too, they make magic together as the song turns into that legendary "beast of burden" mode afterwards.

This type of heavy, middle-paced rock theme that Metallica has in Master of Puppets after the solo was called "beast of burden" or "pack-artillery" in my mother tongue back in the 90's.

The rhythm section gruntles like a pack of werewolves, the chorus is deep, evil and aggressive, Ruxx's sharp tenor makes a wonderful contrast with the growling vocals.

You keep watching the solo from this point.

You keep watching the guitar, you keep watching the bass, you keep listening to them both together, you cry, you give thanks to all that you believen in that you can witness it. You let yourself being knocked out by the drums. You let yourself getting torn into a million pieces during the post-solo bridge.

And you feel happy.

And when you think it can't get any better, more brutal and sweeping, Reny returns. He brings a solo for the end of the song that isn't just unexpected, unique, absolutely creative and one-of-a-kind and an amazing idea, but it tears your remaining pieces into microscopic parts.

BUAHHAHAHAHAHA!

And then you start it over, because you can't get enough of it.

You're welcome.