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METALSANDMETALS
Metal newbie

Joined: Sun Mar 03, 2013 9:47 pm
Posts: 32
Location: United States
PostPosted: Mon May 20, 2013 6:42 pm 
 

I'm trying to write a review on Kill Em All and I decided to improve my draft once again. It there anyone who can see my draft? At least I can show it here so far.

This is the following draft currently:

"Kill 'Em All is not only just officially the first thrash metal album, but the album featuring the greatest example of music. Metallica perfectly can define thrash metal with all the features found off this album such as fast and aggressive speed metal guitar riffs, raspy vocals, blast drumming and influences from heavy metal and punk rock.

First of all, the vocals James Hetfield had back then is some of the most energetic vocals you could hear in heavy metal without using any vocal techniques such as growls, angry shouting or shrieking. If someone only remembers him for mostly singing, well on this album he has a lot of screaming. Although it isn't the shrieked type of screams in this case. However, James does have singing, but it is very crazy and completely energetic. He didn't really have full-on vocals featured on later records by Metallica that appeared to influence the vocals of other vocalists such as Chuck Billy from thrash metal band Testament. The vocals just are influenced a lot by speed metal vocalists like Lemmy Kilmister and punk rock vocalists like Jello Biafra and Glenn Danzig. This creating an energetic, raspy tone for a heavy metal band from the early 1980s.

Moreover, Kirk Hammett's guitar lines (although Dave Mustaine contributed a little to the album before he was fired) are very aggressive and fast. Kirk played mostly within pentatonic scales. However, he does have a few more riffs played in Dorian mode but sound more angry than mellow in Dorian mode's minor key playing. Songs like Hit the Lights, Phantom Lord, and Seek & Destroy have more pentatonic scales. In the song The Four Horsemen, there is in the main riff, but in the middle of the song you'll hear the guitars switch briefly to full-on Dorian mode with anger reflected in its tone. Kirk does have some really good examples of thrash metal solos on this album, playing them in pentatonic scales and giving a fast, flawless guitar shred influenced by 1970s heavy metal. Furthermore, Cliff Burton's bass riffs are very deep, easily heard and give the perfect substance and power the music needs in metal. They sound a little like traditional heavy metal bass lines played much faster, but they still can be used from all types of 1970s/1980s bands from Motörhead to Judas Priest to Overkill and any of those bands of that era. Although they aren't generic, bland or boring; they're incredible! Lars Ulrich also can easily make blast beats much more faster than on their self-titled album, Load and stuff. Although, they are actually even faster than his drumming on the likes of Master of Puppets and their 2011 EP known as Beyond Magnetic. He sounds extremely insane and can easily make a pounding, harsh and powerful sound which can easily fit the other features of this album, but even can create a much more angrier and fast sound. Lars basically sounds like he isn't getting tired no matter how fast he drums by a certain amount of time. If Metallica continued to play thrash metal, maybe Lars wouldn't be tagged as "overrated" or something.

Additionally, the band originally were in LA, where all these glam metal bands such as Mötley Crüe (mainly their mid-late '80s material), Poison, Quiet Riot, etc <i>usually</i> took place in. They'd get treated like shit and even were tormented by security guards just for their aggressive style and LA citizens all thought the band were punk rock. Moving to San Francisco while glam was growing, the album, which started up thrash metal more, did get fueled a lot by the band's loath towards glam metal and the fans in LA they identified mostly as posers. Without glam, the feeling in the early thrash albums probably wouldn't have been there, which would affect metal greatly, but pretty much thrash and whatever it influenced. The lyrics in songs like Metal Militia, Seek & Destroy and Phantom Lord kind of appear to symbolize their sound which is undeniably metal and how it was too heavy for many of the glam metal fans in LA. Metal Militia and Phantom Lord bring the topic of metal in the lyrics, but Seek & Destroy sounds like it is more of their anger reflected on the glam scene which was surrounding the Bay Area thrash scene. However, it does talk about violence in songs like The Four Horsemen, Blitzkrieg, Seek & Destroy, etc and even kicking ass on stage and headbanging and stuff like in the first song they recorded known as Hit the Lights. The violent topics seem to possibly reflect more of anger or evil, while songs like Hit the Lights reflect more of headbanging, kicking ass on stage and moshing, which sounds like fun being reflected and even reflecting attack on glam or even enjoying of metal in songs like Metal Militia and Phantom Lord.

Overall, this is the perfect thrash album and truly is Metallica's masterpiece. It is the finest example of thrash and even fans of speed metal, heavy metal or even extreme metal could even enjoy this. Finding people who hate this album or don't favor it due to Metallica's change in sound is possible. However, if the band did remain thrash, maybe they'd judge this album for what it really is."

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Obscurum
Emperor of the Shadows

Joined: Tue Jun 19, 2012 2:23 am
Posts: 382
Location: United States
PostPosted: Mon May 20, 2013 7:37 pm 
 

You coulda posted that here:
viewtopic.php?f=4&t=16487
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