Kill ’Em All & the Birth of Metallica
How Metallica ushered thrash metal into the fold with their 1983 debut.
It’s hard to think that a band as renowned as Metallica could have produced one of their greatest albums nearly 40 years ago, at a time when people were just beginning to recognize their name.
With a library so deep and diverse, there are a multitude of albums to discuss, but Kill ’Em All ranks above many others in my list for its formative composure and ignition of the thrash metal genre. Heavy metal had existed for a little more than a decade prior, its existence and mainstream attention having largely been credited to Black Sabbath’s eponymous 1970 release — among other artists’ works — but the sub-genre of thrash metal had not yet been pioneered. Metallica was not the first band to play thrash metal, nor did they “invent” the genre, but no one moved with the confidence and polish that Metallica did in 1983.
The Importance of the Album
Metallica’s combination of heavy metal roots mixed with punk rock’s upfront speed and aggression is what catapulted this band to super-stardom after the release of Kill ’Em All. Metallica was doing what bands like Iron Maiden, Motörhead, and Black Sabbath had been doing since the seventies— but they were doing it with an unmatched level of speed and technicality. This is Metallica’s purest display of the thrash metal genre, as their subsequent albums would go on to push the envelope in bigger and harder ways, eventually breaking fully into the heavy metal genre by the release of their 1991 “black album”.
If you are unfamiliar with Metallica’s work, the songs on this album might come as a slight surprise. James Hetfield’s vocals on this album are undeniably at their peak; a brief minute of the intro track “Hit The Lights” reveals a screaming, yelling Hetfield that was never really seen again after this album. Overall, this album is lightning quick and stays in your face throughout its entirety.
Listen to This One
Kill ’Em All only further improves when you compare it against the staggering amount of material in Metallica’s catalog. The influence of punk rock and the new wave of British heavy metal on Metallica’s songwriting and musical focus was never more apparent than it was in their debut. Even by their sophomore release, Metallica had largely shed their punk rock influence in favor of pushing thrash metal in a heavier and more progressive direction. “Metal Militia” (and the rest of the tracks on Kill ’Em All) reveals a gritty, red-hot version of Metallica that was more about kicking down your door and spitting in your face than any of the band’s later albums. This song is fast, violent, and unforgiving in a way that makes you want to get out in the street and flip cars.
The History of Metallica’s Early Years
This album is a train wreck from a historical standpoint. Metallica had been formed in 1981 in Los Angeles by James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich after recruiting Dave Mustaine and Ron McGovney for lead guitar and bass, respectively. Ron McGovney was later replaced by Cliff Burton before the recording of Kill ’Em All — Burton would become a welcome addition to Metallica, touring with the band and recording bass for Ride the Lightning and Master of Puppets before his untimely death in a bus crash in Sweden in 1986 at the age of 24.
Dave Mustaine, who assisted in the songwriting of Metallica’s debut record, was ultimately ejected from the band in 1983 before the album’s recording and replaced by Kirk Hammett, who would go on to be a permanent fixture in the Metallica line-up. Mustaine was fired from the band due to excessive alcohol and drug use, as well as issues with violent behavior towards other members of Metallica. Following his removal from Metallica, Mustaine would go on to form one of the other pioneering bands of thrash metal in Megadeth.
Listening Recommendations
All of the music on this album is fantastic, but there is not a lot of variety to the depth of the material. This entire album is about going too fast and being too angry. If you’re wondering where to start, consider these songs:
“Hit The Lights” — much like “Metal Militia”, a fun, fast track that doesn’t stop until the song is over.
“The Four Horsemen” & “Phantom Lord” — I feel like these two songs in particular showcase a lot of the early elements of Kill ’Em All that actually managed to bleed over into their second album, Ride the Lightning. These are great to listen to against the context of their next album.
“(Anesthesia) — Pulling Teeth” — This song opens with a phenomenal bass solo from Cliff Burton that lasts for nearly two and a half minutes before anyone else joins in. Hetfield and Hammett are both absent from this song; this is only about Burton and his phenomenal bass abilities.
“Seek & Destroy” — a Metallica classic, even if you’re not familiar with this album in its entirety. Another song that I think does an excellent job at showing where thrash metal was heading in 1983.
