The definitive Metallica work
Master of Puppets is largely hailed as Metallica's crowning achievement, a great piece of thrash metal. The album deals with control, manipulation, free will, etc. It showcases some of Hammett's best guitar work, and it's definitely got a more polished sound than the previous two Metallica releases.

Battery: Not my favorite track in all honesty. It starts off with an easy acoustic intro but leads into a heavy battery of guitars and drums. A pretty good intro. 8/10

Master of Puppets: Arguably one of their best tracks. The song starts heavy, and has a very melodic sound to it. I think what's so great about this song is that it's not just mindless shredding, but it actually has a very strong structure and varied sounds. The solo is great, as is the interlude before it. It could be interpreted to be about anybody controlling, but it's most obvious reference is to how drug addiction can take over someone's mind. 10/10

The Thing That Should Not Be: Meh. It's heavy, it doesn't sound terrible, but I just find it boring. Inspired by H.P. Lovecraft's work. 6/10

Welcome Home (Sanitarium): After the last track you need something really good, and this does the job pretty well. It's one of the slower songs on the album (though not as slow as The Thing) and it deals with the minds of people in insane asylums. Good solo, solid song. 9/10

Disposable Heroes: Much faster and heavier than Master of Puppets or Sanitarium, this song is about how the government treats its military as some sort of disposable force, rather than realizing that the soldiers are real people. It's got strong solos, a pretty good structure, and it just gets your blood pumping. 9/10

Leper Messiah: For some reason I love this song. It's about evangelicals, especially televangelists, who try to sell religion. You can simply hear Hetfield's anger in this song (his parents were strict followers of Christianity, and his mother died soon after she left his dad). The song is heavy, and a bit slower than the others, but there's just something about it that I like. 10/10

Orion: An instrumental piece of art. It starts off with a dreamy intro, and is simply wonderful to listen to. It's hard to call it heavy or slow or fast... it is changing throughout the song. Perhaps one of the best parts is the middle, during Cliff's bass solo. It simply invokes ideas of outer space (Orion being a nebula and constellation) in me, and is arguably one of the better metal instrumentals. 10/10

Damage Inc: Probably the best closer to a Metallica album other than Dyers Eve. The first minute or so is a soft intro (I'm guessing some sort of synth, either that or a guitar with an effects pedal) that makes you think you're still listening to Orion. Then you hear a heavier note, and suddenly the guitars start. The same note a few times, then you go into thrash mode. The guitars simply do not stop going fast, Hammett hitting you with everything he's got. The solo comes out of nowhere, thrashing and flailing. Fun to listen to. At the surface it seems to simply be about some sort of mercenary corporation or killer, but it can be interpreted to be about self determination. 10/10

If you want to get into Metallica's heavier stuff, then without a doubt you should pick up this album. It's well-produced (compared to RtL and KEA) and is a bit more accessible than And Justice For All (not to say that it's worse than AJ4A... I think it's actually better).

Genius
The first amazing thing about Metallica is that they are one of the most popular bands of all time, without the help of radio. They have a CD composed of nothing but 7-8 minute long tracks that still manage to get into the 20-30 play count zone on my iPod. This CD is as airtight as it gets, the production is fantastic. No song but "The Thing that Should not be" seems out of place, and this album really defines Metallica as an against-the-masses thrash metal band. The solos and buildups always fit perfectly into the song and there is never a boring moment. Topping one of the greatest solos of all time in "Damage inc.", the classics like Master of Puppets and Disposable Heroes are some of my favorites of all time. Some of Kirk's best guitar is on front display on this album, and the dazzling drums will keep you hooked. The vocals aren't raunchy, but are aggressive and "angry" without being hard to listen to. This album is a simple classic, and stays good for a long, long time.

BUY IT
If you Like Metallica and dont have this albulm you must be under a rock. it gets heavy than a ballad and all the solos you want to hear

Masters of Trash
I received this album as a christmas present from my sister back in '86 and ever since I was hooked. This is the best trash album by far. With classics like Battery, The thing that should not be, Disposable Heroes, the title track, and of course the instrumental masterpiece signed Cliff Burton: Orion. This is Metallica at their peak. Dont miss this one. A must buy !!!

Anyone who wasnt there........
When this came out doesnt understand its importance. Just a great record with incredible maturity after the equally impressive 'Ride The Lightning'. There are over a thousand reviews so i cant add much. The raves? believe them. Its a must own for ALL Metalheads and Rock fans. This CD showed you can be Heavy, Melodic and also a bit Progressive. Very original and aggressive for its time.

They would be the first extreme metal band to get signed to a really good label and deal, opening many doors for other bands and the genre in general. Their success was truly from word of mouth and touring. Best part was they had the music and chops to back it up. From 'Battery' to 'Damage Inc.' there are no throwouts. The musicianship was definitely stepped up a notch from their previous 2.

The fact that people had the guts to give this 1 star sickens me (60+ people?). Because you know that they were'nt around in '86 to feel its impact, or they compare it to todays Punk-Metal and/or Goth-Death Metal. And/Or they are just morons.. More than likely its the latter, because even people who dont like the style of music can appreciate it on some level, and they obviously arent musicians who can appreciate it.....

This CD meets its post-hype. Its importance and influence in todays metal scene is undeniable. A blueprint and staple in American Metal history regardless of some of the crap they would spew out later.