Track Listing

1. Hit The Lights
2. The Four Horsemen
3. Motorbreath
4. Jump In The Fire
5. (Anaesthesia) Pulling Teath
6. Whiplash
7. Phantom Lord
8. No Remorse
9. Seek & Destroy
10. Metal Militia

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2152 in Music
• Released on: 2007-07-02
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .21 pounds
• Running time: 51 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
While not as timeless as Ride the Lightning or Master of Puppets, Metallica's debut album--originally released in 1983--is still a fine piece of thrash metal and as good a marker as any for the debut of the genre. Fusing the rapid-fire attack of bands like Motörhead with a guitar style reminiscent of such British heavy-metal bands as Iron Maiden and Judas Priest, Metallica essentially created a new kind of metal. Several of the songs from this 1983 album have since become classics, including "Seek & Destroy", "The Four Horsemen", and "Jump in the Fire". The song-writing isn't as sophisticated as on Metallica's later releases; still, it's a great listen, and essential for any heavy-metal fan. --Genevieve Williams

CD Description
Occasionally one album can be pinpointed as the turning point in a musical genre. KILL 'EM ALL is one such album and, boy, did the heavy metal genre need a transfusion of new blood. Herein trad metal was stripped of its late-70s pomposity and reduced to its base element of brutal sonic force. The rhythm section of Burton and Ulrich do a masterful job, as does rhythm guitar ace and vocalist James Hetfield, on a set that owes a debt to punk as much as to Iron Maiden and Judas Priest. The phantasmagorical allusions are still there in the lyrics, as are some long-winded guitar solos, but otherwise KILL 'EM ALL promised a creative rebirth for hard rock.

Customer Reviews

Kill 'Em All
Released in 1983 Metallica's debut album Kill 'Em All hit the metal world by storm and set Metallica on their way to becoming one of (if not the) greatest metal bands of all time.

A great thrash album that introduced Metallica and although it may not be as sophisticated or well timed as later albums it is still a amazing record and one that any metal fan should own.

Track by Track;

1. Hit The Lights (Hetfield / Ulrich); A great first track about Metallica and their fans. Their first demo "No Life 'Till Leather" included this song and it was the opener song for Metallica's early live shows.

2. The Four Horsemen (Hetfield / Ulrich / Mustaine); Another great track and personally one of my favourites on the album. Great riffs all the way through with some great solos from Kirk. The former version of the song "The Four Horsemen" - "The Mechanix" appeared on Metallica's first demo tape "No Life 'Till Leather". Has almost always been a fixed part of the live show before the release of the "... And Justice For All" album. It is still a fixed part of a 'Kill medley'.

3. Motorbreath (Hetfield); The shortest song on the album not much over three minutes but still one that Metallica play on many of their live sets. The song writing to "Motorbreath" was solely done by James. Their first demo "No Life 'Till Leather" also included this song.

4. Jump In The Fire (Hetfield / Ulrich / Mustaine) ; Jump in the Fire" was Metallica's second LP - single. Its cover shows a laughing demon who's lurking in hell. This demon can be seen as a "Whiplash" sticker on Jaymz's white Gibson Explorer. Their first demo "No Life 'Till Leather" included this song. The lyrics of this song are written from the devil's point of view who's watching the people who are killing each others and so the villain is sure that they all will get themselves in hell. They "Jump in the Fire".

5. (Anesthesia)-Pulling Teeth (Burton); This amazing bass solo showcasing the talents of Cliff Burton was Metallica's first completly instrumental song. Makes you wonder how amazing he would have been if he hadn't had such a premature death.

6. Whiplash (Hetfield/Ulrich); Another big Metallica song which often features in the live performances. The song "Whiplash" was Metallica's first single release ever in North America. The song is a tribute to all their fans that supported Metallica since they started out.

7. Phantom Lord (Hetfield/Ulrich/Mustaine); The song "Phantom Lord" is probably the most musically mature song on the "Kill 'Em All" album which hints at where the band's sound would head.

8. No Remorse (Hetfield/Ulrich); The song "No Remorse" is always a part of a "Kill 'Em All" medley. The song was Metallica's first anti-war song. It is about people who go off to war just for the sake of killing, guiltless and numb to the pain of their victims.

9. Seek & Destroy (Hetfield/Ulrich); One of the most famous songs off the album Seek & Destroy was soon to become a track nearly always played at live performances. The song is based around a one-note riff that was up a little higher. Though most of James' riffs are in E, that one worked off an A.

10. Metal Militia (Hetfield/Ulrich/Mustaine); The song "Metal Militia" with its speed is a good example for Metallica's trash metal style of their early days. Their first demo "No Life 'Till Leather" included this song.

Metallicas first album and their most thrashy
This was Metallicas first album and by far their rawest and most thrashy. This album presents a band that is not the finished article but has so much raw potential. Here we have shredding guitars, solos and aggressive fast music. This album is a real classic Metallica album and many of its songs are still played today at the bands concerts. It has many highlights most notably "Seek and destroy" which is arguably Metallica fans favourite song by the band as well as other classics such as "Whiplash" and "The four horseman." This is real Metallica before any commercialisation and is not pop influenced or radio friendly in any way. This album is a must for any Metallica fan but although it is excellent i would reccommend "Master of Puppets" for a new listner as that album is closer to perfection and every song is a masterpiece unlike this album which has several less strong offerings.

This album SHREDS!!!!
I know a lot of people right now hate Metallica because they "sold out" and have recently released several mediocre albums. I do not like much of their newer stuff although I am a huge fan of Metallica. However, few could disagree that back in the 80s, Metallica were untouchable. This album, their debut, proves why. Although they would go on to record several far better and more mature albums, Kill em all was a definitive album in the history of metal as it gave birth to thrash metal. God only knows how many bands were influenced by this classic.

On this album, Metallica displayed a new level of speed and intensity that had hardly been seen before in the musical world. The songs are filled with high-speed, crunching riffs and all have wild but melodic solos from lead guitarist Kirk Hammet. You can forget about filler, as each song is as fiery and intense as the next, except for Anesthesia (Pulling Teeth) which is an incredible bass solo played by Cliff Burton (R.I.P). Therefore, picking highlights is difficult but I would say the Four Horsemen, Jump in the Fire, No Remorse and Seek and Destroy are the best songs. There may not be a huge amount of variation, but no one ever critisised Reign in Blood for that, and I think it adds to the album's impact.

Overall, kill em all is a classic metal release that any metalhead, and certainly any thrash fan should own.