#81 Master of Puppets

#81 - Master of Puppets
Metalica


Metallica has had many classic songs during their nearly 30 year reign as Heavy Metal Gods, but none more awesome than 1986's Master of Puppets.

MOP from the album also called Master of Puppets is hard hitting and intense. It is the prototype for late 80's speed metal but it still sounds fresh and relevant nearly a quarter century later.

The song starts with some grinding riffs by guitar virtuoso Kirk Hammett. That beginning is iconic, you know exactly what it is when you hear it in a movie (Old School) honestly it pumps me up when I hear it during the Nationwide car racing commercials on ESPN. It almost gets me to watch car racing. Almost.

I love the idea of the puppet master. A wicked Gephetto running things from behind a dark curtain. Though Lead singer James Hetfield says its about the grip drugs can have on you. I like to think its about "Wicked Gephetto."

This song was on the last album original bassist Cliff Burton played on before his tragic death while on tour in Europe. It was raw and brash. In the years since MOP Metallica has become more refined musically and commercially successful. But in the hearts and minds of metal fans MOP was Metallica's greatest achievement.

#88 - Man on a Silver Mountain

#88
Man on a Silver Mountain
Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow



I was driving to work this morning and couldn't bare listening to talk radio any more so I started playing one of my metal mixed CDs on random and seven songs in a row by the recently departed Ronnie James Dio. I kind of wanted to put a so-called "New Wave of British Heavy Metal" song and I despite the fact that this song is a few years earlier than the era of NWOBHM (and the fact that Dio was American) its close enough. And hence we have Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow's Man on a Silver Mountain.

It is a great song for strutting and tossing up devil horns. The song is about rock stars being everything to their fans, but they need their fans to make them worshiped. Basically the same relationship that the star and paparazzo have in Lady Gaga's Papparazzi. I think this was Dio's first "big" song before his career took off with Black Sabbath and then as a solo artist.