Thirty years ago: Metallica Master of Puppets

Blue haze filled Maple Leaf Gardens for Metallica's show on the Master of Puppets Damage Inc. tour. The crowd was a sea of long hair, black leather and denim. It was all a little intimidating and very exhilarating. Metallica was at a huge high in terms of popularity for a thrash band. It was a show that I don't think I'll ever forget. I think I still have the shirt from this gig and maybe a poster. Unless they've mysteriously "disappeared".

This landmark album, that peaked at 29 on the Billboard 200 and was the first thrash metal album to go platinum, was a huge favourite of mine, and many others. Today the album celebrates the thirtieth anniversary of it's release.

In addition to spinning the vinyl relentlessly and attending the concert at Maple Leaf Gardens, I also remember getting the book of all the tab for this album and woodshedding to learn as much of it as I could. I love the power of the production, those riffs, the guitar tones, the crazy wah-wah guitar solos, the dynamic shifts, the disenfranchised youth lyrics, the frantic energy and pace; it was all perfect for a teenage metalhead me.

The full album:

And my absolute favourite tracks:

"Battery"

"Master of Puppets"

"Welcome Home (Sanitarium)"

"Damage Inc."

Pic from Metallica.