I revisited this album today, and I've decided more than ever that it's totally overrated and boring basically.

It is an album that is essentially held up by two tracks in my view - the title track and Orion. The amount of total FILLER on this album makes it's reputation as one of metal's finest moments utterly ridiculous.

Battery - an enjoyable track of course, and a glimpse that they could still play energetic thrash metal. Nothing the previous albums did not illustrate equally well

The Thing That Should Not Be - I totally hate this waste of time

Welcome Home - again, total filler, annoying mid-paced bollocks.

Disposable Heroes - apologies for the pun, but this track is totally disposable! Congratulations, you can do fast and slow bits, and repeat vocal refrains many times over. Utterly forgettable

Leper Messiah - one of the most filler tracks on the album

Damage Inc. - big deal, they can still play at a fast pace. It's still thrash that lacks identity - by 1986, what is this track proving? Nothing.

As far as I'm concerned, Metallica may as well have split after Ride the Lightening, and their musical legacy would not have been much of a lesser thing.

I agree that ride the lightning is a better album, but you shouldn't totally dismiss MOP. So its not an out n out thrash album, but it is still a damn good metal album and part of its legendary status may have been the fact that the band were still pushing back boundaries in early 86. So yes there was better thrash album that year, but even slayer were still pretty much underground until RIB. Now and justice for all.... theres a totally overated and very boring album................

I don't just hate it because it isn't "thrashy" enough, I just find it very boring and below-par on the songwriting front, for the majority of the album.

Orion, essential?



That's 8 minutes of total bollocks.

I don't see the need to ever revisit this or anything Metallica album because, frankly, they were never anything special. I do find the music on Ride the Lighting quite enjoyable but Hetfield's vocals sound AWFUL! The one Metallica album I could probably handle at the moment is the Black Album and I'd just put that on a par with early '90s Rock anyway.

...Tbh, everything on that Album absolutely sucks.

Another thing, Metallica fanboys often call it one of the most INFLUENTIAL as well...

I don't see how this is possibly the case. Kill Em All was surely by far the most influential, as it came up with a formula which showed many other bands, American and European, how to formulate the new thrash sound. After KEA, many other bands took things on from there.

By 1986, the main influences needed were already established, and Master of Puppets does not do anything revolutionary.

The only way it was probably influential was on mainstream rock that emerged in the 90s, due to it's more mid-paced take on the basics of thrash. But what sort of claim to fame is that?!

"The Thing That Should Not Be" is awesome if you get off on Cthuloid themes.

Can't imagine how anyone dismisses Leper Messiah so quickly, it's beautiful...

Because of it's totally shit riffs.

Sorry, that was a bit of a Metal Iain, but I really can't find one likeable thing about that track.

The chorus does it for me. Nice, solid headbanging metal.

Its brilliant.

I have completly gone of metallica, so i dont care which album is good or not. They all sound boring to me now. even kill em all and ride the lightning.

damage inc and battery are great tracks but nothing compared to the frist two albums

well ride the lightning is by far their best attempt but for a band who have been claimed by many 'metal' zines latelly to have set the standard for modern metal can suck my furry ass. i never liked metallica unless its a choice between tallica or bullet for my valentine at emo partys ahaha

In terms of musical influence, MofP is not that impressive. Like you said, James, by this time thrash was alrady firmly established and, musically, it had about as much of a style impact on the genre as KISS had on Anthrax (actually, I hear the Victims of Deception took some influence from this album so scrap that...) Therefore, it's most powerful musical impact was that it became the album to top, it set the bar - especially commercially. This was a bar many people were not capable of reaching (name me an album in the vein of Masters of Puppets that is better?).

However, that's not the point. It's a quality album all the way through. I like the verse riff in Leper Messiah and the chorus is quality and the bridge is nice too. I admit it doesn't change the world but it is still a very nice heavy track. The title track is amazing, Orion is an excellently put together instrumental (beats Ktulu) so we shan't say anymore. Battery and Damage Inc are excellent thrashers and not just average. I can't understand the dismissiveness towards them. Finally, I could well consider Disposable Heroes as a track that needs more appreciation, it could wellbe my favourite song on the album. And I don't think the vocals are too repetitive.

Saying all this, I haven't listened to MofP recently and I lost my KEA (that is the second time now!) quite a while ago. I think that I need to buy that album again...

James, what sort of 'thrash trip' are you on at the mo?

I just had to put an album on and Master of Puppets was looking at me and I just thought, 'Nah, I don't fancy it.'

I sell it well don't I! Went for Arise! by Sepultura... First few songs on this album are wicked.