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83-509: A list of all demos written and recorded by American heavy metal band Metallica . These two cover songs were recorded in then-bassist Ron McGovney ’s garage, during rehearsals that took place in March 1982. On the strength of this demo tape, Metallica were booked to open for NWOBHM band Saxon on March 27, 1982, at the Los Angeles club Whisky a Go Go . Personnel This demo tape

166-615: A U-Haul truck and drove to New Jersey in late March, and upon arrival, allowed Zazula to sell copies of No Life 'til Leather to help him found Megaforce Records because no label wanted to finance the album's recording. Hetfield and Ulrich fired Mustaine on the morning of April 11 after a gig in New York, because of his drug and alcohol problems, overly aggressive behavior, and clashes with bandmates. On Whitaker's recommendation, Metallica recruited Kirk Hammett , who played in Exodus and

249-422: A recording contract . These demos are usually sent to record labels in hopes that the artist will be signed onto the label's roster and allowed to record a full-length album in a professional recording studio . However, large record labels usually ignore unsolicited demos that are sent to them by mail; artists generally must be more creative about getting the demos into the hands of the people who make decisions for

332-479: A 1982 performance at the Old Waldorf , titled Metal Up Your Ass (Live) , featured the original cover artwork. Original pressings of the album came with an inner sleeve that included pictures and lyrics as well as a silver label on the vinyl. Subsequent pressings had a blank white sleeve and a standard album label. The 1988 reissue re-introduced the lyrics and photos. The original release can be distinguished by

415-544: A bonus disc titled Demo Magnetic , released with a different "experience" version of Death Magnetic . The track listing order remained the same, however the track list uses the working titles instead of the final titles. All music was written by Metallica, while all lyrics were written by James Hetfield. It is the group's first demo album to feature Robert Trujillo on bass. Personnel Demo (music) Musicians often use demos as quick sketches to share with bandmates or arrangers , or simply for personal reference during

498-443: A full-length album. With the evolution of the access to software allowing musicians to produce high quality music on their own, the amount of music released every day has skyrocketed. With over 100,000 new songs released on Spotify every day, the level of quality required for demos to convince record labels has also increased, and the limits between demos and actual finished recordings have become blurrier. Demos are seldom heard by

581-399: A gig. Hetfield stated: "We heard this wild solo going on and thought, 'I don't see any guitar player up there.' We were both counting the strings and I finally turned to Lars and said, 'Dude, that's a bass!' Cliff was up there on stage with his band Trauma with a wah-wah pedal and his huge mop of red hair. He didn't care whether people were there. He was looking down at his bass, playing." For

664-494: A hand clutching a dagger emerging from a toilet bowl. Zazula convinced the band to change the name because distributors feared that releasing an album with such an offensive title and artwork would diminish its chances of commercial success. Metallica promoted the album on the two-month co-headlining Kill 'Em All for One tour with English heavy metal band Raven in the US. The album also generated two singles: " Whiplash " and " Jump in

747-811: A newspaper advertisement. The band practiced in McGovney's garage and looked for gigs at local clubs. Metallica's first show was on March 14, 1982, at the Radio City in Anaheim . The nine-song setlist consisted of two originals ("Hit the Lights" and an unfinished version of " Jump in the Fire " from Mustaine's earlier band Panic) and covers of new wave of British heavy metal (NWOBHM) bands such as Diamond Head , Blitzkrieg , Savage , and Sweet Savage . The gig did not go as well as planned, because Mustaine had problems with

830-522: A number of names including the Megaforce demo (due to it earning a contract with Megaforce), The KUSF Demo (due to it being played on KUSF FM) and Whiplash/No Remorse Demo . Personnel The Ride the Lightning demo was recorded on October 29, 1983. It was the group's first demo recording to feature lead guitarist Kirk Hammett . The demo contained the original material Metallica had written that

913-446: A rehearsal more than a demo. The demos include five songs that were included on the band's third studio album, Master of Puppets (1986). Personnel The …And Justice for All demos were recorded in 1987 and include early, shorter versions of songs which later appeared on the band's fourth studio album, …And Justice for All (1988). It was the group's first demo album to feature Jason Newsted on bass. The intro to "Blackened" on

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996-412: A song for the first edition of his Metal Massacre compilation. Hetfield and Ulrich chose "Hit the Lights" from Hetfield's and his childhood friend Ron McGovney 's previous band Leather Charm , and recorded it with Hetfield on vocals, McGovney on bass, and temporary guitarist Lloyd Grant. The band's first lineup featured Hetfield, Ulrich, McGovney, and guitarist Dave Mustaine , who was acquired through

1079-478: A very low price. Amateur (and some professional) musicians may choose to make demos available to interested listeners through websites such as SoundCloud or Bandcamp in order to share new ideas, receive feedback and/or provide fans with "behind the scenes" access to the songwriting process. In 1977, punk band the Sex Pistols released an album of demos called Spunk , which has been comparared favourably to

1162-449: Is a mid-tempo song that suddenly accelerates its tempo in the fifth minute. The song is about not feeling any remorse or sense of repentance during battle. " Seek & Destroy " was inspired by Diamond Head's "Dead Reckoning" and is the first song Metallica recorded during the Kill 'Em All sessions. Hetfield wrote the main riff in his truck outside a Los Angeles sticker factory where he

1245-528: Is a revamp of the Mustaine-penned " The Mechanix ", which originally had lyrics about having sex at a gas station. A modified version of his composition with the original lyrics appeared on Megadeth 's debut Killing Is My Business... and Business Is Good! (1985), named "Mechanix". Although Mustaine told Metallica not to use any of his music, Hetfield wrote lyrics about the Four Horsemen of

1328-538: Is commonly titled as "Jam", while the other track is a melodic piece played by Hetfield and McGovney, widely known on YouTube as "Unreleased Kill 'Em All song". The validity of these two tracks was confirmed by McGovney, during a 1996 interview with Shock Waves and also via the Metallicabb forum. No Remorse and Helpless have circulated on Youtube as the Whiskey demo, though this isn't true. Personnel Power Metal

1411-546: Is the name given to a demo recorded sometime in April 1982. Although the demo has never been officially released, it was given the bootleg name "Power Metal" after the tagline McGovney had printed on Metallica's first business cards. The tape contained four original songs, including two new songs, "The Mechanix", written by Dave Mustaine, and "Motorbreath", written by James Hetfield. It was, like all previous demos, also recorded in McGovney's garage. Personnel No Life 'Til Leather

1494-604: The Billboard 200, peaking at number 120. It was certified 3× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in 1999 for shipping three million copies in the United States. Despite being the lowest selling Metallica studio album, it helped the band establish its image and build a fanbase in its inaugural years. Kill 'Em All , as the first thrash metal album released in

1577-707: The Marquee Club in London. After concluding the Seven Dates of Hell tour, Metallica headed to Sweet Silence Studios in Copenhagen to record its second album, Ride the Lightning . By the end of the tour, Kill 'Em All had sold 60,000 copies worldwide and Metallica began to gain international recognition. On June 8, 2013, at the Orion Festival , billed as the fictional band Dehaan, Metallica played

1660-470: The NWOBHM bands played at high velocity. The album is considered crucial in thrash metal 's genesis because it introduced fast percussion, low-register chords, and shredding leads to the genre. Hammett played some pentatonic patterns in addition to his breakneck solos. Ulrich adopted a double time snare pattern that would become a mainstay on Metallica's subsequent albums. Hetfield's vocals evolved from

1743-484: The Old Waldorf in San Francisco . The supporting band was Exodus , featuring Metallica's future lead guitarist Kirk Hammett . The band played all of its original material (nine songs) that the group had written up to that point, which included all of the songs from its previous demo No Life 'Til Leather and two new songs (which were later released on the Megaforce demo), all nine of which would essentially be

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1826-620: The Apocalypse and added a bridge and cleanly picked guitar solo in the middle. Mustaine said the bridge was inspired by the main riff in Lynyrd Skynyrd 's " Sweet Home Alabama ". "Motorbreath" was written by Hetfield during his time in Leather Charm and tells about life on the road. The song is based on a four-chord verse and a stop-and-start chorus. The most recognizable parts are Ulrich's drum rolls in each chorus and

1909-477: The Fire ". Although the initial shipment was 15,000 copies in the US, the album sold 60,000 copies worldwide by the end of Metallica's Seven Dates of Hell European tour in 1984. The album did not enter the Billboard 200 until 1986, when it peaked at number 155, following Metallica's commercial success with its third studio album, Master of Puppets ; the 1988 Elektra reissue peaked at number 120. Kill 'Em All

1992-609: The Lightning", the title track from the upcoming album. In December, Metallica went on a short tour in the Midwest and eastern United States with a three-man road crew: Whitaker, guitar technician John Marshall , and drum technician Dave Marrs. The concert of January 14, 1984, in Boston, was canceled because the band's equipment was stolen the night before. In February, Metallica embarked on its first European trek with Twisted Sister , supporting Venom's Seven Dates of Hell tour. The tour

2075-634: The Machine (" What the Water Gave Me ", among others) and Cults on the EP Sunday Jams . The event of a demo tape appearing on eBay has happened in the past, with the recordings being leaked onto the internet. In rare instances, a demo may end up as the final released recording of a song, as was the case with Foster the People 's " Pumped Up Kicks ". The version of "Pumped Up Kicks" that

2158-575: The Music Factory in Jamaica, Queens , where Anthrax held rehearsals. Curcio had set the studio equipment as if he were recording an ordinary rock band. He thought the initial tapes sounded very distorted and tried to compensate by turning down the knobs. Metallica resented Curcio's involvement, because he seemed uninterested, and had little impact on the sound. Although Zazula wanted Hammett to replicate Mustaine's solos, Hammett's guitar solos on

2241-587: The NWOBHM bands in terms of sheer velocity and cited Burton's bass solo as the album's peak. Guitarist Ulf Cederlund of Swedish black metal band Morbid cited "Motorbreath" and "Metal Militia" as songs that influenced him as a young musician. Kill 'Em All was ranked at number 35 on Rolling Stone ' s list of The 100 Greatest Albums of the '80s. Additionally, the album placed at number 54 on "The 100 Best Debut Albums of All Time" and again at number 35 on "100 Greatest Metal Albums of All Time", two lists compiled by

2324-605: The UK in February 1984 to promote a UK tour with Venom . The single featured "Phantom Lord" and " Seek & Destroy " as live tracks, although they are actually studio recordings with fake crowd noise dubbed over them. The single's cover art features an oil painting titled The Devils of D-Day , created by artist Les Edwards in 1978. "(Anesthesia)-Pulling Teeth" is a bass solo by Burton, accompanied on drums by Ulrich. A staple of Burton's live performances since his high school days in

2407-502: The US, had a substantial impact on the emerging scene and inspired numerous bands with its aggression and austere seriousness. Guitarist Kerry King acknowledged Slayer was still finding its sound while Metallica had already determined its image and musical identity. Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian was impressed by the album's heaviness and songwriting and said it influenced him as much as the albums by Iron Maiden. Dream Theater 's drummer Mike Portnoy observed that Kill 'Em All surpassed

2490-408: The album in its entirety for the first time ever to mark the 30 year anniversary of the album. All lyrics written by James Hetfield , except where noted. The bonus tracks on the 1988 re-release were originally recorded as B-sides for the " Creeping Death " single in 1984, later known as Garage Days Revisited , and would later appear on the compilation album Garage Inc. (1998). The bonus tracks on

2573-582: The album version, Cliff Burton insisted on recording this track alone in an empty room, while the studio technicians were downstairs. He made this recording in one take, after about twenty minutes of preparation. " Whiplash " was the album's first single, issued on August 8, 1983. It features a swift rhythm line of straight 16th notes played at about 200 beats per minute. Hetfield and Burton performed with palm muted technique and precise metronomic control. The lyrics celebrate crowd energy and headbanging. Rock journalist Mick Wall wrote that "Whiplash" signified

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2656-410: The album were partially based on Mustaine's original solos, with the first four bars of most solos written by Mustaine before his departure. Despite their differences, Mustaine's contributions to the early years of Metallica were still acknowledged, and he received four co-writing credits on Kill 'Em All . Zazula was not pleased with the initial mix because he thought that the drums were too loud, and

2739-403: The back cover, to feature a bloodied hammer on the album art. According to Hammett, "Cliff carried a hammer with him everywhere he went. He always had a hammer in his luggage, and he would take it out occasionally and start destroying things." Even though the original title was unused, the band did later release a "Metal Up Your Ass" T-shirt with the proposed artwork. A live bootleg recording of

2822-414: The band Agents of Misfortune, the instrumental track featured Burton's distinctive "lead-bass" style of playing, incorporating heavy distortion, use of wah-wah pedal and tapping . Bubacz introduces the track as "Bass solo, take one", informing listeners that the song was recorded in one take. "(Anesthesia)-Pulling Teeth" was the bass solo that Burton was playing when Hetfield and Ulrich first saw him at

2905-518: The band stayed and rehearsed at Exodus manager Mark Whitaker 's house, which they called the "Metallica Mansion". Metallica intended to record its debut in Los Angeles on Slagel's independent label on an $ 8,000 budget ($ 24,722 in 2023). Slagel could not afford the record, and Ulrich contacted Jon Zazula , a New Jersey record store owner and promoter of heavy metal bands on the East Coast who had already heard No Life 'til Leather . Metallica rented

2988-617: The band was "playing with tightly controlled fury even at the most ridiculously fast tempos". Rob Kemp, writing in The Rolling Stone Album Guide , credited the album for consolidating the punk rock and heavy metal scenes, but felt that apart from "Seek & Destroy" and "(Anesthesia)-Pulling Teeth", most of the album had the band "trying to look tough" over enthusiastic but unfinished riff-based songs. Journalist Martin Popoff said Kill 'Em All differentiated from

3071-594: The band's name with the first and last letter drawn larger with sharp serifs and italicized, was designed by Hetfield. The No Life 'til Leather demo was recorded in July 1982, and it created a buzz in the underground tape trading circles. No Life 'til Leather featured a re-recorded version of "Hit the Lights", which appeared on the second pressing of Metal Massacre , in addition to new songs such as "Phantom Lord", "Seek & Destroy", and "Metal Militia". The recording and mastering were financed by Kenny Kane, owner of

3154-408: The birth of thrash metal, stating: "If one wishes to identify the very moment thrash metal arrived spitting and snarling into the world, 'Whiplash' is indisputably it." "Phantom Lord" is a lyrical nod to devilry. The song begins with a synthesized bass drone and contains a middle section with clean, arpeggiated guitar chords. Written by Mustaine, its central riff is in NWOBHM fashion. "No Remorse"

3237-486: The debuts by Metallica's Bay Area contemporaries because the fans could identify with Hetfield's lyrics and the band's appearance. Spin ' s Chuck Eddy considered Kill 'Em All the inception of the " extreme metal mania" of the early 1980s. He noted the album did not receive much critical praise at the time of its release but said it aged well and opened the doors for the less commercially successful bands. Although McIver credits Venom's Welcome to Hell (1981) as

3320-561: The demo for " The Unforgiven " was not from this session, as the song hadn’t been finished yet. The version of "Holier Than Thou" that appeared on the " Enter Sandman " single was not recorded at this session either. Personnel Many of the songs that would later appear on both the Load and Reload albums were recorded as demos by Hetfield and Ulrich between winter 1994 and spring 1995 in Ulrich's home studio, "The Dungeon". A large portion of

3403-479: The demo is an unreversed version, unlike the reversed version that appeared on …And Justice for All . "The Frayed Ends of Sanity" was recorded with gibberish sung in place of most lyrics (with the exception of the chorus' "Frayed ends of sanity/Hear them calling me"), although the final version of the song contains lyrics. "Eye of the Beholder" has two different demo versions, however there are few differences between

List of Metallica demos - Misplaced Pages Continue

3486-475: The digital reissue was recorded live at the Seattle Coliseum , Seattle , Washington, on August 29, 1989, and also appeared on the live album Live Shit: Binge & Purge (1993). In 2016, the album was remastered and reissued in a limited edition deluxe box set with an expanded track listing and bonus content. The deluxe edition set includes the original album on vinyl and CD, a picture disc with

3569-469: The early 1980s and inspired a number of bands who followed in a similar manner. It was certified 3× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in 1999 for shipping three million copies in the United States. Metallica was formed in 1981 in Los Angeles by drummer Lars Ulrich and by vocalist/rhythm guitarist James Hetfield . Before settling on a definitive lineup, Metal Blade Records owner Brian Slagel asked Metallica to record

3652-510: The entirety of their debut album minus Cliff's bass solo "(Anesthesia)-Pulling Teeth". Two covers of Diamond Head songs were played, "Am I Evil?" and "The Prince", however "The Prince" was not recorded as the tape ran out before the full duration of the band's set. Both the name and album cover of the demo were to be reused for the band's debut studio album, now called Kill 'Em All . However, Metallica's record company would not allow it. In 1997, melodic punk band 88 Fingers Louie parodied both

3735-497: The expense of Metallica's European record label, Music for Nations, at the same time the band recorded versions of "Seek & Destroy" and "Phantom Lord" to be used as fake "live" B-sides for the "Whiplash" and "Jump in the Fire" singles. In 2005, seven other re-recorded demos surfaced on bootlegs. Out of the seven demos that surfaced, only "Trapped Under Ice" was confirmed as an official demo. Personnel The Master of Puppets demos were recorded on July 14, 1985, and are essentially

3818-712: The fastest and heaviest albums ever recorded, and remarked that the album is not for the faint-hearted. Greg Kot of the Chicago Tribune acknowledged it as the " speed metal prototype", but felt the lyrical replication of Judas Priest and the Misfits kept the album short from becoming a classic. In a retrospective review, Billboard praised Kill 'Em All for changing the face of popular music with its unique combination of punk and metal. AllMusic 's Steve Huey called it "the true birth of thrash". He praised Hetfield's highly technical rhythm guitar style and said that

3901-497: The first thrash metal album, he acknowledged Kill 'Em All as a major influence on the flourishing American heavy metal scene. Despite its "less-than-perfect" production, Loudwire ' s Jon Wiederhorn said that Kill 'Em All sounds like an "influential slice of history" and stands on the same level as classic albums by Black Sabbath , Iron Maiden , and Judas Priest. Kill 'Em All was released on July 25, 1983, by Megaforce with an initial pressing of 15,000 copies. Because of

3984-421: The guitar distortion pedal , and broke a string during a song. Metallica's second gig was on March 27, 1982, at Hollywood 's Whisky a Go Go , opening for Saxon . Although Mötley Crüe was originally scheduled to open the show, the group canceled because of its growing popularity. Metallica recorded a three-song demo to persuade the venue's management to allow the band to open for Saxon. Metallica's third concert

4067-404: The guitars were too low in the mix. The remix was done by sound engineer Chris Bubacz, according to Zazula's instructions. The final cost for the record rounded to an estimated $ 15,000 ($ 46,354 in 2023), which nearly caused Zazula to go bankrupt. "This was mortgage money I'm spending, not something I've got put by I'm going to invest," he said later. Zazula had a hard time finding a distributor for

4150-587: The label's financial restrictions, the album was pressed in batches of 500 copies. Kill 'Em All had sold 17,000 copies in the US by the end of the year. Similarly to punk rock acts, Metallica promoted its material through the tape trading network and independent music magazines such as Metal Forces in the UK and Metal Mania in the US. The album did not enter the Billboard 200 chart until 1986, when it peaked at number 155 following Metallica's commercial success with its third studio album Master of Puppets . The 1988 re-issue on Elektra Records also charted on

4233-556: The majority of the song to Ulrich, and the two worked out different arrangements. Performed at 160 beats per minute , "Hit the Lights" opens with fade-in distorted guitars and a short shriek by Hetfield. The song is driven by the 16th note repeated main riff and the continuous eighth note snare drum hits. The lyrics celebrate heavy metal itself and are sung with short and high-pitched vocals. The song ends with several lengthy guitar solos by Hammett, who performed cleaner and more melodic versions of Mustaine's leads. " The Four Horsemen "

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4316-427: The melodic wail on No Life 'til Leather to a rough-edged bark, and the entire band played faster and more accurately on Kill 'Em All . Author Joel McIver described Burton's and Hetfield's performances as nearly virtuosic, highlighting Burton's smooth-sounding bass and Hetfield's precise picking skills. According to journalist Chuck Eddy , the juvenile lyrical approach to topics such as warfare, violence and life on

4399-672: The production of their only studio album Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols . Kill %27Em All Kill 'Em All is the debut studio album by the American heavy metal band Metallica , released on July 25, 1983, through the independent label Megaforce Records . After forming in 1981, Metallica began by playing shows in local clubs in Los Angeles. They recorded several demos to gain attention from club owners and eventually relocated to San Francisco to secure

4482-581: The public, although some artists do eventually release rough demos in compilation albums or box sets , such as the album Demolicious by Green Day . Other demo versions have been unofficially released as bootleg recordings , such as the Beatles ' bootleg demos and the Beach Boys ' Sea of Tunes series. Several artists have eventually made official releases of demo versions of their songs as albums or companion pieces to albums, such as Florence and

4565-612: The punk label High Velocity, and distributed by Ulrich and his friend Pat Scott. Because of tensions with Mustaine, McGovney left the band in December. Ulrich was impressed by Cliff Burton 's performance with Trauma at The Troubadour in West Hollywood, and offered to let him join the band. Burton joined on the condition that Metallica would relocate to the San Francisco area. Moving to El Cerrito in February 1983,

4648-412: The record company. Many signed bands and artists record demos of new songs before recording an album. The demos may allow the artist to provide sketches for sharing ideas with bandmates, or to explore several alternate versions of a song, or to quickly record many proto-songs before deciding which ones merit further development. Demos may include as few as one or two songs or as many as would be contained on

4731-500: The record, but he eventually convinced Relativity Records to distribute the album in the US and Canada, and Music for Nations in Europe. The band intended to title the album Metal Up Your Ass with a cover featuring a hand clutching a dagger emerging from a toilet bowl. However, Zazula convinced them to change the title, because he thought that distributors would not stock it as it was too explicit to display. The final cover featured

4814-494: The recorded tracks were released on the MetClub only release Fan Can III , while other songs were released throughout various singles from both albums. Most songs were released under working titles, as opposed to their final titles as appear on each album. Personnel Metallica's ninth studio album, Death Magnetic , had all its songs released as demos, recorded between November 2005 and January 2007. The demos were included on

4897-404: The riff that accompanies Hammett's solos. " Jump in the Fire " was the first song ever written by Mustaine, with lyrics about teenage sexual experience. Hetfield's revised lyrics for the album were written from Satan 's point of view, describing how the devil watches people killing each other, and is sure they will go to hell for their actions. "Jump in the Fire" was released as a single in

4980-429: The road gives the album a "naive charm". The musical approach on Kill 'Em All was in contrast to the glam metal bands who dominated the charts in the early 1980s. Because of its rebellious nature and Metallica's street appearance, it appealed to fans who were not into the mainstream of hard rock. "Hit the Lights" was based on an unfinished Leather Charm song written by Hetfield and Hugh Tanner. Hetfield had brought

5063-589: The same magazine. Kerrang! listed the album at number 29 among the "100 Greatest Heavy Metal Albums of All Time". In 2010, Consequence of Sound ranked it number 94 among its "Top 100 Albums Ever". In late July 1983, Metallica embarked on the two-month Kill 'Em All for One tour with British co-headliners Raven . The tour name melded the titles of the albums the two bands were promoting: Metallica's Kill 'Em All and Raven's All for One , both released on Megaforce. The two groups met in Zazula's home two days before

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5146-617: The services of bassist Cliff Burton . The group's No Life 'til Leather demo tape (1982) was noticed by Megaforce label head Jon Zazula , who signed them and provided a budget of $ 15,000 (equivalent to $ 48,835.49 in 2024) for recording. The album was recorded in May with producer Paul Curcio at the Music America Studios in Rochester, New York . It was originally intended to be titled Metal Up Your Ass , with cover art featuring

5229-461: The shadow of a hand letting go of a bloodied hammer. Burton was credited with coming up with the name Kill 'Em All —referring to timid record distributors, saying, "Those record company fuckers ... kill 'em all!"—as a response to the situation. Ulrich thought Kill 'Em All was a good name, and Zazula agreed. Burton suggested to Gary L. Heard, also responsible for the Metallica photograph on

5312-402: The silver labels with the track listing but without track lengths. Every issue produced has had the phrase "Bang That Head That Doesn't Bang". The phrase "Bang That Head That Doesn't Bang" was dedicated to San Francisco fan Rich Burch, known for his headbanging at the band's early shows. " Kill 'Em All ' s lyrics created as much excitement as the band's music. Taken together, the words of

5395-598: The song and dance of the catalog that everyone else has done; the U2s and the Led Zeppelins and the Oasises [...] Instead of starting with Kill 'Em All in 1983, we figured we'd go back another two years to when the band was formed in 1981." The planned expanded release was delayed indefinitely following objections from Mustaine over writing credits. Personnel Metal Up Your Ass was recorded on November 29, 1982, at

5478-403: The songs on the album form a single theme. It is a concept album that heralds the breakthrough of a new subgenre of metal, its fans, and its leader, Metallica. It is a celebration of metal. It is a call to arms to a new generation of metalheads, many of whom were already armed and ready." — Deena Weinstein , Essays on Debut Albums Kill 'Em All features intricate riffing reminiscent of

5561-546: The songwriting process; in other cases, a songwriter might make a demo to send to artists in hopes of having the song professionally recorded, or a publisher may need a simple recording for publishing or copyright purposes. Demos are typically recorded on relatively crude equipment such as "boom box" cassette recorders , small four- or eight-track machines , or on personal computers with audio recording software. Songwriters' and publishers' demos are recorded with minimal instrumentation, usually just an acoustic guitar or piano and

5644-482: The title and cover art with their EP titled 88 Fingers Up Your Ass . Personnel The Megaforce demo was recorded on March 16, 1983, and was the band's last demo recorded with Dave Mustaine. The tape was recorded with the intention of introducing Burton to potential record labels and earned the band a contract with Megaforce Records . It was also played live on KUSF FM in San Francisco. The demo contained one new song, " Whiplash ", and “No Remorse”. It has received

5727-690: The tour began and traveled in the same vehicle throughout the tour with five roadies and sound engineer Whitaker. The tour was set to conclude with three shows in San Francisco, thus Hetfield painted "No Life 'til Frisco" on the Winnebago tour bus. The tour had a few poorly attended gigs, such as a performance at the Cheers club in Babylon, New York , attended by some 50 people. After the conclusion of Kill 'Em All for One in early September, Metallica returned to El Cerrito to work on new material. Seven weeks after

5810-631: The tour ended, Metallica booked a number of performances at Bay Area clubs, the first a Halloween gig at the Keystone in Palo Alto . At the Country Club in Reseda , the group debuted "Fight Fire with Fire" and " Creeping Death ", along with an early version of "The Call of Ktulu", then titled "When Hell Freezes Over". Three days later, at a gig at The Stone in San Francisco, Metallica premiered "Ride

5893-570: The two besides running time and some lyrical differences, one of which includes an improvised lyric about James needing to write lyrics for the song. Most demo versions of the album do not include both takes of the song. Personnel The demos recorded for Metallica's self-titled fifth album were recorded by James and Lars on August 13, 1990, in Lars’ home studio, "The Dungeon". Four of the songs from this particular session were later released as B-sides on various album singles. Contrary to popular belief,

5976-460: The vocals. Both Elton John and Donovan gained studio experience early in their careers by recording publishers' demos for other artists since their managers also handled music publishing, as did Garth Brooks , who was so impressed when recording the demo of " Friends in Low Places " that he asked to release the song himself. Many unsigned bands and artists record demos in order to obtain

6059-458: Was a one-time student of Joe Satriani . Hammett learned the songs on his flight to New York and started recording the album with Metallica barely a month later. Metallica met producer Paul Curcio at Music America Studios in Rochester , and recorded the album in two weeks. Unable to afford a hotel during the recording sessions, the band members stayed over in people's houses in Rochester and at

6142-463: Was also recorded in McGovney's garage during March 1982. Although the demo has never been officially released, it has been in wide circulation in various bootleg versions. Apart from the songs listed below, two other tracks recorded during different sessions, consisting of songwriting ideas and various unreleased riffs, have also been widely bootlegged. One track consisting of riffs and ideas that would later go on to become both Metallica and Megadeth songs

6225-411: Was critically praised at the time of its release and has since been regarded as a groundbreaking album for thrash metal , because of its "precise musicianship, which fused new wave of British heavy metal riffs with hardcore punk tempos ". It was also retrospectively placed on a few publications' best album lists. The album's musical approach and lyrics were markedly different from rock's mainstream of

6308-460: Was in April 1982, the first time " The Mechanix ", written by Mustaine during his tenure with Panic, was played. Mustaine interacted with the fans at Metallica's earliest shows because Hetfield was shy. To garner attention from club owners, Metallica recorded the Power Metal demo in April 1982, which featured "Motorbreath" in addition to the already-performed originals. The logo, displaying

6391-425: Was not released on Kill 'Em All . Both "Ride the Lightning" and "When Hell Freezes Over" (later renamed "The Call of Ktulu") were co-written by Dave Mustaine. "Fight Fire with Fire" and "Ride the Lightning" had been changed from their original versions due to input from Cliff Burton. All four songs appeared on the band's second studio album Ride the Lightning . The four demos for Ride the Lightning were recorded at

6474-480: Was on an earlier demo. The title of the demo comes from the first line of "Hit the Lights". The demo has been re-released twice unofficially, first under the title of Metallica: Bay Area Thrashers , and was alleged to be a live bootleg recording of Metallica in the early days, however all "live" sounds had been added from various sources including the Metallica video Cliff 'Em All . This was soon discovered by Metallica and all copies were removed from stores. The demo

6557-462: Was re-released a second time under the title Metallica: In the Beginning... Live , containing no apparent differences from Metallica: Bay Area Thrashers . In March 2015, Metallica announced that they would be releasing No Life 'Til Leather on limited-edition cassette for Record Store Day. As Lars Ulrich told Rolling Stone magazine: "It's time for us to put out some next-level reissues and do

6640-435: Was recorded on July 6, 1982. It is Metallica's most widely circulated demo tape. All of the tracks are early recordings of songs that would later appear on the band's debut album Kill 'Em All . The only songs on Kill 'Em All that aren’t on the tape are Cliff Burton 's bass solo "(Anesthesia) Pulling Teeth", " Whiplash ", "No Remorse" and "The Four Horsemen" (See notes above). It is unknown why "No Remorse" didn’t appear, as it

6723-545: Was released as a single and subsequently became a hit was a demo recorded by frontman Mark Foster alone, before he had formed the group. In 1982, Bruce Springsteen recorded ten demo songs in his bedroom that he intended to later record with his E Street Band , but he subsequently decided that he preferred the acoustic demos and released them as the 1982 album Nebraska . In more underground forms of music, such as noise music , black metal or punk rock , demos are often distributed by bands to fans as self-releases or sold at

6806-665: Was sponsored by Metallica's UK distributor, Music for Nations, who released the "Jump in the Fire" EP for that occasion. The first show was at the Volkshaus in Zurich on February 3. At the Aardschok Festival in Zwolle on February 11, Metallica played in front of 7,000 people, its largest audience at the time. The tour stretched through countries such as Italy, Germany, France, and Belgium, culminating in two sold-out shows at

6889-492: Was working. Because of its simple, one-line chorus, the song became a permanent setlist fixture and a crowd singalong. "Metal Militia", one of the fastest songs on the album, is about heavy metal's way of life and nonconformity . Mustaine composed the main riff, which emulates a marching army. The song ends with tramping feet and bullet ricochet in a fade-out. Kill 'Em All received widespread critical acclaim. Bernard Doe of Metal Forces described Kill 'Em All as one of

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