metallica master of puppets tour 1986

Damage Inc. Tour

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The Damage, Inc. Tour was the fourth concert tour by American Heavy Metal band Metallica , beginning in the Spring of 1986. The name being inspired by the last song on the touring album Master of Puppets . The album's release landed Metallica on a high profile supporting act gig for metal giant, Ozzy Osbourne , from March to August. From September to the end of the tour Metallica would be the headlining act. The tour would also be the last to feature the late Cliff Burton on bass, as he would be killed in a bus accident on September 27, 1986. The band would cancel all shows scheduled for October, during that time they would seek out a new bass player, eventually finding Jason Newsted .

The Meadowlands Arena show marked one of few Eb-tuned live performances prior to Escape from the Studio '95 ; the A448 standard was used for this performance.

• 1.1 With Cliff Burton
• 1.2 With Jason Newsted
• 2 Tour Dates
• 4.1 March 27 - ?, September 26, 1986
• 4.2 July 27 - September 25, 1986
• 4.3 November 8, 1986 - February 13, 1987
• 5 References

Typical Setlist [ ]

With cliff burton [ ].

• Master of Puppets
• For Whom the Bell Tolls
• Welcome Home (Sanitarium)
• The Thing That Should Not Be
• (Anesthesia) Pulling Teeth
• Damage, Inc.
• Fade to Black
• Seek & Destroy
• Creeping Death
• The Four Horsemen
• Guitar Solo
• Am I Evil? Diamond Head cover

With Jason Newsted [ ]

• Ride the Lightning
• Fight Fire With Fire

Tour Dates [ ]

• ↑ Show cancelled after James Hetfield broke his arm stakeboarding.
• ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 2.15 2.16 2.17 2.18 2.19 2.20 2.21 2.22 Show cancelled after the death of Cliff Burton during a tragic bus accident.

Songlist [ ]

Personnel [ ], march 27 - , september 26, 1986 [ ].

• James Hetfield - Vocals, Rhythm Guitar
• Kirk Hammett - Lead Guitar
• Cliff Burton - Bass
• Lars Ulrich - Drums

July 27 - September 25, 1986 [ ]

• James Hetfield - Vocals
• John Marshall - Rhythm Guitar

November 8, 1986 - February 13, 1987 [ ]

• Jason Newsted - Bass

References [ ]

• 1 M72 World Tour
• 2 Dave Mustaine
• 3 Monsters of Rock '88

• Album Release Calendar
• Festival Guide
• Heavy History

38 Years Ago – Metallica Unleash the Epic Album ‘Master of Puppets’

Celebrating the 38th anniversary of Metallica's 'Master of Puppets'.

They had already established a blueprint. Now, all Metallica needed to do was create the next-level songs for their epochal third album,  Master of Puppets , which they started writing in mid-1985 and released March 3, 1986.

It was easier said than done, but Metallica were up to the challenge. They had the momentum of a successful album and world tour behind them, and the confidence of a world class athlete an hour before a big game. Still, what Metallica accomplished in just six to eight weeks of writing was remarkable, especially considering the multifaceted nature of the songs they composed.

Today,  Master of Puppets is widely acknowledged as the album that propelled thrash metal into the mainstream. The songs were pugnacious and explosive, but they were also meticulously crafted and expertly arranged. Combining machine gun tempos and barbed, staccato riffing (“ Battery ,” " Disposable Heroes ,” “ Damage, Inc. ”), rhythmically variegated epics (“ Master of Puppets ,” “ Welcome Home (Sanitarium) " offbeat mid-paced sluggers (“ The Thing That Should Not Be ,” “ Leper Messiah ”) and a cinematic instrumental (“ Orion ”) Master of Puppets raised the bar for both thrash and the entire metal genre. But understanding the album’s concrete-solid composition and immaculate song structures requires a glance back at Metallica’s groundbreaking second album Ride the Lightning .

More than a bridge between their debut Kill ‘Em All and Master of Puppets , Ride the Lightning gave Metallica the confidence to bend rules and established a game plan for the future. Both Master of Puppets and Ride the Lightning are landmarks of metal, but they’re also practically sister records. They start with classical undistorted arpeggios that burst into jackhammer thrash passages, continue with a multifaceted track featuring abrupt rhythm and tempo changes, then they progress through a slower, ominous chug n’ crunch fest. From there, both alternately delve into speedy thrash and more melody-based numbers. And both feature that soundtrack-style instrumental that instantly separates them from any and all competition.

Metallica, "Welcome Home (Sanitarium)" — Live

Not to take anything away from the brilliance of Master of Puppets , but by the time Metallica started writing the album, they knew they wanted to build on the innovations of Ride the Lightning , only with longer songs, better riffs and more unrelenting metal-up-your-ass fury.

“We more or less wanted to redo Ride the Lightning , just a lot better," agreed producer Flemming Rasmussen in a recent Rolling Stone article. “I've always thought Metallica raised the bar every time they went in the studio. They challenged their own technical ability all the time, which is the only way you can get better.”

Indeed, before they entered the studio, Lars Ulrich took drum lessons to improve his timing and agility and lead guitarist Kirk Hammett hooked back up with his old guitar teacher, Joe Satriani , for some pointers. The first song James Hetfield and Ulrich wrote at their dilapidated house in El Cerrito, Calif., was “Battery,” followed shortly after by "Disposable Heroes.”

Metallica, "Battery" — Live

"That song has some of my favorite lyrics that James has written," Ulrich said. “He nailed the whole wasted irrelevance of a soldier going off to war and life playing out before his birth. Musically, it's got a lot of classic Metallica elements: fast parts, mid-tempo verses, halftime things and a lot of interesting progressive stuff that weaves itself in and out of the whole middle section.”

Lyrically, Master of Puppets revolved around themes of control and manipulation, a cerebral advance over the less sophisticated penmanship of songs like “Metal Militia” and “Hit The Lights.” “Welcome Home (Sanitarium)” a song about an inmate trapped in an asylum was inspired by the Ken Kesey novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest , “The Thing That Should Not Be” saw Metallica revisiting their fascination with HP Lovecraft and “Leper Messiah” took aim at TV evangelists. But it was “Master of Puppets,” which addresses the horrors of drug addiction (“ Pain, monopoly / Ritual misery / Chop your breakfast on a mirror ”) that featured Hetfield’s most pointed lyrics to date.

"I just went to this party in San Francisco and there was a bunch of sick freaks shooting up, and it made me sick," he said. "It's not about any drug in general but people being controlled by drugs and not the other way around.”

In addition to being the lyrical highlight of Master of Puppets , the title track is the most musically adventurous song. But it’s not far ahead of many of the other tracks. Throughout the record, Metallica throw traditional tempos in a blender and toys with extreme dynamics that veer between blinding speed and soft, delicate articulation. “We try hard to stay as unpredictable as possible,” Ulrich said in Enter Night: A Biography of Metallica by Mick Wall. “We don’t like the idea of playing it safe at all. We always like to try to do things that work out a bit different from what even we imagined them to be.”

Metallica, "Master of Puppets"

READ MORE:  These Are the 20 Songs Metallica Have Never Played Live

While Hetfield and Ulrich wrote most of Master of Puppets together at their home, guitarist Kirk Hammett came up with ideas for five tracks. Bassist Cliff Burton co-wrote three and is widely credited for inspiring Metallica to incorporate more elements of classical music into their songs, as evident on “Battery” and “Orion.” “I was consumed with [classical music], Burton said in a 1986 interview with Wall. “Taking lessons, getting into theory – it leaves quite an influence. A lot of music will go in one ear and out the other, but you listen to that shit for a month and it stamps you; it leaves its mark.”

Metallica originally wanted Rush bassist and vocalist Geddy Lee to produce the album, but since they couldn’t coordinate schedules they called Rasmussen, who produced Ride the Lightning . Instead of using Rasmussen’s Sweet Silence studio in Copenhagen, Denmark, Metallica wanted to record in a studio in Los Angeles. The producer agreed and flew to L.A. to scout studios with Ulrich. After testing out numerous facilities and being unable to replicate the drum sounds he got on Ride the Lightning , Ulrich decided the band should return to Copenhagen and record at Rasmussen’s place. His bandmates reluctantly acquiesced. At least this time they didn’t have to spend the nights in sleeping bags on their producer’s apartment floor, having booked book rooms in the Scandinavia Hotel in the city center.

Prior to entering Sweet Silence on Sept. 1, 1985, Metallica demoed all of the songs on the album except “The Thing That Should Not Be” and “Orion,” which weren’t finished. The band worked in Silence from 7PM to about 5AM. before returning to their hotel for free breakfast and sleep. To warm up for the session to come and test the studio sound, Metallica recorded covers of Diamond Head ’s “The Prince,” The Misfits ’ “Green Hell” and Fang’s “The Money Will Roll Right In” before they started tracking their own material. Versions of the first two songs were later recorded and appeared on other releases.

Almost from the start of the session, the band members realized Ulrich’s snare sounded like a garbage can lid. So they called their management company QPrime and asked if they could send Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen’s high quality Tama “Black Beauty” snare. The company also represented Def Leppard, and since their drummer Rick Allen was recovering from a horrible car accident that left his left arm amputated, QPrime were able to send it to Ulrich. As luck would have it, while Ulrich was waiting for the drum to arrive, he found the same model in a Copenhagen music store, and better yet, the price tag had be unchanged since 1979.

With a drum sound everyone was happy with, Metallica started began tracking. The process was productive, but time consuming since Hetfield recorded at least six guitar tracks for every song in order to get the desired dense tone he was after. And instead of layering a single version of a take, Hetfield insisted on playing every single guitar riff over and over. Many of the rhythms were challenging to play, and the slightest deviation meant redoing the take.

“I’m always saying, ‘It’s not tight enough,’ Hetfield said in Birth School Metallica Death: Vol 1 by Paul Brannigan and Ian Winwood. People think I’m nuts. It’s something that absolutely haunts me. After we recorded ‘Hit the Lights,’ which appeared on the Metal Massacre compilation [in 1982] this guy heard the song and told me, ‘Oh, the rhythms aren’t very tight are they?’ Man. That was it! That started my lifelong quest. That was the Holy Grail for me – being tight.”

On the days when Hetfield was perfecting his rhythms there wasn’t much for Burton and Hammett to do. So they busied themselves with other activities. “We would stay up 24 hours at a time and just go out walking around Copenhagen kind of drunk, doing whatever we could to bide the time," Hammett told Rolling Stone. "I remember at one point, we found a beach on a map. So we went there but it was so cold and there was absolutely no wave action or anything. Cliff and I were just bundled up on this weird beach in Copenhagen saying, 'God, this place is driving us crazy!'"

On Sept. 14, Metallica took a break to play a set at the Metal Hammer Festival in Germany, where they debuted “Disposable Heroes.” Over the remaining three and a half months they were in Copenhagen, Metallica finished writing “The Thing That Should Not Be” and “Orion” and recorded both. The latter, in particular, demonstrated the band’s musical depth and diversity.

“For me, 'Orion' was Cliff Burton's swan song," Hammett told Rolling Stone. "It was a great piece of music, and he'd written the whole middle section. It kind of gave us a view into what direction he was heading. If he would have stayed with us, I think he would have gone further into [that] direction. Our sound would be different if he was still here.”

Metallica, "Orion"

With Master of Puppets recorded, Metallica left Sweet Silence on Dec. 27. Then they handed over the master tapes to engineer Michael Wagener, who mixed the album at his Amigo Studios in Los Angeles. To date, most fans and critics consider the record the apex of thrash, the moment when the genre transcended previous limitations and smashed creative gates, giving Metallica and other artists more room for creative expression. However, for Ulrich, the record was an effort to escape from being labeled as anything other than a metal band.

“If you take the extremes of [the] album, which to my mind would be ‘Damage, Inc.’ and ‘Orion’ – the amount of ground we cover is so big, so vast, it really pisses me off that anybody would want to stick us with one label,” he said in Enter Night . “Yes, we do a few thrash songs, but that’s not all we like to do.”

It seems insane in retrospect, but when  Master of Puppets was released it only debuted at No. 128 on the Billboard album chart. Even so, it sold 300,000 copies in its first three weeks – according to Billboard – and peaked at No. 29 thanks in part to tremendous exposure they gained from a tour opening for Ozzy Osbourne .

“[Touring with Ozzy] was a huge break for us,” Ulrich told Wall. “A the time, Ozzy was perceived as one of the most controversial metal stars in the US – he drew a really extreme type of crowd… Here we were as this even more extreme up-and-coming metal band that Ozzy was giving his seal of approval to by taking [us] out on tour with him.”

The only snag during the North American tour happened on June 26 when Hetfield broke his wrist in a skateboarding accident. Hammett called Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian to see if he could fly out to fill in for Hetfield, but his band was about to enter the studio and he was unable to make it happen. Instead, Hammett’s guitar tech John Marshall, who played in Metal Church , was able to perform on tour until Hetfield’s wrist healed.

Master of Puppets remained on the Billboard album chart for 72 weeks and on Nov. 4, 1986, Metallica had their first gold record. Tragically, Burton didn’t live long enough to receive the award. On Sept. 27, 1986, Burton died when the band’s tour bus crashed and tipped over in Kronoberg County, Sweden. Burton, who was asleep in his bunk at the time, fell out of the window and was crushed under the vehicle. The band was on its way from a show in Solna, Sweden to its next gig in Copenhagen.

After Burton’s funeral, Oct. 7, 1986, Metallica decided to continue with a new bassist. They held auditions and in the last week of October, dedicated Metallica fan and Flotsam and Jetsam member Jason Newsted auditioned for Metallica. His was hired soon after and played his first show with the band on Nov. 8, 1986 in Reseda, Calif.

On July 27, 1988,  Master of Puppets was certified platinum by the RIAA. And despite Metallica’s dramatic musical shifts throughout the ‘90s, Master of Puppets continued to sell: On March 1, 1991, it went double platinum; June 28, 1994, triple platinum; November 3, 1997, quadruple platinum; November 18, 1998, quintuple platinum; and June 9, 2003, sextuple platinum.

“I remember holding the album in my hands and thinking, ‘Wow, this is a fucking great album, even if it doesn’t sell anything,” Hammett told Wall. “It doesn’t matter because it is such a great musical statement that we’ve just created. I really felt that it would pass the test of time. Which it has.”

Loudwire contributor Jon Wiederhorn is the author of  Raising Hell: Backstage Tales From the Lives of Metal Legends , co-author of  Louder Than Hell: The Definitive Oral History of Metal , as well as the co-author of Scott Ian’s autobiography,  I’m the Man: The Story of That Guy From Anthrax , and Al Jourgensen’s autobiography,  Ministry: The Lost Gospels According to Al Jourgensen  and the Agnostic Front book  My Riot! Grit, Guts and Glory .

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Gallery Credit: Loudwire Staff

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How Metallica changed metal with their groundbreaking 1986 classic Master of Puppets

With testimony from James Hetfield, Kirk Hammett and producer Fleming Rasmussen, we unpack the story behind the definitive Metallica album

In early 1986, James Hetfield was in bullish mood, talking about the new Metallica album as it was being mixed at Amigo Studios in Los Angeles. “I know that on this album the fast ones are some of the fastest we’ve ever written,” he told Sounds writer Steffan Chirazi. “We’d never try to forget what Metallica formed for, no way. It’s just that maturity in style breeds better material all round.”

The album in question was Master Of Puppets , and its title track was everything that guitarist/vocalist Hetfield promised. It was fast – 220bpm at peak velocity. It had a sense of artistic maturity in its epic scope and dramatic twists and turns, playing out over eight-and-a-half-minutes through several tempo and time signature changes. 

It was a guitar onslaught incorporating airtight staccato riffing, clean arpeggiated chords, harmonising twin-lead runs and a shredding, frantic solo from lead guitarist Kirk Hammett. And it would become an anthem for one of the most innovative and visionary metal bands of both the 1980s and of all time.

1986 was a landmark year for Metallica and their contemporaries from the thrash metal scene that had revolutionised heavy music in the early ’80s. It was the year of Slayer’s Reign In Blood , Megadeth’s Peace Sells... But Who’s Buying? , Dark Angel’s Darkness Descends , Kreator’s Pleasure To Kill and Destruction’s Eternal Devastation . 

But in the three years since Metallica had kickstarted that revolution with their breakneck debut Kill ’Em All , they had broadened their sound and created in Master Of Puppets an album so ambitious and unique that their rivals were left playing catch-up.

During the Puppets tour, Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich told Total Guitar ’s Paul Elliott: “It’s never been that pre-planned. We’ve just been following our own instincts, doing our own thing and letting it go in whatever direction feels natural. There’s never been a specific attempt to create a new sound or anything – that just happens.” 

But if the initial creative spark was as instinctual as Ulrich claimed, this was music crafted with a meticulous attention to detail. In the making of Master Of Puppets , Metallica’s focus was razor-sharp. As Hetfield told Steffan Chirazi: “On a lot of numbers there are little things that demand a lot of attention. The album demands this sort of shit, man, and we know it’ll make the difference.”

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36 years on, Master Of Puppets is widely regarded as Metallica’s greatest album. In contemporary pop culture, the album’s title track has had a new lease of life following its front-and-centre inclusion in Netflix’s worldwide hit show Stranger Things , and in the band’s recent summer shows it has served as the grand finale. 

But this monolithic track has been a pillar of the band’s live set for decades. As of September 2022, Metallica have performed Master Of Puppets live more than any other song. And with good reason. From the definitive Metallica album, it is the definitive Metallica song.

It was on September 3, 1985 that Metallica began the recording sessions for Master Of Puppets at Sweet Silence Studios in Copenhagen, Denmark, with the studio’s in-house engineer Flemming Rasmussen as their co-producer. 

And all these years later, as Rasmussen speaks to Total Guitar via Zoom to discuss the creation of that album and its classic title track, he’s sitting right where it happened – in the control room at Sweet Silence, where he points behind him to the desk used for the recording. “It was a long time ago,” he says. “But I remember it all so clearly...”

Metallica had made their second album Ride The Lightning at Sweet Silence with Rasmussen at the controls back in 1984, and it was Lars Ulrich who prompted that decision. As a fan of Ritchie Blackmore, the legendary guitarist of Deep Purple and Rainbow fame, Ulrich had loved the sound of Rainbow’s 1981 album Difficult To Cure , produced by the band’s bassist Roger Glover at Sweet Silence with Rasmussen as engineer.

“Before I started working with Metallica I didn’t know anything about them,” Rasmussen admits now. “But when I listened to Kill ’Em All I heard a lot of energy, for sure. And when I met them, I loved the attitude. It was Metallica against the world in those days. You see this attitude a lot in young bands but Metallica was beyond that – they had that drive and the chemistry between the four guys. 

“We talked about Kill ’Em All and they were pretty stoked with it, but they didn’t like the sound of it. But they’d heard what I’d done with Ritchie Blackmore and they all loved the sound on that. So we scrutinised the guitar sounds from Kill ’Em All and my impression was it was good but I felt we could do a lot better – which I think Ride The Lightning proved.”

There was one major problem during the recording of Ride The Lightning : Hetfield’s modified Marshall guitar amp had been stolen during a European tour. As a result, Rasmussen spoke to several Danish metal bands, including Metallica’s friends in Mercyful Fate, who brought various amps to the studio for Hetfield to try out. “We had 10 or 11 Marshall stacks set up,” Rasmussen recalls, “and James tried to figure out which of them sounded like his that was stolen.”

Ride The Lightning was a real breakthrough – a big leap forward for Metallica artistically and also commercially, selling enough to secure the band a major label deal with Elektra in the US. In the wake of that success, it made perfect sense for the band to return to Sweet Silence and continue with Rasmussen as co-producer.

All of the material for Master Of Puppets was written and complete when the band arrived at the studio. “Metallica made pretty elaborate demos,” Rasmussen says. “They worked with those cassette tapes of riffs and they’d stick the riffs together and take a part from one song and stick it into another song. So all of that was more or less done when we started on Master Of Puppets .”

For much of this album, Hetfield was playing his iconic white Gibson Explorer (the standard ceramic humbuckers were replaced with EMG 81s in 1987), but the recording of one absurdly heavy track, The Thing That Should Not Be , saw him turn to a Jackson KV1 and down-tune for the first time. 

His watertight distortion was achieved not with FX – “the last time I used a distortion pedal was on Ride The Lightning ,” he noted in 1992, “and it was hell!” – but from the molotov cocktail of a Mesa/Boogie Mark II C+ rewired as a preamp, and a 100-watt Marshall power amp with 4x12 cabs.

On lead, Kirk Hammett was more relaxed about effects, favouring an Ibanez Tube Screamer and a Dunlop Cry Baby, and fell back on his old axes, including a Gibson Flying V and a Fernandes Strat copy with a Floyd Rose.

Like Hetfield, Hammett was also in thrall to the fusion of Mesa and Marshall. “Boogie made those heads for a short time in the mid ’80s,” he told Guitar World . “There’s something about Boogie Mark II C heads that was really unique and very individual in their gain stages and sound. Most of Master of Puppets was tracked with Boogie heads and Marshall heads combined.”

Elaborating on the album’s amp sound, Rasmussen explains: “On this album they got the Mesa/Boogie endorsement, so they all played with five-band EQ. They got these new amps and they were all stoked, but when we tried them out, we thought, ‘..What the fuck?’ You twist the knobs and when you turn up the table you expect more top, right? But it was more or less the opposite. So we really messed around a lot with them.”

He continues: “We set up these Mesa/Boogie amps and we hooked up their new cabinets. I think we used two different cabinets on all the guitars. I used a variety of six mics on each guitar. I had two Shure SM57s right in the cone. 

“I had two BMKs – they’re called DPA now, a test mic by a Danish company – I used them for room mics, so there’s one room mic on each cabinet. And on top of that I used AKG Gold tubes, in a 45-degree angle out from each cabinet, 3 or 4 feet away. So 3 mics on each cabinet, and every time we did a new part I’d fiddle with these mics till we got the right sound.”

I was always waiting to put the bass on till after the rhythm guitars, which is very important in metal music which is guitar riff-based. The bass player has to adjust to the riff the guitar is playing – not the other way round Fleming Rasmussen

Rasmussen worked on three Metallica albums – Ride The Lightning , Master Of Puppets and 1988’s ...And Justice For All . And as he says now: “All the albums I did with Metallica were recorded on 24-track analogue tape. There’s not a computer in sight, so there’s no editing – everything is played. So we only had the 24 tracks in principle, but we used a synchroniser so we had 46 tracks available. You’d do the drums and once they were done you’d start doing the rhythm guitars.

“I was always waiting to put the bass on till after the rhythm guitars, which is very important in metal music which is guitar riff-based. The bass player has to adjust to the riff the guitar is playing – not the other way round. So we didn’t record the bass until after the rhythm guitars, which was good in the case of Cliff [Burton, Metallica bassist until his death in September 1986], because he was a player who played to what he heard.”

Metallica’s studio process was notable for Hetfield recording rhythm tracks for both himself and Hammett to ensure the intricate riffing was matched to millisecond perfection. 

As Rasmussen explains: “On the albums I’ve done, James played all the rhythm guitars. Kirk doesn’t play a single rhythm guitar on Master Of Puppets . We’d set up James’s gear and Kirk’s gear and James would alternate between the stacks to do the parts. 

James can strum to anything. He’s the rhythm master. He’s tight as f**k. I rate James as the best rhythm guitar player on the planet Fleming Rasmussen

“Most of the main guitars started out on James’s Explorer and then we would swap guitars all the time. Most times we would start with James’s rhythm guitar, with two tracks in stereo, so we had the main guitar. We would then dub that on one track playing on Kirk’s equipment, which was sometimes a power amp and one Marshall pre-amp. So we had two double-tracked rhythm guitars doing James’s part, and then he would play Kirk’s part on Kirk’s guitar.”

He adds with a broad smile: “James can strum to anything. He’s the rhythm master. He’s tight as fuck. That was never a problem. I rate James as the best rhythm guitar player on the planet. He’s unbelievable.”

On recording the iconic title track, Rasmussen remembers: “There’s a lot of melodies in there, and depending on what we needed we would do six, eight, 12 tracks of melody guitars. James is playing his rhythm part, then he’s doubling his own rhythm part on Kirk’s equipment, then he plays Kirk’s parts on Kirk’s equipment and then he goes back to his own gear and double tracks Kirk’s part with his sound. So we’ve got four rhythm parts, two James and two Kirk, all played on different guitars.”

Whilst Hetfield was taking care of the track’s complicated and extremely technical rhythm parts, Hammett would be writing and perfecting his lead parts. 

“Kirk would have a lot of spare time,” says Rasmussen. “They were all hanging around the studio while we were recording. It was very rare that I was there alone. There was not a lot they could do in Copenhagen in winter. So Kirk would sit in the TV room, composing his solos while we recorded rhythm guitars and drums. 

“It would be me, Lars and Kirk, and [Kirk] would play the solo he’d composed. Some of the solos are really long. Lars especially had ideas of how it had to be, like, ‘We want a Ritchie Blackmore-type thing here.’ Lars has a huge knowledge of music.”

He adds: “Kirk’s solo, going from beginning to end, we would punch in. He’d do it bit by bit – so that he got the performance that he wanted and we wanted. Kirk’s a damn good guitar player.”

As for pedals, Rasmussen notes: “We tried everything we had. The setup was pretty elaborate on the Boogies. I had a studio parametric EQ inserted at the back so I could sculpt the tone in the control room. The amps were in the control room and we had the cabs out in the studio [room]. On top of what was going on on the amp I had inserted a studio EQ.”

And the distinctive twin-lead harmonies that lead the song’s middle-eight section? “Most of that was Kirk playing,” Rasmussen says. “On some of the solos we have a wah coming in and going out again, so obviously we used a wah pedal, but for distortion we probably had Tube Screamers and whatever I had lying around – Marshall boosters, all sorts of stuff. But we would boost the amps quite a bit, so a lot of the distortion would come from the amp.”

The recording of Master Of Puppets finally wrapped on Christmas Day morning, 1986. Lars Ulrich enjoyed the festive period at his family’s home near Copenhagen while Hetfield, Hammett and Burton flew back to California. 

The band reunited for a gig in San Francisco on New Year’s Eve before the album was mixed in LA by Michael Wagener, the German producer who had worked on hit records for various metal bands including Motley Crue, Dokken and Accept. 

Master Of Puppets was released on March 3, 1986, and went on to become Metallica’s first million seller. As Flemming Rasmussen says in conclusion: “It really is an amazing record.”

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Content Editor at Total Guitar and freelance writer for  Classic Rock  since 2005, Paul Elliott has worked for leading music titles since 1985, including  Sounds, Kerrang!, MOJO  and  Q . He is the author of several books including the first biography of Guns N’ Roses and autobiography of bodyguard-to-the-stars Danny Francis, and has written liner notes for classic album reissues by artists such as Def Leppard, Thin Lizzy and Kiss. He lives in Bath, UK – of which David Coverdale recently said, “How very Roman of you!”

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March 1986: Metallica Release MASTER OF PUPPETS

When it came time for Metallica to record the band's third album in 1985, it's safe to say that that the group was going for the gold. Drummer Lars Ulrich had convinced the outfit that they needed to step up their game and record at the state-of-the-art Sweet Silence studios in Copenhagen, and they made the most of the opportunity.

"W hen I listen to Master of Puppets now, I just sit there and go, 'What the f*ck? How do you do that?'" Ulrich said to Rolling Stone back in 2016. "There's a spark or spontaneity or impulsiveness that happens when you're in your twenties. We wrote Master of Puppets in probably eight weeks over that summer. Nowadays, it takes me eight weeks just to drive down to the studio. It's like, 'What the f*ck did we do in the summer of '85 where we could just give birth to that from the first note to the last note in eight weeks?' Death Magnetic took us probably 18 months from when we started writing to when we started recording. On this current record, it probably took us about nine months. How the f*ck do you write a record like Master of Puppets in eight weeks?"

Released March 3, 1986, Master of Puppets made an immediate impact, crashing the Billboard charts before peaking at #29 over the week of May 10, 1986.

The instantly classic heavy metal magnum opus has gone on to sell more than 10 million copies worldwide, and has influenced generations of bands that have emerged in its wake. In 2015, Master of Puppets became the first metal album selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Recording Registry.

Master of Puppets would also mark Metallica's last album with original bass player, Cliff Burton. While on the road in Sweden in 1986, he would be killed in a tragic tour bus accident.

"I think about him a lot," Ulrich revealed in 2016. "It was a very unique thing that we had going for us on those three records in terms of the sound of that lineup, and God bless Jason Newsted and God bless Robert Trujillo for their individuality and what they've brought to Metallica since his death, but Cliff really was a character all his own. That hasn't changed one iota since then. It only becomes more and more apparent."

" Master of Puppets is my favorite album, because we culminated as a band on Master of Puppets ," guitarist Kirk Hammett told Revolver in 2017. "Everyone was kind of settled into their roles; everyone was playing well. We knew what we were striving for, we knew what we could do, we knew each other's playing well, we knew our strengths. And it just kind of all culminated on this album."

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25 Things You Might Not Know About Metallica's 'Master Of Puppets'

O n March 3, 1986, Metallica released their third studio album, Master of Puppets . To celebrate the record's anniversary, here are 25 things you might not know about it: 

1. James Hetfield  and Lars Ulrich  started writing Master of Puppets  in the middle of 1985 with the goal of penning an album that would impress both critics and fans. They worked together in a garage in El Cerrito, California, then invited Cliff Burton  and Kirk Hammett  in for rehearsals. 

2. The band already knew the album would be called Master of Puppets  when they started writing it.

3. James and Lars started each song with guitar riffs that they would work on until the music sounded right. They'd next think of a song title and a topic then James would come up with lyrics to match the title.

4. Master of Puppets  was the first Metallica album not to feature songwriting contributions from Dave Mustaine , though Mustaine claims he co-wrote "Leper Messiah." The band has denied it but did admit to a section of the track incorporating Dave's ideas. 

5. The band recorded the album in Lars' native Denmark because they felt the studios there had better acoustics. 

6. Rush singer Geddy Lee  was approached to produce the album but due to schedule conflicts, he wasn't able to. 

7. Kirk Hammett worked with guitarist Joe Satriani to learn how to record more efficiently.

8. Even though they liked to party, as they were recording the album, they stayed dry. 

9. Metallica designed the album cover with manager Peter Mensch . It shows a white crosses in a cemetery, each with a string attached to it being manipulated by hands in the sky. Don Brautigam  painted it and in 2008, the original sold for $28,000.

10. On the cover, the band featured a sticker that mocked the Parental Advisory labels placed on albums. Their sticker read, "The only track you probably won't want to play is 'Damage, Inc.' due to the multiple use of the infamous 'F' word. Otherwise, there aren't any 's**ts,' 'f**ks,' 'pisses,' 'c**ts,' 'motherf***ers,' or 'c***s***ers' anywhere on this record."

11. Fans and experts are split over the meaning of the opening track, "Battery." Some think the song is about anger and the title refers to "assault and battery" while others think it is about an artillery battery. Still others think the title is a reference to Battery Street in San Francisco where there are a bunch of clubs where Metallica played when they were starting out. 

12. The title track deals with drugs. Hetfield explained it's about "how things get switched around, instead of you controlling what you're taking and doing, it's drugs controlling you." Essentially, drugs are the master and the user is the puppet.

13. While playing the final solo on "Master of Puppets," Kirk pulled the top string off the fretboard of his guitar to make that really high sound. 

14. At the end of "Master of Puppets," you can hear a backwards recording of the band's guitars and the guys' echoed laughter. 

15. "The Thing That Should Not Be" was inspired by the  H.P. Lovecraft  story The Shadow Over Innsmouth . 

16. "Welcome Home (Sanitarium)" is based on the Ken Kesey  novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest  and describes the thoughts of a wrongfully caged mental institution patient.

17. The demo version of "Welcome Home (Sanitarium)" had different lyrics, no chorus, and halfway through the track, the song ends and the bass interlude of "Orion" begins.

18. As the title implies, "Disposable Heroes" is about a country's disregard for their troops, who are heroes. It is an anti-war song. Kirk wanted "Disposable Heroes" to sound like the music he'd heard in war films.

19. The term "Disposable Heroes" comes from the book Fahrenheit 451 . 

20. "Leper Messiah" is about Christian televangelists who con people into giving them money and then they keep it for themselves. Many interpret it to be about religion not delivering what it promises rather just controlling followers, like a master of puppets.

21. In his 1972 song "Ziggy Stardust," David Bowie mentions a "leper Messiah." 

22. James has the notes for the bass part in the middle of "Orion" tattooed on his left arm. The album was the last to feature Cliff, who died in a tour bus accident while on the road promoting the record. "Orion" shows off just some of Burton's massive talent.

23. "Damage, Inc." is about senseless violence at an unspecified target.

24. Soon after it was released in 1986, the album spent 72 weeks on the Billboard 200. 

25. Master of Puppets  gave the band their first gold certification. It sold 300,000 copies in its first three weeks out, even though it saw very little airplay and there were no music videos off of it. The album has since gone six times platinum for sales of over six million copies. 

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Funko Pop! Moment Deluxe: Metallica Master of Puppets Tour (1986) Vinyl Figures (2022 Limited Edition Exclusive)

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Move A Few Wires And Get To The Front Of The Stage At The Metallica Master Of Puppets Tour 1986 With This Pop Luxury Moment. This Exclusive Set Features Pop Cliff Burton, Pop Lars Ulrich, Pop James Hetfield And Pop Kirk Hammett On Stage, With Spotlights, Scaffolding, Drums And A Backdrop With A Crossing Cemetery. The Name Metallica Rises Above. This Unique Collection Comes In A Pre Packaged Case That Can Be Hung On The Wall Or Displayed In Your Music Collection. The Pops The Interior Is Attached To The Box To Keep Your Screen Looking Pristine. Get Your All Access Tickets And Passes To Recreate Your Favorite Pop Musical Moments. Vinyl Figures Measure Approximately 4 Inches Tall. Approximate Box Dimensions Cm 33 H X 46 W X 12 D.

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METALLICA's ROBERT TRUJILLO Breaks Down The Differences Between CLIFF BURTON's And JASON NEWSTED's Playing Styles

During an appearance on the April 24 episode of SiriusXM 's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" , METALLICA bassist Robert Trujillo spoke about the two bassists that preceded him in the band, Jason Newsted and the late, great Cliff Burton . He said in part (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET ): "It's interesting because between Jason and Cliff , they're very different players, and I think that's great. I love the fact that we're all different, we all have our thing that we bring to the band. And, obviously, with Cliff , he was such an incredible musician. I mean, he was really a composer when it came to the instrument, in the same way that sort of a Jaco Pastorius or Stanley Clarke would've been a composer. They're thinking about the song, but they're also thinking about the voice of the instrument within the song and how to present it. And sometimes that's utilizing distortion or overdrive or the wah pedal and being melodic with it. And I love that; that's what I love about [ Cliff ]. And then you've got Jason who was really keeping it and holding it down, keeping it solid — a lot more simple, but in a good way. Definitely not in a pedestrian way; I would never say that. I think it's just really solid."

He continued: "What I've learned over the years from everyone that I've ever worked with, whether it's METALLICA or playing in Ozzy 's [ Osbourne ] band and recording with Ozzy and working with Jerry Cantrell [ ALICE IN CHAINS ], which I've done on and off over the years, I just learned from every situation. Jerry , for instance, is an incredible bass player. He would never cop to it, but this guy, as a composer, I'm saying, where he positions the notes within a song and the dynamic sort of value of that note in the simplicity is incredible. If you listen to a song like [ ALICE IN CHAINS '] 'Rooster' , you can hear the bass that has a personality within the song and it resonates and it's got space. But he's really great at taking the bass and using it in a simple form, but also having its presence be known in a very dynamic way, which lends itself to the song. That's why you always hear bass in ALICE songs or Jerry 's music. I recorded with Jerry recently, and it's just always a blessing and an incredible experience. It doesn't happen very often, but when it does, it's special because he's such an amazing composer. And I just feel blessed with any situation I've been able to record in and be a part of. The songwriting is just always at the highest level, and working with [ METALLICA bandmates] Lars [ Ulrich ], James [ Hetfield ] and Kirk [ Hammett ], for 21 years, has been an incredible experience because they're composers. And that's special, when you can be in a band and work with people that love the art of songwriting."

Trujillo , who was born on October 23, 1964 in Santa Monica, California, tasted success as the bassist in punk-funk pioneers SUICIDAL TENDENCIES and Ozzy Osbourne 's band. But in 2003, he successfully auditioned to replace Jason Newsted in METALLICA , a process chronicled in the warts-and-all documentary "Some Kind of Monster" .

METALLICA 's much-loved former bassist Cliff Burton died in 1986 when the band's tour bus crashed travelling through Sweden on the "Damage Inc. Tour" in support of "Master Of Puppets" .

Trujillo told Exclaim! in a 2016 interview that he feels no pressure when compared to his low-end predecessors.

"Whether it's Jason or myself or Cliff , we're all different types of players coming from a different place, but delivering what is best for the band," he said. "That's all I ever do, just try and do the best I can and cater to the song, cater to the music."

Hetfield praised Trujillo during a 2017 interview with the 94.5 The Buzz radio station, saying: "Who else could [have come in and done the job]? I mean, there were a few people we auditioned, I know. It might have worked out with other people, but it's hard to find people that are, say, your age; kind of your upbringing, musically, obviously; ability-wise; they've been on the road. It's not like you're bringing some kid out for his first time, and it's, 'Oh my God!' He's going through all the stuff that you did twenty-five years ago. He's got kids. He's married. It just jelled, and it's still jelling. And his personality is probably one of the best contributions, I think, to the band, 'cause he's so chill, he's so up for anything, he's always in there rehearsing. So he does fit in."

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10 Best Metallica Songs of All Time

List of the top 10 best metallica songs of all time.

Metallica is an American heavy metal band formed in 1981 in Los Angeles, California. The band’s original lineup consisted of James Hetfield (rhythm guitar and vocals), Lars Ulrich (drums), Dave Mustaine (lead guitar), and Ron McGovney (bass). Cliff Burton later replaced McGovney on bass, and Kirk Hammett replaced Mustaine on lead guitar.

Metallica is one of the most influential and commercially successful heavy metal bands in history. They are known for their fast tempos, aggressive musicianship, and complex song structures. Metallica’s music often features powerful riffs, intricate guitar solos, and introspective lyrics.

The band gained widespread acclaim with their first three albums: “Kill ‘Em All” (1983), “Ride the Lightning” (1984), and “Master of Puppets” (1986). These albums helped establish Metallica as one of the leading bands of the thrash metal movement of the 1980s.

In 1991, Metallica released their self-titled album, commonly referred to as the “Black Album,” which marked a shift towards a more mainstream sound. The album featured hits like “Enter Sandman” and “Nothing Else Matters” and became one of the best-selling albums of all time.

Throughout their career, Metallica has continued to release successful albums and tour extensively. They have won numerous awards, including multiple Grammy Awards, and have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Metallica’s impact on heavy metal music and popular culture is profound, and they are considered one of the “big four” thrash metal bands alongside Slayer, Megadeth, and Anthrax. With a career spanning over four decades, Metallica remains a dominant force in the world of heavy metal.

Table of Contents

1. Enter Sandman

“Enter Sandman” is a song by Metallica, released as the opening track and lead single from their self-titled album, commonly known as the “Black Album,” in 1991. It’s one of Metallica’s most well-known and commercially successful songs.

“Enter Sandman” is characterized by its powerful guitar riff, driving rhythm, and aggressive vocals. The song’s lyrics, written by James Hetfield, are inspired by childhood nightmares and the fear of the unknown. The chorus features the iconic refrain “Exit light, enter night,” which has become one of the most recognizable lines in heavy metal music.

The song’s music video, directed by Wayne Isham, received heavy rotation on MTV and helped propel “Enter Sandman” to mainstream success. The song became a staple of Metallica’s live performances and remains one of their most popular songs to this day.

“Enter Sandman” achieved widespread acclaim, earning Metallica a Grammy Award nomination for Best Rock Song. It also played a significant role in the commercial success of the “Black Album,” which went on to become one of the best-selling albums of all time.

“Enter Sandman” is often regarded as one of the definitive songs of the heavy metal genre and a classic in Metallica’s discography. Its impact on popular culture is profound, and it continues to be celebrated by fans of heavy metal music worldwide.

2. Master of Puppets

“Master of Puppets” is a song by Metallica, released on their 1986 album of the same name. It’s one of Metallica’s most iconic and influential songs, considered a masterpiece of thrash metal.

The song is characterized by its intricate guitar riffs, blistering solos, and relentless intensity. Clocking in at over eight minutes in length, “Master of Puppets” showcases Metallica’s musical prowess and songwriting skills, with dynamic shifts in tempo and mood throughout.

Lyrically, “Master of Puppets” explores themes of control, addiction, and the destructive power of external forces. The lyrics metaphorically depict a puppet master manipulating and controlling others, with references to drug addiction and the loss of autonomy.

“Master of Puppets” is widely regarded as one of the greatest heavy metal songs of all time. It has been praised for its technical complexity, powerful lyrics, and raw emotional impact. The song’s influence on the thrash metal genre and heavy metal music as a whole is immense, and it continues to be celebrated by fans and critics alike as a classic in Metallica’s discography.

“One” is a song by Metallica, released on their 1988 album “…And Justice for All.” It’s one of Metallica’s most famous and critically acclaimed songs, known for its intense musical composition and powerful lyrical themes.

The song begins with a haunting acoustic guitar passage before erupting into a barrage of heavy riffs, thunderous drums, and intricate guitar solos. “One” is characterized by its dynamic shifts in tempo and mood, showcasing Metallica’s musical complexity and virtuosity.

Lyrically, “One” is based on the novel “Johnny Got His Gun” by Dalton Trumbo, which tells the story of a soldier who becomes severely wounded and loses his limbs, sight, hearing, and ability to speak. The song’s lyrics depict the protagonist’s internal struggle and anguish as he grapples with his condition and pleads for death to release him from his suffering.

“One” received widespread acclaim upon its release, with many praising its powerful music and thought-provoking lyrics. The song’s music video, featuring footage from the 1971 film adaptation of “Johnny Got His Gun,” further added to its impact and popularity.

“One” remains a fan favorite and a staple of Metallica’s live performances. It has been covered by numerous artists and is widely regarded as one of the greatest heavy metal songs of all time.

4. Nothing Else Matters

“Nothing Else Matters” is a song by Metallica, released on their 1991 self-titled album, commonly referred to as the “Black Album.” It’s one of Metallica’s most famous and commercially successful songs, known for its emotional lyrics and melodic composition.

The song features a softer and more introspective sound compared to much of Metallica’s other work, with acoustic guitar and symphonic elements accompanying James Hetfield’s emotive vocals. The lyrics of “Nothing Else Matters” express themes of love, trust, and vulnerability, reflecting Hetfield’s personal experiences and relationships.

“Nothing Else Matters” became a massive hit, reaching high chart positions around the world and receiving widespread acclaim from fans and critics alike. Its memorable melody and heartfelt lyrics resonated with listeners, making it one of Metallica’s most beloved songs.

“Nothing Else Matters” has been covered by numerous artists and has become a staple of Metallica’s live performances. Its enduring popularity and universal appeal have solidified its status as one of the band’s signature songs and a classic in the rock genre.

5. Fade to Black

“Fade to Black” is a song by Metallica, featured on their 1984 album “Ride the Lightning.” It’s considered one of the band’s most iconic and emotionally resonant songs.

“Fade to Black” begins with a melancholic acoustic guitar intro, showcasing Metallica’s ability to incorporate softer, more introspective elements into their thrash metal sound. The song gradually builds in intensity, with powerful guitar riffs and dynamic shifts in tempo.

Lyrically, “Fade to Black” explores themes of depression, despair, and suicidal thoughts. The song’s lyrics express a sense of hopelessness and isolation, as well as a longing for escape from emotional pain.

“Fade to Black” has become one of Metallica’s most beloved and enduring songs, acclaimed for its musical complexity and emotional depth. It has been cited as a favorite by fans and critics alike and remains a staple of Metallica’s live performances.

Despite its dark subject matter, “Fade to Black” has resonated with audiences around the world and is widely regarded as a classic in the heavy metal genre. Its haunting melody and introspective lyrics continue to captivate listeners, making it a standout moment in Metallica’s discography.

6. For Whom the Bell Tolls

“For Whom the Bell Tolls” is a song by Metallica, featured on their 1984 album “Ride the Lightning.” The song’s title and lyrics were inspired by Ernest Hemingway’s novel of the same name, which depicts the experiences of an American soldier fighting in the Spanish Civil War.

Musically, “For Whom the Bell Tolls” is characterized by its ominous and heavy guitar riff, played by Cliff Burton on bass with a distinctive distorted tone. The song features a powerful and driving rhythm, with Lars Ulrich’s drumming adding to the intensity of the track.

Lyrically, “For Whom the Bell Tolls” explores themes of war, mortality, and sacrifice. The lyrics vividly depict the chaos and brutality of battle, as well as the human cost of conflict. The title and refrain of the song reference the tolling of a bell, a metaphor for the inevitability of death.

“For Whom the Bell Tolls” has become one of Metallica’s most popular and enduring songs, praised for its powerful music and thought-provoking lyrics. It has been featured in numerous films, television shows, and video games, and remains a favorite among fans of the band and the heavy metal genre.

7. The Unforgiven

“The Unforgiven” is a song by Metallica, featured on their 1991 self-titled album, commonly referred to as the “Black Album.” It’s the first of a trilogy of songs, followed by “The Unforgiven II” on the album “Reload” and “The Unforgiven III” on “Death Magnetic.”

Musically, “The Unforgiven” is characterized by its melodic and introspective tone, featuring clean guitar passages and orchestral arrangements. The song gradually builds in intensity, with James Hetfield’s vocals conveying a sense of vulnerability and emotional depth.

Lyrically, “The Unforgiven” explores themes of inner conflict, self-identity, and the struggle to break free from the constraints of society and expectations. The lyrics depict a person grappling with feelings of guilt and regret, as well as a desire for redemption and self-discovery.

“The Unforgiven” received critical acclaim upon its release and became one of Metallica’s most successful songs. Its memorable melody, powerful lyrics, and emotional resonance have made it a fan favorite and a staple of Metallica’s live performances.

Overall, “The Unforgiven” is praised for its musical complexity and depth, showcasing Metallica’s ability to blend heavy metal with elements of melody and introspection. It remains a standout track in Metallica’s discography and a classic in the rock genre.

8. Seek & Destroy

“Seek & Destroy” is a song by Metallica, featured on their 1983 debut album “Kill ‘Em All.” It’s one of the band’s early signature songs and remains a fan favorite.

“Seek & Destroy” is a fast-paced and aggressive thrash metal anthem, characterized by its powerful guitar riffs, intense drumming, and energetic vocals. The song’s lyrics express a call to action, urging listeners to seek out and destroy their enemies with relentless force.

“Seek & Destroy” has become a staple of Metallica’s live performances and is often played as an encore at their concerts. Its raw energy and infectious chorus make it a favorite among fans, and it has been cited as one of the highlights of Metallica’s early catalog.

The song’s popularity helped establish Metallica as one of the leading bands of the thrash metal movement of the 1980s. It remains a classic in the heavy metal genre and a testament to Metallica’s enduring influence and legacy.

9. Creeping Death

“Creeping Death” is a song by Metallica, featured on their 1984 album “Ride the Lightning.” It’s one of the band’s most iconic and beloved songs, known for its aggressive thrash metal sound and epic storytelling.

“Creeping Death” begins with a dramatic guitar riff that sets the tone for the song’s intense and relentless energy. The song features blistering guitar solos, thunderous drumming, and James Hetfield’s powerful vocals, which deliver lyrics inspired by the biblical story of the Plagues of Egypt and the Exodus.

The lyrics of “Creeping Death” recount the story of the Angel of Death, who descends upon Egypt to punish the Pharaoh for enslaving the Israelites. The song’s chorus, “Die by my hand, I creep across the land, killing first-born man,” captures the sense of impending doom and destruction.

“Creeping Death” has become one of Metallica’s most celebrated and enduring songs, praised for its musical complexity, lyrical depth, and electrifying live performances. It remains a favorite among fans of the band and the thrash metal genre, and it continues to be a staple of Metallica’s concert setlists to this day.

10. Battery

“Battery” is a song by Metallica, featured on their 1986 album “Master of Puppets.” It’s one of the band’s most intense and aggressive songs, known for its fast tempo, intricate guitar riffs, and powerful lyrics.

“Battery” begins with a frenetic guitar riff that sets the pace for the song’s relentless energy. The song features blistering guitar solos, thunderous drumming, and James Hetfield’s fierce vocals, which deliver lyrics that explore themes of inner strength, resilience, and overcoming adversity.

The title “Battery” is a metaphor for the intensity and energy of the song, drawing parallels between the physical act of assault and the emotional turmoil depicted in the lyrics.

“Battery” has become one of Metallica’s most celebrated and enduring songs, praised for its musical complexity, lyrical depth, and electrifying live performances. It remains a favorite among fans of the band and the thrash metal genre, and it continues to be a highlight of Metallica’s concert setlists.

Edward Tomlin is a frequent contributor to Singers Room. Since 2005, Singersroom has been the voice of R&B around the world. Connect with us via social media below.

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Encore #2