Thread: Metallica: Old VS New

Okay, so it's just my last essay, but it might be interesting to anyone who likes music.....

The 1980s witnessed the proliferation of heavy music and, in particular, the so-called ‘heavy metal’ genre acquired an increased popularity and renown. ‘Thrash-metal’, as it was called, combined the influences of heavy metal bands such as Deep Purple and Black Sabbath with edgier punk bands like The Ramones resultantly developing a unique sound which soon became popular on the underground club scenes in cities such as Los Angeles and San Francisco. One of these bands was Metallica; they would grow from a regular club band into one of the biggest rock bands in the world, with record sales estimated to be well in excess of 100 million worldwide.

In this essay, I will be comparing two well-known Metallica songs. The first piece I have chosen is ‘Creeping Death’, taken from the band’s 1984 album ‘Ride the Lightning’, an album considered to be one of the greatest thrash albums of all time, and a firm fan-favourite. The second song I am going to analyze is ‘Until It Sleeps’, the first single taken from Metallica’s 1996 release ‘Load’, an album which marked a distinct change in musical style for the band and divided opinion amongst metal fans worldwide.

Metallica were at the forefront of the thrash-metal genre from its birth and played a significant role in the development many of its conventions. One of the main features of the genre is an unrelenting assertion of masculinity through loud, heavy music and a renegade, anti-hero punk image which sought to reject the mainstream and attract working class, alienated youths in 1980s America. “Creeping Death� was written when the band were in there early twenties and were firmly developing their own sound and style. The inspiration for the song came from the second half of the film ‘The Ten Commandments’, in which the Old Testament ‘God’ sends a spirit into Egypt to kill the first-born son of every family as punishment for enslaving the Jews.

The song begins with a grand, fanfare-like opening refrain, characterised by five, short pounding drum beats and palm-muted down strokes on a heavily distorted electric guitar. This is followed by a series of chords which are allowed to ring out. The introduction builds with a second lead guitar joining in harmonising with the first guitar until the main verse riff begins at 19 seconds. This short introduction provides a distinct to the song. Indeed, the introduction is instantly recognisable by almost any ‘heavy metal’ fan today. But it also serves another purpose: the opening fanfare contributes to the epic feeling of the song. It conjures images of royalty and grandiosity, thus corresponding with the idea of the opulent Pharaoh mentioned in the song and its inspirational material.

The verse riff acts in direct contrast to the majestic introduction; it is the first sign that “Creeping Death� is indeed a thrash metal song. This riff features one of the trademarks of thrash metal; the palm-muted ‘E’ chord played in ‘8th notes/quavers’. This technique provides a very clear ‘crunch’ sound which allows each picked note to be heard easily whilst remaining distorted. This not only gives the riff extra power, but also ties in with the virtuoso aspect of heavy metal by allowing the listener to hear each note in a complex and fast-tempo guitar riff. This riff is given centre stage as James Hetfield’s rhythm guitar plays unaccompanied for 6 bars before a Lars Ulrich tom-tom fill brings in the rest of the band, bassist Cliff Burton and lead guitarist Kirk Hammett. After the main riff has been played through twice, an open ‘E’ chord sustains before the first verse begins. This aids the separation out the different sections of the song and prepares the listener for the beginning of the verse.

The vocals for the verses are characterised by the first word of every line being shouted with accompanying backing vocals. This creates an effect similar to ‘call and response’ techniques often used by live performers, and indeed, in Metallica’s live shows, it is customary for the audience to sing the first word of each line whilst James Hetfield sings the remainder. The vocals are delivered in an urgent and frantic manner, which serves to emphasise the immediacy of the lyrics. The lyrics of the first verse refer to the enslaved Jews in Egypt and their hellish existence in which they were forced to work whilst living in constant fear of the Pharaoh. The delivery of these lyrics is therefore appropriate as it helps to establish a very sinister and aggressive mood.

After the first verse, a short intermediary riff is played which, again, separates one section of the song from another. The chorus is played at the same tempo as the verses, with the drum beat continuing in a very similar manner to the verses. This is designed to maintain the momentum of the piece and allows the chorus to naturally progress into the song. The guitar and bass chords are sustained for much longer in the chorus than in the staccato-styled verses, and this places more emphasis onto the chorus vocals. As the chorus ends, another sustained ‘E’ chord acts to separate this section from the second verse.

The second verse contains identical music to the first, and continues to tell the story of the Jewish ‘Passover’. This time it is taken from the point of view of Moses, as he demands freedom for the slaves and describes the plagues which God will deliver should the Pharaoh not comply. The second chorus follows this verse (after another ‘separating riff’). Following the chorus this time, however, is a lengthy lead guitar solo. A trademark of ‘heavy-metal’ is an emphasis on virtuosic guitar playing, almost invariably expressed through the guitar solo. In “Creeping Death� the lead solo is played over a variation of the verse riff and then over the chorus section. The guitar solo is characterised by fast and accurate playing which is designed to showcase the talents of the lead guitarist as well as to add variation.

The guitar solo is followed by a ‘breakdown’ section which features a change of tempo and a hard, deep, pounding drum beat. As this bridge section is played, the lyrics ‘Die, by my hand / I creep across the land / killing first born man’ are sung over a backdrop of a group of people chanting the word ‘die’. Arguably, this was intended primarily as a way to involve the crowd during live shows, as from very early performances of the song; audiences were encouraged to sing the ‘die’ chant under the main vocal line. The breakdown section ends by reverting to the verse riff which is played through once, accompanied at the end by a quick lead guitar run before leading into the third verse.

The third and final verse is once again musically identical to the previous two verses and features the same ‘call and response’ style vocals. The lyrics in this verse complete the story of the song; describing the ‘Angel of Death’ killing the first born sons of Egypt. After the final verse and chorus, a variation on the verse riff begins and a multi-tracked harmonised lead guitar part is played over the top. As the harmonised guitars continue, the rhythm guitar, bass and drums begin to mimic the lead melody before all four members of the band play the introductory fanfare riff to finish the song. Much as the fanfare motif was used to create a definite and epic introduction to the song, the same piece of music is also used to provide a clear and distinct end to the song. In essence, much like the front and back covers of a book; the fanfare-styled section clearly marks both the beginning and the end of the song. This isolates the musical and lyrical content of the song and separates it from the rest of the “Ride the Lightning� album which has a loose theme of social issues such as capital punishment and war. This encourages us the listen to the song as a separate and individual piece of art.

“Creeping Death� is seen as one of the definitive thrash metal songs, and it is easy to see why. This piece of music seeks to fulfil many of the criteria of a thrash metal song and succeeds in several areas. When viewed in the context of the time it was produced, it is evident that “Creeping Death� is a bold statement of intention. Assertions of masculinity pervade the song, with loud, distorted guitars played at a fast tempo, and with a down stroke-centred picking technique which seeks to create a distinctly heavy and harsh tone. The fast, virtuosic guitar solo is also very much a masculine statement as are the lyrics which deal with a sinister force of death and destruction. The vocals are also notably unrefined and unpolished. This gives them a heightened sense of authenticity and helps to reaffirm the band’s image as a hard and edgy band with anti-mainstream, anti-establishment tendencies. At 6 minutes 36 seconds, “Creeping Death� is also too long to be considered for mainstream radio play and so helped to solidify Metallica’s status as credible underground band.

Between the releases of “Ride the Lightning� and “Load�, Metallica lost bassist Cliff Burton in a bus accident, hired long-time fan Jason Newstead and became a huge global act, selling tens of millions of albums and garnering a place in the mainstream. Their self-titled album even charted at Number 1 in the USA.

The first single to be released from “Load� was “Until It Sleeps�, which was accompanied by a music video that showed the band wearing make-up and sporting short hair-cuts; something unimaginable in 1984. The song was popular on music television and at 4 minutes and 29 seconds long, was much more marketable to radio stations.

“Until It Sleeps� starts with a quiet bass part played on a fretless bass which appears to have a ‘chorus’ effect layered over it. In direct contrast to the lengthy and epic intro to “Creeping Death�, the first verse of “Until It Sleeps� begins barely 10 seconds into the song with James Hetfield taking a different approach to singing. Whilst “Creeping Death� featured rough, shouted vocals, the vocals in “Until It Sleeps� are very carefully sung, with emphasis on expression and melody. This soft style of singing is designed to display a sensitive and personal side to the band, and this comes across particularly well in the opening bars of the song. The opening line of the first verse “Where do I take this pain of mine?� instantly provides a contrast with the macho nature of the bands earlier lyrical content displayed in songs like “Creeping Death�.

The guitar sound in the first verse of “Until It Sleeps� is in direct contrast to the sound heard in “Creeping Death�. Instead of heavy distortion, the guitar’s introduction comes in the form of a clean, picked motif played across all six strings of the guitar rather than just on the low E string. The guitar playing in the first verse appears to be influenced by artists such as Lynyrd Skynyrd, whose soft country-rock is a far cry from the ultra-masculine, ‘heavier-than-all’ thrash metal bands that were Metallica’s contemporaries and early influences. Such a drastic change in the style of Metallica’s guitar playing shows a much more mature approach to writing music, more concerned with expression than with projecting a certain image.

The first verse is comparatively short, with only two lines of lyrics sung before a distorted guitar quickly builds a crescendo up to the chorus. Whilst the guitars played in the chorus do feature distortion, the way in which they are played is very different when compared to the earlier material; rather than focusing on playing palm-muted power chords, the guitars sound a lot more natural and fluid, with an obvious influence taken from some early 1990’s ‘grunge’ bands (such as Alice In Chains and Soundgarden). The guitars are also less prominent than they were in “Creeping Death�: the vocals taking the centre-stage. This shift emphasises further the band’s progression from a raw, powerful thrash band into a more mature and expressive ‘hard rock’ band with a more adult audience.

Undeniably, the chorus is the main focal point of ‘Until It Sleeps’, whereas the three short verses are very much playing a supporting role. This focus on the chorus is enhanced by the soft/loud dynamic which the song employs. The soft verses, with lyrics that pose questions (“So tell me why you’ve chosen me?�) are in direct contrast to the stronger, more assertive lyrics of the choruses (“I'll tear me open, make you gone / No more can you hurt anyone�), and this is accompanied by a change from the soft, clean guitars of the verses and the louder, overdriven guitars and more ‘gruff’ vocals present in the choruses. At the end of the first chorus, the distorted guitars slowly fade out as a modified version of the clean verse motif is played, finishing with a raked chord which has a vibrato effect applied to it.

The second verse is again sung gently and contains the country/southern rock influenced guitar picking. The bass line from the introduction underlies the guitars and vocals while a simple drum beat involving hi-hat, bass and snare keeps time. The second chorus begins as the first, with a short crescendo build up with distorted guitars. The lyrics in the second verse differ slightly from those in the first; yet still appear to portray James Hetfield’s battle with personal issues:

“So tear me open, but beware
There's things inside without a care
And the dirt still stains me
So wash me, until I'm clean�

The end of the second chorus, however, is extended and augmented by a key change. The vocals in the extended section consist of the repetition of a single line changing one word each time. This displays a much less rigid approach to song writing than with “Creeping Death� where verses and choruses were standardised, with no variation whatsoever. The extension of the chorus is repeated after the third verse before entering into a much quieter section.

After the third chorus, the clean guitar returns, and a very quiet melody is played in the background behind a short, modest lead. Lead guitar player Hammett spent much time before the recording of “Load� at college learning about jazz and blues guitar playing, with its focus on melody more than technical skill. This interest in slower and more expressive guitar playing seems to have had an influence on the lead work in “Until It Sleeps� since rather than a fast, virtuosic solo such as the one found in “Creeping Death�, the solo for “Until It Sleeps� is a very simple affair, played much slower and incorporating a ‘wah-pedal’ for increased expression. Hetfield’s vocals slowly fade in as he repeats “Don’t want it� as the music once again crescendos into the fourth and fifth chorus before the bass plays a variation on its intro riff and the song finishes with a raked chord from the clean guitar.

After comparing both pieces, it is clear that there are several musical and generic differences between the two. Whilst “Creeping Death� is a harsh statement of masculinity and authenticity, fitting easily into the Thrash Metal genre, “Until It Sleeps� is a more refined, more melodic, more varied and more personal and expressive piece of music which bears little resemblance to thrash metal. It would appear that the two songs show a change from an outwards-looking expression of thrash metal credentials to an inwards-looking expression of personal thoughts and a more melodic disposition.

The whole Napster deal sealed up their reputation unfortunately.

Pussies.