Kill 'Em All

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Editorial reviews

Amazon.co.uk Review
While not as timeless as iRide the Lightning/i or iMaster of Puppets/i, Metallica's debut album--originally released in 1983--is still a fine piece of thrash metal and as good a marker as any for the debut of the genre. Fusing the rapid-fire attack of bands like Motörhead with a guitar style reminiscent of such British heavy-metal bands as Iron Maiden and Judas Priest, Metallica essentially created a new kind of metal. Several of the songs from this 1983 album have since become classics, including "Seek Destroy", "The Four Horsemen", and "Jump in the Fire". The song-writing isn't as sophisticated as on Metallica's later releases; still, it's a great listen, and essential for any heavy-metal fan. i--Genevieve Williams /i

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Customer reviews

review by: Mister X date: 2009-06-25 rating:
Start of something great
Firstly, the Dave Mustaine issue. Now, I often see people erroneously crediting Mustaine (who played the lead guitar in Metallica for about a year until being replaced by Kirk Hammett just before KEA was recorded) for all the music on this album, but that is nonsense. He co-wrote 4 songs (The Four Horsemen, Jump In The Fire, Phantom Lord and Metal Militia), as the writing credits show, and this is also supported by an interview Mustaine gave in 1984 ("I wrote four of them"). So James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich are the main authors of this album, just like on the following ones. br / br /The first word that comes to mind when listening to KEA is ENERGY. There are no ballads, no vocal melodies to speak of, and no sophisticated songwriting whatsoever; just 19-20 year old guys "thrashing all around", and mostly it works very well, as the riffs - written by Hetfield and Mustaine (and possibly Ulrich) - are really good. Hetfield's brilliant picking skills on rhythm guitar are already on display (Whiplash!), Cliff Burton is showing his genius on bass (though not as much as on the later albums), Kirk Hammett handles the solos without problems and the band's forever weakest link, Lars Ulrich, does a good job as well. br / br /Despite all the positives, I have to say that Kill 'Em All is not one of my favourite Metallica albums. Even if we leave out Hetfield's primitive lyrics and weakish vocals, the problem is that the songwriting is just not quite there, when compared with the later records. This is mostly due to the fact that Cliff Burton's influence on the band doesn't really show yet; as soon as he started to teach Hetfield Ulrich (i.e. the main songwriters) music theory - as well as getting more of his stuff on the albums - Metallica's music began to develop, and the following records (Ride The Lightning, Master Of Puppets, And Justice For All) are the true masterpieces of '80s metal. I know that there are also many people who consider KEA their best work, but in my opinion, Metallica truly found themselves a little later on. br / br /There is no doubt, however, that this is one of the best and certainly one of the most influential debut albums in the history of metal. br /

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review by: TMFCK date: 2008-08-31 rating:
Outstanding debut, hugely underrated
What strikes me is how fresh this album still sounds after over 25 years. Fast, furious and different, I was only 7 when this came out, so can only imagine just how much this must've rocked the Bay Area scene in San Francisco. It does wear it's influences on it's sleeve, but Metallica were still teenagers when they recorded it (imagine any band today managing the same feat?) and you cannot help but be swept away by the enthusiasm behind the record. It pumps out of every one of James Hetfield's riffs, Kirk's solos (yes Megadeth fans, Kirk's, Dave may still be pissed off and claim Hammet stole all his solos, but c'mon, how much can you memorise without sounding imitation - Kirk shows true original talent) and Lars' drums (although he does sound a bitty amateur on this record). The one tracks on this album that has been enshrined in time is 'Seek and Destroy' and 'Whiplash' songs that Metallica still play to this day - testament not just to their sheer attitude, but the fan's obvious love to hear them over and over and over again. Listening to htis album makes me feel like a spotty student with a biker's jacket, crap hair and cowboy boots all over again.

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review by: TRUE METAL date: 2008-06-28 rating:
Wicked raw thrash metal debut from Metallica
Metallicas first album and it's breathtaking, for me this is one of their best albums alongside ride the lightning, Master Of puppets, And Justice For All St. Anger(yes). This classic thrash metal includes 10 amazing thrash metal songs all killer and no filler. Best songs for me are The Four Horsemen,Motorbreath, Whiplash, Phantom Lord(just for the amazing mid - section), No Remorse Seek Desrtoy. Which is really the whole album. This is one of the metallica albums that i can listen the whole way through without skipping a song, lets be honest though i love megadeth The Four Horsemen is better then Dave's versioN(even though dave wrote it). So this is a must if you are a thrash metal fan this is an important album in metal history. If you're looking for a raw heavy fast album this is for you. If you like this check out other thrash metal bands debuts Slayer - Show No Mercy, Megadeth - Killing Is My Business Testament - The Legacy. This one of metallicas best albums. Metallica Rock.

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review by: Symphonic Metal Fan date: 2008-06-21 rating:
RAW...
I'm a fan of Metallica, but I confess that I'm not a great fan of this album. It's extremeley raw, compared to the quantum leap that the band made in the next 3 yrs, with Ride the Lightning Master Of Puppets. br /Lars Ulrich's drumming is fast hard but it's some of the most basic, I've heard. He improved a 1000% by album no.2! br /The guitar tone is a little thin and Hetfield's vocals are frankly, awlful, with lyrics only too obviously written by a 20 year old. br /On the plus side, Kirk Hammett dishes up a few really good lead breaks (really like his guitar tone here) on the The Four Horsemen and Jump In The Fire, and there is some good bass from Cliff Burton on the faster tracks like Whiplash. br /The Motorhead/Venom influence is very apparent and I do appreciate the cultural significance of this, in 1983 BUT for me, Metallica really begins with Ride The Lightning. In all fairness, in regards to the 'Big Four' (Metallica, Megadeth,Slayer,Anthrax), all four bands released less than great debuts, with each band recording far superior follow ups. br /In my view, Slayer's Show No Mercy was the best of these debuts - and it's less than perfect, to say the least. br /If you want to hear much better versions of Whiplash and Seek Destroy, then I really recommend the Live Sh*t CD/DVD combo (feat. Jason Newsted on bass/backing vocals). Pricey but well worth it! br /Motorhead have done a blistering cover of Whiplash that you can find on the Damage Case CD. Also, Germany's Destruction have covered this song and it's even faster!


review by: metalman date: 2007-08-21 rating:
simple yet amazing
this is such a good album i cant emphasise enuf. this, ride the lightning and master of puppets r the best metal albums of all time. buy them all now!

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