Metallica created a new genre on July 25th, 1983.
Forging the NWOBHM influence from bands like Diamond Head and Venom along with hardcore punk groups such as Discharge and the Misfits, Metallica fused all of it together and founded thrash metal.
The intensity and attitude of the Sex Pistols but with the chops and technicality of Iron Maiden. This was now an uncharted territory in music for American groups to pick up on and continue the trend.
Kill ‘Em All was among the heaviest albums to come out at that time. Featuring complex riffs and shredding leads, Metallica had pushed the boundaries of standard heavy metal and made it their own. This was also the debut of Dave Mustaine’s songwriting on a full-length album. As you can tell, it was nothing short of amazing and a founding principle for the genre altogether.
The opening track, Hit The Lights, says it all. These were the first notes of thrash metal anybody ever heard and most people didn’t know what to think of it.
Countless record labels and even Eddie Trunk were baffled at the sound of Kill ‘Em All. There was nothing else to compare it to, but it was just the beginning of a new chapter in metal.
The first single was Whiplash which had been perfectly described by rock journalist Mick Wall who stated, “If one wishes to identify the very moment thrash metal arrived spitting and snarling into the world, ‘Whiplash‘ is indisputably it.”
Another highlight of the album features a standalone composition by bassist Cliff Burton. Anesthesia (Pulling Teeth) showcases pure brilliance in four long minutes. Personally when I first heard this instrumental, I was wondering when the electric guitar would stop and the bass would begin. That’s when it hit me that it was Burton the entire time. I was completely floored by the atmosphere and technical capacity of Burton, proving to be the band’s greatest asset.
Kill ‘Em All also ends on a tremendous high note with Metal Militia. Including one of the most complicated riffs I’ve ever come across, it’s the perfect conclusion to the album that never lost its momentum. 50 minutes of undiluted metal.
Other notable tracks like Seek And Destroy and Phantom Lord have this incredible identity attached to them. Tons of aggression and quality, it was songs like these that assured people that Metallica wasn’t just a mindless speed metal band. Young metalheads saw a future in this music as other bands got together like Slayer and Kreator, citing Metallica as a major influence much in the same way Metallica grabbed inspiration from Black Sabbath and Motörhead.
The torch had been passed and Metallica’s sound became the next trend throughout the 80’s.
Professor Deena Weinstein explained the album from her sociologist perspective by saying,
“Kill ‘Em All‘s lyrics created as much excitement as the band’s music. Taken together, the words of the songs on the album form a single theme. It is a concept album that heralds the breakthrough of a new sub-genre 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.”
All in all, the album took the whole scene by storm and reinvented the rules in a completely different style. Sweeping up the youth and taking them for a ride on this new platform that many would follow and duplicate. Leading The Big Four across the states, Metallica trademarked the sound of American metal.
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