Metallica

Released: July 25, 1983

Songwriter: James Hetfield Lars Ulrich Dave Mustaine

Producer: Paul Curcio

[Intro]

[Verse 1]
Sound is ripping through your ears
The deafening sound of metal nears
Bodies waiting for his whips
The taste of leather on your lips

[Chorus]
Hear the cry of war, louder than before
With his sword in hand to control the land
Crushing metal strikes on this frightening night
Fall on to your knees for the phantom lord

[Verse 2]
Victims falling under chains
You hear them crying dying pains
The fist of terrors breaking through
Now there's nothing you can do

[Chorus]
Hear the cry of war louder than before
With his sword in hand to control the land
Crushing metal strikes on this frightening night
Fall on to your knees for the phantom lord

[Guitar solo]

[Verse 3]
The leathered armies have prevailed
The phantom lord has never failed
Smoke is lifting from the ground
The rising volume metal sound

[Chorus]
Hear the cry of war louder than before
With his sword in hand to control the land
Crushing metal strikes on this frightening night
Fall on to your knees for the phantom lord

[Outro]
Fall to your knees
And bow to the phantom lord!

Like Black Sabbath and Iron Maiden before, Metallica has managed to transcend the genre from which it was originated. To their metal fanbase they are considered one of the Big Four bands of thrash metal, alongside Megadeth, Anthrax and Slayer; however Metallica is also one of the most commercially successful bands in all of rock music, having sold 110 million records including the 16x platinum Metallica, which stands as both the highest selling metal album of all time and most successful album of the past 25 years.

Metallica was formed in 1981 in Los Angeles after drummer Lars Ulrich placed an advert in the classifieds newspaper The Recycler, which was answered by singer/rhythm guitarist James Hetfield. They were soon joined by lead guitarist Dave Mustaine, who later formed Megadeth after being kicked out of the band because of his substance and alchohol abuse, and bassist Ron McGovney, a childhood friend of Hetfield. These two early members were replaced with Cliff Burton (who relocated the band to San Francisco) and ex-Exodus lead guitarist, Kirk Hammett to form the band’s classic line-up.

The band released three albums, 1983’s Kill ‘Em All, 1984’s Ride The Lightning and 1986’s Master of Puppets before the tragic and untimely death of Cliff Burton on September 27th, 1986.

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No Life ‘Til Leather

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No Life ‘Til Leather