Summer Music Vol. 1

Alright kids! It's springtime in Minnesota, you know what that means! Dust off those CD's designated for driving around with the windows down on sunny summer days! Some CD's truely capture the essence of summer--and my installments of Summer Music will celebrate these disks--after I get done listening to them in my car, of course.


Metallica-Kill 'Em All (1983)

Let's get something out right away--I do NOT like Metallica... nope, not one bit. As far as I am concerned, Metallica is the single most overrated metal band in existence. With that said, Kill 'Em All is oh, so good.

As I was learning guitar way back in the day (early 90's), I was in need of a guitar hero. After a long search across the Satrianis, Vais, Hammetts, Skolnicks, and Slashes, I heard Rust In Peace by Megadeth. So used to the chuck-ka-kunk chord-laiden riff-heavy songs of Metallica, the flurry of single-noted riffs and solos made the posters of Dave Mustaine permanent fixtures on my bedroom walls.

Now, understand that one cannot be a true fan of Metallica and Megadeth at the same time. It's like the Red Sox and the Yankees or Kobe and Shaq--you just can't like 'em both. It's been written. I was a Mustaine/Megadeth fan, so by law I had to be anti-Metallica. (please keep in mind that this was prior to the ultra-cruddy Countdown to Extinction which later forced me to rip down the aforementioned Mustaine posters)

But I digress....

Megadeth's Dave Mustaine, as many of you know, was a contributing member of Metallica way back in the day--right up until they were ready to record this album. Mustaine was outed, and (the hack) Kirk Hammett joined the band in time for the recording. As a result, Mustaine's presence can still be heard in Kill 'Em All (especially since Hammett shamelessly ripped off Mustaine's solos). So it's more of a Metalli-gadeth CD than a true Metallica CD (therefore, I am allowed to like it).

So... back to summer! The attitude of this CD (back in the day, it was a cassette) is summer epitomized. The recording is cruddy--but cool--almost punk-rock. The tempo throughout is fast and unrelenting. The musicianship is tight--but raw enough to be fun and garage-esque. Lyrically, it stinks! But it's fun! C'mon... 4 Horsemen? Getting Whiplash from headbanging? "No Life 'Till Leather?" What the? Yeah! This is a band on the verge of making their mark on the music scene and setting the bar oh, so high (maybe so high that they'd never top it... but many Metallica fans would disagree with me).

Now for a word on Cliff Burton, the Best. Metal. Bassist. Ever. With this CD alone, Burton shows the scene that a metal bassist doesn't have to settle for riding the roots of the guitarists' power chords. No! He can ride the forefront with interesting melodic twists of the song's theme. For some reason Burton's idea never took off, as metal bassists have always been and continue to be boring afterthoughts. Kill 'Em All is a reminder of what Burton left behind after dying a few years later. (Metallica would never, ever, write another good song without him).

All in all, Kill 'Em All is fast, fun, and Metal! Yes, note the "with a capital 'M'." Roll down your windows, crank it up, pump your fists, and let it take you back to a time when metal--and Metallica--were actually good. SUMMER... HERE I COME!

Rating ******* outta 8.