Metallica's new LP "Master Of The Puppets" will be out
anytime now. And there will be a tour in the spring.
METALLICA
- Our new album is superior!!!
COPENHAGEN (OK) After four months, the new and lavish METALLICA can leave the studio with the LP "Master Of Puppets" in their luggage. Musically, the band is hungrier than ever.
Lars Ulrich, the great little drummer of the rockers Metallica, looks as usual. Except for a beard, that is. He has just finished his part of the work on the band's third album. The razor has been put away. The studio job has come first.There is not really much to the beard. But then this hard-hitting Dane is not much more than a hard rock rascal who has just turned 23. As for the clothing, he most resembles one of the group's fans. Jeans and a leather jacket full of brands are the order of the day.There will be no picture of the beard. Metallica's management has forbidden the band from taking part in photo shoots and interviews before the album is released. Despite this, Lars OKEJ gives a, given the circumstances, very exclusive interview...- The different sounds we have developed on the new LP make it sound better than all other Heavy Metal albums. We have compared. Our album is superior. No bragging!There is reason to trust our former neighbor (Lars now lives in San Francisco with the rest of the band). Metallica's new record deal with Elektra Records gave them a far more generous studio budget than they have been used to so far. Lars & Co opened the door to Sweet Silence Studios in Copenhagen on September 5th. It wasn't until January 10th that they closed the same door for the last time.This time there has been no pressure on us from a financial point of view, explains Lars, who sounds relieved.We have been able to experiment and in this way give the different songs the sounds and feeling that suit them best. On "Ride The Lightning" it got a bit stressful towards the end of the work. But now we have an LP that sounds very, very, VERY good. And this without an outside producer. Metallica has produced themselves. Metallica is not the kind of band thatneeds a producer. What we need is a good sound engineer who can help us find the sounds we want. We have one in Fleming Rasmussen, says Lars, referring to his compatriot who has now worked on two Metallica albums.When these forerunners in the Thrash Metal style debuted with the LP ”Kill 'em All" in 1983, all the tracks went in 180. On -84's "Ride The Lightning" the speed was not quite so violent.
What can we expect this time?
- A continuation of "Ride The Lightning", says Lars. We have made eight songs that are very different from each other in terms of sound but that together constitute a complete and very good HM-LP.- Heavier, says Cliff Burton.It was so true. Bassist Cliff Burton is also present during the interview. But he was over-shadowed by the dominant Lars Ulrich. Cliff says few words and mostly sits with his head hanging and looking at his knees. When this is printed, "Master Of Puppets", which is the title of the work, should be coming out any moment. As with Iron Maiden's latest studio LP, it is a Long Player in the true sense of the word.- The playing time is 27 minutes per side, says Lars.Cliff tries in his low-key and cautious way to say something, but is drowned out by Lars:- On the last LP we were cut short by many songs. We haven't had to do that once on 'Master Of Puppets'.Lars Ulrich is not rude. He doesn't notice when he interrupts his bassist. Lars is simply a big personality who likes to talk. He is one of the few drummers who has always managed to stay in the foreground. And Cliff doesn't seem to mind not being the spokesperson.Lars continues:- In the spring we will hit the road again. We start on March 27th as support band for Ozzy Osbourne. That tour ends in mid-September. Then we will go over and continue in Europe. Of course we will come to Sweden again.It is easy to detect a certain longing in Lars' voice. After four months in the studio, he is eager to perform "Battery", "The Thing That Should Not Be", "Orion", "Disposable Horses" and all the other new songs in front of an audience.In addition, the European tour will includea 12-inch single with one or two previously unreleased songs on back.Metallica has succeeded in a way no other Thrash Metal band has. They have an eight-album contract with a major label, Elektra. They have the management Q-Prime Inc (who also manages AC/DC, Dokken and Def Leppard) behind them. And they have sold a whopping 500,000 copies of their last LP "Ride The Lightning".I can't help but ask Lars who once said this: "Speed is wonderful, but it doesn't put food on the table".Cliff laughs and Lars looks a little embarrassed. But Lars makes no attempt to hide the fact that the statement is his.-I know, it was me. A bit stupidly said, maybe...Well, maybe. Now that this Danish "hard rock scoundrel" together with the rest of Metallica has proven that it is not so.BY JÖRGEN HOLMSTEDT PHOTO: SPS