Editing Master of Puppets (section)

==Background and recording==
Metallica's 1983 debut ''[[Kill 'Em All]]'' laid the foundation for [[thrash metal]] with its aggressive musicianship and vitriolic lyrics. The album revitalized the American [[underground scene]], and inspired similar records by contemporaries.<ref>{{cite web|title=Metallica Biography|url=https://rockhall.com/inductees/metallica/bio/|publisher=[[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]]|access-date=November 12, 2014|archive-date=August 15, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140815081109/https://rockhall.com/inductees/metallica/bio/|url-status=live}}</ref> The band's second album ''[[Ride the Lightning]]'' extended the limits of the genre with its more sophisticated songwriting and improved production. The album caught the attention of [[Elektra Records]] representative Michael Alago, who signed the group to an eight-album deal in the fall of 1984.<ref name="Winwood"/> Elektra reissued ''Ride the Lightning'' on November 19, and the band began touring larger venues and festivals throughout 1985. After parting with manager [[Jon Zazula]], Metallica hired Q Prime executives Cliff Burnstein and [[Peter Mensch]]. During the summer, the band played the [[Monsters of Rock]] festival at [[Castle Donington]], alongside [[Bon Jovi]] and [[Ratt (band)|Ratt]] to an audience of 70,000.<ref name="Guitar Gods">{{cite book|last=Gulla|first=Bob|author-link=Bob Gulla|title=Guitar Gods: The 25 Players Who Made Rock History|year=2008|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-0-313-35806-7|page=103}}</ref>

Metallica was motivated to make an album that would impress critics and fans, and began writing new material in mid-1985. Lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist [[James Hetfield]] and drummer [[Lars Ulrich]] were the main songwriters on the album, already titled ''Master of Puppets''. The two developed ideas at a garage in [[El Cerrito, California]], before inviting bassist [[Cliff Burton]] and guitarist [[Kirk Hammett]] for rehearsals.<ref name="Wall">{{cite book|last=Wall|first=Mick|author-link=Mick Wall|title=Enter Night: A Biography of Metallica|url=https://archive.org/details/enternightbiogra00wall_0|url-access=registration|year=2011|publisher=St. Martin's Press|isbn=978-1-4299-8703-5|pages=Chapter 7}}</ref> Hetfield and Ulrich described the songwriting process as starting with "guitar riffs, assembled and reassembled until they start to sound like a song". After that, the band came up with a song title and topic, and Hetfield wrote lyrics to match the title.<ref name="NY Times">{{cite news|last=Pareles|first=Jon|author-link=Jon Pareles|title=Heavy Metal, Weighty Words|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/07/10/magazine/heavy-metal-weighty-words.html?pagewanted=8|date=July 10, 1988|access-date=July 27, 2013|archive-date=November 4, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201104150838/https://www.nytimes.com/1988/07/10/magazine/heavy-metal-weighty-words.html?pagewanted=8|url-status=live}}</ref> ''Master of Puppets'' is Metallica's first album not to feature songwriting contributions from former lead guitarist [[Dave Mustaine]]. Mustaine claimed he had co-written "Leper Messiah", based on an old song called "The Hills Ran Red". The band denied this, but stated that one section incorporated Mustaine's ideas.<ref name="Master Piece" />

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 |quote = When I saw two kids who worked there in London wearing T-shirts of a local San Francisco band, I knew I was onto something. When I heard their record, I knew they were the one band that could sell to both mainstream and underground metal audiences.
 |source = — Cliff Burnstein, on signing Metallica<ref name="SPIN">{{cite journal|first=Sue|last=Cummings|title=Road Warriors|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6_7o2bblz_cC&q=master+of+puppets+recording&pg=PA61|journal=[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]|volume=2|issue=5|pages=59–61|date=August 1986|access-date=July 26, 2013|archive-date=September 16, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240916120628/https://books.google.com/books?id=6_7o2bblz_cC&q=master+of+puppets+recording&pg=PA61#v=onepage&q=master%20of%20puppets%20recording&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref>
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The band was not satisfied with the acoustics of the American studios they considered, and decided to record in Ulrich's native Denmark.<ref name=McIver/> Ulrich took drum lessons, and Hammett worked with [[Joe Satriani]] to learn how to record more efficiently.<ref name="Wall"/> Ulrich was in talks with [[Rush (band)|Rush]]'s bassist and vocalist [[Geddy Lee]] to produce the album, but the collaboration never materialized because of uncoordinated schedules.<ref>{{cite web|last=Kielty|first=Martin|title=Metallica Wanted Geddy Lee for Master of Puppets|url=http://www.teamrock.com/news/2015-12-11/metallica-geddy-lee-rush-produce-master-of-puppets|work=[[Metal Hammer]]|date=December 11, 2015|access-date=March 3, 2016|archive-date=March 16, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160316142019/http://teamrock.com/news/2015-12-11/metallica-geddy-lee-rush-produce-master-of-puppets|url-status=live}}</ref> Metallica recorded the album with producer [[Flemming Rasmussen]] at [[Sweet Silence Studios]] in Copenhagen, [[Denmark]], from September 1 to December 27, 1985.<ref name=haldan>{{cite book|last=Hadlan|first=Sem|title=The Illustrated Collector's Guide to Metallica: Fuel & Fire|year=1998|publisher=[[Collector's Guide Publishing]]|isbn=1-896522-09-2|page=[https://archive.org/details/illustratedcolle00hadl/page/53 53]|url=https://archive.org/details/illustratedcolle00hadl/page/53}}</ref> The writing of all the songs except "[[Orion (Metallica song)|Orion]]" and "The Thing That Should Not Be" was completed before the band's arrival in Copenhagen.<ref name="Master Piece"/> Rasmussen stated that the band brought well-prepared [[demo (music)|demos]] of the songs, and only slight changes were made to the compositions in the studio.<ref>{{cite book|last=Tarquin|first=Brian|author-link=Brian Tarquin|title=Recording Techniques of the Guitar Masters|year=2012|publisher=[[Course Technology]]|isbn=978-1-4354-6016-4|page=14}}</ref> The recording took longer than the previous album because Metallica had developed a sense of perfectionism and had higher ambitions.<ref name=McIver/>

Metallica eschewed the slick production and synthesizers of contemporary hard rock and [[glam metal]] albums. With a reputation for drinking, the band stayed sober on recording days.<ref name="Master Piece"/> Hammett recalled that the group was "just making another album" at the time and "had no idea that the record would have such a range of influence that it went on to have". He also said that the group was "definitely peaking" at the time and that the album had "the sound of a band really gelling, really learning how to work well together."<ref>{{cite web|last=Kielty|first=Martin|title=Ulrich bored Hammett in Metallica's Puppet sessions|url=http://www.classicrockmagazine.com/news/metallica-lars-ulrich-bored-kirk-hammett-in-master-of-puppets-sessions/|work=[[Classic Rock (magazine)|Classic Rock]]|date=October 3, 2012|access-date=July 27, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121011073632/http://www.classicrockmagazine.com/news/metallica-lars-ulrich-bored-kirk-hammett-in-master-of-puppets-sessions/|archive-date=October 11, 2012}}</ref>

Rasmussen and Metallica did not manage to complete the mixtapes as planned. Instead, the multitrack recordings were sent in January 1986 to [[Michael Wagener]], who finished the album's mixing.<ref name="Wall"/> The cover was designed by Metallica and Peter Mensch and painted by Don Brautigam. It depicts a cemetery field of white crosses tethered to strings, manipulated by a pair of hands in a blood-red sky. Ulrich explained that the artwork summarized the lyrical content of the album—people being subconsciously manipulated.<ref>{{cite book|last=Eddy|first=Chuck|author-link=Chuck Eddy|title=Rock and Roll Always Forgets: A Quarter Century of Music Criticism|date=2011|publisher=Duke University Press|isbn=978-0-8223-5010-1|page=[https://archive.org/details/rockrollalwaysfo00eddy/page/101 101]|url=https://archive.org/details/rockrollalwaysfo00eddy/page/101}}</ref> The original artwork was sold at [[Rockefeller Plaza]], New York City for $28,000 in 2008.<ref>{{cite web|title=Original Master of Puppets Artwork Up for Auction|url=http://www.guitarworld.com/original-master-puppets-artwork-auction|work=[[Guitar World]]|date=October 29, 2008|access-date=July 30, 2013|archive-date=September 26, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130926004354/http://www.guitarworld.com/original-master-puppets-artwork-auction|url-status=live}}</ref> The band mocked the warning stickers promoted by the [[Parents Music Resource Center|PMRC]] with a facetious [[Parental Advisory]] label on the cover: "The only track you probably won't want to play is 'Damage, Inc.' due to multiple use of the infamous 'F' word. Otherwise, there aren't any '[[Seven dirty words|shits', 'fucks', 'pisses', 'cunts', 'motherfuckers', or 'cocksuckers']] anywhere on this record".<ref name=McIver/>

The album was recorded with the following equipment: Hammett's guitars were a 1974 [[Gibson Flying V]], a [[Jackson Randy Rhoads]], and a [[Fernandes Guitars|Fernandes]] Stratocaster copy;<ref name="Bowcott">{{cite journal|first=Nick|last=Bowcott|title=Master Class|journal=[[Guitar World]]|date=January 2006|pages=120–128|issn=1045-6295}}</ref> Hetfield used a [[Jackson King V]] played through a [[Mesa Boogie Mark Series|Mesa Boogie Mark IIC+]] amplifier modified as a pre-amp;<ref>{{cite web|last=Hodgson|first=Pete|title=Gear: Metallica&nbsp;–The Ultimate Shredhead's Guide|url=http://www.australianguitarmag.com.au/2013/03/metallica-the-ultimate-shredheads-guide/|work=Australian Guitar|date=March 24, 2013|access-date=November 24, 2014|archive-date=January 9, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150109134555/http://www.australianguitarmag.com.au/2013/03/metallica-the-ultimate-shredheads-guide/|url-status=live}}</ref> Burton played an [[Aria (guitar company)|Aria Pro II SB1000]] through Mesa Boogie amplifier heads and cabinets;<ref name="Burton"/> Ulrich played [[Tama Drums|Tama]] drum equipment, and borrowed a rare Ludwig Black Beauty snare drum from [[Def Leppard]] drummer [[Rick Allen (drummer)|Rick Allen]].<ref>{{cite web|title=30 Battering Master of Puppets Facts|url=https://ultimateclassicrock.com/metallica-master-of-puppets-facts/|work=[[Ultimate Classic Rock]]|date=March 3, 2016|access-date=March 27, 2020|archive-date=May 9, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200509112126/https://ultimateclassicrock.com/metallica-master-of-puppets-facts/|url-status=live}}</ref>