Hetfield and Lars Ulrich (drummer) provided rhythms that were more punishing and left the listener breathless. Kirk Hammett (lead guitarist) was added to the mix mere weeks before the album was recorded, and instantly contributed his fast and flourishing style of playing that seemed to have no speed limit. Listening to the old demos gives a scenic trip though Metallica’s journey in establishing their sound, with Kill ‘Em All being the final destination. These were boys demanding to show that they were cooler and tougher versions of their heroes.
Adding to this is (lead singer/rhythm guitarist James Hetfield’s nearly unrecognizable vocals as he is essentially doing an impression of King Diamond from Mercyful Fate. The songs, which have a slightly different guitar sound to the versions on the forthcoming album, was the sound of British heavy metal played at a slightly faster speed. This is especially apparent when you listen to their 1982 demo tape entitled No Life Till Leather, which contains early recordings of most of the Kill ‘Em All tracklist. It is obvious that this youthful fanaticism is what led Metallica to record an album that was not only shunned by their heroes, but would be tougher than anything that they have recorded. This phenomenon became an obsession for all the members of Metallica who, at the time of recording this album, were in their early twenties and could not even legally purchase alcohol yet. The metal landscape was at its most fertile during the early ‘80s, with bands like Iron Maiden, Judas Priest and Motörhead dominating the rock scene as part of the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM). To me, the most important thing to consider when listening to Kill ‘Em All is that this wasn’t an album by world-class rock gods, but by boys who were metal nerds. It was, to describe it using the original title, metal up your ass. All of this started 40 years ago with their debut album entitled Kill ‘Em All, an album with zero subtlety that was written to be the coolest and most intense collection of songs in the world.
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