Rolling Stone (11/89) - Ranked #35 in Rolling Stone's "100 Greatest Albums of the '80s" survey.
Q (Summer/01, p.127) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...Reaffirms their status as the pre-eminent metal band of the modern era....combining the power of classic rock with the raw speed and DIY attitude of punk. Thrash metal had arrived..."
Metallica: James Hetfield (vocals, guitar); Kirk Hammett (guitar); Cliff Burton (bass); Lars Ulrich (drums).
Originally released on Megaforce.
Occasionally one album can be pinpointed as the turning point in a musical genre. KILL 'EM ALL is one such album and, boy, did the heavy metal genre need a transfusion of new blood. Herein trad metal was stripped of its late-70s pomposity and reduced to its base element of brutal sonic force. The rhythm section of Burton and Ulrich do a masterful job, as does rhythm guitar ace and vocalist James Hetfield, on a set that owes a debt to punk as much as to Iron Maiden and Judas Priest. The phantasmagorical allusions are still there in the lyrics, as are some long-winded guitar solos, but otherwise KILL 'EM ALL promised a creative rebirth for hard rock.