Metallica demos
Encyclopedia
The American heavy metal
band Metallica
recorded several demos throughout their career.
" along with six cover songs. These include one Sweet Savage
cover, a Savage cover and four Diamond Head
covers. "Hit the Lights" and "Jump in the Fire" were later released on the No Life 'til Leather demo and eventually were released on the band's debut studio album, Kill 'Em All
. Most of the covers were later released as b-sides and on the compilation album Garage Inc.
The demo was recorded in Ron McGovney
's garage on March 14, 1982.
", written for the band by Dave Mustaine, and "Motorbreath", which was written solely by James Hetfield. It was also recorded in McGovney's garage.
's bass solo "(Anesthesia) Pulling Teeth", "Whiplash
", "No Remorse" and "The Four Horsemen" (See notes above). The title of the demo comes from the first line of "Hit the Lights".
The demo has been re-released twice unofficially, first under the title of Metallica: Bay Area Thrashers, and was alleged to be a live bootleg recording of Metallica in the early days, however all "live" sounds had been added from various sources including the Metallica video Cliff 'Em All
. This was soon discovered by Metallica and all copies were removed from stores. The demo was re-released a second time under the title Metallica: In the Beginning... Live, containing no differences from Metallica: Bay Area Thrashers.
, featuring Metallica's future lead guitarist Kirk Hammett
. The band played all of its original material (nine songs) that the group had written up to that point, which included all of the songs from its previous demo No Life 'til Leather and two new songs (which were later released on the Megaforce demo). Two covers of Diamond Head songs were played: "Am I Evil?" and "The Prince", however "The Prince" was not recorded as the tape had ran out. Both the name and album cover of the demo were to be used as the name of the band's debut studio album and album cover. However, Metallica's record company would not allow it. The band changed the name to Kill 'Em All
.
. It was also played live on KUSF FM in San Francisco. The demo contained two new songs which had not been previously released. It received a number of names including the Megaforce demo (due to it earning a contract with Megaforce), The KUSF Demo (due to it being played on KUSF FM) and Whiplash/No Remorse Demo.
. The demo contained the original material Metallica had written that was not released on Kill 'Em All. Both "Ride the Lightning" and "When Hell Freezes Over" (later re-named "The Call of Ktulu") were co-written by Dave Mustaine. "Fight Fire with Fire" and "Ride the Lightning" had been changed from their original versions due to input from Cliff Burton. All four songs appeared on the band's second studio album Ride the Lightning
. The four demos for Ride the Lightning were recorded at the expense of Metallica's European record label, Music for Nations, at the same time the band recorded versions of "Seek & Destroy" and "Phantom Lord" to be used as fake "live" b-sides for the "Whiplash" and "Jump in the Fire" singles. In 2005 seven other re-recorded demos surfaced on bootlegs. Out of the seven demos that surfaced, only "Trapped Under Ice" was confirmed as an official demo.
(1986).
(1988). It was the group's first demo album to feature Jason Newsted
on bass, since the death of Cliff Burton. The intro to "Blackened" on the demo is an unreversed version, unlike the reversed version that appeared on ...And Justice for All. "The Frayed Ends of Sanity" was recorded with gibberish sung in place of most lyrics (with the exception of the chorus' "Frayed ends of sanity/Hear them calling me"), although the final version of the song contained lyrics. "Eye of the Beholder" had two different demo versions, however there are few differences between the two besides running time. Most demo versions of the album do not include both takes of the song.
, had all its songs released as demos, recorded between November 2005 and January 2007. The demos were included on a bonus disc titled Demo Magnetic, released with a different "experience" version of Death Magnetic. The track listing order remained the same, however the titles of the songs are different. All music was written by Metallica, while all lyrics were written by James Hetfield. It is the group's first demo album to feature Robert Trujillo
on bass.
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
band Metallica
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ...
recorded several demos throughout their career.
Ron McGovney's '82 Garage demo
Ron McGovney's '82 Garage demo is a demo tape that was never officially released, but the tape found wide circulation in full and partial versions. The demo contains two original songs, "Hit the Lights" and "Jump in the FireJump in the Fire
-External links:* *...
" along with six cover songs. These include one Sweet Savage
Sweet Savage
Sweet Savage are a metal band from Belfast, Northern Ireland, formed in 1979. The band once included former Dio and Def Leppard guitarist Vivian Campbell...
cover, a Savage cover and four Diamond Head
Diamond Head (band)
Diamond Head are an English heavy metal band formed in 1976 in Stourbridge, England. The band is recognised as one of the leading members of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal and is acknowledged by later bands like Metallica and Megadeth as an important early influence.-Early history:Formed by...
covers. "Hit the Lights" and "Jump in the Fire" were later released on the No Life 'til Leather demo and eventually were released on the band's debut studio album, Kill 'Em All
Kill 'Em All
Kill 'Em All is the debut studio album by the American heavy metal band Metallica. It was released on July 25, 1983. Since its release, it has been certified 3x platinum by the RIAA, having sold over 3 million copies in the United States alone.-Music:...
. Most of the covers were later released as b-sides and on the compilation album Garage Inc.
Garage Inc.
-Disc two:These tracks are a collection of B-sides from artists Metallica were inspired by, throughout the early years of the band.-Personnel:* James Hetfield – lead vocals, rhythm guitar, lead guitar on "Whiskey In the Jar"...
The demo was recorded in Ron McGovney
Ron McGovney
Ron McGovney is a former American musician, best known as the original bassist in the heavy metal band Metallica.-Leather Charm and Metallica:...
's garage on March 14, 1982.
Track listing
Personnel
- James HetfieldJames HetfieldJames Alan Hetfield is the rhythm guitarist, co-founder, main songwriter, and lead vocalist for the American heavy metal band Metallica. Hetfield co-founded Metallica in October 1981 after answering a classified advertisement by drummer Lars Ulrich in the Los Angeles newspaper The Recycler,...
- lead vocalsLead vocalistThe lead vocalist is the member of a band who sings the main vocal portions of a song. They may also play one or more instruments. Lead vocalists are sometimes referred to as the frontman or frontwoman, and as such, are usually considered to be the "leader" of the groups they perform in, often the... - Lars UlrichLars UlrichLars Ulrich is a Danish drummer, and one of the founding members of the American thrash metal band Metallica. He was born in Gentofte, Denmark to an upper-middle class family. A tennis player in his youth, Ulrich moved to Los Angeles, California at age sixteen to pursue his training; though rather...
- drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person .... - Dave MustaineDave MustaineDavid Scott "Dave" Mustaine is the founder, main songwriter, guitarist, and lead vocalist for the American heavy metal band Megadeth. Prior to Megadeth, Mustaine was the first lead guitarist and a co-songwriter of the heavy metal band Metallica until he was fired from the band in 1983. In 2009, he...
- guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, backing vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists... - Ron McGovneyRon McGovneyRon McGovney is a former American musician, best known as the original bassist in the heavy metal band Metallica.-Leather Charm and Metallica:...
- bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
Power Metal demo
Power Metal was a demo recorded sometime in April 1982. Although the demo was never officially released, it was given the bootleg name "Power Metal" and contained four original songs by Metallica. It contained "The MechanixThe Mechanix
"The Mechanix" is a song originally performed by American heavy metal band Metallica. Dave Mustaine originally wrote the song for Panic, and later brought it with him to Megadeth...
", written for the band by Dave Mustaine, and "Motorbreath", which was written solely by James Hetfield. It was also recorded in McGovney's garage.
Track listing
Personnel
- James Hetfield - lead vocals, rhythm guitar
- Lars Ulrich - drums
- Dave Mustaine - lead guitar, backing vocals
- Ron McGovney - bass guitar
- "The Mechanix" was the original version that later would be renamed to "The Four Horsemen". Mustaine increased the pace from the original version of the song, renamed it simply "Mechanix", and included it on the first MegadethMegadethMegadeth is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California which was formed in 1983 by guitarist/vocalist Dave Mustaine, bassist Dave Ellefson and guitarist Greg Handevidt, following Mustaine's expulsion from Metallica. The band has since released 13 studio albums, three live albums, two...
album, Killing Is My Business... and Business Is Good!Killing Is My Business... And Business Is Good!Killing Is My Business... and Business Is Good! is the debut album by the American heavy metal band Megadeth, released in June 1985 through Combat and Relativity Records. During the beginning of 1985, the band was given $8,000 by Combat Records to record and produce their debut album, but this...
.
No Life 'til Leather
No Life 'til Leather is Metallica's widely circulated demo tape. All of the tracks are early recordings of songs that would later appear on the band's debut album Kill 'Em All. The track listing on Kill 'Em All is the same as that on the demo tape, with the exceptions of Cliff BurtonCliff Burton
Clifford Lee "Cliff" Burton was an American musician, best known as the bass guitarist for the American heavy metal band Metallica....
's bass solo "(Anesthesia) Pulling Teeth", "Whiplash
Whiplash (song)
-External links:*...
", "No Remorse" and "The Four Horsemen" (See notes above). The title of the demo comes from the first line of "Hit the Lights".
The demo has been re-released twice unofficially, first under the title of Metallica: Bay Area Thrashers, and was alleged to be a live bootleg recording of Metallica in the early days, however all "live" sounds had been added from various sources including the Metallica video Cliff 'Em All
Cliff 'em All
Cliff 'Em All is a compilation of video footage by the American heavy metal band Metallica. It was released in 1987 as a tribute to Metallica's bassist Cliff Burton, who was killed in a tour bus accident on September 27, 1986, at the age of 24, near Ljungby, Sweden during the European leg of their...
. This was soon discovered by Metallica and all copies were removed from stores. The demo was re-released a second time under the title Metallica: In the Beginning... Live, containing no differences from Metallica: Bay Area Thrashers.
Track listing
Personnel
- James Hetfield – lead vocals, rhythm guitar
- Lars Ulrich – drums
- Dave Mustaine – lead guitar, backing vocals
- Ron McGovney – bass
- Cliff Burton is given credit on the demo but does not perform. All bass tracks were played by original bassist Ron McGovney.
Metal Up Your Ass (Live)
Metal Up Your Ass was recorded on November 29, 1982, at the Old Waldorf in San Francisco. The supporting band was ExodusExodus (band)
Exodus is an American thrash metal band formed in 1980 in Richmond, California. Spanning a career of over 30 years, Exodus has gone through numerous lineup changes, two extended hiatuses, and the deaths of two former band members. Guitarist Gary Holt remains the only constant member of the band,...
, featuring Metallica's future lead guitarist Kirk Hammett
Kirk Hammett
Kirk Lee Hammett is the lead guitarist and a songwriter in the heavy metal band Metallica and has been a member of the band since 1983. Before joining Metallica he formed and named the band Exodus. In 2003, Hammett was ranked 11th on Rolling Stones list of The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time...
. The band played all of its original material (nine songs) that the group had written up to that point, which included all of the songs from its previous demo No Life 'til Leather and two new songs (which were later released on the Megaforce demo). Two covers of Diamond Head songs were played: "Am I Evil?" and "The Prince", however "The Prince" was not recorded as the tape had ran out. Both the name and album cover of the demo were to be used as the name of the band's debut studio album and album cover. However, Metallica's record company would not allow it. The band changed the name to Kill 'Em All
Kill 'Em All
Kill 'Em All is the debut studio album by the American heavy metal band Metallica. It was released on July 25, 1983. Since its release, it has been certified 3x platinum by the RIAA, having sold over 3 million copies in the United States alone.-Music:...
.
Track listing
Personnel
- James Hetfield - lead vocals, rhythm guitar
- Lars Ulrich - drums
- Dave Mustaine - lead guitar, backing vocals
- Ron McGovney - bass guitar
Megaforce demo
The Megaforce demo was recorded on March 16, 1983 and was the band's last demo album recorded with Dave Mustaine. The demo was designed to introduce Burton to potential record labels and earned the band a contract with Megaforce RecordsMegaforce Records
Megaforce Records is an American independent record label which was founded in 1982 by Jon and Marsha Zazula to publish the first works of Metallica. It has offices in New York and Philadelphia. The label is distributed in the U.S. by Sony Music Entertainment/RED Distribution...
. It was also played live on KUSF FM in San Francisco. The demo contained two new songs which had not been previously released. It received a number of names including the Megaforce demo (due to it earning a contract with Megaforce), The KUSF Demo (due to it being played on KUSF FM) and Whiplash/No Remorse Demo.
Track listing
Personnel
- James Hetfield - lead vocals, rhythm guitar
- Lars Ulrich - drums
- Dave Mustaine - lead guitar, backing vocals
- Cliff Burton - bass guitar, backing vocals
Ride the Lightning demo
The Ride the Lightning demo was released on October 24, 1983. It was the group's first demo recording to feature lead guitarist Kirk HammettKirk Hammett
Kirk Lee Hammett is the lead guitarist and a songwriter in the heavy metal band Metallica and has been a member of the band since 1983. Before joining Metallica he formed and named the band Exodus. In 2003, Hammett was ranked 11th on Rolling Stones list of The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time...
. The demo contained the original material Metallica had written that was not released on Kill 'Em All. Both "Ride the Lightning" and "When Hell Freezes Over" (later re-named "The Call of Ktulu") were co-written by Dave Mustaine. "Fight Fire with Fire" and "Ride the Lightning" had been changed from their original versions due to input from Cliff Burton. All four songs appeared on the band's second studio album Ride the Lightning
Ride the Lightning
Ride the Lightning is the second studio album by the American heavy metal band Metallica. It was released on July 27, 1984 through the independent record label Megaforce Records. The album was certified gold by the RIAA on November 5, 1987 and was most recently certified 5x platinum on June 9, 2003...
. The four demos for Ride the Lightning were recorded at the expense of Metallica's European record label, Music for Nations, at the same time the band recorded versions of "Seek & Destroy" and "Phantom Lord" to be used as fake "live" b-sides for the "Whiplash" and "Jump in the Fire" singles. In 2005 seven other re-recorded demos surfaced on bootlegs. Out of the seven demos that surfaced, only "Trapped Under Ice" was confirmed as an official demo.
Track listing
Personnel
- James Hetfield - lead vocals, rhythm guitar
- Lars Ulrich - drums
- Kirk HammettKirk HammettKirk Lee Hammett is the lead guitarist and a songwriter in the heavy metal band Metallica and has been a member of the band since 1983. Before joining Metallica he formed and named the band Exodus. In 2003, Hammett was ranked 11th on Rolling Stones list of The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time...
- lead guitar - Cliff Burton - bass, backing vocals
Master of Puppets demos
The Master of Puppets demos were recorded on July 14, 1985 and was essentially a rehearsal more than it was a demo. The demo included five songs that were included on its third studio album, Master of PuppetsMaster of Puppets
-Personnel:Metallica* James Hetfield – lead vocals, rhythm guitar, acoustic guitar on track 1, first solo on tracks 2 and 7* Cliff Burton – bass, backing vocals* Lars Ulrich – drums* Kirk Hammett – lead guitarProduction...
(1986).
Track listing
Personnel
- James Hetfield - lead vocals, rhythm guitar
- Lars Ulrich - drums
- Kirk Hammett - lead guitar
- Cliff Burton - bass guitar, backing vocals
...And Justice for All demos
The ...And Justice for All demos were recorded in 1988 and included early, shorter versions of songs which later appeared on the band's fourth studio album, ...And Justice for All...And Justice for All (album)
...And Justice for All is the fourth studio album by the American heavy metal band Metallica. It was released on August 25, 1988 through Elektra Records. It is the first full-length Metallica album to feature bassist Jason Newsted following the death of Cliff Burton in 1986...
(1988). It was the group's first demo album to feature Jason Newsted
Jason Newsted
Jason Curtis Newsted is an American bassist known for his work with Metallica, Voivod and Flotsam and Jetsam. Joining Metallica in 1986 after Cliff Burton's death, Newsted remained a member until 2001, making him the band's longest-serving bassist...
on bass, since the death of Cliff Burton. The intro to "Blackened" on the demo is an unreversed version, unlike the reversed version that appeared on ...And Justice for All. "The Frayed Ends of Sanity" was recorded with gibberish sung in place of most lyrics (with the exception of the chorus' "Frayed ends of sanity/Hear them calling me"), although the final version of the song contained lyrics. "Eye of the Beholder" had two different demo versions, however there are few differences between the two besides running time. Most demo versions of the album do not include both takes of the song.
Track listing
Personnel
- James Hetfield - lead vocals, rhythm guitar
- Lars Ulrich - drums
- Kirk Hammett - lead guitar
- Jason NewstedJason NewstedJason Curtis Newsted is an American bassist known for his work with Metallica, Voivod and Flotsam and Jetsam. Joining Metallica in 1986 after Cliff Burton's death, Newsted remained a member until 2001, making him the band's longest-serving bassist...
- bass, backing vocals
Demo Magnetic
Metallica's ninth studio album, Death MagneticDeath Magnetic
Death Magnetic is the ninth studio album by the American heavy metal band Metallica. It was released on September 12, 2008 through Warner Bros. Records. It was the band's first album to feature bassist Robert Trujillo and the first to be produced by Rick Rubin, making this Metallica's first album...
, had all its songs released as demos, recorded between November 2005 and January 2007. The demos were included on a bonus disc titled Demo Magnetic, released with a different "experience" version of Death Magnetic. The track listing order remained the same, however the titles of the songs are different. All music was written by Metallica, while all lyrics were written by James Hetfield. It is the group's first demo album to feature Robert Trujillo
Robert Trujillo
Robert Trujillo is an American bassist who currently plays bass in Metallica. He has also played in Suicidal Tendencies, Infectious Grooves, Black Label Society, and with Jerry Cantrell and Ozzy Osbourne.-Career:...
on bass.
Track listing
Personnel
- James Hetfield - lead vocals, rhythm guitar
- Lars Ulrich - drums, backing vocals on "Ten"
- Kirk Hammett - lead guitar, backing vocals
- Robert TrujilloRobert TrujilloRobert Trujillo is an American bassist who currently plays bass in Metallica. He has also played in Suicidal Tendencies, Infectious Grooves, Black Label Society, and with Jerry Cantrell and Ozzy Osbourne.-Career:...
- bass, backing vocals