Yesterday saw Metallica‘s third studio album Master of Puppets turn 35 years old. Not only did this milestone remind many headbangers how old they actually are, it also spoke to the timelessness of one of heavy metal’s most powerful records. To celebrate this, Metallica took to The Late Show with Stephen Colbert to perform the opening track from Master of Puppets, the immortal “Battery.”
This is not Metallica’s first time playing The Late Show — in fact, it’s not even their first time playing the program this year. The Four Horsemen performed on Colbert’s post-Super Bowl episode back in early February, chugging their way through their massive hit single “Enter Sandman.” But while that track was broadcast from in front of a shelf of amps at the band’s storage facility, this one was performed onstage in front of a massive Master of Puppets backdrop, and overall has a lot more of that youthful thrash-metal feel.
Check out Metallica playing “Battery” for Colbert below:
Though arguably the greatest album opener in heavy metal history, “Battery” landed at #4 of our ranking of the tracks on Master of Puppets, which is a testament to just how powerful every track on that record is.
“The kick of ‘Battery’ is the sonic equivalent of watching a cathedral get demolished,” wrote The Pit’s own Chris Krovatin for yesterday’s anniversary ranking. “Metallica’s opening braid of acoustic guitars sets up a sense of beauty and artistry that proves them something greater than that which the world perceived them — and then, they bring it all down in a deluge of thunder and lightning. The ripping thrash song that follows is an absolute classic, but that intro is what makes it the timeless track it is. With this one, Metallica launched a new era in metal, and the world loved them for it.”
