It’s hard to name anyone with a greater heavy metal pedigree than Gary Holt and Charlie Benante.
Gary Holt has been a driving force in thrash metal for many years. He’s led Exodus to greatness while also stepping in and joining Slayer in the band’s final years.
Charlie Benante of course has helped push Anthrax to be an all-time legendary heavy metal band, his drumming always being some of the best the genre has to offer.
So when the two of them give their thoughts on a record, it’s worth listening to.
Both thrash legends recently spoke to Knotfest about their favorite records. Both band members were very complimentary of contemporaries Metallica and Master of Puppets. Holt said (as transcribed by Blabbermouth),
“People ask me, ‘What’s the greatest thrash album of all time?’ I straight up say Master Of Puppets. I think it’s the greatest metal album of all time… And it’s neck-and-neck between Master Of Puppets and Judas Priest’s Stained Class for me. The clean section in [the] Master Of Puppets [title track], c’mon — that’s like some Beethoven-level shit James [Hetfield] wrote.”
Benante agreed with Holt’s assessment, adding,
“I think that record is probably their signature album of all time. I know the Black Album was a big, big record for them, and it pretty much made them household names, but I think for me too, Master Of Puppets, from start to finish, you can’t touch it. It’s flawless.”
It’s hard to disagree. Master of Puppets, released by Metallica in 1986, is widely regarded as one of the most important albums in the history of heavy metal. With its complex song structures, technical musicianship, and socially conscious lyrics, the album cemented Metallica’s place as one of the genre’s most influential and innovative bands. Its impact is still felt in heavy music to this day.
On the flip side, Benante recently called out a lack of creativity in current heavy metal, and that the culture is still stuck on the work of Metallica and Slayer. See what he had to say in full here.
Check out the full interview with Knotfest below.
Charlie Benante Thinks Modern Metal Lacks Creativity: ‘Why are we still talking about bands like Metallica and Slayer?’
The Slayer Song That Kerry King ‘F***ing Despises’
