Widely regarded as Metallica's masterpiece and a leading candidate for the title of the Greatest Metal Album of All Time, Master of Puppets is a front-to-back tour de force that somehow recently got even bigger and more beloved due to its title track appearing prominently in Netflix's Stranger Things.
Since the LP's 1986 release, pretty much every band to follow has been influenced by the album — including nu-metal godfathers Korn. Jonathan Davis and Co. famously paid tribute to Metallica at 2003's very-of-the-era MTV Icons show by covering "One" off ...And Justice for All, but guitarist Brian "Head" Welch points to Master as both the thrash pioneers' and the metal genre's definitive document.
"I'd say Master of Puppets just the ultimate metal album to me," Welch told Metal Hammer. "As far as 'heavy' and 'really catchy' goes, it's definitely the best. It's also got those great, long songs that take you on a big journey, super in-your-face but they're super melodic, too. Master of Puppets has got massive hooks but it also hits you super hard."
