@@jarhead4ever1 They were playing Diamond Head covers as part of their live sets back then without telling anyone they were covers. Huge influence, and there's even a Diamond Head cover on the album.
It's actually meant to be a double entendre. Yes, it's about the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, but it's also about the four band members, because they're asking you to join them. If you look at the album as a whole, many of the songs are about joining the metal "army" as a Metallica fan. The energy Metallica was giving was in-your-face metal. Fast, kick your ass carnage. It's a theme carried through the whole Kill 'em All album.
Except Exodus. Might wanna watch Murder in the Front Row to understand the thrash scene which was borne in the Bay area...Metallica moved to the Bay Area so Cliff could be in their band. He wasnt coming to L.A..
@Will G1986 I'm talking about the theory is wrong about the concept of the 4 members and an army. Which members? Kill Em All was heavily written by Mustaine. What about Ron Mcgovney? Kirk came in from Exodus which was the leader in bay area thrash to play the guitar's that Mustaine already wrote and laid down. Kirk taught Gary Holt how to play. Basically, you're given too much credit like they thought or preplanned the album. Wasn't that complicated.
The Sweet Home Alabama thing is an interesting story. Dave Mustaine only revealed that a few years ago, I think. As the story goes, Lars Ulrich (drums) wanted a slower melodic breakdown there, which Dave did not want. Sweet Home Alabama was the first thing he could think of, and copped it out of spite for adding such a section. As others also mentioned, Dave would go on to record/release the original (and faster) version about sex on the first Megadeth record, entitled The Mechanix.
Actually, Dave sped up his version even more. The original (Metallica's "The Mechanix") isn't quite as fast as Megadeth's "Mechanix", but faster than their final version "The Four Horsemen". Metallica slowed it down, Megadeth sped it up.
I got this album when it came out in '83 on cassette tape. I was in junior high and played it so many times i wore out the tape and had to buy another one. Still have the tape, but nothing to play it on. RIP Cliff.
One of my favorites since I was a kid. Dave Mustaine wrote the original music but James Hetfield perfected it with his lyrics. Also Jamal when this shit is over we're going to a Metallica concert, on me brotha.
Dude. I'm 53 years old, been listening to Metallica since 1984 and for some reason I've never noticed that sounded just like Sweet home Alabama, lol, I can't believe I've missed that all these years.
@@Bolaz Pretty sure in a Doc. or interview somewhere they admit to listening to sweet home alabama and straight up stole the riff and slowed it down a bit.
Aaron Buchanan nvm, Dave Mustaine said it himself 🤣🤣🤣🤣. www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/dave_mustaine_i_wrote_the_middle_part_in_the_four_horsemen_by_ripping_off_sweet_home_alabama_as_a_joke.html
@@Lonestar1430 "Seek & Destroy" is a fanboy concert-banger. ...NOT a great song. ...It can be "fun," esp. in a live setting, but, really??: It's always bored me & I wouldn't play it for others (who weren't, already, big fans). ...It's, just, o.k. ...🤷♂️
@@chewiex7748 Yeah, he got pissed off at Lars for suggesting they slow it down, so he played Sweet Home Alabama instead to mess with him. Little did he know they'd keep the idea after they fired him.
Same album anesthesia(pulling teeth)! The late legendary cliff Burton going off! You will become one of the guys at the end of raiders of the lost ark!
Sorry about that comment. I was on a mega late night, when I commented. Of course no remorse is off of kill 'em all, however I do think that jump in the fire and seek and destroy. Should have been mentioned, before no remorse. But then that's just my opinion, sorry that forgot about it
@@haroldhadradi8763 well jump and seek is the songs most know, no remorse is a hidden gem :) Jump in the fire was the first song i ever heard with Metallica, was on the radio in Sweden.
@Mark Hammond Dave wrote the entire song before he was even in Metallica. It was called The Mechanix. It's the song he brought to the band. The middle part is the new part that they added after he left....but they were actually in the process of rewriting it when he was still there. The middle part (the sweet home alabama part) was actually something he did right before he got kicked out....but the song was written by Dave. The middle part isn't even IN the Megadeth version - he wouldn't have done a song with only the parts he didn't write lol
@Mark Hammond I know the band changed the lyrics after he left. But all of the main riffs, MUSICALLY, he brought to the table. He played it in his previous band! YES, Dave talks about writing the middle part (which was never PERFORMED while Dave was in the band, but he did help write it)….but just because he only talks about the middle part does not mean he did not write the other parts also.
@Mark Hammond the middle part is the only part he DIDN'T use when he recorded it with Megadeth about a year and a half later, also. He kept it mostly the same as it was before they started rewriting it. And he did not give Lars and James credit on Megadeth's version - because it was entirely written by him. And they did not come after him for it, because it was true. It was entirely his song before James rewrote the lyrics and more stuff was added to the middle (which he did help them write, he just left the band before they recorded it with the extra parts [and Kirk's extra solo]).
@Mark Hammond "When asked what he remembers about writing music with METALLICA while he was in the group, Mustaine said, "I had always called us, as a group, the 'Four Horsemen.' Before I was in METALLICA, I really loved this band called MONTROSE, and their guitarist was Ronnie Montrose. He went on to form a band called GAMMA. One of their records [1980's 'Gamma 2'] had a shark fin cutting through the grass, which I thought was so awesome. Anyway, he had a song on there called 'Four Horsemen' that I did with my band PANIC, which I was with before METALLICA. So when I joined METALLICA, I had the song 'Mechanix', which I wrote, and 'Four Horsemen' was a suggestion of mine to do 'cause we were doing cover songs. So that had planted the seed with James [Hetfield, METALLICA frontman]. And one day when we were coming to rehearsal, Lars had just said something about slowing down my song, 'Mechanix'. I had just gotten to the studio with Cliff [Burton, METALLICA bassist], and we had been listening to LYNYRD SKYNYRD, and I was being a jerk, so I played 'Sweet Home Alabama' instead of 'Mechanix', and thats basically the middle part of what would become METALLICAs 'The Four Horsemen'.""
Ahh jamel you must check out anesthesia (pulling teeth) from this album! Cliff burton kills it on bass! Does anyone else hear seek and destroys breakdown in the transition before the sweet home Alabama sounding one?
I came here directly from the Metallica Monday Livestream! Always a great time with 35-40,000 fans watching safely from home all over the world! Awesome review man!
Anesthesia pulling teeth, oh my gawd, you've never heard such a masterpiece in your life. The bass, just indescribable. Same album. These guys were just babies
I picked up a bass and learned how to play after hearing Cliff thrash out 'Anesthesia' on the 'Cliff Em All' video...I'd never heard a bass guitar sound so epic, I had to learn it.
A-holes. They're so rich they probably wipe their asses with $100 bills. And yet, they ask ordinary people for money. THEY should throw in a couple million dollars (They wouldn't even notice the difference in their bank accounts.) Also, they're totally overrated. They've got three really good albums, and the songs for a fourth really good album (but the mastering sucks on "... and justice for all" which is a bummer). I gotta give them that they've influenced and inspired a lot of (really good) other bands, though.
@@DMSG1981 you think they aren't giving when they do a FREE show? Think what they would be paid for a concert. I'm so tired of sheep spewing the same hate, over and over..."three good albums and then they sold out" The only album I can say REALLY sucked was St. Anger. They still kill it live! Maybe keep your crappy opinion to yourself instead of posing as a hater.
@@rou769I said "really good", there are more good albums, although there can be discussions on how metal they are. But that's another topic, and I generally don't find that too important. Even though when your band is called "Metallica" it kinda is. Anyway, could you elaborate on why you are free to express your opinion in the comments, but I am not? I'm looking forward to your compelling argument.
@@rou769 There are a few legit great songs off St Anger such as The Unnamed Feeling. The only bad bits on it are the snare tone and no Kirk solos (which they now add live) A remix and remaster of the album for its 20th anniversary with decent snare tone would help a LOT! But they did not remix and remaster ...AJFA when it was re-released for its 30th... This album was the most deep out of all of them due to how badly they were stuck in a bad situation, Jason quitting, James going into rehab with VERY limited recording schedules and other shit plus pressure from the record label to make the album! Now they ARE their own bosses, they use their own label. :)
@@DMSG1981 if you had a better criticism than what you gave, you would be taken with more credit. Have an original thought, and be met with a better/different view. Parroting the same old shit gives your opinion absolutely no credence. I mean, you called them A-holes for doing a free show and mentioned they should give their own money, but, how do you know they haven't?
Rest in Peace Cliff Burton "Kill 'Em All" was Metallica's first album they came out with in 1983.. It's to my understanding that Metallica wanted the name of their debut album to be "Metal up your Ass," but their record label (I think it was) shot that down.
Here's an interesting piece of information that I just found out "Four Horsemen" was cowritten by Dave Mustaine of Megadeth; who at that time was a member of Metallica..
THIS is why Metallica completely took over the metal scene in the 80s. They were the real deal and had the whole package. They did what they wanted, and anyone who wanted to complain could go to hell.
There are two eras of Metallica for me. Pre-Black Album, and Post-Black Album. Not too big on the post. It’s not terrible, it’s just no where near as good or memorable as pre, even though I do enjoy the Black Album now and again. It might have been their entry into the mainstream, but it’s still a very good and solid album! That being said, Kill ‘Em All is definitely my favorite! It just sounds so raw! Bare-bones Metallica, no bullshit, just thrashing at its finest! 🤟🏻
As a lifelong Metallica fan....since ride the lightening came out..... I have to defend rhe last two albums. Death magnetic and hardwired are great Metallica albums. Way better than anything since ajfa.
First album greatness!!!! Cliff hammered the bass line on this song!! The four horsemen are from the apocalypse. Thanks for getting to the reaction of this...one of my favorites. 🤙🏼 ❤️
Jamal...Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Nothing better than to see you "Rock Out" to Old School Metallica! I gave you a long list the other day, so do as many as possible...Your Awesome! Thanks
I've honestly never noticed that Sweet Home Alabaman transition before. I've listened to this song hundreds of times over the years and never made that connection. Hot damn. You ain't wrong.
I just found your channel this afternoon and have done literally nothing else. 🍻 If you want the best Metallica has to offer, you have to do Disposable Heroes!
This is actually one of the hardest songs for musicians to play because of all the different transitions your face was priceless when they happened because it reminded me of the first time I was introduced to this song
This album makes me want to destroy everything around me. Warning: listening to this while consuming alcohol and narcotics may cause felony charges. Also, Dave Mustaine was jamming Sweet Home Alabama at a rehearsal and they tweaked the tempo and put it in the song when it was called Mechanix. Mustaine's version is on Megadeth's debut called Killing Is My Business and Business Is Good 🤘
@@Daddy53751 Yeah man. I'm not quite that old (mid 40's) , but was old enough to listen to music independently. However, I do remember listening to what others thought of as "over the top' for the day......
Hellzzzzzzz YEAHHHHHH old school early eighties raw Metallica at their very best. Nobody in metal thumped and galloped on a bass guitar like ol Cliff Burton but like all the good legends he's no longer with us. Killer shit brutha ,thanks and rock on!!👌👍👊😎💯💯💯🔥🔥🔥🔥
The "Sweet Home Alabama" section was brought in by Dave Mustaine when asked for a slow interlude. After hearing Cliff Burton listening to Lynyrd Skynyrd everyday in his vehicle, he lifted that riff and changed the ending.
The blandest Metal band ever which equals mass appeal. This band stopped being a band when Cliff died. In truth when Dave left but Cliff kept em limping along. I'll throw up the Megadeth catalog against Metallica's any day! You gotta do the ORIGINAL version of this song: MECHANIX as done by Megadeth on their debut.
I think it would be doubly awesome to have a metalhead friend there to react to your reactions, lol. These videos have been beautiful, and it makes my heavy metal heart so happy! I just wanna throw my arm around your shoulder and and just be like "yeah, my man, one love! Welcome to the metal family".
This song was shared between Metallica and Megadeth, Dave Mustaine took the riffs to Megadeth and made Mechanix after leaving Metallica in 83. Check it out to see how closely related they are musically.
Steve Parker They added that Sweet Home Alabama as a diss to Dave Mustaine because he argued in the car with Lars Ulrich about the song when Sweet Home Alabama was playing.
@@johnsanchez9980 Fair enough, I prefer the four horseman personally so I'm glad Dave was kicked out, although I did like Megadeth's peace sells album.
I've been listening to this song since I've been 16 years old (I'm 53 now) and I never made the Sweet Home Alabama connection until now. Amazing what listening with fresh ears can do. Good call.
WOW!!!! I started listening to Metallica when i was in 4th grade, these days i am 40 years old..i can’t tell you how many times i’ve listened to their songs including Four Horsemen and NEVER even noticed that part being similar to Sweet Home Alabama..that is crazy to me!!
Just found this! You are awesome Jamel! This is my fav reaction 🤘 I've never noticed it as SHA, but I love that you were listening with enough heart as to hear your interpretation.
I love the reaction bro as usual.This song is a masterpiece and the freaky thing is they were only 20 or 21 when they did this album. For sure a sign of things to come. These guys were destined for greatness. Keep up the great work. Your videos are helping with a social distancing distraction.So to speak. Stay safe bro.
💯💜💜💜Your Reaction Captain Jamel_AKA_Jamal.. once again you're right on time and right on cue just absolutely amazing to watch you have the same reactions that I know I myself as a 56 year-old man and many of my friends along in my same age group had the same exact reaction when we first heard this album and understood what Metallica really meant and what they were going after what they were trying to teach I'm glad you're getting the lessons as we did and understanding and appreciating them you're awesome keep going strong take it one step at a time and thank you once again for all you provide for us
I do like this album, but the production was so raw at the time that sonically I liked others better. IT did have some great tunes though... Seek and Destroy..... Jump in the Fire...
For being the debut album of an unknown band in the early 80s that's actually amazing production. Raw and crunchy sure. But very clear and well balanced.
This my favorite Metallica song and Kirk Hammett solo at the end.... thanks for your reaction videos that keep me positive and in a good mood... Merry Christmas...
Mentioning Skynyrd is actually impressive. Alot of Kirk's early solos are very Skynyrd like just played at a faster pace. Slow down the 1st solo and you'll really hear it
This is my favorite Metallica song of all time. Never in 18 years of listening to this song, did I think there was sweet home Alabama in it. Then you mentioned it, now I can’t unhear it lol
Jamal man, I love that Black guys are finding our music. You've always been welcome but (admittedly) we don't exactly look approachable. I want to send you my whole music collection!! We'd be discussing it for years. Top reactions man. Much love from the UK Metal community!
