10 Perfect Rock Albums For Guitar Players
6. Master of Puppets - Metallica
As we reached the mid '80s, thrash metal was really starting to come into its own. While the hair metal giants were still dominating the landscape of MTV, acts like Slayer and Testament were giving a nice alternative to those who wanted something a little bit heavier than Ratt and Poison. And if we're talking perfect thrash albums, Master of Puppets is a must for every guitar player...and not even because of Kirk Hammett.
That's not to say that Kirk's leads on here are bad by any stretch. Seeing how the band were just starting to hit their stride, every one of his solos has the right kind of bluesy soulfulness to hit you on a deeper level. No, the real star of the show on this one is James Hetfield, reminding us that he is the king of downpicking on every single song. While it might not seem as hard just looking at the notes on a page, playing something like the title track using all downstrokes like James is almost inhuman for most of us mortals to even try.
In that respect, this is the album that keeps on giving for metal players, being a one stop shop for both rhythm and lead guitar. Once you've got Hetfield's style under your belt, you still have the craziness of Kirk waiting on the other side of the record. By no means is it easy, but you'll appreciate it more and more the deeper you dive into it.