12 '80s Hard Rock Albums All Fans Should Own

'Master Of Puppets' is Metallica's third album and was also the last to feature bass player Cliff Burton who died in a road accident. Metallica have continued to release great music and their sales from each album outstrip their last - they are truly one of the giants of the rock and metal scene, but for many, 'Puppets' is their finest hour.

As forerunners in the thrash metal scene, what set Metallica apart from many of their contemporaries was the quality of the songwriting. The band's main songwriters were singer/guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich. They would work on ideas for riffs and rhythmic patterns, endlessly refining and chopping ideas together until they found a structure that they could build on. Lyrically, the band weren't afraid to cover any subject, from the more obvious horror influenced material to anti-war songs and all points in between.

Metallica's secret weapon was guitarist Kirk Hammett, who'd taken lessons from virtuoso Joe Satriani - who numbered Steve Vai amongst his clients - and Hammett's confidence showed in some of the most memorable work of his career. If you sample only one track, go for the title song - you won't be disappointed.