7 Songs That Foreshadowed Awful Events
2. Metallica - For Whom The Bell Tolls/Fade To Black
There are few bands in history who have managed to achieve the fame, glory and following of the mighty Metallica. Easily the biggest thrash metal band of all time (sorry Slayer), Metallica formed in 1981 with the original line-up of James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Dave Mustaine and Cliff Burton. Mustaine was soon replaced by Kirk Hammett, before the band released their debut studio album in 1983.
Metallica achieved overwhelming success almost from the outset of their careers, quickly establishing the thrash metal genre alongside names such as Exodus, Anthrax and Megadeth. Their second album, ‘Ride the Lighting’ is hailed as an all-time classic by thrash fans, but it includes two songs which seemingly predicted a glum future for the band. Firstly, ‘For Whom the Bell Tolls’ features the following lyrics:
‘Take a look to the sky just before you die
It's the last time you will
Blackened roar, massive roar, fills the crumbling sky’
Meanwhile, ‘Fade to Black’ features lines such as ‘and the road becomes my bride I have stripped of all but pride’ as well as ‘and the earth becomes my throne I adapt to the unknown’.
Metallica released their third studio album, ‘Master of Puppets’, in 1986 and toured extensively off the back of the album’s immense success. While in Sweden for the European stretch of their tour, the band’s tour bus crashed and, tragically, bassist Cliff Burton lost his life.