Metallica: 10 Awesome Songs NO ONE Talks About
7. No Remorse - Kill Em All
In the grand scheme of things, Kill Em All really stands as Metallica's most straight ahead thrash release.
Though classics like Ride the Lightning and Master of Puppets changed the game of metal as a whole, their more experimental sections weren't nearly as balls-to-the-wall as they were on this initial release. Whereas most people remember something like Whiplash or Seek and Destroy, No Remorse hints at some of the more impressive tropes we'd be seeing down the line.
On the surface, this is one of the stronger tracks on the record, as Metallica wear their influences of punk and metal on their sleeves. However, things take a bit of a turn in the chorus, as James starts to employ the signature fast downpicking technique that would become commonplace in his playing a few years down the line. The breakdown section also features one of the first times guitar harmonies had ever been used in a Metallica track.
Considering Cliff Burton was still new to the group at the time, this little harmony may have been a bit of practice for the symphonies Burton would help Hetfield and Hammett with later on Fight Fire With Fire and Creeping Death. Kill Em All may be the most "one-note" of Metallica's records, and yet this song still manages to kick ass just as much as anything on their next releases.