Metallica: 10 Most Brutally Heavy Songs - Ranked
9. Call Of Ktulu
As Metallica went through the 80's, an instrumental track became the norm on most of their records. With James Hetfield still uncomfortable with his role as the band's singer, these were the moments where the band could put everything on hold and let the music do the talking. Though there have been more poignant instrumentals like "Orion" or "To Live Is To Die," "The Call of Ktulu" is the most menacing music the band has ever released.
The tune is based on the tale of a monstrous beast created by HP Lovecraft, with the riffs meant to set the scene for this entity creeping over the land. After some delicate picked clean guitars, the sound becomes more and more hypnotic until you're in the dark clutches of Ktulu with no means of escape.
There are some great guitar accentuations by Kirk and James, but the real star of the show is Cliff Burton's bass guitar. Cliff was the supporter of the band's instrumental tracks and is even credited with "lead bass" in the liner notes for this track.
As the song reaches its climax, the bass bends almost mimic the sounds of this monstrosity about to stomp out the world underneath its feet. Out of all Metallica's instrumentals, this one will leave your hairs standing on end after every single listen.