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Metal Monday vol. 32: Metallica No Life Til Leather
There’s a new Metallica lp out this week. After sampling it, I’ve determined it sounds like Megadeth in their commercial heyday (’92-’95). Progressive pseudo thrash for the elderly and stupid. I mean at least they’re trying to be edgy again, but how edgy can these codgers really be at this point? You think Hammet even remembers doing session guitar on Septic Death songs? I don’t believe the line about this shit not being constructed in pro-tools either. Let’s face it these dudes haven’t pieced a song together before entering a studio with the tape rolling, since 2 decades ago.
Ah, their heyday though, what a triumph; and with the humblest of beginnings, covering unknown British bands at club shows in Nor Cal. When they had finally scraped together some tunes, the virtually unrecognizable early ‘Tallica lineup of Hetfield, Ulrich, Mustaine (lead guitar), and McGovney (bass) laid down the relatively legendary “No Life Til Leather” cassette. Basically NLTL is a mini album of NWOBHM emulation done as close to the real thing as possible, right down to Hetfield doing his best to imitate Sean Harris of Diamond Head’s sung vocal style. The vocal attack is endearingly shitty, almost as much so as Ulrich’s drumming, which we all know has improved marginally since this release, but only just. Actually, I’m sorry to say the only one with any kind of mastery of his role in the band seems to be, future Megadeth man Mustaine. At least his notorious attitude was justified. His guitar’s louder in the mix too. Can’t say I’m surprised.
No Life Til Leather doesn’t really mean much now as anything besides a footnote in a career, but it’s still way cooler to hear teenage Hetfield warble his way through Motorbreath than have to listen to most of this nu-autotuned-”heyyy-yeaaa” shit from this decade. You should know that anyway but w/e.
So what’s the story about Dave Mustaine and his dogs?
Ron McGovney:“I think it was the summer of ‘82. Dave had come over to my house on a Sunday afternoon and he brought his two pit bull puppies. I think I was in the shower at the time; anyway, Dave let the dogs loose and they were jumping all over my car scratching the shit out of it, I had a rebuilt ‘72 Pontiac LeMans. And James came out and said ‘Hey Dave, get those fuckin’ dogs off of Ron’s car!’. And Dave said, ‘What the fuck did you say? Don’t you talk that way about my dogs!’. Then they started fighting and it spilled into the house, and when I came out of the shower I see Dave punch James right across the mouth and he flies across the room, so I jumped on Dave’s back and he flipped me over onto the coffee table. And then James gets up and yells to Dave, ‘You’re out of the fuckin’ band! Get the fuck out of here!’. So Dave loaded all his shit up and left all pissed off. The next day he comes back crying, pleading ‘Please let me back in the band’.”
