With Master of Puppets, Metallica pushed their taste for the epic to the ultimate with what is their finest moment, that once-in-a-career phase when all members of a band seem to peak at the same time. It was their last album before the tragic death of bassist Cliff Burton, and also the album on which James Hetfield came into his true voice, as on ‘Battery’. With layers of grinding guitars creating a truly dark, sinister sound, Kirk Hammet peeled off riff after limitless riff. Master Of Puppets proved that Metallica were one of the most important metal bands of all time.