No Life 'til Leather

Any reviewer can wax poetic on and on about how Metallica became the biggest joke that thrash metal has ever seen. I'm not going to beat a dead horse. I'm here to review what is, in my opinion, the pinnacle of Metallica's talents.

This demo is unique in that it features Ron on the bass and Dave on lead guitars. Other than that, there's very little difference between these songs and the songs that would appear on Kill 'em All, at least in the musical aspect. The songs are shorter overall, not quite as fast, and there are some lyrical differences. However, this demo showcases the aggression that Metallica seems to have lost in later years.

The songs show a heavy NWOBHM influence. Dave's solos are pretty much replicas of what Kirk plays on KEA, which lends credence to the idea that Kirk cannot write an original catchy lick to save his life. James' vocals are untested and youthful, with a few voice cracks here and there. I thought that Dave was singing on Hit the Lights -- the vocals do not have any of the James trademarks. Also note the bass shredding during the opening wave of Hit the Lights -- that ain't Cilff, that's Ron. Actually, the bass is a bit more prominent on this than on KEA, probably due to the lower fidelity of the recording. Lars' drumming is not flashy, which it doesn't need to be, and works well with the songs. Lars may not be the most technically proficient drummer in metal, but he can keep a beat well (at least until the opening riff of Blackened).

Fans of KEA will probably miss the slower section of The Four Horsemen (here denoted as Mechanix, and redone in a much more slaughtering version by Dave's later group Megadeth) and the extended outros and solos. But for a demo, you don't need all the fluff. You need to get your song down, and deal with the extraneous crap on the album.

Essentially, this is a reminder of what was and what could have been for Metallica. From unwashed raw metal to over-produced cash grabs. The speed and ferocity of this demo and KEA quickly got downplayed in favor of stuff that would get mainstream appeal.

If you do not have this demo, you should get it. Yes, the quality leaves much to be desired. But this record is essential for those interested in the history of metal, those budding Metallica fans who want to know more about where they came from, and Bieber fans as a form of torture. We all can hope that the boys in Metallica can try and get inspiration from this for the next record.

And seriously, there needs to be at least one show with this lineup. As far as I know, Dave and Ron are still alive. What's the holdup?

Just as the old saying goes that all roads lead to Rome, so to do all significant roads in the development of metal go back to the murky underworld of the late 70s and early 80s. One can’t really speak of the style without getting into its beginning primacy in England and America, though by said era Germany was also becoming a key player with several others on the way. And it is in the context of the odd relationship that England and America share musically that plays into the birthing of thrash metal, particularly that of the Metallica, Metal Church, Overkill Trifecta. The horseracing term does have an appropriate application given that there is often debate over which one of these 3 bands actually offered up the first consistent version of the style in a song, but from a historical standpoint, Metallica’s impact was the largest, at least in first couple of years, and their influence continued on even as the style moved away from their version of it.

If nothing else, Metallica’s legacy begins and ends with their commitment to the road and the stage, as their mass propagation of demo releases headlining their jazzed up answer to the NWOBHM pretty well got the ball rolling. But when approaching the now collector’s item demo “No Life ‘Til Leather”, it’s very important to note that while the band definitely was taking some cues from Motorhead, the signature sound that became “Kill ‘Em All” is very different from their pre-label era. This is a band that was still well wrapped up in the rock clichés that many of the British bands at the time were just beginning to move away from, and this primarily differs from those outfits in speed and degrees of intensity. It’s not really that out of line to speculate as to what genre Metallica was actually in from a historical standpoint when encountering another demo from around this period dubbed “Power Metal”, because when combined with the heavily effects drenched guitars and vocals, alongside the lighter character of things in general, this could be mistaken from an early USPM release at times.

There’s obviously a host of differences that will stick out like a sore thumb to anyone who has not heard this yet is already familiar with Metallica’s extensive studio collection, particularly the stuff after “Ride The Lightning”. The lower fidelity production reveals a band that sounds almost like a coked up version of Diamond Head with a bunch of odd changeups. Likewise, the songs are generally shorter in length, faster in tempo, and are lyrically much more tongue-in-cheek and all but devoid of the occult aspects that would show up on “Kill ‘Em All”. Nearly every song on here save the Leather Charm songs and “Metal Militia” have significant chunks absent, mostly because they were modified after Mustaine was booted to either give more time for Kirk to do his pentatonic runs, or to let the song coast on in a more epic fashion. But most noteworthy of all is the radically different sound of Hetfield’s vocals. As best as I can tell, his voice had not fully matured yet or something else to that effect, because he hits note on here that are in John Arch territory, and his voice is remarkably clean and slightly sleazy, as opposed to the grit and gravel that most tend to recognize from his vocals circa 1986 onward.

The availability factor is naturally an issue for anyone looking to get this remarkable slice of metal history in its original format, but both God and Al Gore have blessed us all with another means so any who have yet to look into this recording, consider this your ultimatum to get with the program. From my end of things, this is the most brilliant thing that Metallica has ever done, and despite being a bit dated has a timelessness to it that separates it from even the studio highpoints of this band’s early career. The drums are not performed perfectly, the guitars are mixed a bit unevenly, but when compared to a number of demos out there from more recent times, this is a solid accomplishment with very limited means. The only thing that might have made it even better is if they had gotten Cliff in the band before this was put together, but even without his fancy additives, this cuts with the fury of a thousand broad swords. So break out those dusty old Metallica t-shirts and leather coats, and let us remember that grand old days when metal was still metal.

"No Life til' Leather" is such a surprising and entertaining demo in so many ways, I don't even know where to start. I suppose I might as well give some background. Having obsessed repeatedly over Metallica's first album "Kill em' All" since my middle school days, I already knew every song on this demo better than any album, save maybe "Take off your pants and Jacket."

In a way, the minor differences in the production, solos, lyrics and many other discrepancies of this demo from "Kill em' All" are but mere fodder for more obsession! Imagine all of the stupid arguments between fanboys over who played the Seek and Destroy solo better, "Dave Mustaine or Kirk Hammett?" It's almost as if there should be a heavy metal homage to "Clerks"! I personally think the live version on "Cliff Em' All" with Dave Mustaine is the coolest simply because it has that amazing tremolo lick that sets it apart from Hammett's.

But the music is what's important, and not the petty arguments. The demo begins the same way as KEA with Hetfield and Mustaine tremolo picking the reliable E5 power chord, then the F#5. So simple, and yet so effective. How I wish I could have been alive when they began every show this way. The less than impressive production doesn't take anything away from this great intro to one of Metallica's greatest songs. The rest of the song is full of surprises. There's more effects on James' voice, most notably tape delay. I see nothing wrong with this. He hits higher notes, and holds them longer than on the LP version. This is the most notable difference in his voice back in those days, except he doesn't have that grit that makes his vocals so awesome on kill em' all, ride the lightning, Master of Puppets and various live performances.

Then there's the mighty Mustaine. I personally am a bigger fan of Megadeth than Metallica, simply from a guitar player's standpoint. Let's face it: He's superior to Hetfield in the rhythm department. His riffs are so much more satisfying to listen to, and are played with such great precision, not to take anything away from Hetfield's great riffs. But there are so many more great riffs in the Megadeth catalogue, and he's certainly a better soloist than Hammett, particularly in the present tense.

But you wouldn't say that just from listening to some of the solos on No Life til' Leather. Mustaine's solos are kind of all over the place, and not always in a good way. He repeats the same pentatonic licks in almost every song. Although it still sounds good, Hammett's playing had a wise sense of restraint. He really took the time to come up with more memorable solos, especially on Whiplash. Some of the solos are pure Mustaine though, and I prefer his solos in "Jump in the Fire" and "Phantom Lord." Of course he's the one who wrote the damn solos in the first place, some of which Hammett copied almost note for note! And it was Mustaine who upon first hearing the Lars' and James rough demo of "Hit the Lights" said, "This song sucks. It needs more solos."

But the most ironic thing about this demo is the bass. It's actually more audible here than on Kill 'em All. And Cliff Burton wasn't even playing here, it was Ron Mcgovney! The "Beer getter" for the then underage band! Let's face it, every up and coming band has its Ron Mcgovney. This makes the album's production seem less trebly, and in some cases makes the songs heavier, like on "Jump in the Fire." This may have been because they wanted to achieve the same sound as the nwobhm bands they were covering at the time, in which the bass was sometimes just as audible as the guitars. How strange it is that on most of the Metallica albums that followed, you could barely hear the bass at all. That's one aspect about Metallica I will never understand, because it's so sad that a genius bassplayer such as Cliff Burton had the volume turned down on every album he played.

Overall this is an astonishingly good demo from a then up-and-coming band, and I highly recommend it to any Metallica or thrash fan. It's worth pointing out that there's a distinct difference between a Metallica fan and a thrash metal fan, but both should enjoy this.

This is the best demo that Metallica ever released. They developed pretty much since their earlier demos. Jame's vocals improved, though he still doesn't in his definite tone. The riffing also sound much more precise and tighten and the overall sound of this recording is just easier to comprehend. There are also some new songs added since the 'Power Metal' demo and it's pretty clear that the band improved with the songwriting and discovered their own style.

'Hit The Lights' explodes immediately with the drums and then the guitars comes in with a catchy riffing which sounds heavy influenced from NWOBHM, of course. The vocals are melodic and pretty high, and the soloing of Mustaine is awesome espically after the tempo break in the middle which leads to another mania of diving solos. However the version in 'Kill Em' All' sounds a bit faster, but this is still pretty fast and intensive. Very energetic opener track, one of the best thrash songs ever, I doubt that you never heard it before. 'The Mechanix' is the early form of 'The Four Horsemen'. This a faster version, with different lyrics and without the pretty essential C-Part. That makes this song sound more straightforward and uncomplicated, as opposed to the final version which sounded more "progressive". The riffing is topnotched, a lot of tempo breaks and variation, pretty catchy track. 'Jump In The Fire' is the same mind blowing track from 83, except for some small changes with the lead guitar and the different lyrics. 'Seek And Destroy' sounds pretty decent here, but it's a bit slower than the version of 'Kill Em' All'. The riffing sounds thrashier than anything else here, but still the NWOBHM touch is very noticeable. They omitted the last verse and I think it's better that way because it makes the song less repetitive.

Overall, most of the songs here sounds the same as they will be in their debut LP. But still, here it's a different spirit. Some says it sounds livelier than 'Kill Em' All', and some says that the LP is better. I don't know, I don't care actually. This is a pretty awesome demo, and it's stand for it's own. If you looking for one of their demos, get this one because this is simply their best. But if you want the full cake get 'Kill Em' All' because it has more songs.

This is the most well-known Metallica demo, showing the band’s NWOBHM roots very clearly. James Hetfield sounds almost nothing like his rough yell that would show up on the first few Metallica albums. Here, he attempts a more melodic style of singing, and judging by the material on this and other early Metallica recordings, it’s not hard to see why he switched. He’s really not that good. For the most part his voice is tolerable, but it doesn’t really fit in with the songs themselves, and often sounds somewhat forced. The guitar riffs are better, though they would be sped up on Kill ‘Em All. Then Lars’ drumming isn’t anything special, though it at least fits the songs. Overall, this demo is okay; it’s just that everything on this demo was improved greatly when the band later recorded Kill ‘Em All. This is like Kill ‘Em All, but not as fast, not as aggressive, and more oriented towards NWOBHM. Also the songs Whiplash and No Remorse don’t show up here, along with Cliff Burton’s bass solo (although considering Cliff Burton doesn’t play bass on this, that isn’t really something to be shocked about).

Hit The Lights is the opener. This starts off with Lars banging the drums for a second, then the guitar and drum wave comes in. When this song was rerecorded for Kill ‘Em All, it would instead start with a fade-in with the guitar and drum wave. This song is pretty representative overall of the demo, showcasing the highlights and lowlights of the performance. James is high-pitched, the guitars play midpaced to fast, and the drums keep the shaky beat.

The Mechanix is alright. It has a galloping main riff, and is overall a faster song. The lyrics are cheesy as hell, even as far as early Metallica is concerned. This song would be much improved once it was rewritten as The Four Horsemen. In this form, it’s much more simple, and less unique.

Motorbreath is very similar to The Mechanix. At least it doesn’t have painfully bad sexual double entendres in the lyrics. The main riff here is also a galloping riff, and it’s a faster song again.

Next up is Seek & Destroy. I’ve always found this song to be pretty overrated and overlong, along with being way too midpaced. At least on this demo, it’s cut off by a couple minutes. It instead ends shortly after the guitar solo instead of continuing on into another 3 fucking choruses in a row or so. I prefer this to the album version, only because it doesn’t quite drag on for so long.

Metal Militia is a good song, but again, it would be much faster on Kill ‘Em All. It’s still pretty solid here though, and James’ clean vocals work well here in this context. This is a definite highlight of this demo.

Jump In The Fire has different lyrics here from Kill ‘Em All. As opposed to the almost Satanic lyrics that would be in the album version, the lyrics here are, like The Mechanix’s, more sex-oriented. I haven’t been able to find the lyrics anywhere and it’s hard to tell what James is saying at times though, though it sounds like it involves his pants somehow. Anyways, the music itself is a bit sloppy, and it ends right after the solo, so it doesn’t repeat the chorus for a whole long time.

Phantom Lord is the last track here, and just like some other songs here, it’s shorter than the Kill ‘Em All version. There really isn’t much else to say about this track. It’s a fast song like most of the other songs on here (barring Seek & Destroy, which shows that Metallica sucks at midpaced songs for the most part), and it’s sloppier than the album version. Yeah.

So to sum things up, this definitely has a lot of historical importance, since it’s one of the earliest Thrash recordings around, after stuff like Overkill and Metal Church’s early works. It’s also enjoyable on a musical level and is in some ways better than Kill ‘Em All (some songs don’t drag on as often as they do in KEA), but overall Metallica would do better with their debut album. James’ vocals would also improve, if only for a short while. If you do come across this somehow, I say get it! You can probably find a bootleg of this on eBay rather easily, or if you’re exceedingly lucky, possibly find an original copy of the demo on cassette. Either way, this will be a great addition to your Metal collection.

It's fair to say that without this band, half of the metal we listen to today wouldn't exist. This is probably the most historicaly significant demo in Metal's history, and when a collector friend of mine was selling his copy, I snapped it up for a fairly princely sum. Kick ass.

The production on this album isn't the best out there, but then again, what would you expect? Self produced by a band with no money.. big surprise. But you're not hearing this for the crappy production. This is awesome early thrash, full of youthful energy, speed and power. The drumming's fairly crappy and James's vocals aren't exactly the best, but the songs are super high quality, from the pile driving Phantom Lord to the first thrash song ever made, Hit The Lights. Metal Militia is really awesome though, better then the KEA version IMO. There are a few disappointments though. The Mechanix and Jump in the Fire both have absolutely rubbish lyrics, and The Mechanix sounds juvenile, and well, just plain crappy compared to what it would become. It's a lot faster though, which is good, of course.

Basically, if you're just a casual metallica fan, I wouldn't really bother tracking this down, because it's pretty damn expensive, and the original copies are for the most part worn out pretty badly. That, and the fact that they're extremely hard to find. Still, for anyone with a big interest in Metallica and metal as a whole, it's definetly worth trying to find this. Put another Mortgage on your house and prepare to go bankrupt for Metaaaalllll!!!!!!!

Okay, so this is, as many seem to note, the definitive Metallica demo. By this time, most of Kill 'Em All was in Metallica's setlist (actually, all of it was, except the bass solo), and so this contains seven out of ten songs from the album. Now, the sound quality on this demo is absolute crap, it's even worse than Megadeth's Last Rites demo. But, the guitars are very audible, and that's all that matters.

It is something to note that the lineup was very different from the Metallica of today. We have Dave Mustaine on guitars, and he is a bit better than Hammett, and definitely a better songwriter. On bass is Ron McGovney of Phantasm. There's nothing really spectacular about what he does, but he's decent nonetheless. Also, James' vocals are very different. He sounds just like a 16-year-old boy on here, and his style seems to reflect that of Diamond Head rather than...whoever his other ones reflect.

The music is exactly the same as on Kill 'Em All, with a few minor differences. The Mechanix (later to be renamed The Four Horsemen) is missing the middle section and it has different lyrics. It is interesting to note that this version of The Mechanix is slower than the version that appeared on Megadeth's Last Rites demo, and is longer, yet this version was recorded before the one on Last Rites. Perhaps Lars (he wouldn't become Lar$ until later) was holding him back. Anyway, this pretty much sounds the same as Kill 'Em All, except for the differences I just told you about. The reason I like this better than Kill 'Em All is because the performances on here are just so fucking RAW, and they contain mroe energy than on the full-length.

If you can find this demo, and you might, it is pretty common on eBay or places like that, you should definitely get it. It is a tad more enjoyable than Kill 'Em All and the somewhat skippable songs (Whiplash, Anesthesia (Pulling Teeth), and No Remorse) are gone, aloowing more thrasing continuity.

Well, seeing that this is a demo, recorded and "produced" by a band with almost no money, the poor sound quality is easy to overlook. In fact, after listening to this again a few days ago, I will say that I prefer this demo to Kill 'em All. The songs are faster and have more energy, and James' vocal performance more accurately reflects the band's NWOBHM influences. That being said, there are a handful of areas in which this demo falls short of Kill 'em All. The most noticable is "the Mechanix," which when compared to "the Four Horsemen," sounds juvenile and undeveloped. The other example is "Jump in the Fire," which, like "Mechanix," has garbage lyrics. But these are minor quibbles, overall this is the essential Metallica demo.

For July of 1982, this demo is completely revolutionary. The three new songs since the Power Metal demo ("Seek and Destroy", "Metal Militia", "Phantom Lord") further push the envelope of power/thrash/speed metal, and Dave Mustaine's songwriting skills are highlighted immensely.

If you've heard Kill 'em All, you've pretty much heard this... "The Mechanix" is faster than "The Four Horsemen" and is missing the middle section. "Jump in the Fire" has different lyrics, but the music is the same. The production is immensely better than the Power Metal demo, and this one almost stands up to Kill 'em All on its own merits. Hetfield's vocals are still a bit silly, though.

Overall, if you can find it, get it! It's not "Kill 'em All", but it is a year older, and for this time and place, that does mean a significant amount of historical importance.