Metallica's James Hetfield Looks Back At 'Master of Puppets'

(Radio.com) To celebrate the 30th anniversary of Master of Puppets, Metallica will be releasing the book Metallica: Back to the Front, an impressive journey through their making of the album told through anecdotes, never-before-seen pictures and more.

The 276-page book includes interviews with James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, and Kirk Hammett, as they recount opening for Ozzy Osbourne on tour and the stunning loss of bassist Cliff Burton in September 1986. Other voices who contributed to the recollection include managers Cliff Burnstein and Peter Mensch, Faith No More guitarist Jim Martin and Anthrax band members Scott Ian and Charlie Benante.

In a new video, Hetfield reflects on the album, "I think Master of Puppets signifies for a lot of people, and it does for me as well, the pinnacle of the Cliff Burton era with Metallica, obviously. But also it was still rebellious, back then it was just still four of us in a van out to conquer the world."

Metallica: Back to the Front will be available September 13. Fans can pre-order a copy today. Listen to Metallica discuss how they view Master of Puppets and the lasting legacy they created with that album here.

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