Metallica No Life ‘Til Leather Definitive Edition Ultimate & Upgrade

The strongest band in the history of heavy metal, “METALLICA with Dave Mustaine”. The ultimate studio album is being reissued with renewed artwork! This work is a comprehensive collection of studio recordings left by METALLICA during the Mustaine era in the highest quality ever. First, let’s take a look at the four studio recordings engraved on this work. ・Original master of “NO LIFE ‘TIL LEATHER” (7 songs) ・Upgraded master of “MEGAFORCE DEMO” (2 songs) ・Official reissue of “NO LIFE ‘TIL LEATHER” (7 songs) ・Official reissue of the earliest “Hit The Lights” (1 song) A total of 17 songs. There are other demos of early METALLICA, but most of them are “garage recordings”. They were recorded not in a studio but in the garage of Ron McGoverney, the bassist at the time. The above are “studio recordings” that distinguish them from the others, and that’s all. Now, let’s introduce each one individually. The first cassette of “NO LIFE ‘TIL LEATHER” before editing (7 songs) is “NO LIFE ‘TIL LEATHER”, which was said to be “the most famous demo in the world”. Moreover, it is not the version that spread METALLICA’s name all over the world at that time (hereinafter referred to as the “official version” in this article), but the original version before editing. It was digitized from a tape that McGoverney had treasured, and it includes the count and conversation voices that were cut from the official version, and the order of the songs is the same as the recording order. The legendary session is revived in its entirety. And what is more shocking than the length is the sound. In fact, this legendary session was recorded simultaneously with two recorders, one of the original masters was Lars Ulrich, and the other remained in McGoverney’s hands. Of these, the Lars-type master was the official version that spread all over the world. It is also said to be the “4th generation copy”. On the other hand, as mentioned above, the basis of this work is the McGoverney-type master. It is considered to be the “1st-2nd generation” that has not been edited, and is much younger than the official version. Moreover, this work is the highest peak version of the original master. It has been polished with meticulous mastering, and it is a powerful version that approaches the limit of distortion and deterioration. And the content is exactly “true debut work”. In the first place, “NO LIFE ‘TIL LEATHER” is generally thought of as a “demo”, but it was originally made to be a debut EP. It was produced with investment from the owner of the punk label “HIGH VELOCITY” (Kenny Kane), but when Kenny listened to the finished recording, he realized that METALLICA was not a punk band (it sounds stupid, but that’s how unprecedented and innovative METALLICA was at the time). And the debut talk was dropped, and it ended up being spread as a demo. In other words, this session was made with the intention of a record debut, so naturally the arrangements of all the songs were completed, and since they had already performed live, it was more mature than a normal studio album. Moreover, the performance is packed with the youthful spirit of “I’m going to take on the world with this!!”, so it’s no longer at a level where it can be described as a “demo”. The upgraded master (2 songs) of “MEGAFORCE DEMO” is followed by two songs from the famous legendary demo “MEGAFORCE DEMO”, “Whiplash” and “No Remorse”. The biggest point is that it is a one-of-a-kind studio recording in which the two great charismatic “Mustaine & Cliff Burton” performed together. It was recorded at the local radio station “KUSF” in the Bay Area to show the new lineup with Cliff to the labels. This is also not a handmade recording in a garage, but a proper professional recording. It uses the highest peak updated master newly excavated in 2020, but the sound is incomparable to other titles. The other title “MEGAFORCE DEMO” was covered in noise by default, and how beautifully it was mastered determined its superiority. However, this new master “does not have” that noise. You may not be able to expect the same gloss as “NO LIFE ‘TIL LEATHER”, but the smooth sound without the tingling or stiffness that was its fate until now brings back the super rare collaboration of the genius Mustaine & version! Also, with the addition of these two songs to “NO LIFE ‘TIL LEATHER”, all the songs of “KILL EM’ ALL” (except for the bass solo) are complete. In other words, this work is the true originator: Dave Mustaine’s version of “KILL EM’ ALL” itself. The second half of the 2015 official reissue of “NO LIFE ‘TIL LEATHER” (7 songs) is “NO LIFE ‘TIL LEATHER” again. It’s a different version. The one recorded at the beginning was a McGoverney-style master, but this is the official version born from the Lars-style master. However, it is not the version from 1982, but the version officially reissued by the official for “Record Store Day” in 2015. Initially, the plan was for the cassette version to be reissued on Record Store Day, and then the CD version to be released to the general public, but then the talk of the CD release fell through (apparently it fell through because Lars wanted Mustaine to be credited for the song, but Mustaine refused). As a result, only the cassette version saw the light of day. However, this cassette version was also a challenge. It sold out in a flash as a commemorative item in the first place. It quickly became an extremely rare item. What is included here is the “2015 reissue cassette version”. Although it is the official version with the countdown etc. removed, the sound is the best it has ever been. Speaking of “NO LIFE ‘TIL LEATHER”, the original release version from 1982 was difficult to obtain, and even if you could get it, many of them were just seaweed that had been played over and over again. In the midst of all this, this work uses the original master owned by Lars himself, and has also been digitally mastered to resemble the official version. Although it is different from the “original master” mentioned at the beginning, it is the ultimate version that is like an official work. The last track on this release is “Hit The Lights,” which was included in the first pressing of the compilation album “METAL MASSACRE.” This song was written by James Hetfield during his time with LEATHER CHARM, and was recorded before the band was even completed. This is the oldest recording of METALLICA. James was not satisfied with the result, so the second pressing (and the reissued CDs in the 1990s) replaced it with the “NO LIFE ‘TIL LEATHER” take, but the first pressing is the elusive official take, which features the solo of black guitarist Lloyd Grant. This is not a typical analog transcription, but a lossless recording of the official CD take that was released in the METAL BLADE label’s 20th anniversary box set (out of print, of course). This is the ultimate studio album from the Dave Mustaine era, with a total of 17 takes. This album is not only the starting point of METALLICA, but also the origin of MEGADETH… no, it can be said to be the debut album of the music genre “thrash metal”. This is the treasure of “METALLICA with Mustaine”, the strongest band in heavy metal history. This is a compilation of all the studio recordings left during the Dave Mustaine era in the highest quality. “NO LIFE ‘TIL LEATHER” contains two types of albums: the original master version owned by Ron McGoverney and the official reissue version from 2015, as well as the upgraded master of “MEGAFORCE DEMO” in which Mustaine and Cliff performed together, and the oldest “Hit The Lights” in which the phantom guitarist Lloyd Grant also participated, for a total of 17 songs. This is the origin of both METALLICA and MEGADETH, and it is also a masterpiece that will be the debut album of the music genre “thrash metal”. ULTIMATE & UPGRADE EDITION!!! (72:30) NO LIFE ‘TIL LEATHER: McGovney’s Cassette Master Version 1. Motorbreath 2. The Mechanix 3. Jump the Fire 4. Seek & Destroy 5. Phantom Lord 6. Metal Militia 7. Hit the Lights MEGAFORCE DEMO 8. Whiplash 9. No Remorse NO LIFE ‘TIL LEATHER: Record Store Day Version 10. Hit the Lights 11. The Mechanix 12. Motorbreath 13. Seek and Destroy 14. Metal Militia 15. Jump in the Fire 16. Phantom Lord METAL MASSACRE: Metal Blade’s 20th Anniversary Box 17. Hit The Lights