Behind the Riff: Enter Sandman

[@rgerber]

Good Kirk didn't use Mobile Phones back them

[@Sparrow-Music]

See, this is why I love Lars. A lot of drummers don't have much to say in terms of input on other instruments, but Lars has a really fucking good understanding of music and how to make what's already amazing, even better. Fuck the haters. Lars is the man \m/

[@izaiahavila7399]

Preach my Brotha, I love Lars too like idk why people hate on him so much. Without Lars then there wouldn't even be a Metallica.

[@1ColdFuture]

I think Lars is a genius when it comes song arrangement and producing. Because that Riff sounds way better the way Lars told him to play.

[@eazye519]

lolerz222 yup Lars is a genius

[@eazye519]

Izaiah Avila they hate on him because they're still butthurt over Napster

[@matthewbernard6487]

C.R.I.N.G.E

[@nowhereman8511]

Yeah Lars is no doubt a not so skilled drummer but hes got the ears for recording and production. And thats Lars biggest contribution to metallica, hes like a resident producer for the band like he knows what sounds good, though he doesnt necessarily know how to play it

[@themonopolyguy4365]

If you watch making of hardwired, death magnetic or really any of the albums, Lars plays a huge part in structuring the songs/writing process.

[@caidema]

Jesus christ. When Kirk said it was the first riff he ever wrote he was clearly joking.

[@benparsons4979]

First main riff of a song I assume he means

[@hambone3327]

@@benparsons4979 Nope

[@benparsons4979]

@Potato Man not a main riff

[@nicolastambuyser3822]

He wrote the Die By My Hand riff from creeping death

[@jd0879]

@@benparsons4979Are you dumb. He wrote the main riff to MOP. Just stop

[@Thothings]

The Damage Inc. breakdown riff and the Master of Puppets spider riff are also Kirk riffs. There's a lot of riffs on songs that are Kirk's that you guys don't realize. Almost every song he has a writing credit on has a riff he wrote.

[@tvalla]

Thoth Spider riff in MoP? Which one?

[@Thothings]

01 2 01 3 01 4 01 3 01 22

[@Hey-Its-May]

That's not a spider riff... Embarrassing. A real spider riff is in the song RTL.

[@metalhammer5]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/mnfXZ4Rqaadngqs

[@mox_ndwn]

@@Hey-Its-May I know this comment is old af, but spider (riff) is the terminology used for riffs or exercises that alternate one finger at a time in the same or different strings, usually very chromatic. What you're referring to, is the "spider chord" which is the fast major 6 interval power chords that is proclaimed to be named and popularised by Mustaine.

[@AminNazari666]

How about Excel - Tapping into Emotional Void intro??

[@mude.mcmudskipper8907]

Excel - "I say a prayer from my bed" . . . Metallica - "Off to never never land."

[@MJMS88]

Lars knows the hack to make burnt toast taste amazing.

[@camotophat]

They just wrote what they wanted to write. Didn't give two shits what other people wanted or thought. True artists.

[@matthewwellen9695]

Didn't Kirk write Creeping Death?

[@stasferguson0]

yes

[@archdukefranzferdinand4992]

Matthew Wellen he wrote the die die die riff only.

[@hanithehimbo3382]

@@archdukefranzferdinand4992 he wrote the whole fuckin thing

[@RAK0_98]

Some Master of Puppets stuff too, the chorus riff of MoP and the "Soldier boy made of clay..." riff on Disposable heroes

[@Top10Dylan]

And trapped under ice

[@DamusNostril]

Saying Lars is the genius behind the riff because he improved it is like saying the japanese should be given credit for inventing the automobile. it's Kirk's riff, Lars merely helped structure it better. and if Lars hadn't, I'm sure Bob Rock would've suggested the same thing later during recording.

[@yourstupid652]

It's a stolen riff anyway from a band called excel fuck metallica

[@Scarecrow545]

No, it's like saying the Japanese should be credited with the invention of the (then) modern automobile. Downplaying Lars' contribution is intellectually dishonest.

[@indianmilitary]

stupid analogy. The song was built around the riff (contributed by kirk) by James and lars. Lar's so called "re-arrangement" of riff did not change the way the riff sounded. Just listen to 2:05 to 2:15. Riffs are the backbone of metal songs, credit should go only to Kirk. Master of puppets riff also came from Kirk's exodus demo tape but james and lars just improvised it.

[@Stinkydo0d]

True, but to Lars's credit, he does have a good ear for music. Even though his drumming skills are...a tad lackluster, he has a great ear for piecing stuff together!

[@gustavomarques4097]

Just for the new arrangement, I guess greedy Lars took 50% of the song's copyrights.

[@WatchYourAttitude]

I love this riff!!!

[@Tommy.McLean]

"I wrote it, right after I heard Excel play it 10 years prior, and then I took credit for it "

[@JR-kn3rg]

The Riff is also very similar to song called (Get stoned) from a finnish band called Stone.

[@HCDHR]

Excel - Tapping in to the emotional void, tells a different story

[@Z3N17H1U5]

it was a clearly a ripofff!

[@rodrigoponce2159]

mustaine sucks

[@Powwower]

James was looking at fuking nude mags im dead 0:03

[@youngg1201]

Lars sounds like such a hater when he said “play it the original way”.

[@sinceagesago5258]

He obviously wants all the credit

[@jessesorsa2397]

If you actually wanna hear something really similar to this riff you have to check out Stone - Get stoned. It came out in 1988.

[@markdubeau6784]

'we'd still be living in the ast bay'... friend of mine lives in their old house. i'm sure he's looked everywhere in that place looking for something they left behind.

[@TheMeJustMe75]

I was so excited when I heard Enter Sandman for the first time on the radio before the album came out. I remember me and one of my best friends went to a local music store at midnight to buy our copies. I got home, put it in my walkman and went to sleep listening to it. A few months later, I bought a portable cd player and I bought it on cd. That was the last Metallica album I ever bought. I just lost interest when I heard Load. I became more interested in Megadeth after that, not that Megadeth wasn't awesome before.

[@S.C.500]

Kirk also claims to have written the "die! die! die! die!..." riff from Creeping Death when he was 16. You can look up the video of him at Guitar Center if you don't believe me.

[@mattm7798]

For a really long time, i was shocked how lars name is on every song as a writer. Very odd for a drummer who isn't a multi-instrumentalist(say that 5 times fast) but watching these "making of" videos Metallica puts out, you see how someone comes up with an idea and lars helps form it. Is that writing credit? I don't know but I'm sure if James didn't think so the early songs would not have lars' name next to them.

[@oscapri02]

Kirk its the genius of Master and Enter Sandman wooaooo

[@operationblackoutsecondinc5296]

Kirk so wanted to say that 1:21

[@SherySambora]

God, kirk is beautiful!!♥♥♥♥♥

[@no_one1992]

Those drums already are mighty damm

[@jamieleith602]

But that riff now IS! heavier than anything 👊

[@MrLennybach]

I literally riffed my pants.

[@caiusKeys]

It's better the second way -- good job!

[@eugenebakman4603]

If you speed up the original version of the riff it sounds like a classic Exodus riff.

[@indianmilitary]

Master of puppets riff also came from kirk's demo tape for exodus

[@danglenzig]

kashsoldier the main riff from master came from James right after they finished the lightning tour and started to rehearse in the garage again for the next album. I know a little bit about old Exodus. what you are saying is just pure bullshit.

[@DB_137]

Any ideas how to play "Kirk's original Enter Sandman" riff, anyone?

[@CarlosERS89]

Who said anything about Larstallica? All I said is he had a better musical vision for that riff than Kirk did. The riff is awesome because of Lars' suggestion. And by what your saying, then it'd be wrong to call Kirk a genius too, since being a band is a "collaborative thing". Metallica would be the genius, right?

[@SuperRockstar901]

what year was this?

[@xolracke]

I don't like the sole idea that the batterist is the brain behind of what one day was the greatest band called Metallica.

[@DonTyler_]

Creeping Death was the first riff Kirk wrote. He was 16

[@hdaaap]

lars is a genius. meanwhile, dave lombardo doesnt have a single writing credit on any slayer album. while..lars is on every track with hetfield.

[@juanrramos88]

michael andrews most of the songs Lars write suck, the best Metallica songs were written by some one else.

[@hdaaap]

.....the only song that lars isnt credited on is MOTORBREATH...

[@ScorpionMaster1224]

@@hdaaap no it's MUTABEATH

[@BucsFanO22]

@@juanrramos88 You are a complete utter moron. Do you always just spout absolute nonsense with zero thought, or was this a one off?

[@madbull5526]

Kirk hammett is a filipino Proud kababayan here

[@nordimejia5790]

Kirk wrote it.... Lars made it what we know by working on it. So... That riffs is what it is thanks to Lars.

[@VelvetVixen09]

Wow

[@holychord]

0:58 Lars meant to say "...that Kirk Hammett stole from Excel which basically was 'Tapping in to the emotional void'..."

[@lancejerkov6237]

the original riff is pretty kickass

[@stevenshewfelt888]

they would be living in the east bay though if it stayed in the original form

[@mathewiamele3730]

How is Enter Sandman the first riff Kirk ever wrote? I assume he meant the first Metallica riff ever used on an album.

[@HipsterEatinShark]

Nice riff, they really tapped into the emotional void for this one!

[@Hey-Its-May]

If you think those two songs sound similar then you're the most musically illiterate and ignorant person out there.

[@AminNazari666]

@@Hey-Its-May Why? Excel was 89' and Enter Sandman is on 91'! How is that ignorant?

[@Hey-Its-May]

Amin Nazari they sound nothing alike

[@gm6101]

annnnnnnnnnd thats why lars is respected by me, so much hate for no reason lol

[@fishermangonewild]

haha jason looks like an old man at 0:31

[@lunchboxtoothpick3775]

enter sand man or syphony of destruction?

[@erwinumali]

Symphony of destruction

[@eduardovalenzuela7541]

Pelado... no fue una decisión de producción en estudio.... esto pasó a las 3 de la mañana en un cuarto de hotel.... kirk estaba tocando el riff y lars lo llamo a su habitación para que lo modifique a como le conocemos hoy.... pelado...

[@gooniescott9394]

if you think about it, kinda sounds like beat it

[@talktalk2412]

Enter Black Album

[@brandonclement]

That's Kirk's riff my ass 🤣 That a song stolen from Excel. The song was called "Tapping into the emotional void" 🤘

[@mrdlore1]

Way to go Kirk, you wrote 1 riff...actually, listen closely to Lars: "The riff that's on the record and the way it exists today is not really the way he wrote it."

[@indianmilitary]

Just listen to 2:05 to 2:15. Did the end product riff sound any different from Kirk's original riff? Nope. Lar's so called "re-arrangement" of riff did not change the way it sounded.. Kirk did not jut write 1 riff. Master of puppets riff also came from Kirk's exodus demo tape. Obviously killer and most famous song riffs came from kirk

[@88fanforlife]

mrdlore1 also the die section of creeping death was Kirk

[@mrdlore1]

Are you talking about the main Master of Puppets riff? Or is it that walk-up part after the solo that he stole from that David Bowie song?

[@mrdlore1]

Wow, just wow. That's another one for Kirk!

[@Coppertunes]

Adam Siegel showed him.

[@Metavid16]

PORNTALLICA

[@gredangeo]

Excel? What the fuck are you guys on about?

[@CrazedBird]

I think it's a coincidence personally. It's a simple riff so to come across something similar isn't all that unusual. I suppose the only real compelling evidence is that Excel wrote their song only a few years before Enter Sandman.

[@mctwishvonnoodles9793]

"I wrote this riff at 3 in the morning, it was the first riff I ever wrote." Kirk, the first riff you wrote that we know of was the breakdown for Creeping Death (1984), and this riff sounds too similar to Tapping Into the Emotional Void by Excel, which came out in 1989. So I highly doubt you "wrote" it

[@mattiegraham9200]

McTwish von Noodles he said 'its the first' sarcastically which is why they both started laughing

[@samsaunders8168]

He never said the creeping death riff was his first he said he wrote it when he was 15 or 16 (can't remember exactly) so he could've written a few riffs before the creeping death breakdown riff

[@wearemanyyouareone7596]

McTwish von Noodles Tapping into the emotional void was released and 89 it was copyrighted in 86

[@Hey-Its-May]

Shut the fuck up McTwish, Excel blows, nobody knows who they are, and that song doesn't even sound like enter sandman in the slightest. You're what is known as a moron.

[@kasidiprapasuchart4789]

May Marquardt if met copy excel riff ,excel would be popular On that period or nowadays those people just give a hate to met ,feel pretty bad for this case

[@shroomzed2947]

What he means by writing it at 3 AM is that he was listening to Excel at 3 AM

[@nordimejia5790]

and, while they were filming this, jason decided to leave...

[@coal1987]

He clearly has the potential to write great riffs however I think He's gotten lazy on the last few albums as far as songwriting

[@timgalvin7170]

sandman, unforgivin, nothing else, and one are soo commercialised, u don't know metallica if those r the songs u can name. mustain wrote some of my favorite tallica jams!!

[@clifton7007]

Jeeez... The original riff was boody!!!

[@wesker9041]

The original riff was more in tuned with their original fast tempo thrash style.

[@michaelelias9615]

Excel's riff.

[@TheMrHavish]

The opening riff from Excel's "Emotional Void" is VAGUELY similar to "Enter Sandman", but other than that the two songs are as different as night and day.

[@heitorholanda9835]

I already did riffs very similars to other riffs... this is normal.

[@AminNazari666]

@@TheMrHavish Vaguely?? Hell no.

[@JasonIgnacio737]

They stole the whole song from Motörhead and Kirk Hammett changed the riff alittle bit and claimed it for his own along with the whole song which I think lemmy’s voice was better in the first place but still Metallica rules I’m just not a big fan of anything past garage days.

[@wahmeister666]

And they say Lars does nothing...yet he structures a shit sounding riff in to something better!

[@entersandman-harvesterofso3721]

Excel is terrible Metallica better

[@skiddysgarage]

Excel is terrible, the blatant Metallica fanboy said so.

[@Hey-Its-May]

Maybe if excel had some fans someone would be on here defending them too. But nope, they're just a shit band.

[@skiddysgarage]

Or excel fans don't get offended and suck off another band because they're insecure about it

[@Hey-Its-May]

excel fans dont exist, so i doubt it. idiot.

[@skiddysgarage]

You seem a bit insecure, don't you?

[@CarlosERS89]

Actually the genius is Lars. He's the one who gave it the right structure, without him that riff would have sucked. Can't believe Kirk didn't see that when he wrote it.

[@indianmilitary]

Stupid, if kirk had not come up with the riff, there would be no enter sandman song to be so called 'structured". We have to give credit to people who deserve and our stupid "bias" cannot be blind us

[@jimmyn7t]

excel - tapping into the emotional void. this is the original song that they ripped off

[@skaldlouiscyphre2453]

Put on some Excel and fail to learn the riffs.

[@GOWZDAWG19]

-Tapping Into the Emotional Void- Nah, it doesn't sound like Enter Sandman at all! sorry Metallica haters! LOL!

[@rerditirerthz5568]

And the same people who likes to bring this stuff, seems to forget how the Excel stole from Rush "YZY" on that same song.

[@jessesorsa2397]

If you actually wanna hear something really similar to this riff you have to check out Stone - Get stoned. It came out in 1988.

[@GOWZDAWG19]

Whoa! now I can hear the Sandman on that one Jesse, but at the same time I can also hear Battery which it came out in '86...

[@jessesorsa2397]

Lou Angeles Haha that's actually true!

[@BadNoiseRecords]

it really does though roflmao

[@erwinumali]

Metallica stole the riff from a band called excel

[@raygallagher8191]

Yeah, this is the usual process with writing songs. Lars didn't really do anything special. Any decent band has input on what each musician brings to it. Heaps not impressive. But Lars needs to take any credit he can get coz he sucks as a drummer.

[@cactusdemar]

Kirk dont wrote riffs, kirk steal riffs

[@Loogiz]

Well now we have an overrated song played everywhere obnoxiously! Yay!

[@Hey-Its-May]

And now it's obvious that you're a jealous fuck AND you have a bad taste in music. Congratulations.

[@AMG-ko3gt]

Enter Sandman is the stuff of legends! You wanna know what's overrated? Despacito and Drake

[@kennypemberton1350]

lets rip a song off and pretend we wrote it

[@vadidithy]

Kirk wrote the riff in Exodus. It's not ripped off.

[@rerditirerthz5568]

Excel said that while they were writing Tapping into the void and listening to Rush