EXCELLENT BASS WORK // Metallica - Orion // Composer Reaction & Analysis

[@ambient6668]

bruh O_0 There were 2 bass solos which often get mistaken for guitar. That's your melodic bass leads if you were missing those.... One was in the beginning that introduces the thrashy riff and the second is solo 2 before the outro. Truly, there isn't much to discuss about them but I think this track inspired some crazy bass soloing down the timeline of metal music. Cliff destroys the stigma of bassists being "invisible" with his massive solos and tones. It really bothered me that you didn't mention or completely miss out on the fact that there were bass solos 😅

[@CriticalReactions]

Yup totally missed that. But like you said, they often get mistaken for guitars and even going back and *knowing* that's a bass it's still difficult to discern. Cliff does a fantastic job at fitting into a guitar timbre in those moments.

[@jareklewczuk3627]

Death "The Philiosopher" would be very good example of awesome, melodic bass ideas :)

[@Langdon6993]

Absolutamente

[@neilpatrickhairless]

Death always had killer bassists and drummers lol Chuck knew how to pick his band mates for sure, that guy had his shit together

[@BrianYates-ue8hf]

Hey Bryan Yes that is Cliff Burton using his bass like an organ with possibility a phaser and def his wha pedal and his two hand technique This was Cliffs idea and brought it to the band Cliff was a classicly trained mucian and was actually an accomplished guitarist first and switched to bass and the band said when he wasn't on stage he only played guitar The massive difference in sound and songs between KEA and Ride the Lightening is Cliffs direct influences The band also stated he taught them about harmony composition and song writing 🤘🧐✌️

[@james-sf5yc]

"Classically" trained or formal music theory training? Theres a huge difference. Im not trying to disagree but ive never heard that about Cliff before, only that he went to music college. Was he really studying classical theory for playing bass? Thats wild if true.

[@neilpatrickhairless]

Cliff never had a ton of music lessons. Cliff just listened to a LOT of classical music, as did his Dad. Infact the Waltz section on this song was specifically written for his Mom and Dad to dance to

[@neilpatrickhairless]

There is actually a few videos on YT of Cliff's Dad, Ray, and he is showing some of Cliff's record collection. Lots of Gary Moore and classical

[@justinshook5332]

St. Anger's really your fave? We're a week past April Fools :) BTW, Mastodon does a great cover of this one. Just heard it again this morning.

[@oatmeal710]

st anger is better than any album during the jason newsted era, not a dig at jason newsted, just my personal opinion based on their songwriting

[@CriticalReactions]

I'm legit on that opinion though. I have to be in a specific mood for most Metallica but I can jam out to Sweet Amber or All Within My Hands at any moment of any day.

[@beng1137]

The story of the song is of course open to interpretation, being an instrumental, but I've always thought it was about the creation of the universe/life. They chose to fade the song in and out because the song basically represents the creation of the universe, hence the song being named after the space constellation Orion. The intro is the creation, the beautiful middle section is where everything has been created and is in harmony and the outro is the inevitable fading back to oblivion and nothingness. Can also represent life and death as well.

[@justindevoe9556]

That also fits with what the band has said about the song, which is that it’s just a snippet they pulled out and recorded of an infinite jam that’s always happening. Interestingly enough that’s how Jerry Garcia described the song Dark Star by the Grateful Dead as well

[@oatmeal710]

as a kid, i had the black album, and justice for all, and master of puppets on cd, and as a child i had those pretty much on repeat. however, master of puppets had some sort of element to it that the others didn't have, and none really exemplified this for me like orion. i liked the anger in leper messiah, the raw aggression of damage inc., and the somber sorrowful sounds of welcome home, but none really scratched the musical itch for me like orion. nowadays i can appreciate the complexity brought to the table by cliff in the song, but even as a kid who had never touched an instrument this song really struck a chord (figuratively and literally) with me, there's just a certain magic to the concoction they had going on in this track, that although they had come close later on, *to live is to die and suicide and redemption) they never quite really hit the same stride as in this song, it just goes so many places so quickly, while also not feeling quick at all, it feels like they just gradually shift into one idea after another organically rather than just forcing transitions to make the song progress

[@beatmet2355]

Lars once said the first four albums were going in one direction, each one becoming more complex than the last, to the point that when they finished Justice, they went as far as they could in the heavier music they were producing and the Black Album was a shift to another direction. The songs become less intricate and have more of a groove to it. This continued through the nineties, culminating with a covers double album and S&M. St. Anger was a turn back to the more aggressive music of the eighties (but not exactly the same) and continued with Death Magnetic, which is more progressive than St. Anger, like Justice. Hardwired reminds me a lot of nineties era Metallica, like Load and Reload. 72 Seasons has never clicked with me and to be honest, most of Hardwired hasn’t either.

[@jonathanhenderson9422]

As far as Metallica having an evolving sound, their first four albums (Kill Em All, Ride the Lightning, Master of Puppets, ...And Justice for Al) that formed their reputation and made them metal gods were all essentially thrash. They did refine their sound from the first to the last of that quartet, with Justice crossing into proggy-thrash territory, but after that is when they started to change their sound. The Black Album was them intentionally simplifying their sound towards what would become groove metal, and by Load/Reload they were essentially a heavy alt. rock band. Those albums caused a massive backlash in the fandom that wanted their Metallica to be all thrash all the time. St. Anger was an attempt to return to their rawer roots, but fans hated it too. The albums since have seen them return to thrash, but by now it all sounds pretty... if not stale, exactly, there's certainly a "been there, done that" vibe. I agree that Metallica could do with adding some variation into their sound, but I don't know if they have much impetus too. When you get that massively successful you can pretty much do whatever you want, and even the backlash they suffered back in the 90s is nothing compared with the commercial success they achieved with that change. Most bands would take pissing off thousands of fans if they could garner tens of millions more. I also think most of the other major thrash bands have been better and more interesting post-90s, like when Testament went with a death-thrash blend and released The Gathering, which demolishes anything Metallica (or Megadeth) have released since their hey day.

[@l3p3rM355i4h]

I have strong opinions about the songs on this album given my username, but if you want to hear Metallica experiment, go listen to the album they did with Lou Reed :) also this isn't really the same genre but a song that is carried by its melodic baseline that I wish you'd check out would be "Psycho" by Caroline's Spine, I think you would enjoy it

[@jonathanhenderson9422]

Having St. Anger as your favorite Metallica album is a hot take indeed! I don't know if there are many albums more hated by a fanbase. Personally, I always thought St. Anger would've been pretty good with decent production and more input from Kirk (I think they really missed his leads/solos). That's one album where I've always thought the songs on it sounded better live. Anyway, Orion is definitely one of Metallica's stone-cold classics and has to be the most famous metal instrumental ever. I've always enjoyed it, but it was always overshadowed for me by all the great tracks around it on MoP. That's less a sleight against Orion and more a testament to how superb that album was; though I know many who list it as their favorite too.

[@haerverk]

May I ask roughly what age you are? "St. Anger" being your favourite is a wild take to me, wondering if it could partially be generational. Would love to hear your thoughts on "To Live is to Die", which I would say was their peak artistically.

[@CriticalReactions]

I'm quickly coming up on 40 which puts me somewhere in the middle of Generation Y. The Black album came out when I was still a child and I listened to it a lot growing up. St. Anger came out when I was a teen and I hated the title track's repetition but the back half of the album is so good.

[@liamc.636]

Gorgoroth-gorgoroth is my favorite black metal song, and that’s in large part due to the highly melodic bass line. I really think you should check it out

[@annodomini1991]

Good choice.

[@johannes4218]

"It's a really interesting drum pattern for this section" perfectly describes 90% of Lars's drumming, and not all in a good way :b The two bass solos in this song (the first one at 1:41 and the second on at 6:34 (in the Spotify version)) are actually amazing, the second one actually sounds like a guitar solo. I would suggest listening to the song again with these time stamps in mind

[@CriticalReactions]

Yup, I totally missed that bass solo given the effects on it. Cliff did a great job of disguising those tell tale bass characteristics.

[@colemantrebor6574]

To Bid You Farewell by Opeth would a be a good fit for this theme.

[@kooltrini735]

The "swerly sound in the beginning is the bass guitar. also most people miss the bass solo in the middle dueling with the guitar solo.

[@chairmanofthebored6860]

Would definitely suggest Relentless Mutation by Archspire if you want to see every bass style, technique and writing all in one track. I originally found your channel a few years ago through your Archspire reaction and would love to see you revisit them

[@chagatainouveau]

Wishbone Ash's Sometime World is a great example of melodic bass playing in rock.

[@UltraMegaSeaMonkey]

Holy your fav is St. Anger, that's quite the take (granted, I think it is over-hated). Someone mentioned The Philosopher by Death but from that album, I would have to say Overreactive Imagination is better, and there is even a bass playthrough of the song by Steve DiGiorgio

[@Furao80]

You should probably listen to the bass isolated track for this one.

[@marcdewey1242]

Some other good instrumental tracks are Coast to coast by Scorpions,and Homebound by Ted Nugent,and Villa Strangiato by Rush.

[@neilpatrickhairless]

No one is ready to have the "Kirk killed this" conversation. Best stuff that guy ever did on this song

[@cmdrglass5096]

This song I think is meant to represent how the someone is having a smooth drug experience a very mellow vibe

[@mykelmontoya9311]

Do you know the band Yes song roundabout? Also anything by rush and of course Primus!

[@CriticalReactions]

I've heard all three of those bands and even checked out Primus a couple of weeks ago on livestream. It doesn't look like I've done a reaction to Roundabout but I have made reactions for 4 or 5 other Yes tracks.

[@mykelmontoya9311]

@@CriticalReactions how about Infectious Grooves?

[@CriticalReactions]

@@mykelmontoya9311 As a theme? I love the idea!

[@mykelmontoya9311]

@@CriticalReactions they came out of the band suicidal tendencies, infectious grooves. kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z3-2h5RmZrepftEsi=Y-bhVFJkmhIYBaXX

[@soakedbearrd]

Cool shirt. Would make sense that st anger is your favorite considering you grew up listening to your father taste in Metallica. St anger was more of a modern take when it came out (Nu metalish) and you look around the age where you were an early teen during that time. Personally Orion is one of my favorite from them, but unfortunately fans hype this song so much that it becomes almost a fairy tale and sets super high expectations for first time listeners. Anyways man, appreciate your insights and honesty.

[@CriticalReactions]

My dad tended to veer more towards Metallica's heavy and thrashier sides, favoring older albums, which is where I learned about many of those tracks. Whereas I love their ballads and more melodic work. But you're right about me liking St. Anger due to my age. It's sound is much closer to the nu-metal of the day that I was growing into thanks to radio stations. I don't know that I'd enjoy St. Anger as much if I came into it fresh today as a 30-something year old.

[@soakedbearrd]

@@CriticalReactions it’s not bad, not my favorite album, but there are some solid tracks on there. Personally I never got into Nu metal but I did dig Korn and SOAD (are they considered Nu metal?).

[@CriticalReactions]

@@soakedbearrd Yup, I'd put both of those bands in the nu-metal camp

[@bertil3887]

metallicas sound has always shifted with their bassist the first time after cliff died and the 2nd time after jason left either intentional or unintentional if cliff had lived im sure their transformation would be much more smoothly and not that agressive musical change cliff was very important for their progressive writing i think its hillarious that you says the only metallica albums you have heard all the way through are st anger and black album, 2 of the most controversal metallica records, you are shitting the the trve metallica fans :D

[@CriticalReactions]

Wait....Black was controversial? I guess it was a push away from metal towards rock but I always had the image of that album being one of their best. Though that might be in retrospect, now that I think about it. I could see how, at release, it would have ruffled some fans' feathers a bit.

[@bertil3887]

@@CriticalReactions many of their old school fans hated the black album cause of the simplistic songwriting No tempo shifting, no classical influences etc...the album was huge hit but was heavily criticised by their older fans

[@shryggur]

​@bertil3887 especially since it was right after AJFA, their most extreme album in many ways

[@stuffyouotterlistento1461]

@@CriticalReactions Oh yeah. It had a much more mainstream, poppier sound. It brought a lot of new people in, but it was a big change for old fans to adapt to. There were some who outright railed against it, but I think most old fans still liked it, even if they felt it was a step down. Put me in that latter category. The album sounds great in terms of hooks and production, but it's less interesting to me... shallower. And it wears out in the same way pop songs do (which are easy to get into because they're catchy, but also tend to get old a lot quicker). "Enter Sandman" is a classic, and I still listen to a few other songs from the album on occasion ("Of Wolf and Man" stands out), but I couldn't tell you the last time I listened to the album all the way through, or even just hit a song that I don't consider to be one of the better ones. For me, their previous albums are on a whole different level. Well, their first three are, anyway. And Justice isn't something I listen to a whole lot. But Master of Puppets is at least in the running to be the best metal album of all time (though Iron Maiden might have some words about that), and The Black Album isn't something I would even consider nominating.

[@stuffyouotterlistento1461]

"I haven't listened to any Metallica album all the way through, except for St. Anger, which I have heard way too many times." So, you've listened to it twice then?

[@CriticalReactions]

Much to the fear of "true" Metallica fans, I've probably spun St. Anger 50-100 times in my life. There are a couple of songs that I end up skipping like Frantic and St. Anger as they're too repetitive but the back half of the album is so good.

[@stuffyouotterlistento1461]

@@CriticalReactions Well, I'm sticking by the idea that hearing St. Anger once is too many times, and hearing it twice is way too many. (To be fair, it's not an album I gave a bunch of chances.)

[@jacobsgarage1458]

Made In Copenhagen 🤘🏻

[@cristealaurentiu2440]

GOAT

[@garri5108]

I would suggest you to listen all Metallica albums only because of the fact that they are most influential metal band ever. Every Metallica instrumentals are interesting and they all actually composed well.

[@CriticalReactions]

I mean, I've heard 60% of their pre-Death Magnetic stuff. I have a really strong idea of who they are and how they've evolved over time. I can't imagine sitting through 11 albums, multiple hours of music, of something I'm not guaranteed to enjoy. That sounds like a recipe to make me dislike them by the end of the journey 😅

[@garri5108]

@@CriticalReactions of course not in one sit ))

[@UrBeat06]

I mean is there any better bass solo than that of anesthesia?

[@bjhellstream]

I'm a bit divided on this... The first part sounds just like a backing track in search for a vocals. The middle part though is pure genius. I love the rhythm and the folky melodies. The fade out is a disappointment. They should have gone harder and come up with an ending. I think Master of Puppets mid section has even greater bass playing.

[@beng1137]

They chose to fade the song in and out because the song basically represents the creation of the universe, hence the song being named after the space constellation Orion. The intro is the creation, the beautiful middle section is where everything has been created and is in harmony and the outro is the inevitable fading back to oblivion and nothingness. Can also represent life and death as well.

[@bjhellstream]

@@beng1137 A rather pretentious explanation. Still don't like that choice for the fadeout.

[@beng1137]

@@bjhellstream It's not pretentious, it's an interpretation of the meaning of the song. Do you not think bands make stylistic choices based on the feeling a specific song is supposed to invoke? It's not like they just faded the song out because they weren't talented enough to end it any other way, it was a stylistic choice that fits the song perfectly....

[@bjhellstream]

@@beng1137 I disagree. The choice lets the song down. The theme of the song isn't apparent in anything that happens...

[@beng1137]

@@bjhellstream I don't understand what you mean by "the theme of the song isn't apparent in anything that happens". The song is called Orion for a reason, and if you close your eyes and think about the creation of the universe and imagine drifting through the galaxies I think you might be able to feel that. But if you're someone who needs lyrics to tell you what the song is about or how you should feel then I think you're going to be missing out on a lot of great music. I think this is one of the very few songs Metallica chose to use a fade out on and I think they did it specifically because of the reasons I have stated. If you think it's just lazy songwriting then so be it.... I personally love the ominous feeling of the song fading in and then towards the end it returning to the same riffs as the beginning before fading back out again, it completes the story the song is telling.

[@Nickyyzz.]

Great reaction. Turn up volume for reactions it’s low

[@CriticalReactions]

That's a technique I've found that helps my videos avoid being blocked. I always include a link in the description for listening to the song at a proper volume, without me talking over it, and that usually supports the artist in some way.

[@chagatainouveau]

Funny how you're not that well-versed in Metallica but St. Anger is your favorite album from them, while they're one of my favorite bands and St. Anger is by far my least favorite album of theirs. In fact I think it's pretty awful. I think of it as a bad System of a Down impersonation.

[@CriticalReactions]

I wouldn't say that I'm not well-versed, I'm just not a super fan. I have favorites from each album and have an extremely solid idea of their growth over time and how they sounded in each era of their writing. My blind spot for them however is some, but not all, of the deep cuts on each album. What's more important is that I'm not a thrash metal fan, it just doesn't appeal to me. I'll take strong hooks over blazing guitar work any day -- and St. Anger has a TON of catchy, memorable lines in it even if many of them are campy due to their heightened delivery and over-the-top metaphor. And to be fair, St. Anger (the album) has a huge repetition issue and I admit that I'll skip the back half of tracks like Frantic and St. Anger despite enjoying the main idea -- they just play that idea way too much. But songs like Sweet Amber, Shoot Me Again, Purify, and All Within My Hands are absolutely fantastic!

[@47HOOKERGOAT]

Lol intro

[@progperljungman8218]

Sounds kinda... empty... Like missing vocals or some more instrumental work or any special ideas to justify it being instrumental. It's like an unfinished track to my ears.

[@CriticalReactions]

I don't think I agree about it sounding unfinished but I do agree that it could be more. I didn't bring this up in the video because I initially thought that was because I was expecting something more out of the bass given the theme but reading your comment has me thinking I should have talked about it.

[@garri5108]

It's not perfect. But 4 dudes from streets without any music knowledge composed progressive metal track before progressive metal was a thing and they did it better than many prog metal bands nowadays that mastered their instruments much better than Metallica members.

[@majimasmajimemes1156]

Saying Orion is empty is like calling an ocean a boring puddle. Says more about you than what you're talking about.

[@Noxal99]

@@majimasmajimemes1156 100%. Always an eternally unsatisfied prog goblin lurking around.

[@JosephAlnasl]

Sounds empty just because it doesnt have vocals? Thats a very shallow take. Special ideas to justify it being instrumental? What about they just thought the melodies sounded better in the instruments?