How LARS Tricked Us In BLACKENED! (Post Guitar Solo)

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I had a feeling he was to blame. :)
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[@TheArtofGuitar]

Anyone who says, "This was a mistake, a fluke and they kept it," have probably never been in the studio recording music. You aren't just winging it in there (the studios they were in cost a fortune each day), you go to the studio with a purpose.

[@garettturbettmusic]

I also feel that if it was by accident it would be tough to get back on track like he did.

[@Ramon-gg3bd]

Anyone who knows metallica knows they are quite spontaneous with these kind of things, and don't overthink it. Same with the famous Master of Puppets missing 32nd note.

[@ikigai47]

I've had a lot of studio time. To be fair It depends on the band really. Some loved the humanizing effects of 'mistakes' or sloppiness in performance (Beatles come to mind). That said, ever make a mistake recording and end up liking it? Blackened was a time signature masterpiece, something Lars didn't really have a history of doing unlike some other drummers out there. They challenged themselves. I had read that they were inspired by 'Meltdown' from the band Watchtower ( kzbin.info/www/bejne/ZmbWn4uwopeMfqs ) which is easy to believe, though I'm having trouble finding evidence of that now so, grain of salt. Time signatures used were 2/4, 3/4, 4/4/, 5/4, 6/4, 7/4 alternating between them over 30 times ending in a 7/4 outro. It's easy for me to believe Lars made a mistake during an advanced song and ended up liking it, though obviously I'm only speculating based the style he's shown throughout their history. Maybe Lars really is that clever? If so, too bad he rarely showed it imo. He is a great drummer don't get me wrong. Just not on the level of many of his peers.

[@DizGuys]

When you see him on the st anger sessions struggling with a simple off beat and when he couldn't play along to his own parts for guitar hero or whatever, I seems someone else helped arranged it.

[@deanjohnson1157]

@@DizGuys I doubt anyone else arranged his part. Lars has a unique style and I can't imagine another drummer playing it this way. He made a mistake, pulled it out, and we all get to revel in it's oddity.

[@graemepatterson]

Lars is still waiting outside the Dream Theater auditions because he didn't know when to come in

[@tomzzzen866]

Haha, great

[@narcissistectomy5134]

😂

[@bojanbebervovk]

Badoom

[@bojanbebervovk]

...

[@bojanbebervovk]

Tss

[@shadesofgold24]

I’ve always felt like Lars has problems because he’s not a drummers drummer. He’s a guitarists drummer. He’s one of those drummers that don’t play by keeping time or strict structure. He plays by listening to where he is in the music. This is why Lars has trouble replicating things and keeping those things tight live, but in a studio setting like this, he ends up on these weird off beat fills and tempos that work on recordings.

[@natedawg23451000]

That’s what makes him great, he drums according to the music, not some technical super fast show off playing because it’s not his style. And I feel like I kind of get what you’re saying, but live shows it’s not that deep. For one he’s influenced by other bands who play their songs different live and they can do whatever they want, that’s one of the reasons he jazzes it up live.

[@budmanuk]

Keith Moon of the metal world.

[@didncozosksma4466]

@@budmanukhe’s more Ian pace of Deep Purple and Phil Rudd of AC/DC mix

[@davymike761]

Are you kidding me? Do you you know how influential Lars has been to this generation’s drummers?! Very much a drummer’s drummer.

[@jeffreypullis696]

1e&da!

[@LeandroBaca]

That eighth note beat shift is a thing of beauty.

[@CarlosRochaI]

I've always found that it fits the music perfectly and ends the solo part, the riff being the last guitar part. Then the song ends in "reality". Just perfect

[@ericwelteroth9872]

When you played the riff slowed down, I finally heard the connection between Metallica in 1988 and Metallica in 1996. Holy shit.

[@AI-ke9pp]

what do you mean

[@rafaelsatriatama]

@@AI-ke9pp it kinda sounds like king nothing

[@FixxxerZ7]

They have been the same band man. Throughout all of their discography. Even St. Anger makes sense with proper sounds.

[@nauyaca555]

This comment wins the the day

[@illegalaryan8400]

@@nauyaca555Is the comment a Hero of the Day? 😏

[@rikknight8145]

If Blackened is a year, this section is Daylight Saving Time, in reverse.

[@j_freed]

No man, this section actually makes sense having it.

[@feliperojas-doomride]

excellent metaphor

[@leandrometfan]

Holy shit this is perfect

[@thalamusDecimation]

This is probably one of the grooviest moments in ...AJFA, Lars gets a lot of shit as a drummer but if you analyze his work much closer you realize how interesting and well thought out some of his arrangements are. What a legend

[@vassilisxerikos3908]

Lars was constantly evolving in the '80s, was already pretty good at MoP and peaked with AJFA. Black album had very streamlined drums by design but after that tour he openly admitted he stopped being a practicing musician. In the late '90s he said to metal hammer magazine that during the time they weren't touring he just wouldn't even touch the drums, we are talking 5-6 months here.

[@impendingdoom385]

EXACTLY! 100% respect.

[@hierbich]

Yup, he is a great drummer when it comes to writing. He has a unique style and it just works seamlessly with James' writing. On the other hand, as stated above, he stopped being a good player in the late 90's. In other words, he can't keep up with what he writes.

[@tomzzzen866]

You are wrong, he is just lucky to be with great musician.

[@mrskinszszs]

@@vassilisxerikos3908 yeah. Nobody says Lars sucks back then. It's that he doesn't practice, even his own stuff, and it shows.

[@obsidiongamer7651]

“And justice for all “ the greatest & most technical Metallica album ever written

[@thomaslentino9940]

Alot may disagree but I feel" and justice ⚖" is there only master piece album

[@remkokentrop3490]

Totally agree! Even though I prefer MoP, JFA is a more progressive and technical album. Can listen to that little bridge in Frayed ends of Sanity over and over.

[@SofiaisSunshine]

It got easier when they removed the bass. Lol.

[@joetroutt7425]

@Jaime Garcia James said he wanted to write more simple songs.

[@robeddy3722]

After AJFA, they never did another thrash album. MoP used to be my favorite Metallica album. AJFA is WAY more heavy and in your face. Sounds GOOD cranked-up.

[@TobyJMoore]

Remarkable demonstration. Lars may be an easy target compared to modern metal drummers, but when you understand what’s going on in “Blackened”, his talent as an arranger and performer is unquestionable.

[@ImYourOverlord]

Those were the days. Before he got lazy.

[@H.E.M.]

I feel like Lars did this on accident but when the guys heard it after muting Jason’s bass they thought it sounded cool as well.

[@Jeroen_K]

That's actually where a lot of interesting music comes from. The brilliance is in recognizing what accidents are the cool ones.

[@Nudelnsohn]

Sad but true 🤷‍♂️😂

[@TheArtofGuitar]

I wasn't gonna "love" this comment until the Jason's bass part. haha.

[@chrishowell199]

That's fucking hilarious, and you're probably right.

[@chrishowell199]

@@Jeroen_K That's a very true statement. One I've made many times, but Lars made many accidents.

[@rangamsarmah2061]

Haha, he did something similar in orion too, always does weird shit that makes the songs so much more interesting to break down.

[@kehrierg]

I figured this out at the age of 17 by listening to AJFA in the car and hand drumming on the steering wheel ... I probably memorized every fill on that album by age 18 ... yes Lars is no Dave Lombardo but he wrote parts that fit so well with the guitar riffs, it's just ... \m/

[@jkranites]

@nic sharp anyone can. Harder doesn't mean better

[@joetroutt7425]

The thing about most of the fills on AJFA is that they aren't linear in the sense that it sounds like they were put there out of nowhere. Hard to explain but they are very odd sounding compared to most bands in that genre.

[@H.E.M.]

I been listening to blackened for years and still to this day the drums after the solo still confuses me, No matter how many times I listen to I never gotten use to it. I love it doe.

[@jbjohnson4728]

At the build up at 3:26, when he plays 8 then 9 snare hits. Mute the D power chord (PC) 8 times. Then mute the C PC four times, then the G PC five times. When you come in with the verse riff, start with the E at the 7th fret of the A string. Play it through normally after that. When you do the fill at the end of the riff, which ends with one muted F note, play another F note muted. Then start the verse riff on the E at the 7th fret on the A string again. Play it through normally and do the normal fill but without adding an extra F note at the end this second time around. That takes you back into the normal verse riff. I really love this guy's content, but it's NOT all in the drums. The rhythm guitar changes as I have explained.

[@crodriguez2360]

Yup. Also sounds like they speed up.

[@notaliberalfromcali6245]

@@jbjohnson4728 yup... the riff changes

[@ThePhenom170]

The-Art-of-Drums

[@christonabike3689]

basically art-of-the-whole-damn-band

[@angadgianirogers1844]

The-Art-Of-Life

[@turnerbullock6093]

@@christonabike3689 yes

[@g32.recitales]

@Metallicaleb Ahajajaahahahah He FOOOCKIN art the banda!!

[@BrokenWingsOfADreamlessMind]

@Metallicaleb Outstanding move.

[@impendingdoom385]

This is exactly why Blackened has been my favorite Metallica song of AJFA since I was a teen back in the day. Lars and James really pulled a mindfuck when putting this song together!!! My favorite example of making the beat sound like it went from a downbeat to an upbeat against the same riff! Excellent work breaking this down!

[@CalebColesMusic]

*To everyone saying it is an accident:* There is no way to accidently prolong things by an 8th note, play in that offbeat way and then devise a fill that puts you back an 8th note to put you back in time. It is too intricate to do it both ways perfectly. What might be true is that originally he accidently played the beat off sync, thought it sounded awesome - and then intentionally devised it into the arrangement. No matter what though there is no chance this was just purely a happy accident.

[@FacelessFlesh666]

You are correct sir

[@nacholibre5705]

It is possible. When I first started playing drums and would mess up a fill by playing an extra note or one note short this happened. I realized what happened and instinctively tried to switch back by playing an extra note again in a fill. You learn this by experimenting with drums and playing with others

[@HawkOfGP]

@@nacholibre5705 Yes it could happen by accident, but you wouldn't record it on the album by accident!

[@dansch19]

Yes you don't have the entire thing by accident. What you do is do it by accident when rehearsing the song or recording the drums and even though it probably kills the take, on playback someone is like that sounds killer, then you figure out how to incorporate that. Id bet any amount of money this is how it happened. Sooner than it was planned out that way by Lars.

[@CalebColesMusic]

@@nacholibre5705 Yeah, I get ya. I think though at this fast tempo and it only being an 8th note that would be really insanely hard to get back into the groove on the fly. That would be even more impressive than planning it out.

[@patrickperry6898]

This proves how underrated Lars is as an arranger.

[@MUSE1795]

Totally intentional huh

[@prometheustv6558]

There’s a reason he has writing credits on almost all of their songs.

[@sh4rpys]

@@prometheustv6558 I mean yeah, my man even helps kirk with solos, and even has helped with riffs, maybe he is always off live, but in studio that man rocks

[@marvintimke3978]

@@prometheustv6558 James and Kirk write the riffs and Lars has the vision what to do with those riffs and how to make a whole song. That's kinda how metallica works. Or worked, i mean over the years all of them became better songwriters

[@metalpuppet5798]

@@sh4rpys hes not off live at all anymore. He sounded great on the last tour. Maybe not always 1000% what the studio version is but certainly on time and great sounding

[@cobrakai9969]

I don’t care if it was accidental. It’s moments like this that makes the song so special. It’s like the secret spice in the recipe. As Bob Ross puts it, a “happy accident”. People don’t make mistakes anymore and it’s boring! Musicians who play by theory are in their own league and it’s great, but we are often left a bit empty, like it’s sterile. Bands who play by feel, and at times make mistakes, are the ones we will continue to especially admire, and bang our heads to, forever.

[@TheArtofGuitar]

Amen!

[@Christopher-md7tf]

You can know your theory and still play with feel...

[@yogxoth1959]

Why do people say stuff like this, like knowing music theory is not compatible with “playing with feel”? It seem like an inferiority complex.

[@mrdfk9410]

@@yogxoth1959 Agreed.

[@alexhollon7526]

@@yogxoth1959 It''s not that it's not possible, it's that it's very difficult. Feel and theory can work well together, but it's not as common as you think.

[@ShootYourRadio]

And Justice For All has always been my favorite Metallica album. This was the first album I bought with my own money when I was 7 or 8 years old. I'm 39 and still have that tape.

[@FlipGuitarist80]

Same here, a desperate for cash classmate of mine sold her brother's MetallicA tapes to me. Justice was the first one I bought.

[@marathonxman]

I never understood why people say “Lars sucks” when this part, heck this song, HECK THIS WHOLE ALBUM, exists. People are really in the comments saying “this was a mistake”. Cmon guys, you’re better than that.

[@freakazoid4691]

Because Lars sued Napster and it became cool to hate him. Those who say he sucks are probably millenials who don't remember the good old days of Metallica.

[@marathonxman]

@Mickey A. Bacination I have no idea what you are talking about I absolutely love the production on And Justice for All and put it in high regard as one of the best analog recorded heavy albums. One on One Studios in particular had a phenomenal drum sound. Awake by Dream Theater was recorded there and that’s my favorite recorded drum sound. It’s all subjective I guess but I think AJFAs production matches Metallica’s sound perfectly. Of course the lack of bass hurts but to me that’s kindve a trademark to the album. The version with the bass put back in, “And Justice For Newstead” I believe it’s called is perfect.

[@morsteen]

Lars sucks as in present tense. Not sucked as in past tense.

[@kurtisviktor3286]

@@marathonxman I agree with Mickey. The Kicks sound muddled at points. The toms lack thump/depth. They are so damn flat to me. Some of his crashes sound good though. All subjective of course.

[@joshuakostiuk2352]

@Mickey A. Bacination i beg to differ, i believe it was an amazing drum sound. They were deep heavy and filled with a grunt almost. It was the best his kit ever sounded imo

[@michaelbrown3898]

As a drummer and a massive fan of Lars Ulrich, I already really enjoyed your videos about guitar playing and then you started doing drumming videos about Lars. Great Job. I also love your enthusiasm and your Passion for music.

[@markdemell3717]

I wonder how far Lars would have went if he stuck to tennis?

[@rickfeith6372]

He absolutely did that on purpose. The snare hits on the off beat are so signature, and he is definitely missing that. No way that was an accident, Blackened isn't even tricky....it's just fast. He's a good drummer for sure, and Metallica wouldn't be the same with someone else. He makes things more difficult for sure...I have a MUCH easier time locking in with Mike Portnoy in a shifting 5/8, 7/8, 6/8 pattern than I do with tennis boy playing 4/4.

[@TT.Hell.]

Blackened has always been my fav metallica song. I think this video helped me realize why. I have always been fascinated by simple small details making magic.

[@roldanrosario8292]

Love Lar’s studio work. Even Dave Lambardo praised his work during one of his classes.

[@jeffpeff]

“Once you figure out that Lars is to blame, it all makes sense.”

[@TheTonedef420]

As a drummer for a Metallica tribute and someone who has spoken to a few members of the band, it was a mistake during the writing and as they were going for a more progressive style on AJFA, they kept it. The funniest thing is since that tour, they have removed that section as I think Lars had issues doing the turn around without causing a train wreck. It is tricky and takes time to feel natural, but if you follow this video and play the extra 8th note and then the shorter flam fill on the 2nd fill, it will fall into line.

[@AyedYoutube]

If you dont think about it and give the controls to the extra note and shorter fill, im sure it’ll work itself out

[@j_freed]

It's like that tape edit in New Years Day before Edge plays the solo, in concert U2 just finish the last two beats of the bar. Actually this type of thing could totally be a tape edit mistake... which Rasmussen kept. The engineer snipped in a better take and was off by half a beat, it was still great. "Yeah we meant to do that..."

[@ramonoski]

Not just Lars, in the Mountain View 1989 show you can hear the guitars going out of sync in that part, someone forgot the extra 8th note and they don't correct themselves until the beat goes back to normal. It is a tricky part to play, and it's a shame they just don't rehearse it until they get it. That second part of the solo they always skip is one of Kirk's best, IMO

[@jnunez825]

@@j_freed I always thought they added those two beats live to give Edge just a smidge of time to switch from piano to guitar, possibly?

[@fernandoreynaaguilar1438]

So this Is the explanation

[@pelangatun199991]

I thought that lars was always in time and the guitar was in charge of changing the rhythm, but now this makes sense to me, thanks for clearing up one of the biggest mysteries in metal hahaha!

[@rocafella142]

Dude I thought it was the guitars too who changed that riff. No idea it was Lars

[@rt0035]

I've always known something wonky happened with the beat after the solo, but I never understood it technically. In other words, I've been waiting for this video for 13 years.

[@timroberts8206]

Being that I'm a drummer and I'm a lot older than most people here commenting I remember when this album came out and reading an interview with Lars Ulrich about it. The song was not recorded as one straight piece of music. It was broken down into different segments and then piece together. He said as they did that they use different click track times for the same riffs so that it wouldn't get stale. This is probably why it sounded like a was offbeat

[@suvarnachauhan951]

I’m a big testament Megadeth and dream theater fan , This song is a masterpiece , very heavy , speed and progressive at the same time.

[@LordBaktor]

I used to cover this song (on drums) with my old Thrash band. We figured out the whole rest of the song in one afternoon and spent the next rehearsal just trying to nail this part. I was very proud at the time.

[@PCamron90]

This is a big part of why I love Justice so much, there's so much complexity. Fave album from them.

[@Peatman]

Fantastic! This part has blown my mind since I first heard it in 1993. Great to see the snare fills broken down, cause those have eluded me all this time.

[@noirguitarist6528]

The riff with straight beat was actually nice! Still prefer the original.

[@metaldude4563]

The real question is, did Lars do this intentionally or just accidentally create one of the coolest moments in the whole song?

[@percusswords]

It doesn't matter. Most great moments in music history have elements of chance to them and Lars constantly pulls that stuff off in cool ways. I definitely wouldn't be where I am musically without studying the way he writes parts

[@ridleysomeliana-lauer5814]

It's lars. We all know he didn't do it intentionally.

[@romandoo]

@@ridleysomeliana-lauer5814 Lars in studio is pretty different than on stage. He is perfectionist while recording.

[@Christopher-md7tf]

Sounds like a lucky accident to me

[@DavidBrown-hn9cv]

I'm gonna have to say it's intentional, because he does the same thing in One.

[@rick9977015]

I love that little switch... my drummer and I will call one the Thrash mode and the other Hardcore/Punk mode. I tried explaining that specific twist to some peeps and they just had no idea of what I was talking about.

[@jugularmusic]

Lars is a genius for writing this and you're a genius for figuring this out! I've always loved this part of the song!

[@brycepayne9472]

Just listened to blackened trying to learn it and this pops up in my feed

[@johnnyringo8569]

They never play this section live anymore. Last time they did was the Justice tour. Instead, they go straight back to the verse after the solo ends.

[@TheArtofGuitar]

Tell me about it. I was so excited to see them do it live and suddenly James is singing the last verse. I was like, "whaaaaa da heckkkk?"

[@MKDumas1981]

"Smoldering decay" refers to that section.

[@aittalamusic]

That's because he can't play it right ;-)

[@andreadg5429]

@@MKDumas1981 Take your breath away

[@topo161]

@John James Damn bro you’re really simpin’ for Lars all over the comments here

[@D1ofAquavibe]

I love these videos dude. I’ve always been confused by the timing of this song but never slowed it down and dissected it like this. Awesome work dude🙂👍

[@D-Fens_1632]

I've always loved that little "inverted" twist, thanks for really breaking it down!

[@tezbertzero1915]

I TOUGHT THE CHANGE WAS ON THE GUITARS, NOW IT HAS SENSE, THANKS!!!!

[@jimmycdos0827]

That moment is so great because it sounds like a completely different version of the riff even though the guitar is just playing the exact same thing. Even after you figure this out though, it’s tough to play as a guitarist because you want to follow the drums and you have to fight your instincts.

[@andyhinds542]

This is why Lars fits in Metallica - his own band. He's irreplaceable. He is to Metallica as Ringo was to The Beatles.

[@desolationrow]

Ringo was a horrendous drummer and so is Ulrich.

[@malmstring]

That's a good analogy. You can't replace him really. It wouldn't sound interesting in the least.

[@Adixon5]

@@desolationrow Ringo definitely was not a horrendous drummer. Just because he doesn’t do 200 BPM blastbears does not make him bad

[@dennissnyder7886]

Ringo wasn't even the best drummer in The Beatles.

[@user-oy7gz5bf2h]

Good analogy.

[@SystemYTP]

You speak about things I never expected anyone to speak about in a YT video, for some reason. Absolutely awesome.

[@prometheustv6558]

He’s playing a 4/4 beat on a 7/4 guitar riff.

[@amirmasjid2351]

because he can't play any other beat lol

[@puredragonn]

Metallica is Prog AF

[@metalpuppet5798]

@@amirmasjid2351 He doesnt need to. Metallica isnt prog. They have used other things than 4/4 (Orion, ManUnkind etc) and he did great on those songs as well

[@DM-rc4yu]

@@amirmasjid2351 Lars bad lol lmao

[@benjamina261]

XDDDDD

[@090nj2]

And this is why you ALWAYS *Blame it on Lars*

[@JimVincent]

I blame him for making it interesting. I've always been intrigued by this section as a guitarist.

[@Ch3ewthat]

I've always played this song by instinct, I started playing drums when I was 6yo but never had a lesson. This makes sense to me even though I never really counted what I or Lars was doing. I like the way you put it, nicely done 👌

[@dsmedic10]

That breakdown was really well done. I've always just played it the way he does on the record and didn't really put a lot of thought into why it was the way it was. Thanks for the breakdown

[@theflounderpounder4528]

I swear man, everything you post is uploaded right at the time I need it or think of it. Thanks for the content!

[@sjkebab]

People who internet: Lars Sucks! Actual Musicians: What the f you talking about? He was perfect. See also: Ringo

[@cvblaylock]

He has some cool stuff he does. However, he plays some awful fills that show how lazy he can be. He isn’t the shittiest drummer but he still isn’t that great.

[@JeffPenaify]

Man people feel themselves way too much thinking Lars isnt a good drummer he was in fact a good drummer and he played in a great band

[@MuscleDad420]

Lars hate is a meme.

[@jez_77]

I mean, he was great at their first 4 albums, but then it looked like he stopped practicing at all and just start moving backwards. He did some incredible fills, patterns and great, fast double bass stuff, especially at Master of Puppets and And justice for all, but then he switched into really boring single stroke fills on snare and high toms and started to torture the china cymbal. He was really great in early Metallica years, but sadly he became lazy (I guess) and he can't even play this stuff anymore

[@larzjustice]

He WAS good. Espessially in his era. He admittedly doesnt practice EVER and is SO sloppy now. Love the guy. Named after him. Really fallen off tho.

[@drdoll1]

I've always wondered about this. Thanks for the time and effort brother!

[@morganneher8643]

I’ve been so curious about that after solo section for 20 years. I always just flub through it on drums! The alternate reality concept was GREAT for helping me understand, GREAT VIDEO, thank you :)

[@glennszym]

No idea if this was intentional or not, but according to producer Flemming Rasmussen, Lars made so many mistakes on Justice that he was constantly having to cut the analog tape and make edits and paste the whole thing back together. A good reason they never remixed Justice is because the master tape probably fell apart from all the drum edits.

[@luchiouskingofdarkness4022]

Still prolly his best work lmao

[@kylebrady969]

I'd believe it

[@j_freed]

It was crazy amazing EGO they didn't also keep the Rasmussen mix on a stereo two-track somewhere. They could have also spun off stems of the mix for future remixes - separate stereo mixdowns of only drums, only guitars etc. Just a few hours work would have rescued a classic.

[@CSick27]

i was gonna say, in the black album doc they actually point out how spliced-together lars drums are. i wouldn't be surprised if the switch is just an editing mistake that sounded cool in the end

[@MrKingswebe]

@glennszym. Got a link to where Rasmussen said this? Or if its in a book, book title and author?

[@lucaharb]

I always thought that accent shift just after the guitar solo was one of the most badass moments in the song. However it is so tricky to replicate, that I noticed they have been cutting directly to the last verse when blackened is played live in recent years

[@MrMikey1703]

Thanks man! I’ve wondered about this since 1988. Incredibly great way to show us as well. Cheers

[@DD-ei7yi]

Such a great video -- wonderfully done! I'm learning this song on guitar and I thought for sure the riff changed after the solo. But when I listened to the isolated guitar track, it was clear the riff is the same as elsewhere in the song. You really put your finger on what's going on here. Brilliant work!

[@DEFKNIGHT]

Finally. I've been trying to explain this to soooooooooo many drummers and guitarists over the years. So frustrating! I've even seen drum covers of the song and they always get that part wrong.

[@danieldevries3230]

This is THE song that sent me down my metal path. Still my absolute favorite Metallica song. That breakdown in the middle just crushes me every time. Sooo fucking heavy. That guitar going chunk chunk chunk chunk makes me want to run through a wall. But I'm almost 50 now so I won't haha

[@stevecasaus2398]

That breakdown makes me wanna stop my car and headbang on the side of the road.

[@andjustjizzforall]

@@stevecasaus2398 that part just makes me crank the car volume up even more than I crank it during the intro. Though one time I was driving with it cranked and Harvester of Sorrow started and scared the shit out of me

[@markusszelbracikowski956]

It's pretty cool how cathartic it is when the drums go back home. I love this kind of stuff!

[@mrbobawesome]

I never really thought about breaking it down, but always presumed it was a slight change by the drums. It's cool to see it broken down like this. Cool video & nice playing.

[@TtotheG]

I feel like that's a very pure way to approach songwriting. The whole, "I don't care if it doesn't make sense, that's the riff." You don't add an extra 1/8th to make it easy on everyone, this particular riff is two 6/8's and one 7/8's and that's how it is. We're not changing that section, we're integrating it.

[@jenshagelstein7695]

I am a fan of MetallicA for more than 35 years and I am scared there lots of small parts I never recognized... Thank You!

[@thefilthybarkidproductions3170]

You sir, are a maniac for figuring this out this way. ALWAYS throws me playing along with this track on the guitar. I never get it right because I’ve always assumed it’s the guitar that changes rhythm. Well played 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

[@fernandogf8292]

I've always known I've been in the wrong time reality when I listen to Blackened. Now, you did the job I've been refusing to do for so many years and I see (hear) it crystal clear now. Many, many thanks! What a great explanation!

[@jwspitz35]

I've been playing this on drums for YEARS, but would literally just stop playing after the solo because I've never been able to figure that tiiiiny little part out! It flat out scrambled my brain for so long, but this makes so much sense

[@sjkebab]

I hear ya mate. Fucking DECADES. ARGH

[@alexandert2762]

I am so musically illiterate I can't hear a difference between both even when explained so well.

[@TheOutlawMan]

Listen harder! 😂 Takes time, just listen to the music a bunch.

[@jubankta1627]

The hit came an eighth note behind,so it threw off the feel making the time(or feel of time)off or out of sync!!

[@ihsahnakerfeldt9280]

In the "alternate reality" riff, the guitar notes are in sync with kick and snare and in the "back home" version, they're played an 1/8th of a note later.

[@mquin2112]

I didn't understand at first, but once you put it all together it made so much sense. Awesome explanation of everything!!!

[@Monkey-fv2km]

Always loved the energy switch in that part, so much fun to play.

[@bonemaplegaming9324]

As a drummer myself, I can tell you that sometimes the best stuff comes from “mistakes”. There have been many times when bandmates wanted me to keep accidental parts, because they added a more interesting element. 98% sure that is what happened on this song.

[@madtungsten5931]

You: Laughing at Lars' drumming. Lars: Laughing at your bank account!

[@robertoricci3393]

What a lame comment, as much as Lars memes. So even Kim Kardashian can laugh at her haters account. Big money doesn't make you an artist anyway, practice, passion and persistence do, something Lars lost long time ago.

[@madtungsten5931]

Lame drumming deserves a lame comment. But the point is they're Metallica, not Kim! Peace bro!

[@gaberangel4909]

I just really admire how clean everything sounds lol. Great vid man!

[@patricks_music]

I love the variation part, energy makes it sound like a new approach

[@pfkmsandiego]

smoldering decay- take your breath away- millions of years- in minutes disappears

[@bumzigan]

This is one of my favorite parts on the album. I think Blackened is also one of the best tunes on the album and Lars plays great on this. There are too many clever timing changes on the whole album to assume that this was a mistake especially since they spliced the drums to get the finished track exactly how they wanted it. Whether it was a mistake that they kept or something that they engineered, it was still something that Lars was responsible for creating. There seems to be very few successful musicians who bag Lars, (Neil Peart once said in an interview that he thought Lars was one of the up and coming drummers to watch), manly those who wish they were in Lars shoes.

[@callsignscrottymcboogerballs88]

I love that part especially, it makes that riff so much more groovy

[@briandockins7497]

Thanks for taking the time to break this down, it was one of those parts that I could NEVER figure out what they did!!!

[@marvintimke3978]

Maybe i am just bad at rhythm, but it never confused or bothered me.

[@cowboy8999]

Your probably bad at rhythm

[@dyolf1000]

You’re probably good at rhythm. Drummers have been displacing eighth notes for decades, although whether Lars did it intentionally or not is up for debate.

[@rajamcraja]

it's very smooth, I don't blame you

[@GunDrummer]

lol same I learned how to play it 15 years ago and it just sounds normal now

[@jutjub22]

John James exactly, for me the same. I had no idea about rhythm counting, I thought this riff was changed to off beat by guitar, I just play it to drum snare. So actually I played the same, but drums changed :). Good to know. This part was always easy for me to play on guitar, I like it a lot. Because I started with higher E note when snare hits. And later just opposite

[@bbwarwick]

The intro of foo fighters - all my Life and 311’s - eons always had the same effect on my brain

[@Moonwizard420]

I ALWAYS think about this part and now I finally understand it. Thank you!

[@Starcoma]

I was kind of getting it while you had it slowed down, but it honestly clicked with me when you did it fast. Very interesting stuff.

[@456asd654]

they haven't played it live for ages, instead they jump straight to the next verse. I went way back to Seattle '89 and James walks right next to Lars to play it but still they mess it up a bit

[@TheArtofGuitar]

It’s sad but true.

[@MKDumas1981]

@@TheArtofGuitar: >facepalm

[@ratsalad178]

that's fascinating that they're unable to reproduce it

[@jez_77]

@@ratsalad178 Lars is basically unable to reproduce anything from their first 4 albums XD

[@DEFKNIGHT]

@@jez_77 Almost like it was a different drummer 😉

[@xymbalreborn]

Lars probably didn't do it intentionally. It's more likely something happened when editing the final master cut. Something to take note here...... The Justice album is claimed to be their "progressive" album. In the "official" notation books from Cherry Lane Music (for drums, guitar, bass, and vocals), that bar before the main riff in 7/4 kicks back in is "officially" a 5/8 bar. I use the term "officially" very loosely because both the Justice album and the Puppets album had these "unintentional" weird measures. Keep in mind, these 2 albums came out back to back in the same "era" of recording. They literally recorded tapes on separate tape tracks, not like the mulit-track digital programs with visual audio wave captures that we have nowdays. They literally had to cut and splice tape to create master tracks. A good example of "weird" measures are those 2 notes that seem like upbeats in Master of Puppets. You can't miss it....it happens all the time (...End of passion play, crumbling away [then these next 2 hits]). It's like a rhythmic motif. Music arrangers who write the official notation books cannot easily write those bars out because they don't fit in a bar unless you do something ridiculous like put a different tempo marking for just one bar or drop an odd time signature in like 11/32. Look it up. There's a huge debate on what those bars actually are. Arrangers usually just write in something that fits easy and leave it be. For both examples here (Blackened and Master of Puppets), the guys cutting the tape probably left too much tape or took too much tape off when cutting and splicing and dubbing. That's the simple probability of it. No other avant-garde, musical virtuostic reason. So why'd they keep it? Simply put, they probably didn't want to deal with it and because it sounded cool (or didn't really notice). Let's be honest here....Metallica (as well as a lot of bands that became popular back in the day) weren't "studied" musicians like some are nowdays. They were just dudes that could sort of play, had a niche, and loyal followers that just kept at it. They "accidentally" became learned musicians over time. I mean for goodness sake, they were cool with the album having a barely audible bass guitar track. You can hear this in a lot of albums from back in the day and not just in time signature. Guitar solos were spliced together like that. Van Halen did that in the 80's. They would record multiple solos and literally cut and replace licks that sounded cool to make the master recording then to have the lead guitarist re-learn that solo for live performances. Granted, some of these solos were very difficult or damn near impossible to pull off live and that's why a lot of the lead guitarists back then wouldn't play solos exactly the same was as it's heard on the album. A lot of the older bands play "by feel" and Metallica is one of those bands. When they play Sad But True live, they don't play a true-to-time quarter note triplet during the "...you know it's..." lyrics like it's recorded on the album. Listen to a live version of it. Those 3 notes are in a place all by themselves but played together by the band and in the grand scheme of things, it doesn't really matter. Lars is huge reason why I picked up drums as a kid and why I'm a music teacher now so I wouldn't dismiss that but to give him credit for being sneaky in a music theory sort of way....I can't give that to him. ;p

[@penttikoivuniemi2146]

I doubt they are editing accidents, I rather think they decided to do weird things exactly because they were self-taught; nobody had taught them what is and isn't "normal," so when Lars did something weird at a rehearsal or an arrangement session the others went like "that's cool, do it again!"

[@slobodanmedojevic6336]

There's a 3 years between master and justice recordings. Lars learned a lot in that time. If you listen to live versions of blackened, he play the same thing everytime.

[@germantorre1422]

You are right.

[@MrKingswebe]

Your tape editing theory for Master Of Puppets 2 hits at the end of each riff doesn't hold up for 2 reasons; 1. The band obviously has played the song live many times and we've heard them duplicate that timing. So that's how they wrote it, otherwise we'd hear them play that part differently. 2. Since those 2 hits occur multiple times during the song, the guy editing the tape would have had to make the same mistake multiple times. No fluctuation. Not even a mistake in the wrong direction. It actually doesn't hold up for Blackened either because Mike points out that Lars' 2nd drumfill is a an 1/8th short, which returns the beat to normal. Lars would not have played with that adjustment if the earlier occurence of the riff & beat was on-time except for a tape editing error.

[@jHounder]

No. Just no. The post solo "off-beat" in Blackened is not the result of editing. All evidence points ti Lars intentionally writing the song that way. Exhibit A being the demo tape that was recorded in late 1987, the earliest full-length recording of the song. The same "off-beat" switch is present after the solo, and Lars prefaces it with a short snare fill to indicate the change. If this wasn't already enough, Lars plays it the exact same way live. If it was a mistake, he no doubt would choose play it "correctly" in live shows, as it would be easier that way. Man, most Metallica fans have no idea what they're talking about when it comes to this stuff.

[@josephprice3808]

I'm glad to see someone give this transition some attention. To me, it's always been one of the most absolutely brutal riffs on the album. And I've always loved those snare fills. It's funny that the 2nd fill has always been the one to throw me, AND how ROCKING they suddenly sound after it.

[@jasonm456]

Great video breaking down a simple change in the beat that completely alters the way the song sounds. As a guitar player I always knew this was the drums but never slowed it down to think though exactly what was going on. I always had to think in the “alternate reality” to play that part right.

[@gus26_77]

Noice! Lars earned his "PhD" in drums in that album. Unfortunately, he hasn't "researched" any further since then...

[@timcoffey3066]

agreed...this was his pinnacle!!

[@DEANCROSS615]

Less is more.

[@jiiruf1408]

@@DEANCROSS615 Less is less, more is more.

[@PlayAcousticDrums]

PhD "Pharking horrendous Drummer"

[@randellhenry2603]

Look where you are and look where Lars is, a great drummer plays from the heart that fits inside the music. The other guys are just being too technical about other people's techniques let the boy play that's why he there!!!

[@niftythrifty2121]

Soooo so cool. I found this so mesmerizing since the first time I noticed it years and years ago and I'm glad there's someone who finds it just as cool as I do!

[@pfzt]

Thank you for this interesting (and much needed) dissection of one of metals greatest moments.

[@kurtrusselltownmassacre6802]

"Once you figure out that Lars is to blame it kinda makes sense"

[@charlesc9373]

They were too busy muting Jason's bass track to notice this.

[@ihsahnakerfeldt9280]

Lmao

[@atilacamurca]

I always loved this shift. Thank you for breaking that down.

[@techlume7611]

Man you killed right there. Great explanation.. seeing it the way you put made a lot of sense

[@8tonystark8]

The-Art-Of-MetallicA strikes again! Always love your videos, man🤘🏻

[@Arj1209]

He does it on the demo also, so it’s not a mistake. Or maybe it was a mistake on the demo but he kept it for the album version purposely. These guys were so meticulous recording Justice that there’s no way they just left a fuck up on the album.

[@__jevy]

I always thought it was the guitar that changed. Very enlightening. Thanks a lot!

[@thepattonians]

Wow, awesome breakdown, man. I never knew what was going on in the song because it’s so freaking fast and hard to count. It always felt off and weird but your explanation totally makes sense to me now.

[@nirradyen-tolobaz3727]

Lars is an EPIC drummer.This guy could teach Neil Peart a thing or two!!🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@MKDumas1981]

I can condense this video into two sentences. Lars came in a half-count late, and shorted a half-count in the repeat to make it up. It sounded cool, and was also a pain to re-record in 1987, so they kept it.

[@kokotxa]

The amount of drum covers of Blackened I’ve seen that miss this completely. Amazing work bro

[@juliangitarre4196]

I actually was confused about this part for many many years. However, I was too lazy to analyze it properly. So thanks a bunch :) I really enjoyed watching your video. Keep up the good work! Love your enthusiasm!