Metallica - For Whom The Bell Tolls (If It Was Mixed by Cliff Burton)

For Whom the Bell Tolls" is a song by American thrash metal band Metallica. It was released as the second promotional single from their second album, Ride the Lightning. Among their most-played songs, it has been performed 1,305 times, behind only "One" (1,324), "Seek & Destroy" (1,396), "Creeping Death" (1,413) and "Master of Puppets" (1,467).
The song was inspired by Ernest Hemingway's 1940 novel of the same name about the dishonor of modern warfare and the protagonist's imminent doom during the bloody Spanish Civil War. Specific allusions are made to the scene in which five soldiers are obliterated during an air-strike, after taking a position on a hill.
The chromatic introduction, which is often mistaken for an electric guitar, is in fact Cliff Burton playing his bass through distortion and wah-wah. The intro was written by Burton before joining Metallica. Burton first played it in 1979 in a 12-minute jam at a battle of the bands with his second band Agents of Misfortune (with his old bandmate from EZ-Street and future Faith No More guitarist "Big" Jim Martin).

[@chrisridenhour]

Now I can hear the heavy with the metal

[@pkepix5405]

But are you slamming your head against the stage like you never did before?

[@ariktsky4256]

@@pkepix5405 are you making it bleed, making it ring, making it really sore?

[@kristopherthomas8763]

Cliff was the man! Jason held his own also! The reasons why I started playing bass. Those 2 dudes are great!!!

[@thesquad4802]

Me too! I started bass after seeing Metallica live and my drum teacher showing me Bells

[@adamgriffith-smith9106]

Kristopher Thomas no love for rob?

[@martyschriver]

@moorejames moorejames 'didn't seem to get no credit'. There's the result of an American, public-school education for you 🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️

[@onutube6392]

@@adamgriffith-smith9106 robs not a bad bassist, but most people don't really look at their stuff past the 90s, let alone the 2000s.ibdont blame em because 90s- now metallica is pretty much a shell of what it once was, but that doesn't mean rob was a bad bassist. He also played with suicidal tendacies before metallica.

[@RockStartHobbies]

yeah dude jason was great, those pick played off notes in every single song were great! shitty bass player lol

[@aadithnarayanan3880]

The song feels much heavier than the original.

[@joseramirogonzalez1228]

This is an idea, how metallica it sounded when cliff was alive. 😎😎

[@ajmuhammad7318]

Cause the original was tuned up a little bit maybe 1/4 a step but this is e standard

[@adamsand1462]

It's been slowed.down a bit...

[@I_am_stupid_man]

And the sky is blue

[@williamrobinson1973]

One of the most sick chromatic riffs ever written!

[@AnthonyLeeBand]

This is probably what it sounded like live with him

[@kingtong1174]

Anthony Lee check out them playing live in 1985 forget what it’s called but it’ll pop right up it’s fucking amazing

[@fidacuca]

@@kingtong1174 Day on The Green?

[@kingtong1174]

fidacuca yes

[@joseramirogonzalez1228]

Thats right man, i agree the same thing .

[@victorcoburn2791]

I got to see them on the Ozzy tour in Germany Yes this sounded like them live😈👍

[@Vortigan07]

How am I supposed to listen to the original ever again now?! This is amazing!!

[@buckrat]

I firmly concur!

[@fade0202]

for whom the cliff tolls ride the cliff cliffallica

[@whereismymind1402]

Cliff em all!!!!!!!

[@Jimenez69]

Ride the Cliff

[@joshthomas2536]

To live is to Cliff

[@zigah6729]

1. Cliffterry 2. Cliffster of Puppets 3. The Cliff that Should Not Be 4. Clifftarium 5. Cliffer Messiah 6. Disposable Cliff 7. Clifforion 8. Cliff inc.

[@RedCeltic10]

The Four Cliffsmen

[@kevinscott3315]

Imagine if Cliff and Dime did a side project t together. I don't think our galaxy could handle all that awesome.

[@alicia7882]

Theres no such thing as lightning Its just cliff Playing His Bass from the Metal Heavens

[@rayswoodshop4467]

Nice love it !

[@alextamulis]

I totally agree, Alicia!

[@jakobi2800]

Yes

[@jackdylan2002]

The only lightning is this album.

[@jamesvinson3998]

Metallica was great with Jason Newstead, excellent with Cliff Burton, and solid with Trujillo, but man, this is the version that should have been on Ride The Lightning. This kicks so much ass

[@priestsofsyrinx3071]

Yep this is perfect. So much better this way, you can hear the nuances of the way he played without Lars getting in the way.

[@williamrobinson1973]

God Damn!!! Heard this song a miliion times but instantly had chills and goosebumps when this shit kicked off!!! Yo!

[@christopheguesdon688]

t la merde

[@kevinscott3315]

Right??? Cliff 'em all!

[@dustinplatt6882]

Cliff Burton: Great writer/composer and amazing bass player and best headbanging. Jason: Great bass player and great energy with backup vocals and stage presence. Robert: Great bass player and great energy and secretly a crab in a human body. Metallica has had some of the best bassists.

[@termiiinuss]

yet, their potential hadn't been unlocked, with jason being the punching bag, and rob just following the guitars, it sucks how they just mess it up with the mixing and writing.

[@lamontarnold1612]

Cliff Burton was a musical Genius Damn sounds great

[@klounky4430]

5 minutes and 14 seconds of pure heaviness

[@cheranguista]

I finally have decent headphones, i can feel Cliff bass right thru my fukin skull!!!

[@petreshalamberidze3063]

FOR WHOM THE BASS TOLLS

[@crayfishcrayfish]

At 42 seconds my neck took some serious punishment!

[@seanemmett2983]

This makes it even better. James and Lars are assclowns for muting most bass riffs by Cliff and Jason and still Robert.

[@petercurrie8047]

2023 the world needs this more than ever.🤘

[@finaljesus]

Thank you I love this song even more it sounds perfect you could hear cliff’s bass so much better it just sounds killer

[@jamesvinson3998]

Also, if you like Jason Newstead, his work from before Metallica with Flotsam and Jetsam was incredible. Doomsday For The Deceiver is amazing.

[@koythomas9715]

Cliff was a composer at heart, so it would definitely sound more balanced if he mixed it.

[@alexsaucedo8032]

HELL YEAHHHHHH. . GREAT SONG OFF A GREAT ALBUM. LOVE THIS JAM. GREAT GUITAR WORK TOO 🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘 CRANK IT UP LOUD. .

[@OrionOodama]

Here I am again, imagining how Cliff will perform and coolly improvise alongside classical orchestra. I thought it was Cliff's idea during his short yet fruitful years Metallica should play alongside symphony orchestra that did happen first in 1999.

[@rafaelsanchez9255]

If " Reload" was on "Ride the Lightning" ?

[@onutube6392]

Can't polish a turd my Guy

[@davidcannon8069]

myself can't want say for anyone but myself this is beautiful great 'cliff Burton was always will be the first true BASS GOD

[@sinstersvtcobra6169]

David Cannon lemmy was a bass god cliff was his own god

[@gruesomewolfgaming4735]

Paul McCartney was the first bass God.

[@_cdtr_7864]

I think Geezer Butler was the first bass god

[@yearginclarke]

Geezer Butler

[@ateam388]

So freaking good!🤘🏻

[@simiousgenious7703]

Now if Lars mixed For whom the bell tolls

[@gabrieljosephsson8826]

No please no

[@RicoTheL3g3nd]

So just drums?

[@googlemap1280]

He already did

[@oharryc]

We already have that

[@thralldumehammer]

I feel I could play with this so much more naturally!!! Bass leads everything else, at least that's the way it is supposed to be.....

[@MuratKuzuturk]

excellent job Alex! graz m8

[@marq_8976]

This is a great mix.

[@alextamulis]

Glad you like it! Thanks for listening, cheers!

[@anthbobo2783]

sounds way more badass

[@rayswoodshop4467]

+Alex Glad I found you ! This sounds great !

[@Jimenez69]

Metallica - For Whom The Bell Tolls (Original 1940) Or Metallica - For Whom The Bell Tolls (Remastered)

[@ivoandre267]

Awesome, bass rocks

[@DanielJayUSA]

Sludgey love it

[@ST-ln6jx]

Сильная песня!

[@rayswoodshop4467]

Cliffapocalypse

[@seanjames5799]

I! FUCKING! LOVE! IT!🤘🤘🤘🤘

[@lamontarnold1612]

👍👍

[@toku7319]

Does this version have the tapped harmonics at the start?

[@Metalhead-zb9mz]

So damn heavy just makes the bass sound way better then the original and Doomer version is almost like this just bit slowed down on the lyrically part.

[@maxzjj]

Everyone here will love the concert version of this song that sounds super Cliff-enhanced: kzbin.info/www/bejne/p5XPgqyEmsRsqqc

[@luiscortesrios6388]

This version is harder than original

[@Necro-s]

Mate, you forgot to add this song to the playlist

[@alextamulis]

Necro, thank you for letting me know, I'm going to fix this right away!

[@Necro-s]

@alextamulis No problem mate, keep up the work! Hopefully Metallica will release the Isolated Ktulu someday

[@bazglsgw1208]

Why does Lars hate the bass 🎸?

[@Numero_17]

well, now he has a bass player son

[@outis439-A]

i think it’s James.

[@AlmostDead-wy8vl]

This Is Just The Studio Version? With Bass Enhancement

[@adamgriffith-smith9106]

AlmostDead 4567 yes, thats the point

[@MabbitMusic]

Ther is one part 120ish were the bass and guitar tracks are out of sink.... sorry ROCK ON THIS ROCKS

[@nickflores1907]

Do IRON MAIDEN MORE BASS..

[@jamesgabriel9848]

Every time I hear the beginning of this song I think of killer clowns from outer space movie

[@danielisra6330]

There should be a new forearm work-out routine by playing any of the Big 4 songs.

[@ClosedOnSundays6]

Call of Ktulu if it was mixed by Cliff 🤔🤔🤔🤔

[@jeromeblangenwitsch9850]

On n'est plus en 550 ou en 610 on est en 2021

[@aidanatchison4721]

This is just Metallica but evil and actually dark it’s like listening to Metallica if Metallica were hardcore bikers in a motorcycle club

[@alextamulis]

I like the imagery, Aidan! Thank you

[@v3ntaguy121]

it was mixed with cliff

[@CUCAFESIS95]

It's funny how metal works its way around bass. The way it has normally been mixed emphazises guitars strumming one chord over the bass outlining it. Guitar in metal is not treated as a means to achieve something soundwise but as a means in itself; as the sole purpose of the music. That was fine when heavy distortion and new techniques were a novelty and had to be shown off. But overtime it has become definitely stale. Here, in this mix, guitars are present, but they are not in your face all the time. They only pop out when they perform leads or when the weight of the riff relies on them. In this song the whole weight overall revolves around bass; its intro lead, it enveloping the drums and making the riff, etc. so its nice this version allows us to actually hear it properly. The best way to mix metal would be having guitars and bass to get the presence they need for whatever they bring to the song. If bass just doubles guitars, it is OK if guitars are more present. But details in the bass doubling should be able to pop out in the mix, as well as any kind of lead does. Although this dynamic approach is more time consuming and is decided against when producers can achieve good results without the headache attached to it. But in this, bass can get lost in the hands of not so great producers. And given the guitar-centric ideology of metal (since distorted guitar is its defining quality), that happens too often.

[@fearfactorymark]

Fate was working overtime to make this band

[@XXLRebel]

When the bass is louder than the solo you know something is wrong. Liked the intro because it brings the bass forward but Cliff definitely wouldn't have mixed it this way😅

[@stonedinparadise1381]

really wish metallica wouldve mixed like maiden. shame

[@Keraxnosz]

cliff: most iconic jason: best vocals robert: most talented

[@AICfan50]

These are cool but I hate the titles

[@screemin187]

Meh, no. Sorry

[@midnacht832]

Meh, no your comment isnt needed here