Metallica celebrated the 35th anniversary of their seminal album Master of Puppets on Wednesday with a performance of “Battery” on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Wednesday marked 35 years to the day that the band’s third album was released on March 3rd, 1986. The album has since been added to the National Recording Registry of the Library of Congress.
Performing from the band’s San Rafael, CA studio, the band revisited the arthritis-inducing thrash metal riffs that made them pioneers of the early metal movement for the Colbert spot. With a wall-to-wall Master of Puppets tapestry hanging on the wall behind them, the quartet employed checkerboard transitions that took viewers around the studio space.
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When “Battery” was first released in 1986, bassist Robert Trujillo was 22 years old and still 17 years away from joining the band, but here he stepped into the position left by Cliff Burton with confidence. Burton, Metallica’s original bass player, was killed in a bus crash on September 27th, 1986 while the band was on tour in Sweden. Jason Newstead stepped in for Burton until departing in 2001, reportedly to focus on solo endeavors. Since 2003, Metallica has found a permanent replacement in former Ozzy Osbourne bassist Robert Trujillo.
Watch Metallica perform “Battery” on Colbert in celebration of 35 years of Master of Puppets.
Metallica – “Battery”
[Video: The Late Show with Stephen Colbert]