Metallica Release 1985 Demo of "Master of Puppets"

Photo: Buda Mendes/Getty Images

Back in August, Metallica announced a truly gargantuan reissue^[1] of their landmark 1986 album, Master of...

Photo: Buda Mendes/Getty Images

Back in August, Metallica announced a truly gargantuan reissue^[1] of their landmark 1986 album, Master of Puppets.

Multiple editions of the reissue feature entire discs of demos, live recordings and other previously unreleased material. Now, you can hear the latest nugget from the reissue, an early demo of the album's title track.

This particular demo of "Master of Puppets" was recorded in June 1985, at the The Carlson House in El Cerrito, California. Though the song had already largely taken shape by this point, it's fascinating to hear it as a scrappy, lo-fi recording.

The Master of Puppets reissue will be available physically on November 10 as a Standard LP, Standard CD, 3 CD Expanded Edition, and Limited Edition Deluxe Box Set and digitally as a Standard CD (available to stream and download), a 3 CD Expanded Edition (available for download only), and a Digital Deluxe Box Set (available for streaming and download).

The Expanded Edition will include previously unreleased demos, rough mixes, interviews, live tracks, and a 28-page booklet. The Limited Edition Deluxe Box Set will include a 108-page hardcover book including never before seen photos, outtakes and previously unreleased interviews, three LPs, ten CDs, a cassette, two DVDs, a lithograph, a folder with handwritten lyrics, and a set of six buttons.

You can listen to the demo below, and preorder the Master of Puppets reissue here^[2].